We can be delivered from one kind of bondage and end up in another.
Our broken hearts search for meaning, for belonging, for redemption. But nothing the world offers can satisfy that deep longing.
Without the hope of the gospel, our outlook remains bleak and our souls remain cloaked in despair. But a different hope exists—a palpable, incredible, death-defying hope that whispers, freedom is here: Jesus.
Knowing the gospel, knowing Jesus, is the only way to true freedom. This truth drives the love that rests at the center of the fight against human trafficking—and at the center of our organization as well as many other Christian non-profits.
Our culture often says, “Follow your truth. Do what makes you happy.” But as believers, we know “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable” and impossible for us to fully understand (Jeremiah 17:9). And even people like Albert Einstein recognize the potential for evil within the human heart. He said, “I do not fear the explosive power of the atom bomb. What I fear is the explosive power of evil in the human heart.”
We are unable to save ourselves from this evil so deeply entrenched in our past and in our hearts. Thankfully, Jesus carried out the greatest rescue of all time when He came to break the chains of sin and death. Sin is the root of all pain and suffering in the world, and Jesus came to defeat it. To pay for our sin and to offer us the path to freedom by believing in His name. This should have a profound effect on the way we stand against evil and help people find hope and healing in a shattered world.
Think of it this way. Atheist Penn Jillette once said, “If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life. . . . How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”
Let that sink in for a moment.
Now, think on this with me: Is it compassionate to withhold the truth, even when it isn’t popular? Can we be fully, truly compassionate and bend to culture?
Jesus “had compassion” on the crowds (Matthew 14:14; Mark 6:34)—those who were sick, wandering, hurting, and hopeless. He provided physical healing, but that wasn’t all Jesus did. Jesus also cared for their hearts, cared that they were like “sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34), and cared enough to be the kind of Shepherd who would not only teach them and lead them on the right path but also lay down His life for them (see John 10:11-18).
But Jesus the Shepherd taught bold and honest truth. He called out sin among the religious leaders quite often; He addressed issues of sin and selfishness within His group of disciples; He didn’t avoid certain topics for the sake of popularity. Jesus spoke the truth, and His own people wanted to crucify Him for it.
As a leader of a Christ-centered non-profit, my effectiveness in walking in true compassion is rooted in my faith—in believing what the world needs most is Jesus. He changes everything. I want to keep walking with Jesus, trusting and loving Him, and bending my knee to the authority of His Word, which gives life. And I want to encourage my brothers and sisters in the faith who are devoting their lives to helping others through the nonprofit world: be cautious and aware of the deceitful schemes of the enemy to keep all people blind to their need for a Savior.
I see the enemy using deception to tempt leaders to fall in line with a kind of worldly compassion that sees the gospel and the truth of God’s Word as irrelevant in the work of justice and alleviating human suffering. We should do everything in our power to save people from earthly misery, but that’s not nearly enough. If hell and judgment exist then the most compassionate act of all is to warn people of eternal misery. So, I want to ask you a question that I’ve been asking myself lately too:
Do we still believe Jesus is the solution to the evil in the world or have we been deceived into thinking telling people the good news of the gospel isn’t that important?
Watering down the gospel and exchanging the truth of God’s Word for a lie to be more compliant with the culture will water down the effectiveness and power of our mission. Love does not mean accepting or condoning what God has called sin; it’s caring about people enough to embrace them and to speak the truth in love about salvation.
Nonprofit leaders who believe people can find redemption apart from Christ may still do some wonderful work in the world. Justice and mercy are characteristics of God. As people made in the image of God, we can live out these characteristics while not understanding where they came from. But compassion without Christ can only go so far. Pointing people to Jesus is the most loving thing we can do.
God’s Word is a powerful truth that can change a person’s entire life. It’s God’s love letter to us. It’s the lamp under our feet and the light for our path (Psalm 119:105). It’s medicine for the soul. It’s our map for living a life of purpose and joy and it’s our final authority as the people of God. We don’t rewrite it when it’s no longer culturally acceptable or when it says something that doesn’t align with our sense of compassion.
But the enemy appeals to our sense of virtue and promotes a version of compassion devoid of God’s love, which contains the very truth that has the power to set people free.
This counterfeit compassion leaves Jesus Christ out of the equation. It is ready and willing to ignore God’s Word if God’s truth doesn’t sit right with what we feel or with popular opinion. Counterfeit compassion gives way to rebellion against God, and the irony is that this does not bring greater freedom, it actually gives way to more brokenness and suffering. Counterfeit compassion wants the justice and compassion of God’s kingdom but not the King.
