Transcript
kenfreire: Welcome to The Shameless Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you kill shame, stand strong, and be on mission. I'm your host, Ken Freire, and today we're embarking on a new journey of transformation and victory in Christ. This first season, we're primarily going to focus on helping you men overcome shame and pornography and sexual addiction.
kenfreire: In the future, I plan on covering a whole lot of other issues, but for this particular season, I want to really focus and hone in on this issue. And the reason why is I want you to think about a few characters. Imagine Dave, who's a successful entrepreneur and and devout Christian who has achieved financial success, has time to give to his family, and gives a lot of money away to important causes. Or John.
kenfreire: who's been a faithful in ministry. From the outside, he has ministry success, a loving family and people who love to follow him. But silently, each of them fights a battle that threatens to unravel everything they stand for. Because behind closed doors, they struggle with a hidden addiction to pornography, a battle that fills them with guilt, shame and fear.
kenfreire: And here's what they do. They try to hide behind their success, thinking that if they stay busy enough, it will help them overcome their addiction. And sometimes they go months without falling and think they finally beat it. But then something triggers them.
kenfreire: and unaware of their triggers, they fall back into sinful coping mechanisms. One of them, for example, starts deceiving himself into thinking this is normal for guys and that his pornography use is not hurting anyone. He believes that if he keeps enjoying this insatiable pleasure, it will make the shame go away. So what does he do? He doubles down on his sin, and at first it feels great until one day the compounding effect of his lust catch catches up to him and causes havoc on his life, purpose, and relationships. Or let's look at John, the ministry leader. Recognizing his sinful tendencies starts to buckle down and deal with his sin. But he feels like a failure because he keeps falling and he believes he's unclean and unworthy due to how much he just keeps stumbling.
kenfreire: and deep, deep down inside, that hypocrisy is eating him alive because the reality is that he's supposed to be shepherding people to Jesus, yet he can't overcome his own sinful desires. So what are these men supposed to do? They can either let shame keep them from their God -given purposes, or they can fight back and be shameless in the freedom they have in Christ.
kenfreire: And I believe that John and Dave's story represents many men out there who actually love God, but are stuck in a vicious cycle of shame. And the reality is that shame can come from a rare variety of reasons. So like I mentioned earlier, this first season, I'm going to explore how pornography addiction causes shame. So there are three goals to this podcast. Number one, I want to provide a place for vulnerable conversations.
kenfreire: You see, one of the things is that shame loves to keep things in isolation. And as men, we tend to keep tons of secrets and not feel safe sharing our struggles. So as I interview good guests, I hope our vulnerability will show you that you're not alone and that there are people who've overcome the battle and can help. Number two, I want to provide biblical truths from biblical counselors and coaches.
kenfreire: applying to feature insights and practical advice from biblical counselors and coaches who who actually specialize in helping men break free from shame shame. For example, I believe freedom begins with understanding who God is and who you are in Christ. And I'll explore how our identity as beloved children of God empowers us to overcome addiction and live victoriously. So it's not within our willpower, but God who enables us to be different and transforms us.
kenfreire: And then the last one, the third one is just share stories from other leaders and men who've overcome shame because the reality is there's power and testimony. And we'll hear from Christian entrepreneurs, leaders, business people, ah the everyday guy, right? Who just walked through the valleys of addiction and emerged stronger. And their stories will inspire and equip us with the tools needed to overcome our struggles. So.
kenfreire: If you or someone you know is feeling trapped and ashamed because of your addictions, this podcast is for you. And I have two simple requests. Number one, subscribe now and don't miss an episode. right And number two, share this with another guy who can benefit from this podcast.
kenfreire: So stay tuned, our first full episode is coming soon, but until then, you are not alone in this battle, because no longer will shame kill your dreams and legacy. Together, with the power of God's grace, we will kill shame and stand strong and be on mission.
