In your journey you must learn to trust the Lord with all your heart. When you take your eyes off Jesus, you start to trust your own actions. But only God can handle this. Do not be wise in your own eyes (Proverbs 3:7 NIV). Who are you? Yes, your loved one has a broken view of his or her sexual identity, but it is equally important to know who you are, and who God says you are in Him. In Acts 15, the apostle James said, “Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people…

By Michael Martinez My name is Michael Martinez, a 38-year-old born-again Christian residing in Ontario, California. I grew up in a church where I felt a deep sense of security, love, and peace that only God could provide. I had a genuine, loving relationship with my heavenly Father despite some difficulties at home—an introduction to pornography at a young age, coupled with my father’s mental and verbal abuse of my mother. My grandfather, who did missionary work in Germany with my Oma (grandmother), was the only strong male spiritual figure in my life. Around age twelve, I rebelled against my…

Have you ever admitted to God, “I’m done. There’s nothing left of me”? What can we do? The Word of God directs us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Yet we often forget to pray consistently, passionately. In fact, we may pray only when we feel desperate or hopeless. How can we move toward more meaningful, intimate conversations with God? First, avoid “meaningless repetition” and “empty phrases” (Matthew 6:7). Anyone can fall into this trap. Instead of repeating words and phrases that sound spiritual, use honest, sincere words that reflect your actual feelings. God cares about your heart, your…

Because of my Dad’s porn struggle, my parents divorced when I young. Though the church tried to help him, he wasn’t willing to be accountable. He thought he’d be able to overcome the addiction on his own, but the enemy knew better. Our family was devastated by his porn addiction. My parents’ marriage was destroyed, and my siblings and I were heartbroken. Later we would face another chapter on this painful journey with my dad. He came out as gay, later in life, believing that it was time to be “true” to himself. While he’s being true to himself, my…

By Sherry Holt My sweet mother, God love her, developed a neurological problem in the latter part of her life, and as her breakdown started, her memory would come and go. She knew that I was divorced and living alone, but she didn’t remember why (which was a blessing to me). She said to a friend of mine, “The devil tried to take Sherry out, but he couldn’t do it.”        Even in her altered state, she was aware of the spiritual battle that had gone on for my soul. Despite her state of mental demise she would pray for…

In a perfect world, Christmas is a time to of happiness, peace, and smiles as everyone celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Problems exist, hearts are heavy, and the struggle can be painful for families of LGBT loved ones. We can allow the emotional and mental challenges of the holidays to plunge us into despair, or we can stand confident in Jesus’ promise: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle…

Many times families feel desperate and hopeless. I empathize with what they are muddling through when a loved one identifies as a homosexual. Hopelessness appears to be swallowing them up in their despair. Joy and Rob felt that way. They were barely able to sleep at night after their daughter declared she was “gay.” Joy asked me, “Is there hope?” I replied, “Oh yes!” We talked about one of the tools Satan uses against family members when the earthquake of a loved one living out of the will of God rocks their world. Satan uses alienation to make us feel…