Praise Report: Experiencing Victory Over Sinful Thoughts

I had been attending church all my life, but did not know about the grace of God.

I used to think that God was always waiting to “whack” me into guilt, submission, and repentance the moment I had a bad thought or had done a bad deed. Instead of approaching Him for grace and forgiveness, I would always hide away in shame. I also thought if people could get fired at work for performing badly, God’s judgment and punishment against sin would be worse—because His standards were much higher.

Then, a friend (who is a pastor) gave me a book by Pastor Prince. The book—along with Pastor Prince’s television broadcasts—helped me to understand what God’s grace was all about. I learned that God does not condemn me today because He has already punished my sins in the body of Jesus at the cross. Instead of my sinful nature, He sees me righteous and forgiven in Christ.

When I realized that Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery (see John 8), all the temptations that I had—such as sexual sins and anger—lifted immediately. I no longer have the habit of welcoming lustful thoughts and fantasies into my mind, and am able to enjoy worshiping God without being held back by my imperfections and wrong believing.

Today, I cherish listening to the Word of God and enjoy Pastor Prince’s books and sermons. I fill my video recorder with his messages and have to even decide which ones to delete in order to make room for new ones. I’m enjoying life now. Thank You, Jesus.

The writer has requested to remain anonymous | Florida, United States