The next step of our path to restoration and healing is 1 Peter 5:8-9a, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him...”
Dear friend, the devil wants to destroy Christian marriages. He wants to tear our families apart as a lion tears apart his prey, and he will use whatever means he can. You might be hurting deeply from your spouse’s betrayal, but it is important to remember that pain can distort our thinking. We must resist the desire to respond to our spouses in a reactionary and ordinary way, and instead, look to Christ and follow His lead.
God calls us to be “sober-minded.” We should not be intoxicated or medicated in a way that would prevent us from having clear and godly thinking. It is natural to want to escape our pain and numb it with food, alcohol, or medications, but these responses will only make our situation worse.
Additionally, we must take this issue of fighting for our marriages seriously. We are in a battle against dark forces in dark places (Ephesians 6:12), but we do not face the darkness alone. We stand in Jesus, the Light that overcomes!
Question 7. Are you being sober minded? Please explain the nature of any struggles that you are having.
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You are not alone, friend! This is contrary to what most of us feel. The sin of sexual impurity lends itself to isolation, and Satan would like nothing more than to convince us that we are the only ones struggling with these difficult issues.
The reality is that this is a common struggle. Thousands of people worldwide and from all walks of life come to Setting Captives Free every day to find help to break free from habitual sin.
One of our family doctors once said, “Your problem is unique and difficult, but only to you. I see this same problem multiple times a day.” And so it is with us, friend; our problems loom large and frighten us, but only from our point of view. Our Great Physician is the Solution for us all.
Now we come again to the joyful part of our path, 1 Peter 5:10, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you…”
Oh, dear friend, God HIMSELF will restore you, confirm you, strengthen you, and put your feet in a stable place once more. I understand that right now, you may not know how God will do this, but God promised to do so, and He cannot lie. If we entrust ourselves to God and look to the cross of Christ where His love is poured out, then “after you have suffered a little while,” you will experience the restoration and healing needed.
Do you see how 1 Peter 5:6-10 is a practical application of the gospel of Jesus Christ? In the gospel, Jesus humbled Himself unto death, even death on the cross. Then, on the third day, He rose from the dead, was restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established.
Likewise, as you humble yourself to learn the gospel way of responding to your husband, as you humble yourself to become a partner with your husband against impurity, your healing and restoration will come.
Friend, Christ humbled Himself and walked obediently to death on a cross to be our atoning sacrifice, but three days later, He arose from the grave victorious and was exalted to the right hand of the Father! There is a resurrection! Your days might be dark right now but hold on for the restoration that is coming.
The following is a podcast that Mike and I did about the power of the cross to bring healing and restoration to hearts devastated by the sin of sexual impurity. I hope you find it helpful.
Question 8. What do you want to remember about this lesson? What are your final thoughts?
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