Overcoming homosexuality by any human means is completely impossible. It is a spiritual battle that must be won Spiritually through Christ. Here is a testimony of deliverance from homosexuality that was aired on the 700 Club hosted by Pat Robertson, the founder of CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network). Overcoming Homosexuality and the testimony of Matthew Manning is a dramatic, real, and heart moving story of someone caught up in the homosexual lifestyle who finds God through the prayers of a five year old boy on the streets of San Francisco. It’s a moving and inspirational story of deliverance, healing and forgiveness, and it is difficult to not see the hand of God in it. God’s power is shown so strongly in this story.
This testimony of overcoming homosexuality is a dramatic example of God’s ability to bring about full forgiveness in someone’s heart towards a person who horrifically abused him. When you read this, you will see just how powerful the love of God can be and His power to deliver any homosexual from this sort of demonic influence and bondage if someone has the will and desire to want deliverance from this sin.
The story begins
Matthew Manning was sexually molested by one of his older brothers before he was 10 years old. He was mocked and made fun of in school as often happens growing up by those students and peers that consider themselves to be ‘cool’. With this also came a home life where Matthew was not receiving the type of healthy and nurturing love and acceptance that is most needed in a young persons life – both in family life and from his friends or teachers at school.
In search of attention by male role models, and feeling the guilt and shame of the sexual abuse by his brother, he withdrew from his friends and found what he thought was the reassuring love and attention he was looking for at a local park where he began to hang out at. This park was known to have homosexual activity taking place in it by the men who frequented it. At ten years old, Matthew began to give himself to homosexual men – pedophiles – who were willing to give him the acceptance and attention he was wanting as a young boy.
Matthew tells of his experiences at the park and how he would go to the park whenever he would have problems at home, hoping to find the love and acceptance and nurturing he was hungry for at home. He was looking for was a hug from an older man who cared about his life and problems. The result of this puruit for acceptance led to him being a victim of sexually explicit activities with the older men he would encounter. Even though afterwards he would always feel shame and guilt, it was the only place he could the ‘unconditional’ love and acceptance he was looking for.
As a result of all this in his early years, he became found himself fully immersed in the perversion that comes from a homosexual lifestyle as he grew up. His guilt and shame were compounded by the fact that he was being sent to a ‘Christian school.’ Eventually he graduated from high school, and went on with his life – still living the life of a homosexual.
He eventually joined the Coast guard where he first got stationed in San Francisco – the homosexual capital of the world – as some call it. He told the story of how he would be out saving people during the day, then by night, be going to homosexual bars and participating in a habitual homosexual lifestyle at night.
During his time with the Coast Guard in San Francisco – although he did not know it at the time – a serial killer was killing homosexual men and throwing their bodies off of a bridge. One night as he was sitting by himself close to the bridge and water, a man approached him from behind, put a knife to his throat and led off by the man. He was told that he had been sent to teach Matthew a lesson. When Matthew asked him who had sent him, the man replied back, “You’ll find out when you end up burning in hell.”
Matthew did not know it, but he was being accosted by the guy who was the serial killer. The man took him off to the side and molested him. During the molestation, Matthew was able to break away and run to safety. There was no doubt that this guy was going to kill him. He immediately went to the police to report what had happened. Initially, the police thought that these were all suicides from the bodies they found floating in the waters, but later this guy admitted to killing other people.
After Matthew’s near death experience, he continued to live the lifestyle he had grown accustomed to. As he continued on living the homosexual life, he had encountered numerous street evangelists who were reaching out to him and seeking to help him be set free from the homosexual lifestyle. His view at the time was that he thought they were all judgmental and wanted nothing to do with any of them or even God Himself. He had come to believe the lie that is most often used as an excuse for homosexuality that he was born a homosexual and that there was nothing that either he or God could do to change his condition.
Then one day he met a woman and her five-year-old son who were out preaching on the streets. This little boy comes up to him and tells him “Jesus loves you, Jesus loves you.” He had heard all of that before and was not really moved by it. However, the little boy kept trying to get him to come to his church, which was just around the corner.
Initially, Matthew had no desire to visit the church, but one day as he was driving past the church, he literally heard an audible voice say to him – “This is the last time I am going to ask you.”
