A woman had been shopping and had bought a dress that she knew she couldn’t afford. “Why did you do it?” asked her husband.
“I just couldn’t help it,” she replied. “The devil tempted me.”
Her husband countered, “Why didn’t you say, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’?”
The wife answered, “I did. But he just leaned over my shoulder and whispered, ‘My dear, it fits you just as good in the back.’”
We make two costly mistakes when it comes to Satan: (a) we don’t take him seriously enough, (b) we give him too much credit.
The Bible is clear. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The temptation is on the enemy. But if you give in, well, that’s on you.
Recovery Step: The enemy is real, but he is not all-powerful. When you are tempted, you can always say no.
Author: Mark Denison
Mark and Beth Denison, married for 36 years, launched There’s Still Hope as a national movement to call men and women into lives of sexual integrity. Their ministry offers 90-day recovery plans for addicts and one-on-one and group coaching for addicts and their spouses. TSH also produces resources for pastors and churches to confront the porn epidemic that is destroying so many lives.
Dr. Denison was a senior pastor for over 30 years, NBA chaplain, and board chairman at Houston Baptist University three times. With a Master’s Degree in Addiction Recovery, Mark is a certified PSAP and active member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Mark has written four books on recovery: Porn in the Pew, 365 Days to Sexual Integrity, A 90-Day Recovery Guide, and 40 Days to Porn-Free Living. His latest book, Jesus on the 12 Steps, will be released later this year.
