Stephen Kuhn's Blog, page 53

Weekly Web (W)roundup

Each week, I roundup the best resources, articles, and videos I find that are relevant to finding freedom from porn addiction. Please note that by posting a link here it does not mean I agree with everything in the linked article. It just means I found it interesting enough to share.

Tim Challies: Don’t Expect Unbelievers To Act Like Believers 

“It is something I see again and again, and something that baffles me every time: People who expect unbelievers to act like believers. So often I see Christians acting surprised that their non-Christian friends or family members are acting like non-Christians.”

Sammy Adebiyi: 10 Reasons Your Sin Hasn’t Disqualified You From Being Used By God.

“God intentionally and consistently called people in his story to overcome sin but never has God disqualified people from his story because of their sin. So no, contrary to how you feel, you’re not disqualified from God’s story. “

Huffington Post: When Sex Addicts Reveal Everything to Spouses

“Whatever its origin, sex addiction takes a heavy toll on not just the addict, but on all those with whom he or she has formed close relationships. As the addict enters recovery, stops their sexually destructive behaviors and begins to work through personal trauma with an experienced therapist, it soon becomes glaringly apparent that the relationship between the addict and his or her partner is also in need of significant repair. “

Storyline Blog: What You’ll Find When You Stop Running

“I’ve had two epic dreams in my life. One of them entered my sleep the week before I got married at age 36, after years of running from relationships, fearing intimacy, and petrified of commitment. The other came the day after my 60th birthday. I’d like to tell you about the first.”

Pastor Bob: Father Of Lies!

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My One Thing: Russ Shaw

I recently caught up with Russ Shaw from the ASI247 Podcast to ask him what his one piece of advice would be for anyone struggling with porn addiction:

The post My One Thing: Russ Shaw appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.

In Christ, You Need Not be Afraid

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline

(2 Timothy 1:7).

What’s your biggest fear? Snakes? Planes? Snakes on a Plane?

Regardless of what it is, every one of us is afraid of something.

According to a quick Google search, the top ten fears of people are:

Speaking before a Group
Heights
Insects and bugs
Financial problems
Deep water
Sickness
Death
Flying
Loneliness
Dogs

Chances are, you can relate to at least one of these.

If there’s one fear on this list I relate to, it’s the fear of loneliness. I wonder at times if God’s plan for my life is for me to remain unmarried indefinitely, which causes me to fear the loneliness I assume will come with long-term singleness.

But God has not given us a spirit of fear, which means we no longer have anything to truly be fearful about. 

Nonetheless, fear remains a part of our lives.

In order to understand this dichotomy, we need to recognize that there are two types of fear:

Legitimate Fear (fear of a very real and present danger).
Illegitimate Fear (fear of an imagined or assumed danger).

When fear sneaks back into our lives as believers, it’s always illegitimate fear. It’s fear that is not based on the truth.

Ultimately, it’s a sign that we are not trusting that God will keep His word.

Let’s look at the top-10 list again. How many of those fears are still legitimate fears once we hold them up to the truth of Scripture?

Do we still need to fear financial ruin if we recognize that God has promised to meet all our needs?

Do we need to be afraid of death (which is ultimately what the fear of heights, deep water, and many other fears are about), if we understand that death doesn’t separate us from God but releases into glorious eternity with Him? Is death something we need to be afraid of, or is death a blessing for those who are in Christ?

Once we recognize how Jesus has set us free from any legitimate reason to be afraid, our fears are all exposed as illegitimate.

When I put my focus back on the truth of God’s love for me, I can recognize that I’m not lonely—even now, in the midst of my singleness. The love I receive from my friends, my family, and from God Himself is more than enough to satisfy my hearts desire for companionship. 

This is how trusting in the truth of God’s love sets me free from my fear of loneliness.

So the next time you are afraid, look to the truth of Scripture and see what God says about whatever is frightening you. Perhaps you will discover that, thanks to the Spirit of Christ within you, you no longer have anything to truly be afraid of.

Are there things in your life you continue fear?

Things that God has promised to free you from?

The post In Christ, You Need Not be Afraid appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.

Interview on the Dustin Daniels Show, Part 2

Part 2 of my interview on the Dustin Daniels show went live yesterday.

We talked about a lot of topics:

The difference between belief and faith.
Why so many people are walking away from Christianity.
What it might mean if you feel God isn’t coming through for you.

Go ahead and give it a listen.

If you have questions or comments related to the show, just hit me up in the comments below.

Thanks!

The post Interview on the Dustin Daniels Show, Part 2 appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.

Smart Quote: Timothy Keller

Thoughts on this quote? Feel free to discuss them in the comments below.

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Why Isn’t God Coming Through for Me?

This post has been adapted from the chapter, “Lie #7: God Can Set Others Free from Pornography Addiction, but Not Me,” in my new book, 10 Lies Men Believe about Porn. This post is part 3 in an 8-week series on life-changing faith. If you would like to begin at part 1, you can do that here.

