This marks the conclusion of our journey of hope. Beyond this point, we find ourselves devoid of any optimism or positive outlook on life. All that remains is a pervasive sense of despair and death surrounding us.
The next few lines will discuss the themes of death and separation from God. Many of us have experienced these feelings at some point in our addiction to pornography. We reached a point where we extinguished the fire in our hearts, causing God to no longer speak to us and the Bible to remain closed. Even if we heard something, we became numb, unable to truly listen or see. We felt spiritually dead inside. However, even in our state of spiritual death, there is hope. We will still witness Jesus offering hope and power to those who are spiritually dead.
It is important to remember that, up until now, we have been emphasizing the significance of showing God a willingness to change and a desire for improvement. God can take even the smallest flickering spark of that desire and send a wind to reignite it. But what happens when there is no desire, no flickering spark, and no will to change—when everything feels completely lifeless? We find ourselves torn between our love for pornography and these lustful desires, and the exhaustion of fighting against them. Now, there is no will left. We have a name that suggests we are alive, but in reality, we feel dead inside.
“I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1).
When we close our eyes at night, we hope there won’t be a morning. Nothing satisfies us anymore, not even pornography. We don’t feel anything, and shame no longer bothers us. The physical consequences of pursuing our lust don’t hurt us. We hear the voices of people who want to save us, but we don’t care.
Even in death, there are different types. Let’s see how Jesus dealt with each one.
- Raising Jairus’ Daughter
Jairus’s daughter died at home, clothed in her own garments. In hopes of a miracle, her family asked Jesus for her healing. Jesus came to their home and performed a miracle, raising her from the dead.
At times, we may feel emotionally empty. However, we are lucky to have loved ones in our homes or among our friends. They support and encourage us, preventing us from losing hope. They help us find comfort in various ways. Their support leads us to Jesus, who can fill our lives with love and grace, raising us from our spiritual death.
- Raising the Son of the Widow of Nain
Her son had passed away, no longer in his home or near the church. He was in a casket, wrapped in death cloth, surrounded by family and friends who were grieving his loss or empathizing with his mother, but they could do him no good anymore. No one thought of Jesus. The son was being transported to the burial site. It seemed like a hopeless situation, as none of the people gathered around him believed he could come back to life.
We close our doors and block out any sound that mentions Jesus. We’ve been living a lie that has become our reality. True life seems like fiction, something we can’t believe exists. Even if friends or family try to wake us up, we stubbornly shut them out. Deep down, we know they’re right, but our addiction and lust keep us trapped. It’s like a burial cloth binding our hands and feet, and a casket trapping our bodies. Any flickering spark inside us quickly dies out.
“When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise”(Luke 7:13-14).
This deceased man didn’t have a will, but God showed compassion for his mother and raised him from the dead for her. It reminds us of the story of St. Augustine and Monica, his mother, where God had compassion for her prayers and tears for many years and saved St. Augustine. My dear, even if you’ve closed your door and denied His voice, He still seeks your soul. He created you in His image, without you asking. He called you son before you were born. He will live up to His title as a father as long as you breathe. He will not give up on you.
Even if you are surrounded by people who have given up on you or are living a similar life to yours, God still seeks a reason to save you. It could be a friend in need you helped, a good deed you did, a situation where you showed a merciful heart, or a caring person who mourns your life in sin. For the sake of these, God will send you His voice. And all those who had given up on you will stand still, like those who carried the widow’s son. To their amazement, He will bring you back to life.
- Lazarus
He finds himself trapped in a dark place, surrounded by death, with no light or sound in sight. His hands are bound, his body constrained, and the stench of death overwhelms his senses. A heavy rock seals the door of the tomb where he has been placed.
It’s as if we are echoing Lazarus. Despite all the methods we’ve attempted, we can’t break free from this suffering. We’re losing hope, feeling completely lost, and it seems nothing can save us from this growing despair, much like cancer spreading through our body. Conventional treatments have proven ineffective. Like Lazarus, we are now on our fourth day of being dead. Even our families think it’s too late, telling Jesus that it has been four days and we’re deteriorating. There is no one who believes in our chance for recovery.
Darkness engulfs us and we yearn for someone to guide us out, yet there is no one in sight—no family, no friends.
This image deeply saddens God. It’s amazing that the Bible contains a verse that is both the shortest and one of the most significant in the entire Scripture. This verse shows God’s love for humanity.
“Jesus wept” (John 11:35).
He wept as the human, created in His own image—strong and courageous—fell. Now, with His hands and legs bound and the stench of death emanating from Him, it feels as though we are mourning alongside this lifeless man. If only an external force could take control of us and offer help. If only He could summon me back from the clutches of death, like Lazarus.
This is the ultimate distance from God, but even if your soul reaches that depth of darkness, He still gives hope. He tells your soul that perhaps her previous will led her to choose a life away from Him. Now, she is a slave to her habits and addictions, perhaps with a master who shows no mercy. But even when she has closed all the doors to God and placed a heavy stone between them, He still sends His voice, even in her death, to awaken her. His words have the power to wake her up. Just please, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.
“As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion”(Hebrews 3:15 ESV).
He still seeks you and will send His voice to you whether you are at work, in transportation, studying, walking down the street, or anywhere in your daily life. This can be through a verse on subway walls, a commercial during your favorite music, a sermon in your Uber driver’s car, a conversation between a couple sitting behind your seat, or a gospel song in the street or similar situation.
Jesus is now whispering in your ears: Listen to My voice. It will empower you to stand up and emerge from darkness, stepping into the light. Nothing—not pain, chains, death cloth, casket, or anything else—can hinder your salvation. Even nature’s power, which causes the body to decay, will stop, silenced by the sheer power of My voice.
“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5:14).
By grace, you have been saved.
Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— (Ephesians 2:3-5 ESV)
Remember, if you’ve reached a dead end and feel as though there’s no way out, know that God still wants to save you. His forgiveness is unconditional, regardless of what you’ve done. None of us truly deserves that forgiveness, but God, in His infinite love, freely offers it. He was even willing to forgive all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah when Abraham interceded on their behalf, suggesting that perhaps there were at least ten righteous individuals in the entire city.
“Then he said, ‘Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?’ And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten” (Genesis 18:32).
God also showed mercy to Nineveh. Jonah was sent to warn the people there, who were living sinful lives, worshiping idols, and in spiritual death—much like Lazarus, who needed to hear God’s voice. None of them sought salvation, none asked for forgiveness, and none even knew Him. They may have heard of Him as the God of Israel, but to them, He was just another god beside their idols. They lived sinful lives, and the stench of death rose to Him. As God, He could have punished them, but as a Father, He sought their redemption from imminent ruin. So, He sent them His voice through Jonah. They listened, and there was salvation for Nineveh.
Our Father has a deep desire in his heart to forgive and accept us. The only problem lies with us—we often resist this desire by indulging in the passions of our flesh and rejecting His healing hand. Sometimes, we believe the lies of Satan when he tries to convince us that our situation is beyond redemption or that it’s pointless to struggle because we can’t live without our habits.
You’ve witnessed how Jesus turned every darkness into light. He is likely doing the same for you now, urging you to read these words because He wants to save you. Please, don’t harden your heart or close your eyes. If you feel lost, come to Him, and He will see you and take care of you, just as the Good Samaritan did for the wounded man.
He will grant you the power to emerge from your burial place, even if you feel as though your hands and feet are still bound by deathlike Lazarus.
“And he who had died came out, bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go”(John 11:44).
Start with five minutes of prayer.
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