But world-changing compassion doesn’t separate mercy and love from God’s truth.
We must be willing to humble ourselves, receive the free gift of salvation offered to all humankind, and then have our minds renewed so that we might know how to live and love and walk in ways that are truly right and pleasing to God (see Romans 12:1-2; James 1).
Christian non-profits are being asked where they stand when it comes to the centrality of the gospel in their mission and where they stand on hot button issues like abortion, homosexuality, and the transgender movement. This is a critical moment with incredible potential to demonstrate to the world an unashamed love for God and a devotion to His truth, which is the key to the transformation we long to see in the world. We can’t have truth without love or love without truth—we need both to show real, honest, gut-level compassion.
Here’s what’s at stake for those of us doing non-profit work in the name of Jesus: if we are passionately opposed to the pain and suffering in the world, specifically in the anti-human trafficking movement and the kinds of sexually deviant acts being forced on the vulnerable, then we need to stand against the philosophy that opens the door to the very things we are fighting.
The Christian nonprofit sector must say with Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel (good news), because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
As Christians, we believe in the value and dignity of every person. We fight and protect every person. But you can love someone, in fact you will love them with the best kind of love, when you love them without setting aside the truth. Our greatest hope is that every man, woman, and child would come to know the deep and wonderful love of Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers. And when it comes to discipleship, we are all called to bring every area of our lives under the authority of God. Everything.
So, it’s important for us to ask the question: What does it mean to be a gospel-centered organization today?
To answer this question, we have to examine what we truly believe about God and His Word. When the culture says something completely opposed to what the Bible says, who do we believe? Is God’s Word authoritative in our lives and our mission? Do we believe no one is more compassionate or wiser than God? Do we believe He knows what He’s talking about?
You can know what an organization truly believes by what they do. A drift from biblical justice to worldly justice will always result in worldly mindset creeping in and molding the organization into something culturally acceptable but spiritually compromised.
It takes courage to wrestle with your faith. It takes courage not to walk away when the rest of the world would applaud you for doing so. It takes courage to live your faith authentically, to love people enough to tell them the truth about Jesus—even at the risk of being ignored or rejected. Jesus never said it would be easy to love God most and love others no matter what. But again and again in Scripture, this is the life He calls us to. He is so good and so worthy of all our devotion. How will we respond?
As my husband Marc and I prepared to travel to the Grand Canyon, I packed accordingly. I was prepared physically, and I thought I was prepared emotionally and spiritually. I had seen pictures, after all. But I was wrong.
When we arrived, Marc made me close my eyes. He led me close to the edge and said, “Look.” When I opened my eyes, I started crying. How can I describe it? It was breathtaking. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was beautiful. It was so big and vast, and I felt so tiny standing up against it.
There was a huge difference between knowing about it and seeing it with my very own eyes. It was so much bigger, so much more than I had ever imagined.
The Grand Canyon didn’t just make me gasp in awe at the majesty of God, it made me think of His providence too. To explain what I mean, I want to share three stories with you.
God Uses Us in Monotony
I am a wife and a mom. I have three kids. Life can be wonderfully exciting, like visiting the Grand Canyon, but there’s a lot of monotony too. I have spent many days with the same kinds of patterns: Get up, make lunches, drive carpool, shuttle kids to sports practices, empty the dishwasher, do the laundry, and do the laundry again and again. It can be easy to imagine that this feels small or monotonous to God too.
But that’s simply not true. God uses us in the mundane. For example, He might even decide to use you in the checkout line at your local grocery store, Kroger.
God placed a burden in my heart for a young cashier, John. I often chose his register for checkout, and I would ask him about life, pray for him, and attempt to talk to him about God. He often complained about his younger sister, as teens and big brothers are likely to do, and he mentioned that his mom was gone a lot.
I couldn’t see it then, but when I think back to all the pieces, to all that happened, I see God’s hand. From my choosing to shop at Kroger to the times I went, to ending up in John’s checkout line that first time—every bit of it was part of God’s idea to work in the lives of people who didn’t know Him.
I thought I was just going to Kroger and making small talk with my cashier. But I was making connections that would matter; I just didn’t know if or how or when.
God Uses Us Professionally
In 2011, God opened my eyes and broke my heart over the evil of human trafficking. I am the President and Co-founder of an organization that helps churches see how they can engage in the fight against human trafficking, the Freedom Church Alliance.
