Your “I” will grow back
Your “I” will grow back
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
As I sit here today, I gaze at the back of my right hand upon which there is a 3 inch scar I garnered around age 10. I obtained this scar while playing with some melting plastic. Hey, I was 10, nobody is a genius at 10 plus it makes a cool sound when it drips. At the time the pain was so great that I promised I would never let myself be burned again. That promise lasted until the pain subsided and my “I” grew back. My “I” grew back and told me that I was cleaver and smart enough to not make the same mistake again. As humans we tend to be pain avoidant. When pain occurs it can be a great teacher through instructing us to stop doing what is causing the pain. Some pain can be so intense that we never return to the unhealthy behavior again. So why do so many people have repeated relapses into sexual sin even when there is intense emotional, spiritual and relational pain?
In Psalm 51:17, David does not describe having the emotional pain of embarrassment and public humiliation. He does not describe the relational pain of having lost the respect and admiration of those closest to him. His spirit is broken and his heart is humbled because his sins have been brought before the Holiness and Righteousness of God. The pain of public disclosure will get your attention but it will not produce long term or lasting change. Your “I” will grow back. I have noticed that without an ongoing process which promotes humility, the recovering sex addict’s “I” will grow back in 3 to 6 months. “I got this. I don’t need this accountability app on my phone. I don’t need to go to group every week. I watch what I want on TV. I’m a grown man. I learned my lesson.” The same word that is in the middle of pride is in the middle of sin. That word is “I.” As Christians, we go through a process of sanctification. This is where we are set aside for a holy purpose. Within sanctification is the process of mortification. This is where our sinful nature is put to death every single day. Our role in these processes is to choice to participate. Have you reached the place of a broken spirit and a contrite heart regarding your sins? If you have then each day choice to participate in your self reliant sinful nature decreasing and your God reliance increasing. If not then your “I” will grow back.
If you find yourself ready to address the secret sexual sin in your life, Perfect Hope offers a message of hope through our material and services. For more information about our Blessing of the Thorn Course click here. To learn more about how sexual affects the Christian click here for your copy of The Blessing of the Thorn ebook.
Jonathan Jones, President and Founder of Perfect Hope Ministry
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