And so when I turned 18, I turned to drugs and alcohol and partying and that lifestyle. And once I discovered I could numb out my pain and my reality, then I was just all in after that and I said, all right, I don't want to live anymore. I give you my life. Wow. And so I went back to church and hadn't been in months. It was on the front row and I just was with all my heart, praying the sinner's prayer and finally meant it this time. And now I'm free from pornography since 2014. My guest today is Wesley Bartlett, and Wesley's got an amazing story to share with us. Excited to hear that. So, Wesley, first, welcome to the Covenant Eyes podcast. Thank you for having me. Yeah. Glad you could join us. So tell us a little bit about your background and your story and kind of what where you're at today. Yeah. So I grew up in church, in Pentecostal church and very religious, but contemporary. And I just went through a lot of trauma growing up that was had nothing to do with my family, but I dealt with the consequences of it. And so I started out with trauma as a young boy. I encountered an evil spirit that shut me down in fear and terrorized me. And I started my life in flight response. And then in the fifth grade, I was bullied and I left my body. I don't remember what happened. Rejection. More fear, more trauma. And then at 12 years old, I was introduced to pornography and I was groomed. And then I was molested and violated for years while I was still living with my parents, still going to church and just dealing with the attack of the enemy. And I didn't have the Holy Spirit. I knew all the head knowledge. I was in church every Sunday, every Wednesday, all the youth group strips, all the stuff. But I just didn't have the power to live in victory. And so I was just a slave to all of it. And so when I turned 18, I turned to drugs and alcohol and partying and that lifestyle. And once I discovered I could numb out my pain and my reality, then I was just all in after that. And it's just three and a half years of a total blur of just blacking out behind the wheel, blacking out drunk every weekend, overdosing, mixing drugs together, just whatever I could do to try to numb everything out. And I got arrested multiple times, and God would just keep intervening and giving me grace and showing me mercy and delivering me out of problems with the law and everything. And then I got arrested for the fourth time, and right after that, I was put on probation, and I was in this sober mindset and all the clarity was there, and it's like everything was just crushing in on me and just suicidal thoughts and just demonic attacks and anxiety and depression and all of the above. And I was ready to end my life and be done with it. And I was on a third story balcony in midtown Memphis, and I'd made the decision to jump in in my life. And right when I made the decision, my sister called my dad's phone that I borrowed that morning because mine was stolen the day before. No consequence or. Yeah, it wasn't a coincidence. Was it? No, not at all. And she was trying to reach my dad and she got me and she asked how I was doing. I said, honestly, I'm hopeless and I don't know what to do anymore. I can't keep living like this. And she was just encouraging me with the miracles she'd experienced, how God had healed her mind from taking antidepressants and brought a godly man into her life and miracles. She experienced how she fell off a horse at 30 miles an hour and was completely healed and made a perfect recovery. And one of the things she said is you need to have faith and have hope, but leave no stone unturned in your life. And that's what I needed to hear the most, because the Lord was saying all or nothing, and he was there when I was ready in my life. He was there pleading with me. Yeah, yeah. And I said, all right, I don't want to live anymore. I give you my life. Wow. And so I went back to church and hadn't been in months. It was on the front row and I just was with all my heart, praying the sinner's prayer and finally meant it this time, you know? And the Holy Spirit filled me instantly. Healed my brain cells, my memory, my lungs, my liver, all my internal organs gave me a second chance. And then he took me through very deep inner healing, deliverance, spiritual warfare, and taught me everything I needed to know about how to live in victory over darkness and delivered me and healed me from all the brokenness and woundedness in my soul. Wow. And now I'm free from pornography since 2014. Yeah, that's that's incredible story. Thank you for sharing that. How long was it in that period of recovery from from that time of suicide to to really when you were free and walking, was that a short period or how long, how long a period was that in your life? I would say. It took. A few years, 2 to 3 years, to really get everything pulled out of my life. Any other idols that needed to go? I went to college in Nashville out here, Hermitage, an art institute. So God had to pull me out of all temptation and old friends and everything and give me in a new environment. So that was a lot of my surrender, okay? Because he moved me out here and put me in a new environment, and I got involved with serving the homeless here with the ministry called mission 615. So I got to serve with them and minister to people, and that really helped