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Right now, we are standing face to face with situations in our nation that need to be changed. Some of those situations look totally impossible, but they’re not. Why? Because this country belongs to God.

He’s the One who brought the United States of America into existence. He had a special purpose for it. He needed a country where the gospel could be preached freely and not be suppressed.

In just a few weeks, we’ll be taking our place as Christians at the voting booths for the 2020 election. Most of us know that every election is vital to our nation, our biblical worldview and the fulfillment of God’s plan for America. But this year—2020—seems to hold an even greater significance.

Being sexually assaulted in one of the most shame-inducing traumas that a person can experience. So it is understandable that victims don’t need to be further shamed by being shamed for not reporting the crime. And yet, that is exactly what happens whenever we hear, for the first time, about a sexual assault that occurred months or years ago. “Why didn’t she report it before?” we ask. “Why didn’t she come forward a long time ago, right after it happened?”

Sixty-three percent of sexual assaults are not reported. Why is this the case? This article is intended to answer that question. I wrote a similar article on why women don’t come forward when they are sexually harassed at work and received a lot of positive feedback thanking me for explaining this phenomena. I hope this article will be as beneficial in addressing sexual assault.

There are so many vital issues being debated in the upcoming election that I feel very stongly about, but to me, one issue and one issue alone determines if I will vote for a particular candidate, do they support the murder of unborn babies? Abortion is a form of Domestic Violence that always results in the death of the victim. Tragically it abounds in the United States and around the world.

I was sexually, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused by my father as far back as I can remember until I left home at the age of eighteen. He did many terrible things…some which are too distasteful for me to talk about publicly. But I want to share my testimony because so many people have been hurt, and they need to realize that someone has made it through their struggles so they can have hope.

More than anything, I want you to know and really understand that anyone who has been abused can fully recover if they will give their life completely to Jesus.

What Does “Abuse” Mean?

The sound is seared into my memory. Heavy footsteps. Pounding. Screaming. A storm of violence on the other side of my bedroom wall. More heavy footsteps and a slammed door. Eerie silence.
I was just seven years old when my mom’s boyfriend, the father of my younger brother, terrorized our family. He was a jealous, controlling man with a volcanic temper. If another man as much as looked at Mom on the street, she was in for a beating.
My brother and I cowered, terrified. When the storm had passed, I crept through the apartment, eventually finding my mom sprawled unconscious and bloody. I ran into the hall and knocked on neighbors’ doors. No one dared answer. I had to go to the bar next door to call 911 on a pay phone.

After a careful study of Jonah 3:8, I have come up with the following paraphrase: “Those who embrace lying vanities forsake the Mercy (Lovingkindness) of God.” God does not forsake you; you forsake God’s Mercy! What is a lying vanity? Anything that “exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” (II Corinthians 10: 5) Whenever we embrace any thought or accusation that exalts itself against the knowledge of God we forsake the Mercy (Lovingkindness) of God! That’s why II Corinthians 10:5 exhorts us to “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Your friend has just told you that they have been sexually assaulted, abused, stalked or raped and you want to support them but you’re not sure what they need. Maybe it happened to them decades ago, in childhood, or maybe it was as recent as today. You want to help your friend in any way you can. Situations may vary, but here are 5 tips for friends of survivors.

I met her in the fall of 1995, shortly after I moved to Virginia Beach. When she found out that I had a ministry on Sexual Abuse and Prevention she told me that she knew from personal experience how desperately the Church needs this type of ministry. Recently she shared her testimony with me, and, with her permission, I’ve put it in this month’s newsletter. To preserve her privacy, I’ll call her Janie.

Has a painful childhood or life experience left you feeling broken? You CAN heal and take back your life!  Learn how to overcome emotional trauma with help from God’s Word.

The emotional trauma you experienced when a painful life circumstance took place may have been a one-time event or recurring over a period of years. Maybe it was the way your dad left your family and never came back. Or the loss of a loved one at a tender time in your life. Or maybe it was physical or emotional abuse. Either way, it left a mark. And you can’t seem to shake it.

The NSPCC explains what parents can do if their child reveals they have been sexually abused. How should we react? What do we say? How do we report abuse? There is never a right or wrong way to feel when your child has told you they have been abused. Quite often it will be a mixture of shock, anger, horror, disgust and helplessness.