He knew right of way that this was the voice of God talking to him. a sudden fear came over Matthew when this happened, and he was quickened in his heart to visit the church that the little boy had asked him to visit. When he walked in, they had a band playing praise and worship music that was like nothing he had heard before. He actually thought that he had walked into some kind of cult. As he went to sit down, he saw the little five-year-old boy who had invited first invited him when he and his mother had approached Matthew on the street days before. Matthew had say down near the boy when he had finally sat down and the two of them could see each other.
As Matthew was gazing around the church, he was not really being moved by anything he saw. About the time he was realizing this, he looked over at the little five year old boy who had been witnessing to him out in the streets earlier. The little boy was standing up, hands held straight up in the air and he was crying. He was praying to God and the words he was praying to God were – “Please God, show Matthew that we are not all nuts in this church. Please God, show Him that You are real.”
When Matthew saw the boy praying with that kind of sincerity and intensity, he was immediately effected emotionally. He said that when he saw that, he knew that this was the real love he had been searching for all of his life – agape love – that someone could unconditionally love him for who he really was. Matthew gave his life to the Lord that night and got saved, but told God that he would have to change him on the inside to handle his homosexual desires for men.
After that night, Matthew continued to go to that church and began to study the the Bible; however, he continued in the habit of his homosexual lifestyle. [NOTE: Demonic spirits of homosexuality and perversion are very persuasive and strong demonic forces to contend with one you open that door to them.] During the interview with Pat Robertson, Matthew said the desires to engage in homosexuality were still there after he got saved, and he used those persistent desires he was still having as his excuse to still act out the thoughts and desires he was having since God had not taken away the desires after he was saved.
One night while in a church service, Matthew was overwhelmed by the power of God and felt an overwhelming presence of God’s Holy Spirit come on him and he was literally knocked to the floor (slain in the spirit as he called it). While under the influence of the Holy Spirit’s power as he laid on the ground, he had a vision. As he tells the story, he saw Jesus standing in front of him, and as soon as he sees Jesus he starts arguing with Him about his homosexual desires, and the reality that he can’t get rid of the homosexual desires. He said that that was when Jesus looked directly into Matthew’s eyes and said to him:
“Every time you commit a homosexual act, you are committing that act against Me.”
Jesus then said something else to him that had something to do with His sacrificial death on the cross and that His death on the cross had already set Matthew free from the bondage of the homosexual lifestyle that he was involved in.
Matthew said that when Jesus said all of this to him – it was the “truth of God” cutting right through him and cutting out the lie that he was born homosexual and that he could not be free of it that he had been living all of those years. Even as Matthew was still trying to hang onto his homosexual lifestyle and still walk with Christ, God was doing heart surgery in Matthew’s heart and delivering him from the bondage he was living in.
When Jesus had spoken those direct words to Matthew, he knew that he had been living a lie and that he had no more excuses for remaining in this lifestyle. Right after Jesus said all of this to him, he got up off of the floor. Immediately, he began to throw up!
Matthew said in his interview that, “I believe the puking was God’s way of vomiting all of the contamination that was in him from his homosexual lifestyle all those years. He also believed there was a possibility demons were being expelled out of him at this point.
After he finished throwing up, he went outside the church. Once outside, he heard God in an audible voice say, “I will heal you from this condition if you agree to witness to other homosexual men about My grace, mercy and power to set these men free from the bondage they were in.” Matthew agreed with God on this condition and he said from that day forward he has never had another homosexual encounter and has lost all natural desire for it! Wow! The power that comes from unconditional love and forgiveness, and surrender to Holy Spirit for full and complete redemption and deliverance. HOW COOL IT THAT!???
The story is NOT over yet! That best is still yet to come! Miracles! Be looking for part two of this story, “Overcoming Homosexuality and the Testimony of Matthew Manning (Part 2) – coming soon!
As always please leave a comment and share this article with anyone you know who is struggling with the sin and bondage of homosexuality. And, if you are brave enough, share this story with your connections on your favorite social network. Sure, you might have some of your contacts send you hate mail or unfriend you, BUT what if… what IF your sharing this article on your social media network profile could bring one single individual who is struggling with the homosexual lifestyle out of the darkness and bondage that is associated with this growing struggle in millions of lives? What if YOU could be the miracle that Matthew Manning found in that encounter with a five year old boy?