There Was a Time in My Life…
There was a time in my life when anger controlled me and pornography held me captive. Then I encountered the gospel of Jesus Christ, and everything began to change. Through Him, I found forgiveness, peace, and freedom.
Do you have a story like that?
I used to be someone who was filled with anger. During my middle school years, doctors even tried to put me on Lexapro to help control it.
Looking back, I'm not entirely sure why that struggle was there. I just remember telling myself as a young boy that I didn't want to depend on medication for the rest of my life. From that point forward, I began having honest conversations with the Lord. I would tell Him that I didn't want to be angry anymore and that I didn't want a pill controlling that part of my life.
Thankfully, this was one area where the Lord moved quickly. What had once been a hard-hearted and angry young man gradually became someone who was learning to walk in gentleness. Not perfectly—but over time, anger had less and less control over me.
While God brought freedom from my anger relatively quickly, there was another battle that would last much longer.
I was at a friend's house in the sixth grade. After playing basketball and video games, he wanted to show me something else—something that would ultimately send me down a heartbreaking path: pornography.
The images appealed to both my eyes and my sinful desires. Sixth-grade me had no idea what I was stepping into.
Before long, what began as curiosity became addiction. It wasn't an occasional temptation; it became something that controlled my thoughts, my desires, and many of my decisions.
Wherever I could find those images, I did. My parents' computer, my brother's computer, and staying the night at friends' houses all became opportunities. Eventually, even my grandmother's computer became another place where I would search for more.
As time went on, the images were never enough. I always wanted more. That constant craving shaped much of my teenage years, and by the age of fifteen, I had already lost my virginity.
During the Summer of my senior year of high school, I had a genuine encounter with Jesus that changed the direction of my life.
For the first time, I truly understood the gospel. I realized that my greatest problem wasn't simply my anger or my addiction—it was my sin. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived the perfect life I never could, died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin, and rose again three days later so that I could be forgiven and made new. Instead of trying to fix myself, I surrendered my life to Him and trusted Him completely.
That didn't mean every struggle disappeared overnight.
My battle with pornography was long and difficult. I fought it for nearly ten years before finally surrendering that area of my life completely to the Lord. Yet throughout that journey, Jesus was faithfully changing me. He gave me strength to keep fighting, grace when I stumbled, and hope that freedom was possible because of what He had already accomplished for me.
Today, by God's grace, I am free from pornography. Even more than that, I have the privilege of walking alongside other men as they pursue freedom in Christ.
Where there was anger, Jesus gave me peace.
Where there was addiction, Jesus gave me freedom.
That's what Jesus has done in my life.
Do you have a story like that?
The same Jesus who rescued me is still rescuing people today. No matter what you're carrying, no matter how long you've struggled, His grace is greater than your sin. Through His death and resurrection, He offers forgiveness, new life, and the power to walk in freedom.
Are you willing to trust Him?
—Raymond M
If you have a testimony of how Jesus has transformed your life and would be willing to share it, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at theo2youthcenter@yahoo.com. We may feature your story in a future blog post so that others can be encouraged by what God has done in your life.