Genesis 12:10-20
I’ve been blessed to lead the One Step Ministry for 13 years now and when it comes to the struggles of the men who I interact with through the ministry, we’re nothing if not consistent. My brothers usually fall into one of two categories – those who want to stop their self-destructive, sinful behavior by taking one step into a deep, abiding relationship with Jesus, and those who don’t.
The ones who don’t are interesting guys to talk to from a pastoral perspective. They tend to roll their eyes at the prospect of Jesus as Lord over their lives. They can rationalize and justify their behaviors to the point where you can almost view their addictions as a good thing! If they’re married, they do like to hang their hat on their version of one particular Bible verse. They love to cite scripture regarding how their wives are to be submissive to them and therefore need to quit griping about all the crack smoking. Or porn watching. Or vodka swilling.
It breaks my heart when the one Bible reference they’re able to connect to gets twisted into something unrecognizable.
When a man fails to live up to his calling to obey the Good News of the gospel, the consequences are devastating. Families are destroyed, and jobs are lost. Men who should know better end up in jail or rehab or the morgue. In situations where the brother is married, the wife is expected to enable these horrible behaviors and do it with a smile. She’s expected to sacrifice her emotional well-being to protect the emotional well-being of this human tornado leveling every corner of her life. But here’s the thing…
God’s not in that.
In marriage, as much as God wants the man to follow Him in willful obedience, He doesn’t want the woman to feel committed to living in a state of ongoing misery that in time will destroy her faith. The man who lives to satisfy the call of addiction is living just as adulterous a life as if he were having an affair with another woman. And single brothers this applies to you as well; you can’t expect to maintain a relationship that allows you to do whatever sinful things you choose to do while expecting a godly woman to sit back and watch it unfold.
In the verses I noted above from Genesis, Abraham, the Father of the Faith, forgets who he is in God’s eyes. He forgets the calling that God has made on his life and the promises God has made that will ensure that calling is fruitful. Fellas, I would encourage you to read the verses because Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his wife to save himself is a great representation of what you may be willing to do to nurture your sin at all costs.
Satan has crafted all sorts of weapons to bring men down. From pornography to an overall undermining of what makes a godly man a godly man, it’s a tough world out there. It’s never been more important to turn away from worldly deception and trust in Jesus with all your heart, soul, and mind.
Here’s a great reminder for us guys that comes from Pastor Ray Ortlund’s outstanding book, The Death of Porn.
“God welcomes high maintenance men who keep coming back to Him for more mercy and more mercy and more mercy, multiple times every day. He isn’t tired and He isn’t tired of you.”
Knowing this, brothers, if you can honestly and humbly see yourself lost to sin and you see the impact it’s having not just on you but on everyone around you, today is the best day ever to take your One Step