When God calls you to do something that requires tremendous trust—to “take a leap of faith” as we sometimes say—He isn’t doing it to test your ability to generate faith. He is doing it to offer you an opportunity to receive more faith. The more you trust Him, the more He allows your faith to grow.

This makes sense when you think about it. God has perfect knowledge, power over everything, and wants only what is best for you—so you can be confident He will never let you down or lose control of any situation. He will never fail you or leave you hanging. Every time you trust Him, He will come through for you. It may not be in the way you were expecting or hoping for, but it will always be for your best. When you experience His trustworthiness in your life over and over, it becomes easier to trust Him when He calls you to exercise faith in the future—not because of your ability to trust, but because of His unblemished track record.

But if you don’t trust God’s unconditional love for you, you will never be confident that He really is acting in your best interest. You will always be questioning His trustworthiness based on whether you feel you have been good enough to earn it or not. You will weigh everything He calls you to do on an imaginary continuum: Is God calling me to do this to better me, or to punish me? You will only trust Him to the degree that you understand how much He loves you, which is why having a proper understanding of His grace is key for life-changing faith to even be a possibility.

You can be certain, however, that God does love you—no matter how messed up you may feel—and everything He calls you to do is for your benefit. The more you trust in this truth, the more your faith will grow. Eventually, you will come to realize that you really can trust everything Jesus promises to be true—even for you—no matter how illogical or unbelievable it may seem. The blessings of the faith you read about in the Bible will become increasingly real to you, not because you have suddenly earned them or deserve them more, but because you are finally trusting them to be true.

Over the next four weeks, we will look at a few of these blessings and see how trusting Jesus determines whether we experience them in our lives or not.

Continue to Part 4:  If Jesus Promises Me Rest, Why am I so Burnt Out?

The post Why Isn’t God Coming Through for Me? appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.

Weekly Web (W)roundup

Each week, I roundup the best resources, articles, and videos I find that are relevant to finding freedom from porn addiction. Please note that by posting a link here it does not mean I agree with everything in the linked article. It just means I found it interesting enough to share.

XXXChurch: Are We Free To Screw Up? 

“We have long had a policy where X3group leaders needed to be sober for a minimum of one year before they could take over a group. We recently interviewed someone to become a leader, and though all his references came back sparkling and I personally vouched for this guy, in his honest interview he told us he’d looked at porn four months earlier.”

Christianity Today: Should there be room for Christians to ‘mess up’ in their walk of faith?

“An interesting conversation around the recovery from porn and sexual addiction has been going on over at the XXXChurch.com blog these last few days.”

The Village Church: Jesus Said to Leave Her Alone

“Men have a propensity to join in when women are being mocked or exploited. Men tend to stand by and not ‘rock the boat’ when those around us are engaged in offensive language or actions. But godly men must intercede when an opportunity arises to exercise our God-given charge to care for others.”

Carrollton: Holding On To You

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Part 2 of My Interview on the ASI247 Podcast

Last weekend I cruised back up to Seattle to record the second part of my interview with Russ Shaw on the ASI247 podcast.

We covered the remainder of the 10 Lies Men Believe about Porn, focusing mainly on the important (and often misunderstood) necessity of forgiveness if we want to walk in true freedom. We also spent some time talking about the story behind my book, and how God doesn’t want us to shut down our desire, He wants to redeem it for the good of His kingdom.

Listen to the show here.

If you have questions or comments related to the show, just hit me up in the comments below.

The post Part 2 of My Interview on the ASI247 Podcast appeared first on Belt of Truth Ministries.

In Christ, You Have the Promise of Life

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life He has promised through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:1).

The Apostle Paul knew his calling was to tell others about the life that is promised to those who put their faith in Christ.

But what exactly is Paul talking about when he says “Life.”

The way I look at it, there are two ways to interpret Paul’s use of the word “life” in this context.

On one hand, we could read this as Paul saying “Here’s what your day-to-day life will look like for you if you chose to follow Jesus.”

If this were the message God wanted to communicate to the world through a man though, don’t you think He would have chosen someone other than Paul?

Seriously, take a look at Paul’s life:

I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm (2 Corinthians 11:23–27).

Prison… Beatings… Shipwrecks… Sleeplessness… 

I’m pretty sure nobody is going to voluntarily sign up for a life like Paul’s…not unless there’s something attached to it so amazing that it makes all these hardships pale in comparison.

Ah, but there is something attached to it:

The life of Christ living within you.

Eternal life.

This is the life that Paul is talking about.

You see, Paul’s calling wasn’t to tell others how Jesus wanted to change their day-to-day lives. His calling was to help them see their need for the eternal life of Christ to redeem their hearts (which would give them the power to thrive within their day-to-day lives).

Hopefully you won’t ever find yourself shipwrecked or starving, but if you do, rest in the fact that the same life of Christ that dwelled in Paul dwells in you as well.

Which means when your day-to-day life gets hard, you can do more than simply try to survive…you can thrive.

How has the life of Christ empowered you to endure hardships in your life?

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Smart Quote: Paul Tripp

Thoughts on this quote? Feel free to discuss them in the comments below.

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