The Harvest USA Podcast

Certain sexual desires are explicitly forbidden in the Bible, but what if I don’t have any sexual desires at all? Is it okay for a Christian to identify as asexual?Today’s episode from Caitlin McCaffrey will help you think through potential causes of your lack of desires, whether the lack of these desires is sinful, and why sexual orientation labels like asexual can distract us from our true identity in Christ.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/am-i-asexual-harvest-usa/

How do I talk to my kids about infidelity?If you’re a parent who has experienced sexual sin in your marriage, you may already have experience with talking to your kids about infidelity. This may have gone okay, it may have been extremely painful, or you may be left with questions about whether it was enough, too much, or just plain confusing.To help you think through these difficult conversations, today’s episode from Catherine Krasinski offers general principles for talking to your kids with love, care, and appropriate language. She also offers age specific advice for conversations with young children (2-6), tweens (7-12), and teens (13-18).Read along → https://harvestusa.org/talking-to-kids-about-infidelity/

Have you ever enjoyed something pleasurable, only to find yourself indulging in it to the point that it starts to feel like something you need?The problem isn’t pleasure, even sexual pleasure, which is a good gift from God. The problem is our sinful hearts, which easily turn pleasurable experiences into idols.Today’s episode from Mark Sanders explores how cultivating a heart of thankfulness, pursuing pleasure as an act of worship, and engaging in fasting can help us reorient our desires and pursue legitimate pleasure in a way that pleases and honors God.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/betcha-cant-eat-just-one-redirecting-desire/

Illicit sex and death are close companions.Yet, it doesn’t always seem that way. Our hearts our deceitful, our pride continually whispers that we’re okay, and the immediate rush of sexual pleasure dampens our sense of danger. But over time, illicit sex brings deep ruin to one’s body and spirit. The internal chaos of spiritual decay will eventually be revealed in one’s demise.Today’s episode from Yohan Huh Prudente offers a sober warning and plea for repentance to those engaging in acts of illicit sex. He calls us to heed the warnings of Scripture that describe the danger and destination of our sin.Whether you’re engaging in sexual sin or walking with others, all of us are called to fear the Lord, plead His mercy, cling to His promises, and fix our gaze on Christ, who alone has the mercy and power to redeem us from death and lawlessness.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/illicit-sex-and-death-an-embodied-chaos-a-warning-and-a-plea-for-repentance/

If you’re a woman, I’m guessing you’ve been unhappy with your appearance at some point in your life. From wanting to lose a few pounds to feeling deep dissatisfaction and even disgust with how we look, body image issues bother many women like mosquitoes on a camping trip at best and can become utterly debilitating—even overlapping with and feeding sexual sin.Where can a woman go to find freedom from this nagging discontent?Our latest episode from Amy Tyson examines the self focus that’s often at the root of our struggle and turns our eyes to Jesus, who clothes us in his righteousness, freeing us to forget ourselves and live confident in our identity as beloved, chosen, and treasured daughters of God.Read along here → https://harvestusa.org/righting-the-warped-mirror-hope-for-women-with-body-image-issues/

Why do we find dating and commitment so hard?Even if you’re a Christian woman dating a Christian man, you love his friendship, respect his character, and find him attractive, fears and paralysis can set in as we weigh the future and the serious commitment that comes with marriage.Today’s episode from Amy Tyson will help you overcome the fear of commitment with a greater fear: the fear of the Lord. Amy shares how this fear overcomes our fears of commitment in the future along with five practical steps you can take to cultivate the fear of the Lord.Whether your dating relationship leads to marriage or not, you have everything you need in your Savior to face whatever comes.Read along here → https://harvestusa.org/dating-and-commitment-paralysis-hope-for-a-fearful-heart/

Pastors and other church leadership play a crucial role in their flock’s growth and sanctification, especially regarding their sexual sanctification.Today’s episode from Harvest USA founder John Freeman offers three crucial steps pastors can take to better care for their flock in this area. He emphasizes the importance for leaders to recognize the prevalence of the problem and lead the way to create an atmosphere of discipleship where church members help one another grow up into joyful, sexually faithful lives.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/what-should-a-pastors-perspective-be-on-sexual-sin-in-the-church/

