(Pixabay)
When he was just a young boy, Pastor Craig Gross from XXX Church thought there was no way addicts can move past their addictions.
He believed that the saying, “Once an addict, always an addict” was true. But now, Gross writes on the XXX Church’s website that he believes true freedom from porn or any kind of addiction is possible.
“Just yesterday, someone asked me if I even believe that it is possible to be free from addiction to pornography anymore or if we’re just selling false hopes and future failures under the guise that freedom is actually real,” he shares.
The question, Gross says, sounds harsh, but it makes sense to him. Throughout 15 years of his ministry, he has seen several people lose hope and give up, and he has seen so much self-hatred. Gross says he has witnessed marriages fail and lives fall apart because of porn.
“And I’ve seen so many people promising freedom… and then breaking that promise,” he says. “Not to mention…everybody’s trying to make a quick buck. It makes sense that in this day and age, you’d want approach everything with skepticism. Especially an ‘experience’ offering freedom from an addiction that you’ve already given up on believing is possible to overcome.”
But even though Gross used to be a sceptic, he believes true freedom can still be achieved because he has seen people thrive from their recoveries. Not only have they moved past their addictions, but Gross says they even learned how to achieve peace in their lives.
“I’ve worked in this world for a very long time and dedicated everything to helping others break loose from the chains of pornography addiction,” he says. “If I could ask you – from one cynic to another – to bear with me and suspend whatever unbelief you’ve allowed to strip you of hope, please do.”
