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A man who at one time had given himself over to seeking pleasure, spoke the truth when he said that, “Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, and the end of joy may be grief.”

WHAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY?

Let’s begin by defining what homosexuality is and is not. It is not a strong attraction for those of the same sex. Someone who is tempted to steal something isn’t a thief until he actually gives in to his desire. And someone who’s been hurt by another may feel like hating that person but it’s when he gives himself over to this desire that he’s stepped over the line. That means giving your mind over to pursuing lustful thoughts (maybe through pornography), or giving your body over to pursue these desires. However, just having some kind of homosexual encounter in your past doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re “gay”.

A homosexual is a person who not only has a strong attraction for the same sex, but has also made the decision to yield to these desires. The gay mentality or life-style aren’t things you just “stumble” into, you walk into them step by step.

THE BIBLE

“So what’s wrong with being gay, anyway? It’s my sexual preference. What difference does it make? Didn’t God make us the way we are?” So many have struggled with homosexual desires that there’s a growing confusion as to whether or not it’s wrong, and whether a person can really be free from it all. There are a lot of “experts” who seem to come up with a new “answer” every day, but in order to get the unchanging truth, we need to look into the Bible. God has made each one of us in a special way, “custom designed” really. In fact, He holds the only patent on the human race. So if anyone knows how we’re supposed to work the best, He does! And to show us the right way to live, He has given us the Bible the most printed and read book in the world. God wants us to be filled with real happiness, and through the Bible He shows us the way to life, and the way to death.

DON’T BE LED ASTRAY

The Lord makes it clear that He never intended men and women to be gay, and He also makes it clear that those who practice these things cannot be at peace with Him or even at peace with themselves. He told us a long time ago, “Don’t fool yourselves. Those who live immoral lives, who are idol worshipers, adulterers or homosexuals will have no share in His kingdom.” (I Cor. 6:9-11 LB) And again He warns us, “The penalty of homosexual acts is death to both parties.” (Lev. 20:13 LB) Because of God’s heart toward us, He has given us these warnings for our own good.

Jesus said that He came to bring us life. Remember, He’s the One who designed you. He promises us that if we walk with Him, following His good directions and commands, we’ll have real happiness and there will be peace in our hearts. But He also promises that if we think we know better, and push away from Him to follow our selfishness, the exact opposite will happen to us.

CAN I BE FREE?

If you’re wondering if God will fix up your life, the answer is no, He won’t. He wants to give you a totally new life. Face it, you can’t change your desires, and without the power of the Living God in your life, you can’t even change your actions because you’re a slave to your appetites. Jesus said that “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) But you can’t be set free from the power of strong desires and wrong actions until you first admit that you’re a slave. You must see that you’ve been wrong for giving in to these desires if you’re guilty of doing that.

When you humble yourself before the Lord, admitting your guilt and shame, giving the reins of your life completely over to Him; then Jesus will come to you with loving forgiveness and life-changing power. As you yield your will to Jesus, He will lead you into the life of wholeness and peace that you’ve always really desired. God is what has been missing in your life all this time.

The Lord moves in different ways in each person’s life. Some people are instantly delivered from the power of these desires when they cry out to the Lord. Others are set free as they continue to follow Jesus, making right choices, and allowing His power to release them from years of wrong thought patterns and actions.

If you wonder if it’s really possible, even the very first Christians knew the freedom that Jesus brought:

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions (sins), made us alive together with Christ.” (Eph. 2:15)

Did you know that Jesus went through exactly the same temptations as you? He knows just what it’s like, and He has victory for you. “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:15-16)

Jesus really does care for you and always has. He’s not only willing to take away all of your guilt and shame, but if you will turn to Him with your heart, turning away from all you know to be wrong, He will give you a new life. That means not just turning from homosexuality, but from anything that holds you back from giving everything to the Lord; drinking, anger, hate, unforgiveness, love of money, lying, all those things. It may sound too simple, but the testimony of those who were once bound by homosexuality can confirm that the Lord is telling the truth.

“I have truly come out now. I have come out from the hell I was living. I have come out of the gay closet. And that’s what it was, a dark, closed-in, cluttered, confusing life-style, from which there is only one exit. That exit is Jesus, and He has set me free.”

Copyright © His Way Out Ministries

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