me be healed of depression, to get out of myself and really get in service to others. Yeah. And so that was a huge part of my freedom. And then going to school and working full time and then serving at church full time and serving the homeless. So I was just like, go, go, go, go, go. But God used it to keep me on track. Right, right. Yeah. And so it took a couple of years, but it's like to really break those things. But I would say in 2013, towards the end of 2013, when I really started to get freedom because God was calling me to fast constantly to, to really break things. And. Yeah, and so that's why in 2014, that's the last time I looked at pornography. And the only reason I fell in that is because I went back to an old friend's house in Memphis and went into a domain I had no business being and just wanting to see my friend, but I didn't have victory, and it attacked me while I was sleeping, you know? And that was the last time. And I was so driven to overcome after that point that I'm like, all right, I'm all in for Jesus. I'm done with this. Yeah. Well, again, amazing story. And we've we've seen many people that that have gone through that and come through that. And Christ is is the answer. I mean, he is he is the one that walks us through that. Well, after that healing and really got yourself on a good track. Yeah. What does the Lord say? What's the Lord led you to now? You've done a lot of different ministries and doing some things now what's what's that now freedom, life look like for you? Oh, it's just, you know, we have such a heart of compassion after we overcome suffering. Yeah. And that's the Greek. It's the willingness to suffer with. And so my first book, that's really what it ends on. And the first book is called a Mortal Martyr, because it's all about how I'm eternal in Christ and after everlasting life. But I was willing to die for him. But I didn't have to because I he died for me so I could live. And basically all my story ends with all of those things were gifts of compassion and all of those different areas that I've been through trauma. I've been homeless. I've lost everything. I've been through abuse and neglect and abandonment, and I know all that full emotional spectrum. Yeah. And it's driven me in so many different areas. So I've gotten to serve and rehabilitation and do counseling and ministry there. And currently right now we work with stopping trafficking down in South Florida. And we're involved in the inner healing and the rehabilitation of the rescued children and the ministry that we're a part of that I'm a part of United Against Child Trafficking. Okay. U-ACT. We we work with these children. There's over 500 children rescued so far. Wow. And we come in when we do art programs with them and get to work with them directly. Okay. Yeah. I was just going to ask what your role in all of that is. Taking with them directly. I get to sit in the art classes as a teacher and just like, guide them through artwork and just minister to them and hear their story. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's amazing. Now your first, how many books have you written been? Two. Two. Two. Okay. And the second one is similar. In second one is called Fragmented. Okay. And it's all about trauma. I mentioned parts of my story in it, but I go really deep into the science, the psychology, the spiritual aspect, the deliverance and inner healing aspect of everything around trauma and how Jesus healed me of it all and revealed to me all the things that the enemy had convinced were my identity. But they were all trauma responses. Yeah, so I had all these word curses. I was believing I'm not good enough. I'm worthless. What's wrong with me? I should just kill myself. All this stuff that came from when I was in darkness. But it's like all of those things were lies. And they tried to steal my identity. But as the Lord healed me from shame, it's like shame is to cover in Hebrew. Hebrew word is to cover. So we try to cover ourselves all these things. Yeah, but it's like until the righteousness of Christ covers us, it's like we're still naked. Yeah. And it's like we can't receive our full identity until we know who we are as a son or as a daughter and who we adopted, who we are as adopted into the kingdom of God. Wow. No. That's great. That's amazing. What? You know, as you know, we we deal with people all the time that really are dealing with these struggles and traumas from their past that are, you know, they're acting out through pornography and the issues you just explained. And really, what we know, most of the most of these people are really stuck in and just stuck in that shame and listening to those lies that the enemy. Is. Yes, whispers into our ears and keeps us in darkness. Really? Yes. But the minute we get out of that darkness and into the light and start sharing that, connecting with people that can begin to build into us. I mean, so we've got many listeners here today that either have been through that trauma, similar, maybe similar path as you have or are currently stuck, you know, in, in the bonds of pornography and some of these things shared a bit. But what kind of hope or what what what would you tell them. What's your what's their next step. Yes. One of the things I like to say is that we're not defined by the worst thing that's happened