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When Good Men Are Tempted is an incredibly readable and personable chat with the author about struggles with lust and temptation that men face daily. Bill Perkins comes alongside the reader, puts his arm around their shoulders and begins talking about the reality of being sinful men in this world, and what we can do to be pure. As you tentatively move into the first chapter you'll notice right away there is no pretense or naivet� here. "It would be nice if religious devotion freed us from the threat of sexual compulsions," Rev. Perkins writes. "It doesn't."(p.38) Also wonderfully absent is the trace of false victory often sensed while reading other works by Christian authors on the subject of sexual temptation. Ten pages into this book, you will understand that this man has been there and that he continues to pursue God's purity for his life every day, aware that the enemy with his tools of temptation is still right there with him, as with each of us, waiting for an opportunity. With chapter titles like, "Why Naked Women Look So Good" and "Dragging [your struggle] Into the Light", Rev. Perkins discusses with the reader why lust is so powerful and resilient, clinging to us in spite of our best intentions. He offers terrific encouragement to men with plenty of humor, and exposes the subtle but deadly arrows of distraction flying all around that can derail us as we seek to live holy lives.
But don't expect easy or palatable answers. Rev. Perkins presents his experiences combined with illustrative stories and clinical data, all wrapped together with uncompromising truth about who we are as men: "...as sinners, we're all contaminated with evil...if we embrace [the truth], we'll have to face those nasty secrets about our family and ourselves. These secrets are the source of your shame. They are the reason you don't believe anybody would love you if they really knew you." (p.70)
Bill Perkins graciously and transparently shared his heart throughout this book, making his marvelous insights and simple empathy impact me like no other work I have ever read on this subject. I encourage any man who is frustrated with his own inability to resist the sin of sexual impurity to spend the few dollars and grab this down-to-earth, immensely helpful and edifying book. |
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