I lost my virginity at fifteen because I was insecure in who I was and I was afraid to say no. I struggled with addiction for thirteen years. In those thirteen years I had many partners and was searching for love in all the wrong places. By age twenty-four, I found myself in a sexually abusive relationship and my addiction had brought me near death. Then, at twenty-six, Jesus intervened in my life and completely turned it around. He healed and restored my virginity and surrounded me with loving people who became my family.

Having accountability—safe people who I could be honest with—was a huge part of the transforming process. I began to have a heart to please Jesus, meaning I didn’t want to do anything that would grieve Him. He saved me, made me new, and never held one of my past sins against me. That reality gave me a heart to want to protect His heart, and when that is your driving motive, His Holy Spirit gives you grace to walk out purity and helps you in your weakness. His Spirit reveals what thoughts, behaviors and emotions are not from Him. When I recognized a thought that was not from Him, I immediately dismissed it. I knew the thought itself was not sin, but entertaining it would turn into action. In the beginning it seemed hard, but then it started to become a natural response, like a muscle. It takes focus and discipline to retrain your sex drive, but in the end is so worth it! God wants to satisfy our desires with good things, and He created our sex drives to be fully enjoyed in marriage.

Erin, 29, California, US