The parents sitting before me had tears streaming down their faces. They knew the importance of remaining faithful, but their 22-year-old daughter was now married to another woman. “It’s not just the pain over our daughter that’s so difficult—it’s the fact that grandparents and many of our friends have embraced it all, they see us as the problem; we’re what’s wrong with the situation.”This couples’ fear is not unusual when a friend or family member identifies as LGBTQ+.Today’s episode from Harvest USA founder John Freeman offers six encouragements that enable Christians to remain humble and faithful to God’s Word as they navigate misunderstanding, tough conversations, and pressure to compromise God’s truth.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/remaining-faithful-when-others-embrace-lgbtq-theology/

“How can I find freedom from masturbation?”Feeling isolated, condemned, stuck, and without help is common for women struggling with masturbation. They’ve picked up on messages that masturbation is a man’s struggle and they’ve never heard women’s struggles discussed in a women’s gathering or small group.Freedom is possible! Today’s episode from Women’s Ministry Director Caitlin McCaffrey outlines practical steps to guide your pursuit of Christ and freedom from masturbation.Know and name your suffering.Believe freedom is possible.Know your pattern and develop a plan.Think rightly about yourself.Read along with today’s episode → https://harvestusa.org/im-a-woman-struggling-with-masturbation-how-do-i-find-freedom/

A lot of ink has been spilled about Gen Z. They’re one of the most open and curious generations the church has the opportunity to disciple, even though they face unique challenges as they navigate the world’s dogmas and teachings concerning sex and sexuality.How does the church disciple and care for this up-and-coming generation well?Today’s episode from Caitlin McCaffrey offers six practical considerations for discipling and declaring the beauty of the gospel and biblical sexuality to Gen Z.Read along with today’s episode → https://harvestusa.org/gen-z-sexuality-gender-and-the-beauty-of-christ/

If you’re a parent, you’ve likely read the biblical accounts of the patriarchs to your children. If they were paying attention, perhaps they asked you an awkward question that you didn’t know how to answer…“Mom, Dad, was God okay with Abraham and Jacob having more than one wife?”How do we understand polygamy in the Bible?On today’s episode, Mark Sanders makes a biblical case from the whole counsel of scripture that polygamy is sinful and fails to live up to God’s intention and design for marriage. He also addresses the thorny questions and situations modern Christian’s may need to navigate in context’s where polygamy is commonly practiced.Read along →https://harvestusa.org/polygamy-in-the-bible-is-it-allowed/

If we’re honest, more of our suffering than we’d prefer to admit is the result of our own unwise and sinful choices. While God surely uses suffering to sanctify us, 1 Peter 2:20 and 4:15 call us to avoid self-inflicted suffering because of unrighteous choices. Since suffering is a common context for sexual temptation, it’s important to examine the source and nature of our suffering.In today’s episode, Mark Sanders explores common causes of our unnecessary suffering such as lifestyle choices, boredom, and unbelief toward God as our generous heavenly Father. He offers simple steps to you can take reduce the amount of this suffering in your life.If your sexual temptations are marked by a desire to escape the suffering you experience, this article will help you identify the practical changes you can make while encouraging you to believe that are real blessings that come on the other side of obedience to God’s commands.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/avoid-unnecessary-suffering/

Today’s teenagers aren’t the first to desire real connection. But they are the first to hold technology that meets those desires without resistance.AI Chatbots offer teens the attention, affirmation, and emotional closeness they crave, delivered without interruption, awkwardness, or risk.The result? The illusion of human connection while quietly reshaping what teen’s expect real love to be.Today’s episode from Stephen Moss paints a vivid picture of this interaction between the desire for human connections and AI chatbot technologies while offering parents a vision for helping their teens that goes beyond merely guarding them from the technology.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/chatrooms-and-chatbots-longing-for-real-connection/

