Residential Program Director Luke Imperato gives a sobering call for backslidden Christians to return to the Father.
Wondering if lasting freedom is possible? IT IS! Hear how God has kept two former staff members walking in ongoing victory.
Steve Gallagher warns us to keep watch for signs of backsliding in our lives.
Stop excusing sin. This week we expose the lies that keep you stuck—and the truth that leads to freedom. Watch now.
When we humbly confess our sins to God and a trusted spiritual leader, the power of the enemy will be broken off of our lives.
In this "Timeless Truths" segment: When we're unwilling to confess our sins, our hearts grow hard and calloused. But when we humbly confess our sins to God and a trusted spiritual leader, the power of the enemy will be broken off of our lives.
Host: Ken Larkin has joined me in the studio. Ken is a counselor for the Residential Program here at Pure Life Ministries. Ken, we got a question in that unfortunately is not all that uncommon. It's from a young man who is involved in his church. He's a worship leader who has been giving over to pornography. And, from the natural perspective, we can certainly understand he's afraid to tell anyone. He may be having thoughts like, “What if I tell someone? I might lose my job. It might be humiliating.” But he is asking, what should I do? What kind of counsel would you give this young man?
Ken: Well, the first thing I would do is take him to the Bible. There's a precious Proverb I'd like to share with him. Proverbs 28:13 (NKJV) says: “He who covers his sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” And if you really want to be free from your pornography addiction, it's absolutely essential that you do confess to the Lord. But besides that, you have to confess to another individual. And I would recommend that he confesses this to his pastor as soon as possible.
Host: Well, you've counseled a number of men in this area. What is some of the danger of not confessing this? What happens in our inside world when we know we're in sin and the Holy Spirit's convicting us, but we don't respond to that conviction.
Ken: It becomes easy to get into a cycle of failure and defeat when you're living in the darkness of hidden sin. You're in your own little world and you can find any reason to justify your sin. And what usually happens is if you're not willing to confess to another individual, your heart just grows harder. You start crossing boundaries that you never thought you would, and you actually end up going deeper into your sin.
Host: And really, the unwillingness to confess your sin is a reflection of the fact that you don't want to give up your sin. Also, the reality is that if you're in a good solid church and particularly if you're in a leadership position and you're involved in sin, you're probably going to be asked to step away for some time. Talk about the benefit of that.
Ken: Well, the benefit is that first of all, if you're living in sin, you shouldn't be in any type of leadership position to begin with. So, you're getting yourself out of that position of leading worship and what's happening is now you're coming under the godly counsel of your pastor and other leaderships. So, now you're having someone else come alongside you to actually aid you to get free from your sin. You're not in this battle alone anymore. You have prayer support; you have godly counsel and godly leadership. They can help you in your struggle and your fight to be free. And the verse I would share in regard to that is found in James. “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16, 1984 NIV)
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Host: I know we've mentioned this in a previous discussion, but it's worth bringing up again in a situation like this. I can speak from personal testimony that when you're in a position where when the truth comes out, other people might be hurt or you might lose a job or position, the enemy is always there to give you 100 reasons why you shouldn't confess it. But we do want to caution that particularly for someone who is in leadership, they need to go to their leadership to confess not to someone who's under their authority.
Ken: That is correct. And really, the enemy of our soul thrives on secrecy and deception. And he would love to have you keep this thing in secret and for you to continue to deceive others. Because his goal is to keep you bound to your sin. So, the first thing you need to do is get your sin out into the light and that will break the devil's power off of your life. Bringing things into the light is part of your step to freedom. It is essential.
Host: And there is mercy available to those who are truly willing to repent. Repentance is a gift. God wants to give us that gift of repentance. But I do want to say also that if you're out there listening and you're in this position, frankly, it just takes courage to step up and do the right thing. And if you're one of those folks where you just think that you don't have what it takes to bring this into the light, then get before the Lord and say God help me. Help me to be able to do what I don't want to do in my flesh. He'll answer that prayer to help you to do the right thing because he really does want to set you free.
This episode: Our instincts tell us to keep our sins hidden, but God's Word tells us that being honest leads to a life of power over sin.
When we sin, our first instinct is to cover it up so that we avoid any painful consequences. But God’s Word tells us that whoever conceals his sin will not prosper, and whoever confesses and forsakes them will find mercy. In other words, the worst thing we can do is keep our sin hidden. If we want to prosper, we have to live a transparent life.