When I was just getting started with the Freedom Church Alliance, a co-worker and I went to a brothel to minister to the women there as the operation was being shut down. We showed up that day along with another anti-trafficking ministry, an attorney, a locksmith, and a policeman. I had never done anything like this, and I felt so nervous.
But there I was at this brothel. Once we got there, the attorney pounded on the door. An older woman eventually opened it, and as we walked in we saw a young woman come out of a small room with a man who was clearly a customer. Both women hardly spoke English, and the younger one appeared frightened at all the commotion. They were told to pack their things and leave because the brothel was being shut down. My friend and I focused on the women and tried to help them gather their things while expressing that God loves them and values them. We wanted to make sure they knew we would help them however we could.
I don’t remember what all I said to the women exactly, but I felt like it came out all jumbled. Regardless of what I said or how inadequate I felt, we took these two women home that day. The brothel was shut down, the locks were changed, and they had to leave.
The next day, my co-worker, Debra, after realizing that these women might need some financial assistance, returned to the brothel with some grocery gift cards. When she knocked on the door, an eleven-year-old girl named Daisy—the young daughter of one of the women from the brothel—opened the door. Debra’s husband was a youth minister, and they loved serving teenagers. So, she built a relationship with this young woman, who started spending a lot of time with their family rather than being alone in the apartment. Unfortunately, her mother got another job at another brothel and was often gone for weeks at a time.
God Uses Us When We Feel Useless
This was a great victory, but as time went on and I went back to the daily grind, I sometimes struggled to trust that God had put me in this place. I struggled with why God gave me this leadership position—I didn’t have the experience or expertise I thought I needed. I often felt like a little girl wearing her mom’s high heels, like I was in a role that just didn’t fit. I didn’t always feel like we were having a huge impact, and being so new there was so much uncertainty. The call to start an alliance of churches in Houston to fight human trafficking was a call to walk by faith. A mentor said to me once, “if it’s not scary, it’s not faith.” I was learning that lesson all too well.
One morning, as I was spending time with God, I opened my heart to Him about this, and the words just flowed out of me. I said, “Lord, would you please just confirm that you are the One who put me here? I know You’ve called me to walk by faith and not by sight. And knowing for sure that You’re the One who has me in this position would just help me do that.”
I got up off the floor that day and got dressed to go with my colleague, Debra, to visit a safe home we were partnering with as an Alliance. We had a great visit learning more about what they do and the needs the church could help with. As we drove home, we reminisced about the brothel incident several months earlier.
I asked her about Daisy, the daughter of the woman we had taken home from the brothel. She caught me up and mentioned that she had just helped her buy some eye-glasses. She went on to say that, unfortunately, the mom was gone again. But Debra learned that Daisy had an older brother in the picture, who was also gone a lot because he worked often. In fact, he worked at the Kroger near our homes. The moment those words came out of her mouth, I had a mind-blowing realization. I remember thinking, “Is it possible that Daisy’s brother is John?” So I asked Debra, “What is Daisy’s brother’s name?” She didn’t know but texted Daisy to ask and, wouldn’t you know, within a matter of seconds Daisy responded, “It’s John.” I could not believe it.
My mind reeled as I started putting together all the pieces of the wild story God had been weaving. The same John God had prompted me to connect with at the grocery store was Daisy’s older brother. That also meant that on the day God had sent me thirty minutes across town to a brothel, He knew I would meet John’s mom and take her to her home; He knew that Debra would return and build a relationship with John’s little sister, Daisy. There are more brothels in Houston than there are Starbucks, but the one we chose “happened” to be where John’s mom worked. God knew, even when I didn’t. He was masterfully weaving together every thread of this story.
At that moment, I couldn’t even speak. You know what God did that day? He answered my prayer and gave me more than enough confirmation that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, whether I could see the impact I wanted to see or not. He gave me a Grand Canyon moment; He showed me that He is far greater and more glorious than I ever imagined.
God Teaches Us to Trust
Through all of these things, God built up my faith and showed me His power and His control and sovereignty over the universe.
It’s almost as if we believe we’re on hold until God can use us. We see the ways our lives can be impactful based on our experiences, our dreams, and our desires. But I learned that I don’t have to know the outcome before I move; all I have to do is be responsive to God’s prompting. God wants us to trust and obey Him even when what He’s asking us to do might seem insignificant or small. Will we love Him enough to trust Him and walk in faithful obedience? Of course we won’t do it perfectly. It’s messy and it requires us pouring out our hearts, confessing our sin and struggles and depending on Him and Spirit to work in and through us. But God sees our obedience, and He will honor it.
