COAST MINISTRY, Incorporated
No More Secrets! A Journey From Tragedy to Triumph.
Join us in our mission to educate the public about sexual abuse. Help us offer sexually abused women a second chance at life.
NO MORE SECRETS! by Peggy Knoth
NO MORE SECRETS!
Do you hear the lies? "I'll never overcome the pain. I'm broken. I'm damaged beyond repair. If people knew the truth about my past, they would judge me. I'm afraid that the nightmares and flashbacks will never end. I feel invisible in a crowd. I can't set boundaries. The shame and guilt are killing me. I have to self-medicate. Why do I end up in one bad relationship after another? What's wrong with me?"
Don't believe everything you think! We have to take control of our thoughts. "For God is not a God of confusion but of peace" (1 Co 14:33). "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ," (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV).
Over our lifetime, we have accepted lies about who we are. The first thing we have to know is that Satan is a liar and has come to destroy us. He does not want us to love and serve God. He does not want us to heal. "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
How can I battle those negative thoughts that seem to control my life? The answer is simple: we fight our enemy with the word of God, just as Jesus did in the desert. We reject statements about us that do not agree with what is written in God's word. If we have repented and called on the name of Jesus to save us, we belong to God. We are now his children, and all his promises are ours. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). What "things" will God use to work for our good? ALL THINGS. That means the good AND the bad things that happen to us, God will make them work for our good. We don't know when or where or how. We simply trust God and know that he'll use them all for our good.
Here's an example: I was a very timid and quiet child. I was so quiet in school that I was frequently recorded as "absent" for class when all the while, I sat quietly in the back of the classroom. If an oral report was required of me in school, I quickly accepted an "F" on my report because I refused to stand in front of the class and speak to them.
Fast forward 50-60 years. This same timid girl is walking the streets of our city and seeking out the homeless, broken-hearted prostitutes and people with mental illness and/or drug addiction to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. As I share my life with them, they witness the transforming power of God who can take a shy and once-broken girl and make her into a prayer warrior with boldness that at times shocks even me! I've broken up fist fights, a knife fight, and loud debates and threats on the street. On the other hand, I've grabbed my sleeping bag and backpack and slept outside on the sidewalk with them at least once a year. All through the night, we've shared stories about our past and how God has been with us through all of it and given us the courage to persevere even in the hardest of times... even in homelessness.
There is no quick and simple path to healing. Only Jesus can take a totally wrecked life and restore us to sanity. He weaves the tears and tragedies of our lives into a spectacular tapestry to be presented to the Father, washed and redeemed by his blood. SALVATION comes all at once by GRACE ALONE, through FAITH ALONE, in CHRIST ALONE, according to SCRIPTURE alone and to the GLORY OF GOD ALONE. Nothing more and nothing less.
Refuse to believe salvation comes by an act of choice on our part. Salvation comes when God draws us to himself. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:44 ESV) Look at that verse carefully. Who can come to Christ? "No one." Unless what? "Unless the Father draws him." And why is that? It's because we were DEAD IN SIN. DEAD. Not "we were seeking God," or "we walked up to the alter in an isle at church," or "God threw me a life preserver when I was drowning." Those are all nice thoughts but there is no truth in them because the Bible says we were dead in our sins. "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins." Ephesians 2:1 ESV
Know this: "DEAD" men can't swim. DEAD women can't walk. DEAD men can't repent or speak words. DEAD women can't grab a life preserver. WE WERE DEAD. Flat-out DEAD. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing to save ourselves. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV.
Salvation had nothing to do with our choice. While we were DEAD in sin, GOD drew us close to himself. He infused us with the FAITH to believe because of His amazing GRACE (receiving something we do not deserve). We believed because by his grace, he gave us the faith to believe. It was 100% God that saved us. As the Bible says, there's nothing for us to boast about.
Sanctification is the PROCESS of becoming more like Christ and only BEGINS at the moment we are saved. Healing comes one day at a time as we keep our eyes on Jesus. We stop telling ourself, "I can't do it," and replace it with Paul's words, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13.
We believe what Jesus says in the Bible, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 ESV
NO MORE SECRETS! Feature Article by Peggy Knoth, Author
Help Our Cause
Your contribution will enable us to meet our goals and improve conditions for sexually abused women in our local community. Your tax-deductible donation will fund our GRANT which enables us to place a qualified woman in a one-year Christian residential recovery program in Florida at NO COST to them. Their needs vary widely and you will play an intricate part in their recovery and chance at a new life! We also MENTOR these women at NO COST. Your donation of any amount is greatly appreciated!
Ways to Help
How We Mentor
How We Mentor
How We Mentor
Some ladies are local and we meet face to face. Others are across the U.S.while some live overseas. If we cannot meet in person, we use video chats, phone conferences, as well as text,
