“Well, for many years, they told me it would not stand; I would eventually walk away from the Lord and go back into the gay life. Well, keep watching. I will not go back. I made a decision to stand with Christ, and I will until He takes me home with Him. I want to be a light in that dark place (Matt. 5:16). You will not hide me anymore. I have a voice, and I’m going to continue to speak it.”
Even though she had accepted Christ in college, later Janet Boynes fell into a homosexual lifestyle and lived in several different lesbian relationships over the course of fourteen years. It wasn’t until a group of Christian women reached out to her that she was able to walk away and has now been free for seventeen years.
Janet is passionate about helping others trapped in the gay lifestyle find freedom, identity, and acceptance in Christ. She is a spokesperson for empowering other Christians not only to reach out in love but also to take a stand for what the Bible says is right and wrong.
“After the Supreme Court decision was made, there was a woman who was supposed to give out licenses to gays and lesbians,” Janet recalls. “She said she didn’t believe it was right, and so after many years at her job, she quit. That shows me she took a stand, and some of us may have to walk away from our jobs.
“I believe in compassion without compromise. Let’s be compassionate, but let’s not compromise the Gospel. You can love anybody, but you don’t have to accept their behavior. Love has nothing to do with that. I’m going to say that it’s wrong, and [that] I love you and will help you get free. As a church, we should reach out in love but never validate that behavior.
“Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. When I went into homosexuality, I did not expect to be out there for fourteen years. When I had that first snort of cocaine, I didn’t expect to be on it for five years. When we do these things, we don’t know where it’s going to take us.
“My brother never knew that he would die from AIDS. I think once he got the virus, he had an idea he could [die], but there are so many pills that you can take today that can help you. But my brother didn’t have that opportunity…. And I wish that he had.”
Coming out of homosexuality didn’t happen overnight for Janet; rather, it was a process—one that she had to walk out day by day, latching onto the Word of God. She talked to the Christians around her, asking for support and for people to pray for her. She was determined not to look back, but was going to embrace what was in front of her, drawing from the grace to do what was beyond her own ability.
“I am ready. I made a decision to serve the Lord, and I really believe that the ministry the Lord has given me today is going to help many people. I know one day, we’ll all stand before our Lord, and He’s going to say, ‘Because you didn’t back down, look at all these people who are here.’ We won’t know the impact we’re going to have until we stand before Him, and I believe we will have an impact.”
For the full interview with Janet Boynes, watch Andrew’s Gospel Truth program here.