We all have a race to run. Comparing ourselves to others can get discouraging real quick, but if we can remember that we are only called to obey what God has given us to do—to use the talents given to us by our Father—the rest is in His hands. Running our race will surely mean we will do some dying to self and dying to the applause and approval of others, but it is so sanctifying and strengthening to the soul. We grow in humility during the seasons of waiting and trusting. God knows what will happen and guides us exactly where He needs us at the specific moment He needs us to be there.
We compartmentalize, but God doesn’t. He exists outside of our categories. He doesn’t need us to be in specific jobs or have specific experience before He can use us, He can use us right where we are. Titles, positions, and seasons in life are not boundaries for God. When you make yourself available to God, He will use you.
I used to think, “I can’t fight human trafficking because I’m not qualified.” Maybe you’ve had similar thoughts. But this isn’t true. Don’t limit God—He can use you to do things far beyond your imagination.
The stories I’ve told don’t have happy endings—yet. We want stories to end with bows tied neatly on top. I wish I could say I resolved their issues and changed their lives and everything is great. But God’s resolutions are so much more complex than we could ever know and happen only in His timing. I’m learning that impact doesn’t always mean changing the story’s outcome; it often just means we were a part of the story.
Through all of these things, God built up my faith and showed me His power and His control and sovereignty over the universe. He showed me that He sees people. And He knew I would write these words, testifying to His power so that someone would be encouraged to trust Him more. To go for it and not hold back out of fear that God isn’t really there or doesn’t really still move in powerful ways. He is always working, and no moment of your life is inconsequential or off limits to Him.
Sometimes we’re tempted to think we know best (see Proverbs 16:9), but God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways. . . . For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
There’s so much I’ve wanted to do for God, and so many things I’ve asked Him for. He hasn’t always answered in the way I hoped or expected, but He has shown me that His way is always far better than mine. Surrender to His will is the pathway to peace, and there we find the grace to do His will. Trusting His sovereignty frees us, and as we obey, He will show up in ways so unfathomable that your jaw drops and you stand in awe. You realize this God, my God, is way bigger than I ever thought He was.
Worship and Reflect: Take a moment and listen to “Bigger Than I Thought” off Passion’s Follow You Anywhere album. I pray you will be encouraged and inspired to trust Him more!
Lisa Longoria Bourgoyne, MEd, LPC-S. Lisa is a member of one of our Alliance churches, Houston’s First Baptist Church, and works as the Program Director at our local advocacy center, The Children’s Assessment Center.
Lisa, thank you for taking the time to tell us more about the terrible problem of child abuse and what we can do to help protect kids.
What can you tell us about your role?
It is an honor to be part of the mission of The Children’s Assessment Center (The CAC) and to have served our community for the past twenty-five years. Since 1991, we have been steadfast in our commitment to reaching the sexually abused children in every part of our community and to promoting the complete healing of children and their families. We are one of 939 Children’s Advocacy Centers in communities across the US and abroad, serving over 386,000 children last year.
As Program Director, I oversee the daily operations of The CAC’s core services: forensic interviewing, family and victim advocacy, medical services, therapy and psychological services, and multidisciplinary team (MDT) coordination. The CAC also leads the Child Sex Trafficking Advisory Council and a robust prevention, training, and outreach program. Our practitioners are trauma-informed and believe in a child-centered, multidisciplinary team response to child sexual abuse. We recognize the courage it takes to walk through our doors, so we strive to give our personal and professional best to all the children and families who find their way to us.
What are some examples of things you might see each day? How do these kids get referred to you? How many children a year do you see?
More than 600,000 children are abused in the US each year, and child welfare authorities oversee the safety of more than seven million children. The most vulnerable being the youngest children, those in their first year of life. In the Greater Houston area, 10,945 children were confirmed victims of child abuse. Nearly 3,700 of those children were referred to The CAC because of allegations of child sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, severe physical abuse, and witnesses to violent crimes.
When allegations of abuse are reported to authorities, The CAC response focuses on safety, healing, and preventing future abuse. We do this through coordinated investigations, specialized medical evaluations, forensic interviews, assessments, and victim and family advocacy. We also provide ongoing therapy, psychological, and psychiatric services, and we prioritize complete healing, authenticity, and transparency regarding the civil and criminal justice processes. There is no fee for services, and all children who need our help receive the same quality of care regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status.