Does the battle against sexual sin ever get any easier?Have you ever asked this question? Perhaps you’ve been giving in to sexual sin for years. Failing over and over again to say no to temptation to the point that you’re now questioning whether victory is possible at all.The simple answer to this question is “Yes, the battle against sexual sin does get easier.” However, as Mark Sanders shows us in today’s episode, in order to understand what that really looks like, we need to wade through the complex depths of the human experience.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/does-the-battle-ever-get-any-easier/

Waiting on the Lord is hard. Especially when you watch year after year pass and your child or loved one is still making destructive choices against their Creator.“What I want for my wandering child is good Lord, why aren’t you bringing it about?” Have you felt this frustration?Yet, as today’s episode from Joan McConnell teaches us, God is more interested in timing than in time.And as we learn to trust our heavenly Father’s timing, we will find peace as we pray for our children and discover that seasons of waiting are often fruitful and useful gifts from God.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/thinking-through-the-time-vs-timing-tangle/

What if my son marries his partner?What if I’m the only one in the family who says this is wrong?What if my daughter decides to do hormones or surgery?God gave us the ability to be creative and imagine. The trouble is that we tend to misuse our creativity, twisted by our fallenness, to anxiously ask “what-if” as we attempt to gaze into the future. This can be all the more agonizing for parents and families of sexual strugglers.Today’s episode from Joan McConnell looks at this tendency to ask “what-if” from a biblical lens, examining the motivations that drive it while encouraging us toward faith in the sovereignty of God, the antidote for our worry and despair.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/escaping-from-the-land-of-what-if/

“Sorrows arise in my heart as I contemplate how sexual sin continues to destroy lives. So many seasons have passed, but no matter how often I seek your face for hope, lament after lament has followed my footsteps as I hear a knocking on the door of my office and know that a particular kind of pain will break the room’s quiet. I tried to fill this space with good books, well-sung melodies, and beautiful pictures that would remind me of you, hoping to find solace and to give each traveling soul a path to walk in the light. I tried to understand evil and how to lead people in repentance, hoping that the theology I master can be enough to quench the burning coals of sexual immorality. But this grief, often unspoken, is a burden that I still struggle to bear well in suffering. Why, Father, have you placed a broken man like me in a ministry where I am incapable?”On today’s episode, Yohan Huh Prudente offers a prayer of lament and hope to the Lord amid ministry to the sexually broken. If you’re walking with someone struggling with sexual sin and feeling the heaviness of that ministry, we encourage to pause, and seek the grace of your heavenly Father as you pray with Yohan.Read along → https://harvestusa.org/a-prayer-of-lament-and-hope-for-ministry-to-the-sexually-broken/

Husband, is your heart wounded because of your wife’s sexual betrayal?We hope that today’s episode from Yohan Huh Prudente will help you find hope as you face the pain of your situation. Yohan brings to remembrance the call of Hosea to marry an adulteress woman, a vivid picture of God’s love for his own wayward and idolatrous people, to demonstrate that God is well acquainted with your pain and is able to sympathize with you in your suffering.Read along here → https://harvestusa.org/betrayed-husband-christs-peace-given-for-you/

Have you ever felt so distant from God that you were convinced he could no longer hear your prayers?Feeling far from God is one of the most painful experiences in the Christian life, and it often intensifies during seasons of suffering. For those wrestling with broken relationships, unwanted desires, or sexual sin, this sense of distance can feel especially heavy.Today’s episode from Catherine Krasinski encourages believers who feel like they’ve been abandoned by God. She examines the common causes of this experience, why God allows us to feel his seeming absence, and why Jesus can sympathize with our experiences of feeling forsaken.“He is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘in him we live and move and have our being.’” - Acts 17:27-28Read along → https://harvestusa.org/when-god-feels-far-away-hope-for-struggling-believers/

The word “queer” has an interesting history. Initially used to describe something as strange, odd, or peculiar, since the 2000s, it’s become an umbrella term in LGBTQ+ vocabulary to refer to someone who does not experience sexual or romantic attraction to the opposite sex and/or does not identify with or accept the gender binary of male and female.In today’s episode, Ellen Mary Dykas points those wrestling with feelings or experiences that make them feel “other” or tempt them to embrace a queer identity to Jesus, whose gospel and cross offers us a better way to understanding our story and identity.Read along with today’s episode → https://harvestusa.org/jesus-and-queerness-the-cross-and-the-q-of-lgbtq/

