Finding Camaraderie, Companionship, and Understanding
I was already a Christian when I discovered Living Hope, but I felt like I couldn't be completely honest with my friends and Bible study group about my struggles. I began to feel very alone, fighting a silent battle every day. Watching all my friends get married off made me feel even lonelier. I knew I needed to seek out a support group tailored to me, but the ones I first found seemed to prefer encouraging me in my sinful desires and denied God's teachings. They tried to convince me that God would want me to be happy in a homosexual relationship. It was tiring. It's like they were trying to keep me from God.
Living Hope Ministries has helped me by providing a community of like-minded individuals dedicated to the same goal - following Jesus faithfully. The accountability sessions after each sermon are the most beneficial aspect of Living Hope for me. Having multiple people with different experiences regarding same-sex attractions offers a problem-solving approach to spiritual warfare that I could not hope to handle on my own. We share advice, practices, and stories about combating temptation with the purpose of helping others grow in their faith.
My experience with Living Hope has been full of truth, understanding, and the Lord's promise that He has not turned His back on me like I've done to Him in the past. God has been very, very patient with me and gifted me a community of people who genuinely care about me. LHM has helped quell my desire for a homosexual relationship as I have realized it was a deep sense of camaraderie, companionship, and understanding that I was ultimately seeking. Unfortunately, I romanticized the idea of friendship and became convinced that a lustful relationship would fix my longing. My heart was missing Jesus, and these guys at Living Hope helped me find Him.
-LHM Young Men’s Participant