I am a twenty-five-year-old man. When I was twenty-three I began to feel attracted to men. That gave me a deep sense of guilt and extreme depression. I even began considering suicide. I have never had sexual relations with men. The Bible has helped me a lot, though I have not become a follower of Christ yet. I was able to get over the depression and to decrease the homosexual desires, but they haven’t completely disappeared.
After that, I got married and have a daughter. Is it possible that those bad desires will completely disappear someday?
Dear Friend,
You ask a very interesting question: “Will temptation ever go away?” Unfortunately, the answer is no. You, just like everyone else on the planet, will always be tempted to do something you don’t want to do. Each one of us has specific areas in which we tend to be weak, and that is exactly where we will be tempted.
You will probably ask why. Why must it be this way? You made a decision to marry and have a daughter, so shouldn’t the thoughts and temptations just go away?
When I was a little girl, I frequently heard that the devil sat on one of my shoulders and Christ sat on the other. The devil supposedly whispered in my ear to do bad things, while Christ tried to help me make good choices.
As an adult, I understand that God and the devil are not sitting on my two shoulders. I know that God is everywhere, but that the devil is not. The Apostle Peter said “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”(1) So we know that the devil is on the move, always looking for opportunities to tempt each of us to do things that will have disastrous consequences.
The Apostle Paul wrote that we are in a struggle with spiritual forces of evil.(2) The word “struggle” indicates an ongoing fight, in which we may be winning, but he keeps trying, and we must constantly be on guard.
You mention that the Bible has helped you. Did you know that Jesus Christ Himself was tempted by the devil, and that He used the Scriptures to defeat the evil one? The Bible is truth, and we must measure all our actions against that truth. It is like a ruler that we hold up to things we want to measure. The Bible is clear that sexual relationships outside of marriage are sin. So the devil keeps tempting you because he wants you to ignore the truth of the Bible and do things his way.
How can you withstand temptation? Christ said to His disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”(3) “Watch” means that you must remain alert, never letting your guard down. “Pray” means that God is willing to help you when you ask.
Why not ask God for His help? He loves you, and wants to have a close relationship with you. But because He is holy, the first step you must take is to ask Him to forgive all your sins. His Son Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins, so His forgiveness is a free gift. Accept the gift today, and begin a new life with God’s help.
We wish you the best,
Linda
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1 1P 5:8
2 Eph 6:12
3 Mt 26:41; Mk 14:38