“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Warfare of Grace is 5 years old!
These years have been the most purposeful of my entire life. I am so thankful that God made plans to use me even after life had fallen apart! Thanks be to God! Praise Him!
I also want to thank my awesome wife who, even through it all, has supported me and lifted me up to minister to those like me. Those who need the help of the Lord to find the discipline that destroys addiction and manifests freedom in Jesus’ name!
I am so happy to report that work is going well with Warfare of Grace. We currently have 17 clients, have expanded to support couples counseling, and are building a great deal of infrastructure. Most recently our efforts have been almost entirely focused on creating a web funnel to bring people in from YouTube from across the nation for online counseling! With 87% of Christian men struggling with some form of unwanted sexual behavior, we know that there is a massive opportunity for expansion. Currently, we are looking for 15 more clients to send me, Devon, truly full-time as a counselor. We think this funnel might be able to do just that. In addition, I have had 2 opportunities to speak in the last 6 months and we are looking to expand that so we can spread the good news of freedom about once a month.
Do you know anyone who needs to connect with counseling? First sessions are always free! In an initial session, men can discover whether or not Warfare of Grace is right for them and if not see some options for other directions they can go for help! Thank you for keeping your eyes and ears open for men who need to know the freedom of Jesus Christ.
I believe that men of God choose to take the hard road. In fact, I believe that that is exactly what makes the difference most of the time in addiction recovery. Will we take the road that God has for us or are we going to take a shortcut of sin? And as I counsel, I see scenario after scenario where men are asked to take the hard road and have to make that choice. I’d like to share with you a recent product of real character growth.
A man I know who has been walking with me for a little while recently was asked by his girlfriend if they could take a step back. Not to stop dating, but to back up in the relationship to a place that she understood so they could journey together differently. She did this by way of a massive letter, with a huge amount of content and context to sift through.
Now, while Hollywood might make much of a question like this and dramatize it, using it as a plot point in a soap opera like melodrama, my friend did an unexpected and beautiful thing. He simply expressed, “whatever you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.”
~ Proverbs 13:15
WOW. I don’t know if you remember what it’s like to have a relationship take a turn like that, but all the anxiety and questions that come along with it can be overwhelming! I was so proud to see this man, who not long ago couldn’t endure a few hours of anxiety, chose to receive that information like a champ and… get this… think about her above himself.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
~ Philippians 2:3
I was deeply proud to hear of that interaction. That Christian character is ultimately what is being produced by Warfare of Grace. We are turning boys into men through the discipline of God, fueled by the love of God. It’s a Warfare of Grace you might say!
WHAT’S NEW?
Maybe you don’t know yet, but every Friday at 4:30 I am hosting a livestream event called “Introduction to Christian Sexual Addiction on my YouTube Channel!
In the hour livestream I tell a short version of my story, set a framework for broadly understanding addiction from a Christian perspective, and then spend some time on Q&A with any participants!
If you are interested in seeing what I am doing or want to engage in the first steps of healing recovery, I’d love for you to stop by and say hey! Find me @devonstribling
SOCIALS UPDATE!
Starting this Christmas season our social media presence looks to expand considerably! YouTube is a powerful medium and we plan on leveraging it to connect with other awesome places! Do you have any ideas for Youtube videos that I could make? Do you have questions you have always wanted to ask that I could answer for all to see? Your ideas can help shape the relevant kind of content that I am looking to produce.
Thanks in advance for blessing me with your thoughts!
In Love,
Devon