“We guide veterans and first responders in building their faith, healing from the past, and winning life’s battles,” says Steve Prince with Set Free.

During these four-day weekends, veterans receive teaching from Set Free staff and volunteers, and space to be alone with God. 

“These weekends, one of the first things we tell participants is ‘We want you to be selfish.’ We carry their bags, we serve their meals, we serve their drinks — we try [to] show them that they can receive as well as serve,” says Prince.

“The goal is to set the table for them to have very real, authentic, intimate interactions with God. He does what He does — He changes lives, He really transforms men.”

Both men’s retreats and women’s retreats are led by other veterans. 

“We really are deliberate on showing them how much God loves them. We share our own story, pretty raw, which allows them to share their stories and be open and honest about who they are and what they’ve been through,” Prince says. 

Ask God to guide the staff and volunteers in the truth of His Word. 

“We need prayer. We are destroying the enemy’s work,” Prince says. “Pray for the next veteran that hasn’t yet reached out to us.”

Connect with this ministry to veterans and first responders on Facebook, or contact Warriors Set Free Georgia Director Eric Brew directly at eric@warriorssetfree.org. Learn more about this ministry based in Michigan and Georgia at warriorssetfree.org. 

Header photo courtesy of Warriors Set Free.

What Burdens Christians in the US?

Dean Vander Mey with Set Free says, “Probably the number one issue that we see weekly, actually daily, at Set Free is unresolved hurt, pain, and anger stored, unexpressed, and pushed down. A lot of people call that depression – and it’s really things that have not been talked about. They have not been brought into the light. So, what we do is we don’t know what to do with them, and then we pack them away. And that’s some of the heavy weights that burden us.”

(Image by Małgorzata Tomczak on Pixabay)

As of May 2023, 29% of the population Gallup surveyed reported a diagnosis of depression at some point in their lifetime. This percentage was up almost ten percent since 2015. With depression on the rise, it is no wonder that Set Free is seeing this burden within the body of Christ on a regular basis.

Vander Mey explains, “The enemy uses sin that has been done against us. Then that person [carries] that sin – not knowing what to do with it, and they just carry it. They don’t know how to process that and they don’t know how to forgive that. So that weighs them down, and then entangles them.”

Unfortunately, the church is under attack in more than one way. Vander Mey explains that in addition to unresolved anger leading to depression, they also see many people struggling with pornography. “One of the other things that’s really dogging the USA is the horrors of porn addiction. It’s one of the other things that’s really affecting the youth and even the rest of the church body. The statistics are frightening.”

Vander Mey harkens back to Proverbs 5-7 with its stern warnings against adultery. The New Testament takes this even further in the sermon on the mount when Jesus speaks against lust in Matthew 5:27-30. He says, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

The consequences of giving in to lust in both passages of Scripture are dire.

Steps to Healing

In the midst of these problems Set Free steps in. They give Christians a framework for processing sin issues and coming before God in repentance.

(Image courtesy of 1388843 on Pixabay)

Vander Mey says, “We’re in pretty tough shape across the USA. And churches oftentimes don’t deal with the core issues like this that need to be resolved to really help their sheep who are hurting. And so that’s what we do here – is we help we help them get set free.”

Set Free offers Freedom Appointments where individuals are counseled through a seven-step process to confront their sins and repent. Their offshoot, “Walking Free,” continues this process through focused discipleship.

If you are struggling with unresolved spiritual issues you can get help through the team at Set Free. Register for a Freedom Appointment here.

Set Free provides their complimentary appointments to anyone who needs it. If you would like to support their ministry so they can continue to reach more people, click here.

Image courtesy of reenablackon Pixabay