It’s no game, either. Live long enough and you’ll realize some of the problems and temptations we face can derail a person’s life and mission with devastating speed.

One of those things is pornography, and in the U.S., not everyone thinks it is wrong.

Steve Vander Molen with Set Free points back to a compilation of statistics by Covenant Eyes in 2018. One stated that only 55% of U.S. adults age 25 and older believed pornography is wrong.

That left around 45% who indicated that pornography was morally acceptable. Vander Molen comments, “That number goes way up to 90% for those under 25 years old.”

If you or a friend or family member believe this is okay, please take the facts to heart. Porn is no innocent thing to God, who calls for His people to pursue holiness in every area of our lives. Ignoring Him and going our own way has both serious physical and relational consequences.

“Like drugs and alcohol, viewing pornography stimulates a release of dopamine in the brain. That’s an intense feeling of pleasure. [Again] like drugs and alcohol, the more you view pornography, the more you need,” Vander Molen explains. “Impacts occur with relationships — marital, work, etc. — isolation [occurs too]. The more people get into pornography, the more they tend to isolate because of the shame that comes with it. [Other impacts are] violence, and [lack of] healthy intimacy as God created it to be in marriage.”

(Graphic courtesy Set Free Ministries)

If you know someone trapped in this, God’s Word offers hope and help. Would you pause right now and ask God what you might need to do, learn or search Scripture about?

“Pornography is of the evil one. We need to break this addiction. We need to communicate its impact and work together so that going forward, we can see this trend change, especially amongst our young people,” Vander Molen says. 

“Ecclesiastes 4:10 says ‘If one falls down, his friend can help him up, but pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.’ It’s so important that people who are caught up in sin have others to come alongside them and help them through this.”

You can learn more about Set Free at their website, setfreemin.org. 

“Many of the people who are addicted to porn were caught up in sexual abuse, and most of the time against their will,” Vander Molen adds. “So it’s so important that people get the help they need to get to that root cause, to lay all of that at the feet of the cross and allow Jesus to come in and provide the healing that only He can do. That’s what we do at Set Free.”

Header photo courtesy of Set Free. 

Approximately 40 million adults had a mental health condition in 2018. By 2023, those numbers jumped to more than 52 million adults.

Pandemic lockdowns, isolation, and uncertainty triggered fear and anxiety. Political and racial divisions, along with heightened gun violence, deepened despair.

Signs of normalcy began to reappear over time, but “following COVID, we’re in a different world to some degree,” Set Free’s Pete Noor says.

“More help is needed than ever.”

Set Free USA is a spiritual freedom ministry based in West Michigan. Director Steve Vander Molen says the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

“Our demand continues to increase, and we desire to respond to people asking for a freedom appointment within 30 days. Right now, especially with women, we’re out 60 or more days,” Vander Molen says.

Using a biblical process outlined by Neil Anderson, Set Free USA helps people address the spiritual roots of mental health issues and find freedom in Christ. More about that here.

Your guidance and support can make a lasting impact as you help others break free from the chains that have held them back.
(Graphic, caption courtesy of Set Free)

Newly developed discipleship courses help believers maintain that freedom. “We’re uprooting the spiritual causes of people who struggle with depression and things like that,” Noor says.

“We want to breathe hope into people through these courses.”

You don’t need a master’s degree in psychology to help. As a Set Free USA volunteer, you can help others escape the spiritual chains that have held them back for years.

Connect with Set Free USA here.

“We’re seeking additional volunteers. This is the number one prayer request,” Vander Molen says.

“We have a number of significant challenges in front of us, but God is good.”

Header and story images courtesy of Set Free.

Steve Vander Molen is now serving as the Director of Set Free USA.

“I was working with a well-known corporation called Gordon Food Service. That was my career for 37 years, and I held several different roles,” Vander Molen says.

“As I was closing out my career there, I became more aware of Set Free, and shortly after I retired, I started volunteering. I saw the Holy Spirit in a mighty way [through] freedom appointments during this time.”

It didn’t take long for the leaders at Set Free to recognize their new volunteer’s potential.

“After about two and a half years of [volunteering,] our Executive Director [Dean Vander Mey] approached me and asked if I would join the team full-time,” Vander Molen says.

“After prayer and time alone with God, I felt called to the ministry here, and I’m excited to be a part of the team today.”

Set Free started in 1995. Nearly 30 years later, it’s encountering some growing pains.

“The demand for our services continues to increase, so a big area of focus for me is to add more volunteers so we can respond to the significant demand,” Vander Molen says.

Your guidance and support can make a lasting impact as you help others break free from the chains that have held them back.
(Graphic, caption courtesy of Set Free)

Learn how to help people find freedom in Jesus by contacting Set Free.

You might be a good fit for a brand-new Set Free USA initiative.

“As I was [volunteering,] I always had the question in my mind, ‘What’s next? Where do men and women go after being set free?’” Vander Molen says.

“We have crafted a vision to increase our focus in this area, to help men and women walk free so they can move into living free. We hope and pray that when they get to that point, they’ll become volunteers and help set others free.”

Header and story images courtesy of Set Free.