Hope for Those Struggling with Sexual Sin

Hosted by Ellen Krause

Struggling with Sexual Sin: Finding Hope and Healing in Jesus

Many Christians today are struggling with sexual sin—and too often, that struggle happens in silence. Shame, confusion, and loneliness can make us believe that our brokenness disqualifies us from God’s love.

But as Dr. Juli Slattery reminds us, avoiding these wounds doesn’t make them disappear. In fact, ignoring sexual brokenness can quietly distance our hearts from the One who can heal them.

“To ignore your sexual wounds… will eventually tear away your love and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Dr. Juli Slattery

If you’ve been battling sexual sin, whether in pornography, sexual addiction, or hidden shame, know this: God’s heart is not turned away from you. He longs to meet you right in your struggle and lead you toward redemption and renewal.

When Surrendering Your Sexuality Feels Impossible

For many believers struggling with sexual sin, surrendering that part of life to God feels too painful or too personal. We may believe God cares about our behavior, but not our desires or wounds. Yet, true surrender is built on trust—and trust grows out of knowing Jesus deeply.

“You won’t surrender to someone you don’t trust, and you can’t trust someone you don’t know.”

Dr. Juli Slattery

Healing begins not by hiding, but by drawing near. Jesus invites us to bring Him our confusion, our cravings, and our fears—because He alone can restore what sin has broken.

Rediscovering Identity Before Battling Sexual Sin

The first step toward overcoming sexual sin is not fixing our behavior: but instead, remembering who we are in Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul declares, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

When we try to conquer sexual sin without first anchoring our identity in God’s love, our efforts often crumble under guilt or self-reliance. Real transformation happens when we live as children of God—deeply loved, fully known, and forever redeemed.

“Most of our sexual questions and struggles are actually rooted in identity rather than behavior.”

Dr. Juli Slattery

Dr. Slattery identifies four “identity traps” that keep believers struggling with sexual sin:

• The Self-Discovery Trap: “I am what I feel or desire.”
• The Shame Trap: “I am forever defined by my failure.”
• The Performance Trap: “God loves me because I obey.”
• The Relational Trap: “My worth depends on being desired.”

Each of these lies pulls us away from God’s truth and deeper into spiritual exhaustion. Freedom begins when we reject these false identities and receive the one Christ died to give us.

Rethinking the Purpose of Sexuality

Many of us struggling with sexual sin have unknowingly adopted the world’s view of sex—as a form of self-expression or emotional fulfillment. But Scripture paints a different, more sacred picture.

Sexuality was never meant to be about self-gratification; it was designed to point to something far greater: God’s covenant love.

“God didn’t create sex to express romantic desire. He created it to symbolize covenant love.”

Dr. Juli Slattery

When we rediscover this divine purpose, we stop seeing God’s design as restrictive and start experiencing it as redemptive.

Why Willpower Isn’t Enough to Overcome Sexual Sin

Many Christians try to fight sexual sin through sheer willpower—vowing to stop certain behaviors or avoid temptation. But willpower alone can’t heal what’s broken in our hearts and minds.

True freedom requires inviting Jesus into every layer of our struggle—spiritual, emotional, and even neurological. The good news? God’s power is not limited by our weakness.

“People feel like the power of God isn’t enough because they’re Christians… but they still can’t stop.”

Dr. Juli Slattery

But healing will not come through sheer effort. It comes through surrender, and forgiveness.

How Sexual Sin Damages Relationships

Sexual sin rarely stays hidden. It can corrode intimacy, create distance in marriage, and shatter trust in ways that seem beyond repair.

But Jesus specializes in restoration. Healing from sexual sin means allowing His love to rebuild not just your private world, but your relationships too—through confession, forgiveness, and grace.

First Steps Toward Healing from Sexual Sin

If you’re struggling with sexual sin, take heart: Jesus welcomes you, not with condemnation, but with compassion.

Start with honesty before God. Healing begins with surrender, not perfection.

• Pray a simple prayer of surrender: “Jesus, I bring You my brokenness.”
• Join a Christ-centered support group or Bible study.
• Seek Christian counseling to address deeper wounds or trauma.

“Jesus loves it when we bring our messes. He doesn’t say, ‘Clean yourself up first and then come.’”

Dr. Juli Slattery

Hope for the One Still Struggling

If you are still struggling with sexual sin, remember: your battle is not unique, your shame is not permanent, and your Savior has not turned away.

Freedom doesn’t begin with perfection—it begins with presence. Come to Jesus with everything you carry. He knows, He understands, and He can make you new.

Let your story be one of redemption: from shame to surrender, from secrecy to intimacy, and from striving to resting in the grace of God.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28—not just for behavior change, but for complete transformation from the inside out.

Resources:

Scriptures referenced:

• 2 Corinthians 5:17
• Galatians 2:20
• Luke 15:11-32
• 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
• Matthew 11:28
• Romans 12:1

Juli’s Favorite Bible Study Tools:

• ESV Study Bible
• Simply Bible: A Blank Inductive Bible Study Journal
• Logos Bible Software

Want to learn more about Dr. Juli and her ministry? Check out her website here!

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