What are some common factors of child abuse?
Unfortunately, no child or youth environment, no race, religion, or economic class is free of child sexual abuse; it can happen to any child in any home at any time. However, children are at higher risk for child sexual abuse if they have a family history of sexual abuse; children with parents who experienced child abuse are three times more likely to experience abuse themselves. Other risk factors include children living in homes with parental problems, intimate partner violence, relationship issues, substance abuse—a huge factor— or mental health issues, and children who live in the home with a stepparent or paramour (non-nuclear families).
It is important to remember that a child is never to blame for child sexual abuse. Children may blame themselves because an abuser has convinced them it is their fault. Children may blame themselves because they accepted gifts or because they did not tell anyone, but there are so many reasons why children don’t tell. If you were a victim of child sexual abuse, remember it was not your fault. It was never your fault.
If you were a victim of child sexual abuse, remember it was not your fault. It was never your fault.
What might a typical abuser look like?
90% of children who are victims of sexual abuse know their abuser. Abusers can be friends, neighbors, or family members, and they are in our homes, churches, youth groups, schools, rec centers, sports leagues, online, and other places children gather. The majority of abusers are male, and more than 70% of children who are sexually abused are abused by a peer, primarily at school.
90% of children who are victims of sexual abuse know their abuser.
What do you want the church in our city and beyond to know about the suffering of abused children?
Child sexual abuse is one of the most prevalent public health issues facing our communities today. One in ten children will be the victim of sexual abuse before their eighteenth birthday. Last year alone more than 56,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect across the state of Texas. Tragically, twenty-eight Harris County children lost their lives to child abuse and/or neglect, many at the hands of a parent or caretaker.
Every day critical work is being done across our state to keep families safely together. We invite the church to help us spread the word that child abuse prevention cannot be done alone. Some of the ways we can work together to help prevent child abuse and neglect is found in trainings like Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children®. Their training is built based on the 5 Steps to Protecting Children®: Learn the facts; minimize opportunity; talk about it; recognize the signs; and react responsibly.
As a faith community, we will cause a tremendous reduction in child sexual abuse when we take these steps together. When we see a reduction in child sexual abuse, we will also see less violence, less substance abuse, less mental illness, less homelessness, and less of many other adverse effects on our society.
What does it mean that sexual abuse of children is often a gateway to trafficking?
Child sex trafficking (or the commercial sexual exploitation of children) is one form of child sexual abuse, and child sexual abuse makes children more vulnerable to sexual exploitation. In fact, more than 90% of children who are commercially sexually exploited have been sexually abused in the past.
I think what most people don’t know is that many victims of child sex trafficking live at home and attend school; some are exploited by their family or family friends, and no one chooses this life. But even with increased attention, stronger laws, and policies available to assist victims, breaking this cycle of abuse can be incredibly difficult.
More than 90% of children who are commercially sexually exploited have been sexually abused in the past.
What can we do to help stop child abuse and child trafficking?
If you SEE something, SAY something. DO something. Intervene when child abuse occurs to ensure safety, justice, and healing for victims while holding offenders accountable.
If a child discloses abuse to you, the most important thing you can do is believe them.
Learn the early warning signs and report suspected abuse to ensure early intervention with victims and offenders. Make sure staff and volunteers are trained, know the signs, and respond responsibly. Establish a code of conduct in your church for appropriate interactions with kids and ensure that staff, volunteers, and members of the church commit to it.
How have you seen the breakdown of the family in our society affect the well being of children overall? Does the problem seem to be getting better or worse, or is it staying the same?
We know from ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) research that child abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction are linked to increased risk for poor social, emotional, and physical health outcomes. We also know children living in troubled homes with parental problems, domestic violence, relationship issues, substance abuse, and mental health issues, as well as children who live in the home with a stepparent or paramour (non-nuclear families), are at higher risk for abuse. So the breakdown of the family definitely impacts the wellbeing of children.
I have also seen an increase in severity of the abuse over time. Children are exposed at higher rates and offenders are younger and younger. It’s heartbreaking.
What are some ways we can contribute right now, right where we are?:
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and we need your help to protect the children in our community. There are many ways to contribute:
*To Report an Incident of child abuse, call 1-800-252-5400.
* If you are a survivor of sexual abuse or intimate partner violence, you are not alone. Free, confidential help is available 24/7 at (346) 295-8994.
