Hi, my name is Jared Bohl! Before entering the Pure Life Ministries Residential Program in May of 2019, I was addicted to pornography and self-gratification. I grew up in a Christian home and heard the truth of God’s word every Sunday. However, this did not prevent me from being exposed to pornography when I was just 12 years old. Even though I gave my heart to Jesus at age 14, I continued to battle with sexual sin for the next six years.
Upon graduating from high school, I felt the Lord calling me into ministry, so I enrolled in Bible college at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. This only produced greater hypocrisy and self-righteousness in my life. While I had a form of godliness, I continued to dive deeper and deeper into sexual sin, eventually seeking sexual encounters online. When the girl I was in a serious relationship with heard about my sexual sin, we eventually separated, and God used this to absolutely break me.
My sin was exposed to the school, and I had to face the shame and all the hurt I caused her and her family. I remember God warning me through Luke 12 that I would go to hell if I continued to live this way. I knew I desperately needed help, which led me to Pure Life Ministries.
Shortly after coming into the Residential Program, God continued to break me as I spent the first few months working through Psalm 51 with my counselor.
At Pure Life, I encountered the Lord’s presence on numerous occasions, but there was one Friday night service in particular when the Lord began speaking to me about letting go of all the idols and things I had been holding onto. It was at the altar call that night, that I responded to the Lord and surrendered everything to Him. That was a tremendous moment of healing for me.
From that point on, the Lord began teaching me the importance of living a life of humility and serving others from a pure heart. The Lord has forever changed my life through Pure Life Ministries, specifically, my love for sexual sin. I don’t desire sexual sin the same way I once did. My life is completely different. There is power to resist temptation now and I am walking in true freedom.
I want other men to know that freedom from sexual sin is possible. When we see our absolute poverty and cry out to Him, He will change us through His wonderful gift of repentance!