UnstuckSample

Getting Unstuck from Sexual Sin: The Crisis 

All change consists of a crisis and a process. Both are needed. But some spiritual traditions focus on one almost to the exclusion of the other. In the crisis corner are groups that emphasize an immediate, intense, emotional response: “Come to the altar, kneel, and pray. Weep as you throw a stick into the fire or plant your stake in the ground. Have a life-changing crisis.” But when the intensity of the moment dies away, what happens to the decision that was made?

In the process corner are groups that promote gradual change and spiritual progress: “As you understand better, make better choices, and establish a better pattern, you’ll find that change is gradual, never intense.” But without a decisive interruption that creates a break with sin, what gets the healthy process started?

Both a crisis and a process are needed. Once you’re through the crisis and into
the process, if you fall to temptation, another crisis may be in order. 

A crisis over sexual sin is required to break through the numbness—the depreciated capacity to be outraged by behavior that grieves the heart of God. The crisis gets our attention; provokes an emotional, willful response; and creates a turning point. The crisis is necessary, but alone it’s not enough. 

When it comes to the subject of sexual sin, you may have never had a crisis. Or you may have had one before and need another one. Until you’ve had one, you won’t see the need for the process of breaking free.  God’s Word teaches us that our sin no longer defines our lives. Through the crisis we can find freedom in the blood of Jesus. Recognizing the crisis, we find freedom and being the process, which we will consider tomorrow.