Struggling and Overcoming

Habitual sin will keep us in bondage and severely damage our lives, but God offers us a better way through His Word and through the power of Jesus Christ in us. Romans 6 provides this insight:
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

One of the keys to walking an overcoming life is to recognize the vulnerability we have to sin - we all have areas in which the enemy will tempt us. We have to make the choice to rely on God's resources or ignore the conviction and correction of the Spirit.  1st Corinthians 10 tells us that God provides a way of escape from temptation. But, we can only resist the devil effectively as we rely on God's power. We have to stand strong against the power of sin so that we can see the righteousness of Christ change us.

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In Hebrews 12, the Scripture directly addresses how we should remain completely focused on Jesus as we work through the sin issues that we all possess. A holy God calls us to a holy walk, and He gives us the capacity to experience victory in the Lord. We can read these words:

(1b) let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

The 30th Annual Movieguide Awards, celebrating achievements in Christian and family-friendly entertainment were held recently in Los Angeles, and can be seen on the UP! television network this Sunday, February 26 at 8pm Central Time. 

The host of the event is actor Terry Crews, who is certainly not inexperienced in a host's role, being the host of America's Got Talent.  

The Christian Post reported that during the show, Crews addressed the Christian presence in Hollywood: 

“Hollywood gets a bad rap ... there are a lot of Christians in Hollywood, there are a lot of praying people in Hollywood, a lot of God-fearing people in Hollywood. We just don't always get an awards show, and here it is!”

"That's why I knew it would be perfect for me to host this show,” Crews told CP. “I just feel the blessing, I feel all the good energy here tonight, and it's wonderful!”

But things may have turned out a different way for Terry Crews. On the red carpet for the awards show, Crews testified to the prayers of his wife. The article relates:

Crews honored his wife, Rebecca, while walking the red carpet at the popular awards show, which highlights faith and family-centered entertainment.

"She's a praying woman,” the “America Got Talent” host gushed in an interview with The Christian Post.

The couple has been outspoken about their struggles and Crews' past porn addiction that infiltrated his life when he was just 9 years old. He kept it a secret from his wife for almost 20 years, nearly destroying their marriage.

The article presented Rebecca's response to Terry's addiction:

Rebecca Crews did not judge her husband, but she also set a firm boundary and told him if he didn't change, she would divorce him.

“She always said, ‘I love you; this is why I have to leave you.’ That was the whole [thing],” he explained. “It wasn’t judgmental; it was always like, ‘I love you too much to even stay with you right now.'”

“It was so deep, and I was like, ‘If she can make these kinds of statements to me, then how could I not do the work?'” he added.

And, Crews did the work. The article relates that she said, "He begged me, begged me not to leave him..." But, the article states, "After they separated, Crews brought his issues before God and got help. His wife eventually forgave him and took him back."  Rebecca noted in a previous Post article that his addiction led to infidelity, about which Rebecca said, "We understand the Bible says lust is never satisfied. So, when you toy with something like an addiction to porn, it's going to lead you to other places..."

Rebecca says, "Had I not seen the effort on his part, I couldn't have been forgiving. ... I'm very proud of him. I'm very thankful that he made the choice to deal with demons and to save our family because we need him.”

The story of Terry and Rebecca Crews can be an inspiration to married couples who desire to honor Christ in their union, and for those not yet married who want to have a relationship that glorifies God. Obviously, there is an element of prayer.  Terry made a point to mention that his wife is a "praying woman."  We should make certain that we are praying for our precious spouses, who are gifts to us by God.

And, to honor them - something he simply did not do. And, as sin so often does, he was not the only one affected.  Crews' refusal to address his porn problem resulted in a schism in his marriage and drove him into infidelity, meaning that he has brought other women into his orbit, bringing hurt and instability into their lives. Rebecca took a tough stand, but her willingness to exercise tough love and to forgive have resulted in what seems to be a dramatically healthier marriage.  But, make no mistake - sin will possibly set off a chain of events that brings destruction to the sinner and those with whom he or she interacts. 

But, the good news is that there is forgiveness.  Our sins are forgiven when we confess them.  But, we, as the phrase Terry Crews used suggests, have to "do the work" in order to bring lasting change. We have to take concrete, Biblical, Spirit-inspired steps to break the cycle of sin-forgive-sin-sin some more-maybe ask for forgiveness, etc.  That's not it.  We have access to the power, so we can be challenged and instructed to use it.