Pastors, do you feel equipped to disciple and care for those struggling with same-sex attraction in your congregation?Today’s episode from Keith Seary presents four practical, biblical doctrines that pastors should keep in mind as they consider how to disciple someone struggling with same-sex attraction. At times, it can feel challenging to help someone if you haven’t experienced similar temptations. But Keith reminds us that our deepest battles as God’s children are common to man, and the answer we all need is found in One Savior, Jesus Christ.Read along here → https://harvestusa.org/help-for-pastors-caring-for-same-sex-strugglers-one-savior-common-challenges-and-helpful-doctrines/

As a parent, you’ve faithfully taught your children from a young age what God says about His design for sex. So what do you do when, on your daughter’s 18th birthday, she leaves home to live with her boyfriend?Today’s episode from Keith Seary helps parents prepare to offer godly, biblical direction to their adult children with gentleness and respect, even amidst their wandering. He calls parents to entrust their children to the Lord since there is always hope that he will begin a new work in their lives.Read along with today’s episode → https://harvestusa.org/help-my-adult-child-wont-listen-to-my-directions/

“It began as an innocent friendship—at least I thought so. I admired her: a strong kind, beautiful woman. I didn’t think of it as sexual; I just wanted closeness, to be wanted. My desires deepened, and the emotional boundaries blurred. I thought about her constantly, craved her attention, and was jealous when others were close to her. One day, a casual touch from her felt electrifying— and terrifying. What was this feeling? Was I physically attracted to her? It went no further physically, and I put some space between us, but I felt hooked . . . entangled emotionally in something unhealthy and dangerous. -A. C. (former women’s discipleship group member)”Today’s episode from Ellen Mary Dykas walks us through her experience of ministering to countless women who have wrestled with unhealthy and sinful same-sex attachments. She helpfully lays out a wide range of heart postures and behaviors that indicate when attachment has veered into sinful territory. She also clarifies what godly attachments involve, ending with a hope-filled way forward for repentance in God-honoring relationships.Read along with today’s article here → https://harvestusa.org/women-and-same-sex-attachments-longing-for-a-true-home/--📣 Giveaway! 📣During the month of February, we’re giving away five copies of Sex in a Broken World: How Christ Redeems What Sin Distorts by Paul David Tripp.Click here to enter for a chance to win this excellent title: https://gleam.io/MaynL/sex-in-a-broken-world-giveawayEntries close on February 28. Winners will be randomly drawn on March 2 and notified by email. You must be able to provide an address within the United States to be eligible to claim a prize if your name is drawn.

“She’s hot; she’s not.”“I hate his shoes.”“She has a pretty face, but she’s too tall.”“I don’t like his hobbies.”Have you had these thoughts as the glow of your phone illuminates your face late at night? Dating apps can be a means for bringing about Christ-centered marriages. But what are you sowing in your heart with your use of these apps?On today’s episode, Caitlin McCaffrey asks six diagnostic questions to help you discern if your use of dating apps is wise and intentional or veering your heart off track towards selfish and sinful desires.Read along with today’s episode: https://harvestusa.org/help-im-addicted-to-dating-apps/—📣 Giveaway! 📣During the month of February, we’re giving away five copies of Sex in a Broken World: How Christ Redeems What Sin Distorts by Paul David Tripp.Click here to enter for a chance to win this excellent title: https://gleam.io/MaynL/sex-in-a-broken-world-giveawayEntries close on February 28. Winners will be randomly drawn on March 2 and notified by email. You must be able to provide an address within the United States to be eligible to claim a prize if your name is drawn.

