Ex-porn star-turned-Christian shares how church provided path to healing, confession
Brittni De La Mora, a former pornstar-turned-Christian leader, remembers the life-changing day she finally left her pimp after over three years.
“I didn't know who to call,” she recalled on a recent episode of “Let’s Talk Purity,” a show she co-hosts alongside her husband, Richard De La Mora.
“I felt so alone. And it was the Holy Spirit that said, ‘Brittany, call your mom.’ And at that time, we had a very hindered relationship, and I said, ‘I can't call her.’ The Holy Spirit said, ‘Humble yourself and call your mom.’”
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“Had I not humbled myself and called her, who knows where I would be today,” she added.
Brittni, who is gearing up for the release of Talking Purity, a book she wrote with her husband, shared how the Church provided a place to find comfort and community as she attempted to leave her former life behind her.
“I was blinded by the fact that I was walking in darkness. I just thought that that was the way that I lived my life. I had so much sin going on in my life that it literally deteriorated the condition of my soul. I was so depressed, and I was suicidal, battled with thoughts every single day of wanting to end my life, constantly anxious. When I started coming to church, that was one thing. I very quickly got very involved in the church, and I got very involved in a small group, and it was like my therapy sessions.”
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Today, Brittni and her husband use their platform to minister to others struggling with secret sins, pointing them to the hope found in Christ.
Satan wants those struggling to suffer silently, Brittni stressed, highlighting the importance of community and accountability.
“God never called us to do life alone. He's called us to do life in community,” she said. “It’s not good for us as people to try to do life on our own. When we try to do life on our own, and we don't want to open up because of shame, fear, pride, whatever it may be, then it's like we just keep digging this hole. We're living in isolation. That's exactly where Satan wants us is in isolation. Because when you're alone with your thoughts, you're going to be alone with the enemy because he will speak to you through your thoughts.”
“He's gonna sit there and condemn you and make you feel worse," she added. "The same devil that tempts to is the same devil that will condemn you once you fall for that temptation you fall into sin. … There’s so much freedom in transparency and opening up and staying accountable and confessing our sins.”
Rich said during the podcast that God “doesn’t mind us having a private life,” but He does “mind us having a secret life.”
“He wants you to meet Him in the secret place,” he said. “I believe more than ever if we are going to be a generation that is pure, a generation that is holy like God is holy, that we need to be vulnerable and transparent enough to say, ‘I need help.’ There's nothing more freeing than knowing you don't have secret battles.”
Confessing sin takes humility, Brittni emphasized, adding: “Pride will keep you stuck in a season of life that you don't even want to be in all because you're too afraid to admit that you need help. … Most times, you need help getting out.”
“Humility isn't weakness. Humility is actually a strength,” she said. “When you walk in humility, you are displaying true strength. … You have to check your flesh and put it aside so that you could walk in the Spirit.”
Citing Proverbs 18:24, Rich emphasized that people need to “have a friend who sticks closer than a brother, and His name is Jesus."
"But then, you also have your people around you, and I would just encourage you today; if you are battling with any secrets, maybe it’s pornography, pride, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, insecurity … put everything on the table.”
“Confession gets you on the road. Accountability helps you to stay on the road,” he concluded.
Previously, Brittni urged the Church to address secret sins like porn addiction from the pulpit. She said that many pastors are silent about porn because they’re struggling with addiction themselves. She cited statistics revealing that 50% of pastors watch porn.
“I believe the Church is so silent on this topic because if you're suffering silently with a porn addiction and now you're called to go preach the message on Sunday, you're probably not going to start preaching porn,” she said. “With secret sin comes shame.”
