How To Deal With Same-Sex Attractions

One of the most difficult battles ex-gay men and women face is working

through attractions they still have to members of the same sex. Often, the

enemy takes full advantage of this situation and brings guilt and

condemnation, with feelings of hopelessness and failure.

These attractions can be divided into two types. The "split second

attractions" are those felt towards people we do not know, those chance

encounters while walking down the street, doing shopping, or even during

church. The second kind of attraction is directed towards someone we know,

someone we work with or are required to interact with on a regular basis.

Lasting Freedom.

I was talking with a counsellee one evening who said, "I can hardly live

with the guilt I feel. Even today, I failed repeatedly, I cruised

everything that came my way, I feel like a prostitute." Like most people,

he had a measure of victory during the winter months, but when the sun came

out and the clothes came off, he had a full-blown problem. It does little

good to simply say, "Stop It!" There may be an hour of victory before

slipping back into old patterns again. Only when we come to understand

ourselves and see what is behind the attractions can we find a measure of

lasting freedom.

While some attractions are definitely sexual, many are not. We must sort

through our feelings and discover the variety of needs that causes us to

become attracted to others. This problem needs to be taken out of the

realm of homosexuality, because it is a problem all Christians face. The

"normal" man or woman takes notice of the way people are dressed, how they

carry themselves and their degree of sophistication. Their attractions are

a mixture of both sexual and non-sexual interests.

In interviewing straight males, I have found that they most often choose

their friends to in some way complement themselves. A guy will latch onto

a good-looking buddy so he can share in the attention received from girls.

Another will make friends with someone on a sports team, so he can share in

the glory of winning and being an important figure.

What's Behind Attractions?

Two things generally stand behind attractions; one, that skin is attracted

to skin, and the other is from some form of inadequacy. In regards to the

first, perhaps men have a greater problem, as we are told that men respond

more to the visual. However, lust is common to all, heterosexual as well

as homosexual. Scripture clearly spells out the temptation we will face

with lust, so "think it not strange" (1 Peter 4:12). All people must

battle against the sensual. A little prevention goes a long way in

avoiding the snares of Satan. God freely gives us the wisdom to help us

avoid walking into the enemy's traps. We must learn to stay clear of

places and situations that we cannot handle. The wise hand over no tools

to the enemy to use against them.

Inadequacies.

It is the second reason for attractions that we need to focus on:

inadequacies probably dating back to early childhood. Our feelings of

inadequacy caused us to admire those who were adequate, who seemed better

than us in some way. It all began simply enough by us admiring those we

wished to be like. Some of our inadequacies were not in the physical realm

-- the fearful admiring the courageous, the slow, the fast, the loner, the

socially popular. But the physical always seems to play a major role. The

thin or overweight admire the muscular. Those without strong muscles try

to build up their bodies. In doing so, they become increasingly aware of

those who are superior in this area. Even pictures of strong muscles in a

magazine will begin to attract their attention. As envy of others and an

obsession with this one area develops, it is possible that this focus will

become sexualized during the years of puberty. This is the way a

partialism begins, which is an obsession with a particular part of the

body.

Envy.

Many of our attractions are simply based on envy and must be brought before

the Lord and confessed. God has made us as we are and we must not tell God

that He has made a mistake in forming us. Certainly, if we have neglected

the body God has given us, we are obligated to restore it, such as losing

extra weight, or overcoming substance abuse. Coming to grips with our

attractions in this way will do much to bring victory in this area.

Other Attractions.

What about our attractions to those around us, particularly the Christians

we fellowship with? How are we to respond? Do we stand or do we flee? We

are clearly told to flee youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22), but does this

apply? Many feel an additional weight of guilt when the person they are

attracted to is a Christian. They feel that in some way, they have

dishonoured one of God's Saints. They feel dirty and imagine that God

despises them for their lust. Again, let's separate the sexual from the

non-sexual. Satan loves to badger the ex-gay person with the message,

"You've just blown it; you haven't changed. God is not working in your

life." Often, we have not had a sexual element to our attraction, but

because of Satanic suggestion, a sexual interest develops. Always go to

the Lord for the truth, God, what do I really feel? It it sexual? Is it

just envy and a desire to possess what another has? Let us not condemn

ourselves without a trial. God just might give us an acquittal!