In the dialogue on gay desire in the broader church, two terms rise to the surface: attraction and orientation. Lack of definition has caused much confusion and debate among God’s people. The stakes are high, because gospel clarity is lost or found for sexual strugglers based on how we define these terms as pastors, counselors, and friends. This is a gospel discipleship issue for the church today; therefore, precision and compassion are paramount.On today’s episode, Caitlin McCaffrey dives deep into the importance of language. If the words we use to discuss these issues are not rooted in God’s Word, then we are building on a faulty foundation that will inevitably fail. She carefully walks us through how to think about two common, yet deeply misunderstood words.Read along with today’s episode: https://harvestusa.org/attraction-and-orientation-defining-our-terms/📣 Giveaway! 📣During the month of February, we’re giving away five copies of Sex in a Broken World: How Christ Redeems What Sin Distorts by Paul David Tripp.Click here to enter for a chance to win this excellent title: https://gleam.io/MaynL/sex-in-a-broken-world-giveawayEntries close on February 28. Winners will be randomly drawn on March 2 and notified by email. You must be able to provide an address within the United States to be eligible to claim a prize if your name is drawn.

Brothers and sisters in Christ who legally wed a same-sex partner, yet have come to realize that same-sex marriage is outside of God’s will, are faced with a costly path of repentance. Not to mention numerous practical questions as they sort our their newly invigorated faith and present circumstances, especially if children were brought into the same-sex partnership.On today’s episode, Ellen Mary Dykas shares three clear steps of faith for you to take while offering wisdom and counsel for tough decisions and grey areas you may face on the path of obedience. She ends the episode with a short exhortation to Christians to be ready to proactively love and care for those who have come out of same-sex partnerships and resolved to follow Christ.Read along with today’s episode: https://harvestusa.org/walking-in-repentance-after-same-sex-marriage/—📣 Giveaway! 📣During the month of February, we’re giving away five copies of Sex in a Broken World: How Christ Redeems What Sin Distorts by Paul David Tripp.Click to enter for a chance to win a copy: https://gleam.io/MaynL/sex-in-a-broken-world-giveawayEntries close on February 28. Winners will be randomly drawn on March 2 and notified by email. You must be able to provide an address within the United States to be eligible to claim a prize if your name is drawn.

Is it possible for someone who isn’t attracted to the opposite sex to have a truly fulfilling, beautiful, biblical marriage? If we’re honest, when we think of our brothers and sisters who battle against exclusive same-sex attraction, we often assume that marriage simply isn’t an option for them. We think they should probably just accept that God wants them to remain celibate. After all, “How can you marry someone you’re not attracted to?”But this reveals a very shallow understanding of attraction, marriage, and God’s work in the lives of his children.Today’s episode by Mark Sanders teaches us that attraction is much deeper than instinctual sexual desire and what makes for a truly beautiful marriage is not butterflies in your stomach, but a lifelong commitment to sacrificial love. Love that is only made possible through the liberty of first being loved by Christ.Click here to read along with today’s episode: https://harvestusa.org/same-sex-attraction-and-a-beautiful-marriage/

Why should you quit porn?Because Jesus is coming back!God designed our hearts to be motivated by future realities. As human beings, we’re wired to make sacrifices in the present in the hope of attaining some good in the future. We embrace the pain of diets and exercise now, hoping to achieve long term health down the road. Similarly, if you’re struggling with porn, the promise that Christ is coming again should be a powerful motivation to quit porn.On today’s episode, Mark Sanders shares five ways the promise of Christ’s return should motivate our present obedience.Click here to read along with today’s episode: https://harvestusa.org/dont-look-at-porn-because-jesus-is-coming-back/

“In the months following that first confession of my same-sex desires, with help from Jesus, I began the slow and messy process of disentangling those desires from the man he created me to be. When I made my desires and my self a package deal, I couldn’t fight one without feeling like I was fighting the other. Repenting of my same-sex desires felt like I was repenting of being emotional, or creative, or tall. But as I’m learning how to distinguish my sin from my self, the freedom that I’m finding has been truly transformational.” - Stephen MossToday’s episode from Stephen Moss shares his story of disentangling his self-conception from his battles with same-sex desires. He chronicles his journey from an identity based on stereotypes and tribalism to one of freedom in Christ as he learned who he truly is—a unique image bearer of God and a new-creation man, united to Christ.Click here to read along with today’s episode: https://harvestusa.org/disentangling-my-self-from-same-sex-desires/

