Purity For Life

For those who are being broken over their sin, and are turning to God in repentance, Psalm 51 is a treasure trove of spiritual knowledge. It is touching, brilliant, and artistic. But it’s not included in the Bible for us merely to appreciate it. It’s there like a blazing lighthouse, showing us how to return safely into the harbor of God’s redemption. 

If you aren’t in the habit of reading Christian biographies, we hope that this episode will inspire you to start. Aside from the Bible, Christian biographies can be some of the most helpful reading you’ll ever do. In this show, we’ll look at the remarkable life of Amy Carmichael, an Irish woman who gave herself entirely for the will of God in India.   Biographies we mentioned: A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur by Frank Houghton Bruchko by Bruce Olson Chasing the Dragon: One Woman's Struggle Against the Darkness of Hong Kong's Drug Dens by Jackie Pullinger    

In this bonus segment, Nate sits down with biblical counselor Michael Wheaton to discuss some methods he uses to study the Bible.  -- Methods we discussed: Familiarizing yourself with the text: (00:56) Finding key words: (04:23) Studying verse by verse: (06:08) Identifying themes and overall purpose: (09:28) Reading commentaries: (12:25) Putting these methods into practice: (14:50)                        --- Resources we mentioned: e-Sword - Download eSword here

When God visits a person’s sin in judgment, their lives begin to unravel. Frustration builds to misery, then gives way to despair, and often, finally collapses into ruin. But in Hosea 2, an astonishing picture emerges. God's deepest desire is not to destroy sinners, but to use the pain of judgment to open a doorway into total restoration. 

When you know that you've sinned terribly against God, where do you find the confidence to go back to Him? How can you know that He will be willing to receive you? Today we'll look at two passages that shed light on one of the most precious truths about God: He is full of mercy toward anyone who will repent.

George Barna recently reported that over 75 percent of Americans read the Bible once a month or less. According to Jesus, that is a recipe for spiritual devastation. Join us for our newest series, where you will be inspired and equipped to begin a life of studying God's precious word!

In times of extreme need, people often claim that they have no one to help them. But how often is that actually true, and how often is that just a feeling? And what do you do if you really don’t have anyone who is willing to help you? If you’re feeling like you have no support in your current situation, this episode is for you. 

There is no doubt that sexual sin and betrayal brings men and women into long seasons of terrible darkness. But Jesus is the light of the world! In this episode, Stephen and Kelly Hauck share very openly about their past life of sin and suffering to show that in times of greatest darkness, the light of Christ shines with incredible brightness.

When the Apostle Peter urged Christians to stand fast in the true grace of God, he implied that there is a false grace that we must avoid. We are living in a culture that is saturated with sensuality and perversion. We don't need a grace that leaves us unforgiven, unsaved and unchanged. We need something real, something full of life and power. In this episode, we play a sermon by Steve Gallagher where he shows us what true grace is, and what it's not.

In this episode, we're going to ask the question, "Should Christians use the word addiction?" To help answer that question, Dr. Daniel Berger helps us understand what the culture means by addiction and whether or not the Bible gives credence to those ideas.

In this episode, we look at two strategies for winning the war against sexual sin. The first is that we have to seperate ourselves from the spirit of this world. The second is that, as we do this, we must begin to seek God with all our hearts.

There have been many testimonies told from those who've gone through our counseling programs. Some of those testimonies are so similar to each other that they can become almost predictable, but we never get tired of hearing them. There is something powerful about God's individual, intimate involvement with each person that He comes to. In this episode, we walk through the story of Danielle. She had a relationship with Jesus from a young age, but for a long time, there wasn't much depth to her walk with God. She wanted to follow Jesus, but there were things that were really hindering her. And then her husband’s sexual sin really brought things to a head, and God used that trial to really draw her to Himself.

We see it all too often. And we see it from both sides. There is the man who is struggling with sexual sin, with his addiction to pornography, but he thinks, “My problem will all go away when I get married.” Then there is the young woman who knows of her fiancé’s struggles, but she marries him anyway, thinking the same thing: “Marriage will fix him.” In this Purity for Life episode from 2019, we answer the question “Should I Marry a Man Struggling with Porn?” 

When you've ministered to Christian men in sexual sin for as long as we have, you start to get a pretty good idea about who you are dealing with and what they need. If you’re a pastor, if you’re discipling someone who is struggling with sexual sin, or if you recently found out that someone you love has been living a double life of hidden immorality, this episode is for you. Welcome to part one of A Leader's Guide to the Sexual Addict.

When Chris looked at Marissa, he saw a woman who would help him control his lust. He saw someone who would help him achieve a prosperous life. When Marissa looked at Chris, she saw a man who would help her pursue the Lord, someone who would help her cultivate the kind of spiritual life she dreamed of having. One day, both of their dreams came crashing down. But this did not result in the destruction of their marriage. Instead, it brought about the creation of something unexpected. Something beautiful. Something brand new.

Welcome to the fifth episode in our series, Key Lessons on the Road to Freedom. In this episode, we are going to look at yet another vital aspect of learning to walk in freedom from sexual sin - keeping a godly atmosphere in your home. It's a lesson we all have to learn. If we want to live godly lives, we have to keep a careful guard over our homes.

The world tells us that hope comes from an expectation that something good is going to happen. But if that’s true, how can a wife have hope when her marriage is failing? You see, we need a hope that anchors itself in something beyond this world of suffering. We need a living hope flowing to us despite the difficult circumstances of this life. In this Purity for Life replay, Kathy Gallagher joins us to talk about the true hope of all believers, and she helps us see how to anchor ourselves in it. 

As you continue on the road to real freedom over sexual sin, there's one key lesson that can take quite awhile to learn. And while learning it can be pretty painful, it's absolutely essential. Simply put, you have to learn to control yourself. But what makes it hard is that many of us have come to the painful realization that more self-effort in not the way to develop greater self-control. So join us as we look at how living a self-controlled life can only come by learning to live in the power of the Holy Spirit.