Thanks for bringing this up. I myself have been through these times where you are involved in praying out Homosexuality in people. We knew nothing else so we did what we had been told and what we had seen. I dont beat myself up over it anymore, in fact I have gone back to many of them and shared my story. A few of them now have been set free from all the crap we put into their lives. I rememeber being a Youth pastor and one of our kids shared that he thought he was gay. He shared it with myself and one of my leaders. Well all I knew to do with this was to pray that God take away the urges and fill them with His love. I remmeebr at the time thinking “It hasnt worked for you why are you doing this to someone else”. But I came back with “Its all I know how to do”.

I myself have had many leaders lay hands on me telling me to let the enemy go and let God fill you with his “true” love. Others saying stop letting Satan have all the control and let God take over. Those things are damaging to all of us, have us seeing God in a light that isnt him.

But I know Im free now, free from Christians telling me Im demonic, free from the self talk that I am just weak and full of sin. So I look to God when I think of those times and see that he set me free from all the hurt and pains of the past.

Good topic though man. Im sure others will have more deeper stuff than myself.

Have been there and done that myself.

I too was a youth and children’s pastor and encountered young people worried and confided in me about their suspiciosn about themselves being gay. I prayed for guidance but thankfully i never ‘cast the demons’ out of them etc.

I however have had that done to me, numerous times.

It got to the point that i stopped telling pastors/leaders/christians of my challenge.

For me, i believe in repenting of sin removes it cos of Jesus. So i have repented of all i know of that i have done, said etc and i firmly believe i am forgiven.

What damage I have done in the past – I have and do pray for all i have said and done things that may be wrong etc that they will be healed

from damage i have done to them etc

and again I firmly believe God can heal them.

Thanks everyone for your replies – its been good to read. Thank you sman and Magzdragon for saying it was a great topic – I really appreciate you both saying so.

Deafant I had spent a lot of time feeling bad for what I had done. But I move on and my goal now is to bring as much hope to peoples lives as I can. Your topic is a relevant one because all of us have been through this or heard of this happening. Many of us left churches because of this and sometimes we need to open up and talk it through. By doing that it lets it out and then you can move on to much greater joy.

Keep the topics coming man.

Hiya avb,

Not to worry abt being flat out I know what its like.

No the guy didnt suicide he had ongoing health probs with his kidney and died from something related to that. The church pastor at that time was kind of implying it was to do with his activities as a gay person by hinting at the wrath of god tho.

So many of us tied the two together and at the time I was convinced that he had died cos of god taking his hand of this man cos of his sin – you know that kind of association.

I wonder if he was affected by all the things the church said to him and that he just gave up the will to live or something like that. I dont know and I dont think about it alot but every now and then I remember and wonder a little and think about him and his life and the lives he touched. As you do when remembering people that have passed away.