28/08/2026
WHEN STORIES ARE SHARED
Reflecting on my recovery from po*******hy addiction, I often wish there had been people I could relate to during the earliest days of my struggle. I honestly thought my battle was entirely unique and that no one else in my local church was going through it. I had never heard anyone openly admit to dealing with it, and it felt like there was nowhere to turn for help.
In fact, my understanding of the Church Manual suggested that struggling with p**n was primarily an offense requiring discipline. The manual outlines censure as a disciplinary measure, which meant that approaching church leadership would likely result in being barred from participating in major church activities for a period. That logic never sat right with me: What if, after the period of censure ended, the struggle continued? What would happen then?
I felt defeated and utterly alone.
Everything changed when I came across an article in Ministry Magazine (an international journal for Seventh-day Adventist pastors) where one pastor had written an anonymous letter to the editor reaching out for help with his struggle with po*******hy. I was astonished. I had never expected a pastor from my own church to struggle with p**n addiction: Ministry Magazine | Open letter from a struggling pastor: [Ministry Magazine | Open letter from a struggling pastor https://share.google/CbsciodpEKpy5gZnl]
Suddenly, I found encouragement. I wasn’t alone, and I wasn’t weird.
As I kept searching, I discovered another story of a Seventh-day Adventist pastor who had gone public about his own battles with po*******hy addiction. He was fortunate to be leading a church community that chose to support his recovery—he never lost his job. I was amazed at his courage to share his story publicly; he was even featured on US news channels and went on to write a book about it: Ministry Magazine | Vigilance and freedom: [Ministry Magazine | Vigilance and freedom https://share.google/iSZ6hvr50AQGktR52]
These two stories gave me the courage to start talking to those around me about the dangers of p**n and sharing my own testimony. Surprisingly, the more I shared, the more I discovered that most of my friends had struggled with the same issue at one point or another. Yet, no one dared to talk about it. Admitting a struggle with po*******hy carries immense shame and fear—fear of not knowing how people will treat you once your secret struggle is known.
In our church, leaders are expected to have a good reputation:
“An elder must have a good reputation, the husband of one wife, and have children who believe and who are not accused of being wild or disobedient.” — Titus 1:6 (FBV)
I get it—leaders should be exemplary. However, when we raise the standard way too high, we end up not expecting them to struggle with the same common human issues as the rest of us. It puts leaders under tremendous pressure to live up to those expectations. If they fall into an issue like po*******hy addiction, they feel they can never tell a soul.
This led me to establish the Love Truth and Freedom Movement —a ministry dedicated to bringing awareness and resources to those struggling with po*******hy addiction. I chose this name because I believed that if people realize the truth of how much God loves them, it will lead them into a life of true freedom. My hope was that this would ignite a fire to openly confront this pervasive enemy.
Over the years, I have spoken with many people, including church leaders battling po*******hy addiction. The common theme they all shared was that they would never open up to anyone in their local church. Why? Because they feared the consequences of doing so.
Most fear they would not be as fortunate as Pastor Bernie Anderson from the USA, who was supported by his church, found grace, and retained his employment. Most leaders I spoke with would rather deal with this privately without anyone in their circle finding out. If there had been a magic pill to swallow that would stop the addiction, they would have gladly bought it. This illustrates how difficult it is for leaders in our church. Yet, these are the very people expected to support an ordinary member through their struggle. How can a member open up to a pastor about secret struggles when the pastor is never expected to face the same human battles?
Obviously, I am not berating pastors. There is an issue within our church environment. If the church community cannot support us when we struggle, what hope is left?
We find ourselves in an uncomfortable paradox: we readily preach from the Bible about King David’s struggle with Bathsheba and how God used the prophet Nathan to restore him, yet none of us are expected to struggle with the issues David battled. If God were to ask modern Christians to volunteer their stories of struggle to be permanently written in a book and read weekly by others for learning, how many of us would be willing?
What does this tell us about ourselves? And what does it tell us about the God who inspired prophets to document stories of struggle so future generations could learn?
“These Scriptures were written down in the past to help us understand, and to encourage us so that we could wait patiently in hope.” — Romans 15:4 (FBV)
God is not afraid of our wounds and scars. He is able to use them to reach others facing the exact same situation. When we share our stories of struggle, we stop being bound by them and begin walking in freedom. The enemy wants to discourage us and make us lose hope, but we overcome when we share the testimony of how God works through our battles.
“They conquered him through the blood of the Lamb and through their personal testimony—they did not love their lives so much that they were willing to die if necessary.” — Revelation 12:11 (FBV)
Sharing our stories creates a safe space for others struggling with the same issues to open up and find freedom. I am deeply grateful for the anonymous article by an Adventist pastor, for the story of Pastor Bennie Anderson, and for Pastor Myron Edmonds (https://youtu.be/yNLcA8nONDw?is=c_C_S_q0mYaqzxDN), who each shared their journeys and gave me the courage to start this ministry.
“Carry each other's burdens, for in this way you fulfill the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2 (FBV)
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