Way of Purity Testimony:

My mentor is Pat. About 15 years ago, I accidentally discovered self-pleasing and was a slave to it off and on for about 11 years. I finally was able to stop the action, but still had lust in my heart. In the next 4 years, I went farther than I should have with a couple of guys, and I constantly struggled with lust and fantasizing. I didn't know if it was even possible to conquer this sexual thought life (and sometimes I didnt want to). A godly friend and I occasionally talked vaguely about our struggles with lust and she mentioned this study she had found, Setting Captives Free. I enrolled a short time later, and found it to be very much a ministry to my heart. Deciding what I needed to amputate and the steps I needed to take to eliminate the lusting was one help. But it also helped to repair my heart. I felt such a sense of guilt for what I had done in both the distant and recent past, and had much difficulty accepting Gods grace. I knew that my actions and thoughts would affect future relationships to some extent, in that I wouldn't be entering into a future relationship as innocently/purely as I wanted to. Sometimes I still pick up that baggage. I believe Setting Captives Free has been instrumental in my healing, in directing me toward growing in God, though I don't completely feel I've arrived. I still sense that I have so much more room to grow and so much more to learn about my relationship with God. Being committed to the 60-day study has given me daily Scripture reading and godly guidance, which I have not always been disciplined about in the past. I am excited to look at where I was 59 days ago and where I am now, and even where I believe He will take me next. I praise God that He can and did change me, even when I didn't think it was possible.