Do you treat God like a mere tool to serve your own agenda?When life is comfortable, relationships are fulfilling, and ventures are successful, it might be easy to seek him. But when life gets tough and God isn’t delivering us from hardship, it becomes tempting to stop praying and find something else to fill our unmet desires.This heart posture is fertile ground for sexual sin to grow in.On today’s episode, Mark Sanders challenges us to avoid sexual sin by worshipping God, not for what he can do for us, but for who he is.Click here to read along with today’s episode: https://harvestusa.org/foxholes-field-goals-and-false-worship/

If questions about masturbation, emotional crushes on other girls, hatred for their bodies, and exposure to porn are left unaddressed by the church, struggling women will pursue answers elsewhere.Women who believe in Jesus need faithful disciplers who will help them walk out true repentance by learning what it means to be sexually faithful women.On today’s episode, Ellen Mary Dykas shines light on the hurt women experience when leaders are silent about these issues and calls women’s ministry leaders to invest in honest conversations with those under their care about applying the gospel to sex and sexuality.Click here to read along: https://harvestusa.org/should-your-womens-ministry-talk-about-how-to-be-sexually-faithful-women/

Life in Christ requires humbly surrendering to God as Lord, Creator, and Savior over every areas of our lives, including our relational desires and sexuality. Yet many Christians are tempted to believe they can take up their cross and follow Jesus here and there, while not surrendering their sexual identity to Him.On today’s episode, Ellen Mary Dykas shares how Jesus’s holy lordship lovingly confronts the false perception that our sexual and romantic desires belong to us and how this same lordship personally comforts us by graciously giving us his full protection and provision.Click here to read along: https://harvestusa.org/no-private-real-estate-our-desires-and-attractions-belong-to-jesus/

One of the most common things we hear from parents who contact Harvest USA is the deep sense of isolation they feel when a son or daughter identifies as LGBTQ+. They already feel heartbroken over their child’s choices, and, on top of that, they carry a heavy load of guilt and shame—an inner voice telling them they must have failed as parents.Today’s episode from Joy Worrell seeks to help these parents remember grace. She helps parents reject false guilt, remember God’s sovereignty over their situation, and remember gospel and God of grace who lifts their shame.Click to read along with today’s episode: https://harvestusa.org/parents-dont-live-in-the-land-of-guilt-and-shame/

Can cultivating habits, hobbies, and traditions really help you fight sexual sin?They can.Among many other lies and temptations, sexual sin tempts us to believe that we can navigate the unfolding of our lives better than God can and that our lives are ultimately self-governed.It bids us to pursue a pattern of life that’s contrary to God’s design and fails to glorify and enjoy God in every season and experience.In today’s episode, Men’s Ministry Director Keith Seary shows us how pursuing intentional habits, hobbies, and traditions can help us resist these temptations and fight sexual sin.Read along on our website → https://harvestusa.org/habits-hobbies-and-traditions-a-god-given-necessity-in-fighting-sexual-sin/

Should Christian singles apply themselves to preparing for marriage when there’s no guarantee that they will be married someday?In today’s episode, Keith Seary calls single Christian’s to cultivate four traits that mark a Christ-centered marriage: gospel focus, love for others, holy attraction, and submission to God.Even if God does not call you to marriage, cultivating these traits will be fruitful in your life as you pursue a life of devotion to and dependence on Christ.Click here to read along with today’s episode: https://harvestusa.org/should-i-prepare-for-marriage-even-though-its-not-guaranteed/

Caring for those struggling with sexual sin can be a humbling and wearying task. God often reminds us that our gifts and skill cannot reach or heal a struggling human heart.If you’re discouraged in ministry, today’s episode is for you.Men’s ministry staff Yohan Huh Prudente shares three precious truths about God’s love that can anchor and empower your ministry to sexual strugglers.You can read the original article on our website: https://harvestusa.org/be-anchored-in-gods-love-as-you-care-for-sexual-strugglers/

