My Church Was a Cult and Spiritually Abusive | My Story + Signs to Watch For

What happens when God leads you into a place you already know could be dangerous? That was my reality. I knew something was off about this church before I even joined. I told God I didn’t want to go because I thought it was a cult. And He told me it would be my training ground.

He wasn’t lying.

In this video, I’m sharing my full testimony of what it was like being inside a spiritually abusive, cult-like church. Yes, God sent me there, but He didn’t send me to submit myself to spiritual control, manipulation, or fear. I made decisions along the way that opened doors for deeper entanglement, like asking the pastor for covering and guidance. Instead of mentorship, I was thrown into leadership with no support, forced to follow oppressive rules, and discouraged from questioning anything.

From freezing in services with no heat while the pastor showed up in a brand new car, to watching scripture get twisted to manipulate our giving, to being kept in church constantly and made to perform worship instead of offering it freely, I saw firsthand how spiritual abuse can wear a religious mask.

In this video, I’m breaking down:

The emotional and spiritual toll of control masked as leadership
The warning dream God gave me
What finally pushed me to walk away
Signs of a spiritually abusive or cult-like church you should never ignore

If you’ve ever felt confused, manipulated, or controlled in a church setting, or if you’ve questioned whether what you experienced was spiritual abuse, this is for you. God will lead you out. And He will use what tried to break you as training ground, too.

Stick around for a prayer at the end if you're in a similar place or just trying to process what you’ve been through.

You’re not alone

Resources:
Book on Spiritual Abuse: https://amzn.to/4cxAR9X
My Self-Published Book on Abstinence: https://amzn.to/3PwfTgF
NJKV Study Bible: https://amzn.to/40m6lLF
Christ-Centered Exposition: https://amzn.to/3DIcVDk
Soul Care Book: https://amzn.to/4h86kRc
Spiritual Authority: https://amzn.to/41YAt0S
Experiencing God Workbook: https://amzn.to/3DDeB0L
The Jesus Story: https://amzn.to/3W5PYAn

⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:31 The Church Experience
04:10 Where I Went Wrong
05:20 The Pastor and the Missing Money
08:40 Sneaky Isolation
10:32 Oppressive Church Rules
12:23 Forced Worship
15:37 The Warning Dream
18:27 My Breaking Point
22:15 Signs of a Cult or Spiritually Abusive Church
29:11 Prayer & Final Thoughts

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Видео My Church Was a Cult and Spiritually Abusive | My Story + Signs to Watch For канала Sade Solomon