In this episode of The Substance of Faith Podcast, host Rudy Swigart dives deep into the struggles that many Christians face in silence—addiction, trauma, and hidden sin. With a focus on breaking free from shame and stepping into God’s healing light, Rudy shares powerful stories, personal insights, and practical guidance for those battling substance use disorders, emotional wounds, and sinful behaviors they feel they can’t confess to anyone.
Many believers struggle with pornography, alcohol, drugs, or other addictive behaviors, yet fear judgment from the church. Others wrestle with emotional pain from past abuse or trauma but don’t know where to turn. This episode challenges the stigma around these struggles and explores how true healing begins with confession, surrender, and community. Rudy unpacks how unchecked pain can surface in destructive ways, why vulnerability is key to transformation, and how the church can better equip itself to minister to those in need.
Key Takeaways:
• Addiction and hidden sin thrive in silence, but healing begins with confession and surrender to God.
• The church must move beyond judgment to provide real support for those struggling with mental health, addiction, and trauma.
• Recognizing limiting beliefs is the first step to breaking free and walking in the fullness of God’s purpose.
• Survival mode may have served you in the past, but it doesn’t have to define your future.
If you’re ready to take a step toward healing, share your story, or learn how the church can better support those in recovery, reach out to Rudy Swygert at substanceoffaith@yahoo.com. Subscribe now and join the conversation as we break the chains of addiction, trauma, and sin together.
“Healing begins when we bring what’s in the darkness into the light—God’s light transforms, but we must be willing to step forward.” - Rudy Swigart
Learn more about Rudy Swigart by visiting the following links:
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Boysober
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com