Writer and elevation elephant Arch Kennedy once lived a gay lifestyle until his encounter with Jesus changed everything.
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Kennedy, author of The Weather’s Fine: My Method for Navigate Life’s Challenges, told CBN News that although he “grown up in a church,” he continued to suffer from addiction and being attracted to same-sex.
“They instilled us in Christian values as children,” Kennedy said of their parents. “I left when I went through my 20s and 30s and fell into severe alcoholism for a significant part of my life.”
But something changed a few years ago. Kennedy said she was encouraging her sister, six years older than her, to participate in Bible studies. He was reluctant due to his commitment conflict, but in the end the Lord was persuaded to join him.
“I never studied God’s Word,” Kennedy said. “For most of my life I rarely even went to church, but I called myself a Christian.”
Despite living a gay lifestyle, this faith and commitment background allowed Kennedy to be open and not take a negative view of her beliefs. Sometimes he tried to combine Christian and gay lifestyles, but it was always difficult to make it a success.
“I was trying to balance the two for years when I realized my attraction to the same sex too,” he said. “And I tried to harmonize the two and maintain my faith and lifestyle. When it comes to attraction to men, I knew it couldn’t be changed.”
Kennedy continued, “So…it was a huge conflict over the years of my life. And… Looking back now, that’s probably why I didn’t go to church much or pursue my faith seriously during those turbulent years.”
But something changed three years ago, when my sister invited him to study Bible in Atlanta. This group of men was when Kennedy first seriously studied God’s Word. Much deeper than the typical Bible passages and devotions he read before, the men’s group delved deeper into the Bible.
“That’s where the change began,” Kennedy explained the impact of reading the Bible. “I began to feel guilty. I believe that for the first time in my life, when I was actually studying the Word of God, the Holy Spirit began working within me and had never convicted my sins.”
This conviction made him “deeply aware” what he was doing wrong. Over time, biblical truth and proper moral frameworks began to become focused.
“From then on, my charm to the same sex began to clash with my faith, and I began to realize that I had to change,” Kennedy said, noting that although I had stopped being debauched by that point in my life, I still lived in sin. “I was still living in relationships, physical and sexual relationships, and I realized I had to change that. I realized I couldn’t follow Christ, have Christ in my heart and continue to have a physical relationship.”
Kennedy added, “I couldn’t change my feelings of being attracted to the same sex, but I could change how I act on it, and singles realized that God asks me to do so.”
He said the journey was powerful, pointing to some criticism of the LGBTQ community’s singleness, particularly claims it was unfair.
“There, even Christians say, ‘What an unfair. God created this man, and when he can’t do anything about what attracts him, he can’t marry, have physical relationships, or interact with his loved ones,” Kennedy said. “Yeah, this is what I want to say. I’ve been through this all along and I know how it feels. I’ve been there and I can talk about this. But life is unfair. No one said that Christian life would be easier.”
Kennedy, who has dealt with his own struggles, is well aware of this. He is recovering from alcoholism and is still fighting the attraction of the same sex, but he says that the Holy Spirit has given him the power to “fight these sinful desires.”
In addition to being endured, he said he also gained peace from the Lord who guided the journey.
“It also makes me love God more than worldly pleasure,” he said. “Therefore, God will give you peace. In these trials… God’s love becomes even more important.”
Kennedy wants to help others who are currently facing similar challenges. If you want to learn more about his story, read The Weather’s Fine: My Method for Navigate Life’s Challenges.
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