Numb

I was talking with a friend recently & he was telling me about his stuggle with sin and about how God has released him from the bondage! This friend has been struggling with pornography for years... Now he told me that it was not a problem to the sense of looking at it everyday but it was keeping him from walking with God whole heartedly! The other night he made a fire and he got out all of the stuff he had and he was at the table going through it bc he was going to burn it... He was going through it putting it in 2 diff piles one to burn and one to keep when he stoped and said 'what am I doing?' He told me he told himself 'if your just going to keep some just keep it all bc your missing the point.' Around that same time a friend knocked on the door and after covering the stuff up he awnsered and as they were there talking he felt led to share with them about this and he told them he needed their accountability to burn all of it! So they went outside and through it all in the fire! As the friend was getting ready to leave they said 'let's make an agreement to have houses that we can invite Jesus into!' What they didn't know is that he still had one magazine hidden and when they left he went and got it and burned it and he said that at that point he felt free! This friend told me that he has never felt better in his whole life and he feels like he is realy walking in step with the Lord now! As we started talking about this there was one very important point I got out of it! It  was that he was numb to the sin in his life... The moment after he had burned everything he started to become convicted of all kinds of different sins he was commiting... Little things like stealing toilet paper & paper towels out of public bathrooms... Something that does not seem to big but it was still wrong... You see for so long he was bound by this sin... The sin had hardened his heart to everything else in his life! The sin had glassed over him... He would justify his actions that were not right... And this is what sin will do to all of us if we do not confess! We must first confess to God, but we also need to find someone in our lives that we can trust to tell them about our short comings so that we can be held accountable! God gave us others so that we can be in community! Your pride will tell you to hold it in, the devil wants it to stay inside bc he knows that it will eat away at you! I dont care if you struggle with sexual immorality, cutting, suicidle thoughts, innadequacy, bad thoughts, whatever it is you have to tell some one so that you can start to heal! You are BEAUTIFUL! Jesus loves you more then you can ever know! You are not damaged just bc you have made mistakes! God looks past those cuts & see's beauty! I dont care if you have been raped or have had sex with more guys/girls then you can count... YOU ARE NOT DAMAGED GOODS! GOD WANTS TO HEAL YOU! Those thoughts are tricks by he devil... God wants to trade those thoughts for praise & glory! If you just give it all up to Him you will be free! I know it's easier said then done but you have to do it! He is the Way, the Truth, & the Life! Trust Him! The only one that can save you! I Love you guys & I'm praying for you! Be encouraged!

P.S. went to BBQ House today and they asked me if I wanted 2 extra sandwiches... I said... You already know! I was pretty excited! God Bless!