Lesson 26

What if my husband has failures on his way to recovery?

Many husbands, when confronted with their sexual sins, will express regret and take steps to build a relationship with the Lord only to find themselves still struggling with their impurity. At times, it seems like they have taken three steps forward and then one step back. How is a wife supposed to handle that?

Beth said she felt like a complete failure. “I was supporting him and encouraging him (as well as being sexually available), but he just kept doing it and I couldn’t understand why. For my husband, his habitual sin was actually stronger than his desire to stop. No amount of my wanting or supporting could help. Only God can overcome the power of the sin.”

If your husband eliminates one method of temptation, the enemy will continue enticing him in other ways to fill the hole left behind from the exit of the original impurity. “Only until my husband fills his heart with Christ can he start to feel complete again. This may take time.” Romans 8:7 says, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” “It’s not me that he needed – he needed Christ!”

The road to recovery may be bumpy, but ultimately it’s all about a relationship with Christ.