What can we say to parents grieving the news that their child is about to transition? What do we say or do when our hearts are breaking for our loved ones? Indeed, those who follow Christ face a continuous barrage of conflict and suffering.But you are not alone, dear Christian parent, brother, or sister.In today’s episode, Yohan Huh Prudente leads you to into the presence of our dear Savior, who offers abundant blessings to his children, even in the midst of their pain and suffering.You can read the original article on our website: https://harvestusa.org/cries-of-the-heart-when-christ-meets-a-wounded-soul/

Even through the hope of joy of Christmas, many of us still feel unsatisfied. We’ve sand Christmas carols full of joy and promise, but as we face the new year, we’re reminded that the world is still fallen and we’re still awaiting the return of Christ to make all things new.In today’s episode, former Harvest USA staff David White considers how our holiday aches point to our ultimate hope.

How do you teach your kids about sexuality? How do you talk about sex in a God honoring way?In today’s episode, Dave White, author of “God, You & Sex: A Profound Mystery” and former Harvest USA staff, shares five essential truths for parents to consider as they talk to their kids about sex and biblical sexuality.Check out God, You & Sex: A Profound Mystery: https://harvestusa.org/books/god-you-sex-a-profound-mystery/Visit HarvestUSA.org

“I believe that Jesus took my shame on the cross, but I still feel shame because of my sexual past. Does that mean I don’t really believe the gospel?”“My husband is addicted to pornography, and I feel terrible shame about this even though I know it’s not my fault. How do I get rid of this shame if he doesn’t change?”On today’s episode, Catherine Krasinski explores the reality that Christians, even those who know and believe the gospel, still struggle with shame. She reminds us of the ways Jesus himself experienced shame and offers two biblical principles that give hope to believers burdened by shame’s presence in their lives.Read the original article on our website ➡️ https://harvestusa.org/i-know-the-gospel-why-do-i-still-feel-shame/

The hope of the gospel is glorious, our sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven through Jesus!Yet, even after we’ve been justified, imperfections, weaknesses, and corruption remain. Does this mean that our good works done in faith can’t please God?In today’s episode, Mark Sanders reminds us of this surprisingly freeing truth: even our best works still need the cleansing blood of Jesus. And through that work of Christ, our good works done in faith really are pleasing to the Father.Watch the original video here: https://harvestusa.org/video/can-i-please-god-when-im-not-perfect/

If you want to help your kids walk in biblical sexuality, there are some important theological truths they need to grasp:They need to know that God is the Creator and since we are his creatures, he has the right to direct our lives.They need to know that God created us to be embodied. That human beings are essentially both body and spirit.They need to know that God made us for himself.But how do you practically teach them these truths and how to live them out, especially amidst the many demands of parenting?In today’s episode, Amy Tyson takes each of these truths and offers ways you can creatively teach them to younger and older children. She then offers practical tips for integrating this teaching into your ordinary family routines.Read the original article here: https://harvestusa.org/the-ordinary-means-kids-and-biblical-sexuality/

How do you respond when the life God gives you isn’t the life you would wish for? Can you still see his goodness amidst struggles with sin, suffering, or discontentment?In today’s episode, Amy Tyson offers the following four truths about God’s providence to nourish our belief that he is good and that he’s able and willing to do us good.Truth #1: God works for our good.Truth #2: God gives what is necessary.Truth #3: God gives abundantly.Truth #4: God gives what he requires.Click here to read today’s article: https://harvestusa.org/a-reality-better-than-a-wish-list/

“How can I forgive my husband when I don’t know, and may never know, everything he’s done?”This is a question that comes up with some regularity to our women’s ministry. They’re unsure how to think about forgiving their husband when they don’t know the full scope of his sins.Today’s episode by Women’s Ministry Director Caitlin McCaffrey offers the following practical insights for you to consider as you seek to move toward forgiveness with the limited knowledge you have.God enables you to forgive.God sees and knows what you don’t know.Seek to forgive what you do know.Seek to lament what you don’t know.Meditate on scripture.Entrust your wellbeing to the God who sees.Click to read the original article on our website: https://harvestusa.org/?p=9118&preview=1&_ppp=8120b8b5bf

