COM Newsletter - May 2020
When 2020 began, I’m sure many of us had no clue we would enter a season of so many changes, in such a short span of time. As we’ve all been affected one way or another, everyone is going through changes. Whether it’s having to wear face masks, standing 6 feet apart from one another or learning to grieve without a hug, things have changed.
Change can be intimidating and overwhelming for some of us, especially former sex/porn addicts. The human mind likes predictability and consistency as a means of developing habits and patterns for convenience. However as COVID-19 is teaching us, there are a lot of things that are out of our control. Embracing change can be hard because of the uncertainty aspect. Yet, we do have the ability to cling to the One who never changes.
Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever. This is a wonderful promise to hold on to as each day brings a new set of changes. Give thanks to the God who is consistent for we have no need to worry as He knows what the future holds.
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Q&A
Question: How long did it take you to overcome homosexuality?
Reply: Under great conviction by the Holy Spirit, I chose to walk away from homosexuality, even with all my tendencies still in that direction. In other words, the day after I walked away, I was still just as strongly tempted as the day before. But I had chosen a new path for myself and leaned heavily upon God's grace (His divine power) to create in me a clean heart and to renew a right spirit within me. It was a process, a process of starving the old and feeding the new.
I chose to relocate myself, for I was still very much in love with the man I had lived with for a number of years. I chose to bring every thought into captivity unto the obedience of Christ, in spite of my feelings and emotions. I chose to be careful what I watched, read, listened to, and was careful about where I chose to socialize. Within one year of my baptism, I was married to a lovely young lady I had known since childhood. We now have two wonderful children together, a girl and a boy. They are the light of our lives.
I cannot say how long it would take for you or someone else. It depends upon how much effort you put into the process yourself, and how badly you want to be changed. But God's promise is sure in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” This promise states that a genuine conversion results in new motives, new tastes, and new tendencies. When one is born-again, he is to overcome every inherited and cultivated tendency to wrong.
Does it mean that one is forever free from temptation? No! Of course not! Jesus Himself was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He suffered being tempted. He resisted unto blood being tempted, unto death, even the death of the cross (See Hebrews 2, 4, 12). Yet, He would not yield to temptation.
Temptation, my friend, does not define who you are. Temptation defines Satan's plan for your life. Please do not make the mistake that so many people make in believing that as long as they ever have homosexual temptations they are still homosexual. What matters with God is your choice of direction, your choice of thoughts, and your choice of behavior. Your orientation is determined by the direction you choose to go in life, not the direction that Satan wishes you to go.
I write much about this issue throughout my website and in my previous book. Please feel free to dig deeper in these resources.
Q&A text taken from:
TESTIMONY
After I finish recording a testimony, I tend to forget who has the ability to watch what I’ve shared. Most recently, my colleagues and I had the opportunity to share our stories on Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN). Though I was well aware of 3ABN’s large platform, I didn’t know exactly where it would reach.
A few days after the live recording was aired, I received several emails and Facebook direct messages regarding how to gain and/or maintain victory. But to my surprise, some weeks after, I received a letter in the mail. This wasn’t a typical letter as it was 3 ½ page handwritten letter from an inmate in California. I was genuinely amazed as first, I haven’t received a handwritten letter in years and secondly, it was written by an inmate. He shared his gratitude for my colleagues and my transparency on 3ABN, and also his story. Eager to write back, I had to buy loose-leaf paper, first.
It’s one thing to communicate via phone, email or direct message, but hoping your handwritten letter is received is another. As some time has passed from the original airdate, I have received other handwritten letters from other inmates. It serves as a constant reminder of never knowing who is watching, but more importantly that His work can easily permeate through an iron bar. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be about my Father’s business but truly to see how He surpasses my expectations.
By Kezia Chisholm
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