Healing the Brokenhearted and Setting the Captives
Free
by Shelley Hitz
Over the
past 12 years, God has taken me on a journey.
It has been a journey of Christ healing my broken heart and setting this
captive free. And now He is asking me to
help others do the same. Isaiah 61:1
says, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord
is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the
poor. He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners.” In Luke 4:21
Jesus takes out the scroll and reads Isaiah 61:1 in the synagogue saying, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your
hearing.” Basically what Jesus is
saying is that Isaiah 61:1 is his mission statement. Jesus has come to heal the brokenhearted,
proclaim freedom for the captives and release prisoners from darkness.
Freedom for the Captives
One of the
main strongholds keeping our culture captive today is sexual sin. Even in the church, many are getting caught
up in struggles with lust, adulterous affairs and pornography. As a married Christian woman, I struggled
with internet pornography for two years.
It was a secret sin that no one knew about. From the outside I looked like I was the good
Christian wife. But, I was living a
double life.
However, the
story doesn’t end there. Although it
took time and has been a process of healing, I have now been free for a
decade. God is using my story to help
others find hope and healing in Christ. As
I’ve heard it so well said, "God can turn any mess into a message, any
test into a testimony, any trial into a triumph, and any victim into a
victor."
The Journey Continues…
My latest
book, “A Christian Woman’s Guide to
Breaking Free From Pornography: It’s Not
Just a Guy’s Problem” is one way God is using this dark season from my past for His good.
This book is not only for those struggling with sexual sin, but is also a
resource for pastors, counselors and those in ministry. According to statistics published by
Education Database Online in 2011, of the 40 million Americans who regularly
visit porn sites, 33% are women. And in
a survey we took of Christian women, of the 73% that admitted to being exposed
to pornography, 25% said they were addicted.
It is a
growing issue that needs to be discussed and we aim to open the door to
confession and conversation among women in the Body of Christ who feel as
though they are alone in this struggle.
And our prayer is that God uses this book to heal many broken hearts and
set many captives free.
Shelley Hitz has been ministering alongside her husband, CJ,
since 1998. They currently travel and speak to teens and adults around the
country. Shelley's main passion is to share God's truth and the freedom in
Christ she has found with others. She does this through her books, websites and
speaking engagements. Shelley's openness
and vulnerability, as she shares her own story of hope and healing, will
inspire and encourage you.
Shelley has been writing and publishing books since 2008
including the book she co-authored with S'ambrosia Curtis, "A Christian Woman's Guide to Breaking Free
From Pornography: It's Not Just a Guy's
Problem." During their book
launch on 9/26/12-9/27/12, you can download a free Kindle copy and also enter
to win over $400 worth of resources.
Find out more at www.ChristianWomenandPorn.com.
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