If you examine the life of Jesus and apply His lifestyle to your own, you will find victory in your darkest hour.
Jesus was shockingly calm and merciful when He was betrayed and arrested. This confidence and power did not come by chance. It was established by His lifestyle, and struggling Christians must establish this same lifestyle to begin living victoriously in trials and temptations. This week, Luke Imperato breaks down four aspects of Jesus’ victorious lifestyle and how they can help a man battling sexual sin.
This episode: Sexual sin destroys intimacy, but God's Word shows couples how to restore trust and purity to their marriage bed.
Sexual intimacy can be really complicated, especially for those who are dealing with the aftermath of sexual sin. In today’s episode, Jeff and Rose Colón talk about the biblical principles that will transform the marriage bed from a place of awkwardness, fear, and lust into a place of deep intimacy, trust and purity.
When times of intense sorrow come, we have to pray, and Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane teaches us how to pray.
Jesus didn’t promise that the Christian life would be easy. In fact, He promised that trials would come. But He also showed us a way to go through suffering triumphantly, and demonstrated this in the Garden of Gethsemane. If you are in a season of trial or suffering, we hope this sermon will strengthen and encourage you.
This interview: Children are deeply impacted by their parents' behavior. So, is a parent responsible if their child develops an addiction?
Some say that if you want to discover the roots of addictive behavior, you have to look at a person’s childhood, because the data shows that if a child’s father doesn’t give them the love they need, they can have real problems later in life. But does that mean that a father's failure to love causes a person to become an addict? In today’s interview, we'll discuss what the Bible teaches about why we do what we do, and how to deal with our own bad choices.
This episode: Children are deeply impacted by their parents' behavior. So, is a parent responsible if their child develops an addiction?
Some say that if you want to discover the roots of addictive behavior, you have to look at a person’s childhood, because the data shows that if a child’s father doesn’t give them the love they need, they can have real problems later in life. But does that mean that a father's failure to love causes a person to become an addict? In today’s show, we'll discuss what the Bible teaches about why we do what we do, and how to deal with our own bad choices.
Jesus’ desire to make God known to His disciples back then is the same desire He has for us now.
Are you weary and troubled by the consequences of sin and of a selfish lifestyle? Are you having a hard time believing that Jesus can set you free or keep you free? In today’s sermon, Dustin Renz goes through John 17 to explain who Jesus really is and what He does for those who believe in Him. We pray that this sermon inspires you to have faith in Jesus in the midst of your battles.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit means having a firm conviction of the wrongness of sin, of God’s goodness, and of the coming judgment.
In Scripture, we see the same pattern repeating in many different stories. Someone is spiritually dead, which lands them in a dangerous situation. This threat leads them to cry out for deliverance. And when someone sincerely lets out that cry, God always answers. The Holy Spirit is that answer. This week, Steve Gallagher shares about why we must be filled with the Holy Spirit, and why many don’t see their need for His infilling.
Hey Podcast fans! Have you heard our "Freedom from Porn" series? For this week's podcast, we'll take you back to that series' second show.
In the second episode of our Freedom from Porn series, we asked the question, "What Role Does Brokenness Play in Freedom from Porn?" We looked at brokenness from a biblical perspective, how God uses it, and heard testimonies of how godly brokenness leads to freedom and life.
PLM Podcast fans, have you heard our series "The Church Addicted"? For this week's podcast, we'll take you back to that series' first show.
The statistics concerning men addicted to pornography and other illicit sexual sins are staggering. 64% viewing porn at least monthly. 36% of young men watching it at least daily. 35% of men admitting that they are having an affair. The worst part? These statistics are not from unbelievers—but from people professing to be followers of Jesus. This is the first episode in The Church Addicted—a series of shows where we look at how these statistics became the Church's reality.
Special guest speaker, Dave Leopold, shows us what it looks like to let Jesus have His way in our lives.
When Christ returns, some will respond with indescribable joy while others will hide themselves in unprecedented terror. Our decisions today determine our response on that day. Are we letting Him refine us in our daily lives, or are we insisting on having our own way? Reverend Dave Leopold highlights key moments in Peter’s life to show us how to allow God to work in our daily lives.
After porn destroyed his life, Steve Gallagher discovered powerful truths that broke his addiction and transformed his life. Based off his popular YouTube series, this book will help you experience the power of these truths for yourself.
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