Pastor Reveals 'Secret Sin' That Made Him Doubt His Salvation — and Nearly Walk Away From Ministry

A megachurch pastor has revealed a "secret sin" that he once feared would destroy his salvation and his ministry — a 10-year battle with pornography.

Pastor Perry Noble (Image via Twitter/@PerryNoble)

Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina, recently penned a blog post for XXX Church, a Christian ministry that helps people move past porn addiction, detailing the impact of his struggle and how he overcame it.

"When I was 14 years old, my dad and I bought one of the first satellite dishes. It gave me access to hundreds of channels including pornography nearly any time I wanted to see it," Noble wrote. "We didn’t keep the satellite dish forever — but it began my addiction."

[sharequote align="center"]"I purchased magazines and developed a very unrealistic view of sex…"[/sharequote]

He continued, "All throughout high school I purchased magazines and developed a very unrealistic view of sex and an extremely unhealthy view of women. I didn’t see anything wrong with what I was doing."

Noble's struggle continued even after his conversion to Christianity in 1990, as he had hoped his penchant for porn would go away, but it didn't.

He said his introduction to the Internet in 1996 led his addiction to almost spiral out of control, as it became another tool that made porn readily accessible. Noble said that his struggle continued for 10 years, calling it his "'secret sin' no one knew about."

[sharequote align="center"]"I doubted my salvation, I almost walked away from the ministry, I thought that God hated me."[/sharequote]

"The struggle was real and emotionally and spiritually intense," he continued. "I doubted my salvation, I almost walked away from the ministry, I thought that God hated me … I just could not get control of the addiction."

Image source: PerryNoble.com

But in 2000, Noble said he stepped away from porn before marrying his wife, as he feared it would ruin his marriage; he now says he's been 14 years free from addiction.

The pastor went on to share some of the tips he used to overcome his porn inclination — tips he said are still helpful to him today: asking someone else to help with personal accountability, staying off the Internet as much as possible, not traveling alone, tell one's wife about the addiction and praying for God to give a healthier view of women.

It should be noted that Noble is no stranger to issuing personal revelations. As TheBlaze reported earlier this year, the preacher also shared his own past battles depression and anxiety — a struggle that once led him to consider suicide.

Read Noble's blog post here.

(H/T: Christian Today)