In the modern age, we are sex saturated. One of the most pervasive lies we face from our culture is that sex is necessary for true fulfillment and that we can’t experience intimacy apart from sexual expression.Buy, if you’re a single Christian, what are you supposed to do?In today’s episode, Caitlin McCaffrey teaches us that intimacy and sex are not the same thing, and that our deepest longings for intimacy can only be satisfied in God.Click to read the original article on our website: https://harvestusa.org/you-can-live-without-sex-but-you-cant-live-without-intimacy/

Can sin ever be casual? What about pornography? While many may not be looking at explicit websites, they may be struggling or even justifying sexual sin that appears casual in their lives.Seeing suggestive images on social media or in public places.Filling their mouths with vulgarity or coarse joking.Taking double takes or lustful glances at others.Flirting to get sexual attention.In today’s episode, Yohan Huh Prudente reminds us that when we sin sexually against God, even in “casual” ways, we exchange his glory for fleeing vanities that lead to shallow appetites taking the throne of our hearts. He then offers three steps to address casual sexual sin in your life as you seek to live in a manner worthy of the calling of Christ.Click to read the original article on our website: https://harvestusa.org/casual-pornography-thou-shalt-not-prevail/

Do you live under the burden of guilt, shame, and fear when you’re struggling with sexual sin?Do you think to yourself…I am a dirty person for doing this–a lost cause.Nobody gets to tell me what I should or should not do. I define my desires.Nobody knows who I truly am. And I’ll take my secrets to the grave. When the heart is callous toward the gospel, a person’s conscience will err by not proclaiming God’s truth and grace in that moment of sin, leading them to fall into more profound despair. In today’s episode, Yohan Huh Prudente shows us what it looks like to proclaim God’s truth to our hearts in a way that counters self-centered guilt and shame. He then holds out the wonderful promises of the gospel, which provides true hope to heavy hearts.Click here to read the original article on our website: https://harvestusa.org/the-prodigals-hope-through-guilt-shame-and-fear/

It’s all too common for children to discover that their dad is addicted to porn. Many can trace their lifelong struggles with broken sexuality to one fateful day…the day they discovered dad’s porn. On today’s episode Caitlin McCaffrey shares the long lasting impact porn addiction leaves on families. She discusses how it fuels deceitful relational dynamics, the harm of early childhood exposure to adult content, and how children witness their mother suffering too. If you’ve experienced pain and disappointment because of your father’s sinful choices, Caitlin invites you to behold your perfect Father in heaven. The One who has always been what your imperfect father could not be: perfectly righteous and exclusively for you in selfless love.Read the original article on our website here: https://harvestusa.org/help-my-dad-is-addicted-to-porn/

Do you struggle to confess your sins to God right after you’ve fallen into sexual sin? Do you feel like you need to put yourself on probation after falling again and again, believing that God wants you to clean your act up before you approach him again?No matter what we might feel in the moment, humbly confessing our sin is the only solution for the sickness of sin. Today on the Harvest USA podcast, Caitlin McCaffrey unpacks Psalm 32, warning us against the dangers of suppressing our sins and sharing the great comfort, hope, and joy that follows honestly confessing our sins to God. Are you a woman struggling with sexual or relational sin? We offer targeted discipleship and biblical support groups for women in a supportive Christ-centered environment. Learn more: https://harvestusa.org/get-help-for-yourself/women/ Read the original article here ➡️ https://harvestusa.org/mind-the-gap-the-danger-of-delayed-confession/

How do I walk with my friend who's struggling with same-sex attraction?All men need brothers in Christ who help bear our burdens and “run the race” alongside us (Hebrews 12:1-2). How do we do this well for our brothers in Christ struggling with same-sex attraction?In today’s episode, Stephen Moss has three encouragements for men who want to walk as a brother in Christ to their friend struggling with same-sex attraction, painting a picture of what healthy Christian friendship looks like. Click here to read the original article on our website: https://harvestusa.org/being-a-brother-to-men-struggling-with-same-sex-attraction/