She Refused to Play Along
This Week's Theme: Avoiding the Samson Trap
Monday, July 31, 2000
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Key Bible Verse: At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. (Titus 3:3a). Bonus Reading: Judges 14:1-7
Through his twenties "Stan" struggled with compulsive trips to gay bars. He recommitted to the Lord just before asking "Connie" to marry him; that way, he figured, he wouldn't experience these impulses.
Stan knew what being a Christian was supposed to look like. To maintain that image and keep God satisfied, he got up early to pray and got rid of his pornographic magazines. Still, Stan frequently snuck adult videos home about sexual liaisons between men. He started finding male prostitutes on the side.
Connie never suspected, and his church attendance never faltered. But Stan became more sexually demanding of Connie. His sin nature insisted that if she'd excite him more, he wouldn't need to act out homosexually. One night Connie refused to play along, telling him he had a real problem.
Facing the truth, Stan's heart softened into genuine sorrow. A sense of forgiveness came with prayer. Connie stuck by Stan, and he began to talk openly with her. He joined a local support group to help homosexuals find Christ-centered solutions. As Stan read God's Word daily, it came alive.
Mark Johnson in How to Succeed Where Strong Men Fail
Personal Challenge:
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What sin do you regularly wrestle with? Who will help you confess and conquer it?
Thought to Apply:We are all like the moon, we have a dark side we don't want anyone to see.
MARK TWAIN (writer)
Credits: Adapted fromMonday: How to Succeed Where Strong Men Fail (Shaw, 1997)
Copyright © 2000 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity. For reprint information click here.
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Deliver me, Lord, from fears that prevent me from being real with others and with You.
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