Sexual Temptations.

What if we feel a sexual desire, a strong urge for sexual interaction?

Again, confess and receive the forgiveness that God freely extends to you.

It is very helpful to also confess to another person and become accountable

to that person. We all need supportive prayer partners. The tendency may

be to flee, to suddenly cut off all contacts with the person we are

attracted to. Is this the right thing to do? Here, you may encounter

different answers, but I will share my views. If the person we are

attracted to is a Christian, I do not believe that we can simply shut this

person out of our life. I think we owe it to them and to the Body of

Christ to work this relationship through. If there has been no seduction

on the part of the other person and all the sexual temptation is in your

own mind, then it is not right to walk away and reject another person for

seemingly no reason. It is also not helpful to tell this person what you

are feeling, as they would be at a loss to help you in this area. I think

we should only flee when there is a sexual intent on the part of the other

person.

Avoiding Escape.

I used the term "working it through" and you may wonder just what this term

means. It is an expression we often hear, sometimes referring to a grief

situation where there has been a loss: a loss of a person, a job, or some

form of security. It implies avoiding escape and coming to grips with the

situation in a realistic manner. If we don't face our attractions head on,

we will have to deal with them again and again. One thing in our favour is

that our attractions seldom are long-term, but fade away and often are

replaced by new attractions.

While we should not have to bring every friendship under the microscope, we

may have to do a bit of soul-searching. Consuming attractions can be a

form of idolatry, worshiping the creature more than our Creator. If we

know this to be true, if someone is more important to us than God, then we

must confess our idolatry and ask God to clean up this situation. It seems

that most people, whether homosexual or not, are on a constant search for

approval. We all have deep insecurities and need the input of others in

our lives. Our approval, however, must first come from God or we will

never be satisfied and will always be on an endless search.

Breaking Infatuation.

Are you right now caught up in a consuming infatuation and don't know what

to do? As a temporary measure, if possible, cut down the number of times

you are seeing the person. Using the telephone rather than visiting the

person helps to break the physical attraction. Even though you may not

want to, you must encourage other relationships, both for yourself and for

your friend. In seeking new friendships, we must give up and throw away

any measurements from the old lifestyle. We will find that the physically

unattractive can become attractive to us in other ways. We can have

beautiful fellowship with others who do not wear all their gifts on the

outside. We must be aware of withdrawal and isolation. Opening up our

lives to others brings healthy rewards; narrowing down our friendships

leads to distorted relationships.

Our Needs.

Everyone needs warmth and acceptance. God has created the church, the Body

of Christ to affirm us, to supply our needs in this way. When the deep

needs are filled, when we feel secure and have a sense of belonging, we do

not want what others have, and the attractions lose their power.

So don't just beat yourself on the head every time you feel attracted to

another. Set about to fill the voids and deficits in your life in a

healthy, wholesome way. Rebuke the enemy and do not fall for his lies.

Separate the truth from the lies and confess what is true to God. Then

walk in the forgiveness He intends for you to have.

by Frank Worthen

For further information about homosexuality or about other areas of sexual

brokenness, please contact:

LOVE IN ACTION

GPO Box 1115

ADELAIDE SA 5001

Phone (08) 371 0446

This article is reprinted by permission from:

Love In Action

P O Box 2655

San Rafael California 94912

U S A



MINISTRY TO HOMOSEXUALS

Database Listing - Ministry To Homosexuals.
Christian Resources on Homosexuality on the web


These documents are free from BelieversCafe.com
the complete christian resource site with more than 5000 webpages.