Change is possible with the role of Jesus Christ as deliverer, counselor and Lord.
Slowly
but surely, the American public is embracing homosexuality as normal
behavior. Stop! Before your mind has totally accepted this train of
thought, would you allow that train to make a pit stop at a station
called "addiction"?
First, listen to the words of Noah
Webster. He defines an addict as "any person who by habit or strong
inclination indulges in something." Second, Edward T. Welch and Gary
Shogren in their book Addictive Behaviors state, "Addiction is bondage
to the rule of a substance, activity, or state of mind, which then
becomes the center of life, defending itself from the truth so that
even bad consequences don't bring repentance, and leading to
estrangement from God." Third, Jeffrey Satinover, M.D. in
Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth makes this statement, "Because
the reinforcement mechanism (cessation of pain, pleasure) for the
biological drives is medicated by naturally occurring opiates in the
brain, to rename as addictions those compulsions that fall within any
of the biological drives; hunger, aggression, sex--is not far off the
mark. It is especially accurate in the domain of sex." Finally, hear
the heart cry of former homosexual Andrew Comiskey in his book Pursuing
Sexual Wholeness. "After my first homosexual experience at age
sixteen, I quickly developed an addiction to it because of the
affirmation and sense of acceptance I was finally receiving from other
men." By applying Webster's definition of addict stated above, one can
clearly see that Andrew had the strong inclination to repeat the
homosexual experience, believing that this would fulfill his need for
male affirmation and acceptance.
Welch and Shogren, as
mentioned earlier, say that addiction is bondage to the rule of an
activity or state of mind. For Andrew Comiskey, the state of mind was
acceptance and the activity was sex with men. Hopefully by now, the
relationship between homosexuality and addictive behavior is coming
into focus. It is the belief of this author that, more often than not,
homosexuality is an ungodly answer to a God-given emotional need, which
leads to a lifestyle of addictive behavior. Welch and Shogren also
state that addiction becomes the central focus of a person's life
and that the person would defend the addiction even in light of the
truth.
Dr. Larry Crabb in Understanding People reminds us that, "all behavior is moving in a direction toward a chosen goal." A person
would have to have their "head in the sand" so to speak and be secluded
from the news media in America to avoid the outcry of militant
homosexual groups popping up in the world today. All of their posters
and parades will continue to fly in the face of God’s truth which so
clearly condemns this lifestyle in Scripture.
In light of
what has been stated here, let's bring our focus toward the change of
such behavior. Edmund Bergler M.D. in Homosexuality: Disease or Way of
Life boldly makes this statement, "Homosexuality is neither
biologically determined destiny, nor incomprehensible ill luck. It is
an unfavorable, unconscious solution of a conflict that faces every
child." Thomas E. Schmidt in Straight & Narrow adds, "Because
individual homosexuals do not consciously rebel against anything deeper
in their view than societal expectations, few if any are troubled by
the notion that their behavior involves a fundamental falsehood."
Change is possible and can be a reality for any homosexual that deeply
desires to do so. Tim LaHaye, in his book The Unhappy Gays, notes
that after talking to many former gays, he discovered that they all
shared a common denominator in how change was brought about in their
lives: it took external help to successfully forsake homosexuality. He
goes on to make this very insightful conclusion, "Homosexuals are right
about one thing; it is their nature to be homosexual. They were lured
gradually, as we have seen, from thought to feeling to experience,
which increased the thoughts and feelings and led to more experiences
until homosexuality became an entrenched part of their nature. The
only way they will ever reverse the process is to undergo a change of
nature. For that they need outside help, which is exactly what Jesus
Christ came to give them."
As we think about the
dynamics of change, hear the victory cry of yet another former
homosexual and founder of Love in Action Support Group. Frank Worther
in Coming Out of Homosexuality says, "Our deliverance from
homosexuality comes from a person rather than a method. The
interesting thing about the change process is that change itself is not
our goal. Change is what results as we pursue a far more important and
compelling goal; knowing, loving, and beholding Jesus." Gary R.
Collins in The Secrets of our Sexuality states, "Rehabilitation may be
difficult, but to suggest that there is fulfillment and salvation
outside God’s patterns is deceptive and cruel, perhaps eternally so."
In a final plea to all that will read this and not see the relationship
between homosexuality and addictive behavior, the author makes this
statement of self-disclosure. I am a delivered homosexual. I have
been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. His words have renewed my
mind and His power has changed my nature, freeing me from a life of
addictive behavior, which included addictive thoughts, feelings and
experiences. I stand and proclaim that God, through Jesus Christ has
been my counselor, and I am changed!
Is change possible for this behavior? YES! But not without the role of Jesus Christ as Deliverer, Counselor and Lord.