Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
So I remember as a teenager being hooked on pornography, and I asked myself, "Will I ever be free? Will I ever be free from this sin?" And at the same time, I felt called to be a pastor. So here I was, wrestling with this giant called pornography, and at the same time, I felt called to be a pastor.
And my friends told me that this was just part of growing up. It's part of what it means to be a teenager. And then I had Christian friends who would tell me, "No, freedom is available." And I struggled to receive the grace of God. I always wondered, "Man, is God really for me? Has He actually forgiven me?" Because I didn't feel forgiven.
Crying Out from the Depths
Well, in our text today, I love Psalm chapter 130, because here's the psalmist and I want to read from verse 1 just crying out to the Lord for forgiveness. He says in verse 1, "From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer."
I love how desperate he is. He says, "Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you." And here's our verse: "I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word."
What Does God's Word Say?
You know, I had friends who told me that freedom wasn't available. But when we read this verse, notice the psalmist says, "I have put my hope in his word." Well, what does God's Word say about forgiveness? Because His voice should have the final say in our lives.
And here's what God's Word says. 1 John chapter 1 and verse 9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness." See, forgiveness is available to us because God's grace for us, it's not like it fluctuates based on how good we are.
Drowning Out the Negative Voices
And the writer tells us, "I have put my hope in his word," and you and I have to learn to drown out all the negative voices, the voices that are coming at us, from social media to family to friends to voices from our past. Then we have the enemy, right? And if God's voice is not clear, we're going to believe that freedom is not available. See, I had to choose to put my hope, just like the psalmist says, "I have put my hope in his word."
Are you putting your hope in the Word of God?
Freedom Is Available
And maybe you're watching this and you're like, "You know, I am battling addiction right now, and I don't know if freedom is available." And that's exactly what I told myself. "I don't know if freedom is available because I have a buddy that's telling me it's not. And then I have a friend that says maybe." Listen, I know there's a lot of voices coming at you, but you have to put your hope in His word. Romans chapter 8 and verse 37 says, "We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus."
I had to preach the gospel to myself. I had to remind myself of truth because the battle is in our minds. Whose voice will we listen to? Will we choose to put our hope in His word?
God’s Grace Is Available Today
And I want to remind you, you know, the enemy wants you to think that you're beyond the grace of God. But God's grace is available to you today. Just like the psalmist prayed, he said in verse 1, "From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help." Call for help. As believers, we have a place to take our struggles, to take our pain. And that's to the Lord.
Now, if you need to take it a step further and get help, listen, there's no shame in getting help. Maybe join a recovery program. But listen, freedom is available and our hope is not in a principle. It's not in a program. It's in a person. And His name is Jesus. And He can set us free.
