Sunday August 30, 2026Sunday August 30, 2026
Lance Johnson Ministries
Everyone has something uncomfortable or sinful they've dealt with in the past. Sometimes, bad things happen that change you, although it's not always for the better. Today, Bishop Lance is going to show you that, despite your past, you can be made new in
29:30•30 Aug 2026
From Brokenness to Freedom: Bishop Lance Johnson on Letting Go of Pain
Episode Overview
- Unresolved pain and unforgiveness can become a person’s core identity, shaping friendships, choices and even church life.
- Many addictions and violent behaviours are rooted in early trauma, not casual decisions, which calls for compassion alongside responsibility.
- Religious activity can hide deep scars; being active in church doesn’t automatically mean a healed heart.
- Ministry or support that keeps people dependent on leaders instead of pointing them to God’s healing is described as unhealthy and controlling.
- Lance frames freedom as moving beyond labels of lifelong brokenness, insisting that long-term sobriety and emotional healing are possible through Christ.
“You didn’t wake up one day and put a needle in your arm because you decided, I want to be a drug addict.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of pain, faith, and radical change. This message from Bishop Lance Johnson speaks straight to anyone whose story with alcohol, drugs, anger or trauma is tangled up with old wounds and buried memories. Speaking from 30+ years of pastoring and his own background with addiction, Lance digs into how bitterness and unresolved hurt can quietly shape a whole identity.
He uses the biblical story of Ahithophel and Absalom to show how "offended people are drawn to offended people" and how friendships, churches and even entire lives can orbit around shared pain instead of healing. You’ll hear a hard-hitting prison story of a man abused from childhood, whose violence and crime made a lot more sense once his past came into view.
Lance uses this to challenge snap judgements about people in addiction: many "didn’t wake up one day and decide" to be addicts or abusers; they were trying to bury pain they never had the tools to process. The episode takes a very raw turn when Lance shares his own family history of violence, abuse and suicide. He openly admits, "I’m pastoring people all over the country, but I’m broken," showing how religious behaviour can mask deep resentment and unhealed scars.
A powerful moment comes as he describes stepping into baptism water and realising he still hated his father, calling what happened "50 years of hurts and 50 years of scars" lifted in a single encounter. This is aimed at people who are tired of being "functional but broken"—especially those in recovery who still feel ruled by their past.
If you’ve ever said, "That’s just how I am," or clung to the label "addict" while secretly longing for more, this message asks one bold question: what if you really could be free?
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