to us. We're defined by the price that was paid for us on the cross. Yeah. Excellent. And that the Lord loves us so much. And there's freedom and healing and hope available. And no matter what trauma you've been through, it's like Jesus can heal us from all of that. And he can break those word curses, those lies. We believe he can set us free from those old mindsets. And community is definitely key. Staying in God's Word every single day, allowing it to renew your mind. That's very important. It's key. And but we can't do it alone. We need the accountability. We need trustworthy brothers and sisters, and we need to be able to be able to open up and confess things because it says in the word and we confess things that we're able to be healed. Yeah, that's like showing me to I'm a creative. I love to write music and artwork, and I have a clothing line and all those things. But as I create, I allow my emotions to come out and it's like God was showing me like our tears are the trauma stored in the record of the water of our DNA. I'm going super deep here, but it's like when you're allowing yourself to feel, you're allowing yourself to heal. So when you cry and you're allowing Jesus to work on those places, then you're able to be healed and you can't do it alone. We need we got to have environment where other people create a trustworthy environment that you're able to open up. Yeah. And then anything can be healed. And I'm a living testimony of that, that Jesus has brought me through all of those things. And part of one of the things that he brought me through in that I mentioned in fragmented is that he took me back to the previous memories. He empowered me by his love to forgive everyone, come out of resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, towards myself, towards God, all of that to clean my own heart. And then Jesus himself walked me out of those memories, and he healed the soul ties that were connected to the memories that caused the PTSD, the flashbacks, the traumatic things that happened. And then he literally restored my soul like Psalms 23. And that healing is available to everyone. It is. And he's no respecter of persons. Yeah. That's wonderful. Thank you. So what's next for you? Where do you think God's leading you now? Just kind of in this moment of working in this ministry? Or do you have some ideas or plans of what? Where God is leading you or. Yes, yes, I know I'm in business as well right now, but I feel a deep call to ministry and both. So I'm looking into residual income. Okay, but the most important thing is for me is ministry and doing inner healing and deliverance and really going back and taking people through that process that I just talked about. And the Holy Spirit took me through a deep inner healing and deliverance in 2021. And then the whole process just quickened to my spirit, to where I didn't have to read anything. I just knew all of it because I was taken through it and it was imparted into me. And then he's taught me all about that, and I know that's what I'm called to do the most inner healing, deliverance with people that have been through trauma and how to break these curses, how to systematically dismantle the life's work of the enemy and a person so that they can receive their identity in Christ. Yeah. That's wonderful. It's amazing how God uses our failures, our struggles, our weaknesses to help others through this. You know, nothing goes to waste. He's he's got a plan for it. And so I'm glad that he's using your experience and your. Yeah. The things that he's taught you to to help others now. And so that's that's wonderful ministry. So yes. Well, Wesley, thank you so much for just being with us today and sharing that or sharing your story that will help others. Is there a place that we can tell our listeners, if they wanted to get your books and follow up with you or through your books, where would that be? Yeah, so my landing page is ImmortalMartyr.com so I-M-M-O-R-T-A-L M-A-R-T-Y-R.com, which is my first book, and I turned it into a landing page for all of my books, music, YouTube channel. You know, my clothing line. I put it all in one place. Okay. And then I would also say U-ACT, United Against Child Trafficking. Anyone that wants to find out more information. We're extremely involved in not just training law enforcement in the side of rescuing the children, and we're creating an app of how we can partner up with churches and youth groups and etc. to really go after this, but then also the rehabilitation of the children. Okay. So any necessary, any information that can be learned for that, U-ACT.org. So the letter U, like united, dash ACT.org. Okay. Excellent. Well we'll be putting all of those links in our show notes. So anyone listening we'll have those and be able to follow up and connect with you. Get your your resources and also check out the this ministry. So again Wesley, thank you for joining us today. We really appreciate it. I'd love to hear the story. So thank you. Appreciate it. Yes. Thank you for having me. I'm honored to be here. Thank you. Well, into our listeners, thanks again for joining us. I hope you enjoyed this, this testimony, and I hope you found hope in that. And again, if you like it, please share and pass this on. But again, thank you for joining us and we'll see you next time. Bye bye.