Hope for Struggling Marriages

Kathy Irwin met Steve Gallagher at a friend’s house when she was 18. He was instantly interested in her, but she wasn’t so sure. However, after spending a thrilling weekend together in Santa Cruz, she moved in with him. Soon after this, Kathy began to be very disturbed about the way she was living. Having not been raised in church, she had no idea why she was so tormented with thoughts of hell and imminent death. God’s conviction was coming upon her heart, and He was drawing her into a relationship with Himself. A few months later, Kathy gave herself unreservedly to Jesus and was radically converted. Her life was instantly transformed and she began sharing Jesus with everyone she could, including her boyfriend, Steve. At the beginning of the following year, she married Steve and was looking forward to a wonderful marriage. But storm clouds were on the horizon, and she was about to enter into one of the darkest periods she could have ever imagined.

Like so many young women, Kathy Irwin entered into marriage with bright hopes for her future. But after exchanging vows with Steve Gallagher, things began to go downhill quickly. Her new husband was not the man she thought he was. Life with Steve was very difficult. He was angry, demanding and never satisfied—and she was beside herself trying to understand why she could never please him. After months of pain, confusion and questions, she found out one afternoon why things were so difficult in their marriage. Steve was addicted to pornography and was cheating on her with other women. In an instant, all of her dreams about happily-ever-after were crushed, and she awoke to the horrible reality of being married to a cheating husband.

Kathy Gallagher’s marriage was in shambles. Her husband Steve was addicted to pornography and was cheating on her with other women. Heartbroken, she desperately tried to get Steve to love her again. But things only grew worse. Eventually, she had enough and left Steve for another man. But God was pursuing her, and through a series of incredible circumstances, He made it very clear to her that if she wanted to follow Him, it meant returning to Steve and fighting for her marriage. Over the next couple of years, Kathy learned from Jesus what it meant to selflessly love a man who had been addicted to pornography.

Kathy’s marriage had been filled with pain and grief because of Steve’s addiction to pornography and infidelity. But God showed her that if she wanted to follow Him, it meant staying faithful to Steve and fighting for her marriage. During a powerful encounter with God, Steve realized the utter sinfulness of his pornography and adultery. He began to fight with all his strength against the power of the addiction, and after intensely battling for a couple of years, Steve found freedom from sexual addiction. The couple soon began to throw themselves into helping other men and women find freedom from pornography and the pain of betrayal. In this video, Kathy reflects on the past 35 years of her marriage and testifies of all God’s goodness to her. Not only did He reveal Himself to her, He restored her marriage and used all of the pain and suffering to bring about a harvest of good in the lives of many, many others.

Watch "Should I Forgive a Cheating Husband (Part 2)" - https://rumble.com/v4d1d76-should-i-forgive-a-cheating-husband-part-2.html Learn more about Pure Life Ministries' help for wives - https://www.purelifeministries.org/for-wives "Should I forgive my cheating husband?" Many hurting wives ask this question because they have already endured years of broken promises and resolutions, only to find out that they have been lied to once again. Some ask this question because they have been blindsided by a revelation of betrayal. Others ask this because they cannot imagine enduring the flood of emotions and pain that threatens to drown them at any moment. Not only this, but for so many women, forgiveness seems unrealistic and even unfair. To forgive a cheating husband seems as if the wife is just letting him off the hook or giving him a license to continue being unfaithful. Kathy Gallagher faced these questions in her own married life when her husband was unfaithful to her. But she found out what true forgiveness is, and she has been able to guide many devastated women into the wonderful freedom that comes through forgiveness. In this video, Kathy looks at what true forgiveness is, and what it is not.

"Should I forgive my cheating husband?" This is a very common question in today's age. Some wives are asking this because years of broken promises have caused them to become weary. Some ask this because they just found out that their husband has been unfaithful. And for others, they cannot imagine enduring for one more the day the crushing weight of the pain. Sometimes forgiveness seems unrealistic--even unjust. The wife feels like she is just giving him a license to continue being unfaithful. When Kathy Gallagher found out that her husband had been unfaithful to her, she had a decision to make. She could make him pay for it, or she could forgive. But she yielded to God's heart of forgiveness, and since then, she has been able to guide many devastated women into the wonderful freedom that comes through forgiveness. In this video, Kathy looks at what true forgiveness is, and what it is not. Watch "Should I Forgive a Cheating Husband (Part 1)" - https://rumble.com/v4d1c1i-should-i-forgive-a-cheating-husband-part-1.html Learn more about Pure Life Ministries' help for wives - https://www.purelifeministries.org/for-wives

Sin has created a world full of devastation and heartbreak. Many wives often find themselves in terribly painful situations because their husbands have been given over to sexual sin. When a man is stuck in sexual sin, he is unable to see clearly the devastation he is causing because his mind is completely overtaken with sin. The message of this world is very clear: protect yourself at all costs. Sadly, this message has found its way into the church by appealing to our own sense of self-love and self-preservation, which are contrary to the Lord’s teachings of self-denial and putting others first. When Kathy Gallagher discovered her new husband’s sexual addiction, she soon gave up on him, filed for divorce, and found a new partner. She wanted nothing to do with suffering, and so she did her best to forget about him. But it soon became clear to her that if she wanted to follow the Lord, it meant fighting for her marriage. In obedience to Him, she went back to Steve, and despite the suffering, learned to selflessly love the man who had hurt her the most. Since 1986, Kathy has brought this message of selfless love to hundreds of wives through the ministry of Pure Life Ministries. www.purelifeministries.org

It is completely natural for a person to desire a happy life and fulfilling marriage. However, many women discover that what they believed would bring the most happiness has been the most painful thing in their lives. It is at this point that women must answer this question: is God truly able to make all things work together for the good of those who love Him? Steve and Kathy Gallagher founded Pure Life Ministries in 1986 to help men and women find God in the midst of their trials, tribulations and personal sin. This process is laden with suffering, but God’s goal for us is sanctification and, ultimately, eternal life.

When a husband is in the grip of sexual addiction, the wife is often desperately searching for any sign that he is truly going to change. Soon it becomes apparent that tears of remorse, pleas for mercy and many promises to change do not guarantee that the husband is serious about changing. Kathy’s husband was addicted to pornography and illicit sexual encounters for years, but there was a moment in time where Steve truly began to change, and there were indicators in the following months that the change was genuine. In this video, Kathy talks about how a wife can know if her husband is truly changing. For more information visit: https://www.purelifeministries.org/for-wives

Husbands who get caught in sexual sin often weep buckets of tears and promise that they will never do it again. Wives want to believe that this is a good sign, but many of them are later devastated when they find out that nothing has changed. Kathy Gallagher was devastated by her husband’s addiction to pornography and adulterous relationships, but eventually Steve was sick of his life and he really began to change! In this video, Kathy reflects on the things she saw in Steve’s life that made her sure he was changing. For more information visit: https://www.purelifeministries.org/for-wives