Damage

During the middle of the night Thursday night, several tornadoes ripped through our state and caused massive amounts of damage and killed several people. Today, the clean up and the grieving begin.

This past week, I have spoken with two men, both professing Christians, who have been married many years and love their wives, but who are in the process of beginning a cleanup of their own. Each has been found out. Their respective wives have discovered their husband has been deeply involved with pornography and/or seeking sensual satisfaction with another person.

Both wives have received massive damage and it will take many years to repair it. The initial debris can be cleaned up rather quickly and most will never know the damage has ever occurred. The real damage, however, is quite extensive and will take God’s restoring grace and time in order to heal. Shock, sadness, hurt, betrayal and anger are only a few of the many emotions these women are dealing with.

The Bible clearly tells us that “married people will have many troubles in this life” in I Corinthians 7. Most of these troubles are no more that high winds and some thunder. Occasionally, you may encounter an F-0, or F-1 storm that causes some minor damage, but with some kindness, forgiveness and love shown, can easily be cleaned up and become a thing of the past.

These two men have allowed an F-5 twister to completely rip through their homes. Neither wanted it to happen, but neither had the self-control and deliberate walk with God to derail it. They, like far too many husbands in our Christian world, have become complacent and passive in their walk with Christ, and their relationship with their wife. They didn’t wear their armor. They didn’t guard their heart. They didn’t follow the Shepherd. They didn’t resist the devil.

They chose poorly.

When you have to make a choice

and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.

~William James

How deliberate are we as followers? How deliberate are we as husbands? Will we draw near to God and enjoy His presence, wisdom and power all throughout the day today, or will we limp through a quickie devotional and then go about our merry way? W ill we put on the whole armor of God, and wrestle against the principalities, powers and spiritual forces Jesus told us about – or walk through our day in our underwear, wielding a pocketknife?

We live in a world at war. We “wrestle not against flesh and blood”, but against a seasoned enemy who is hell-bent on the destruction of our lives, our marriages, our children, our witness, our ministry and our heritage. What we choose to do – every single day from here on out – matters a great deal. It matters for eternity.

God’s glory is at stake. Please guys – don’t become a victim. Don’t bring the twister to your family’s home.

“Rise up O men of God; be done with lesser things”

Huz