Polyfidelity?

Did anyone happen to watch Dr. Phil last night? He counseled a couple that had been married 20 years. The husband had recently "explored" his options of "polyfidelity." In other words, he had an affair with another woman because his own wife wasn't cutting it any more. However, he was up front with his wife about what was going on and wanted to see if he could maintain a wife and mistress at the same time. He didn't seem to understand his wife's negative reaction to the whole idea. He said polyfidelity had been going on for thousands of years and was even in the Bible. His only regret was how he handled the situation, not for having the affair. Yikes. This guy was a smooth talker, desparately trying to make himself look good and normal and okay. But Dr. Phil and the rest of the audience was not impressed one bit. Dr. Phil said that in his "Dr. Phil dictionary" polyfidelity meant cheating. Yes! He pointed him back to his vows where he promised to be faithful to his wife. He pointed out the wife's feelings, which the husband had apparently not considered. I didn't see the very last part, but basically Dr. Phil told him that he had to make a decision to either get counseling and stick with his wife, or totally leave his wife and sons for this other woman. It couldn't be a both situation. I really respect how Dr. Phil can so often get to the root of the problem and point out the stark truth. But how I wish he was a Christian and could point them to the Word! This is adultery, it's wrong, and you need to repent before God and your family!

But anyway, I got to thinking about the word "polyfidelity," which is really kind of an oxymoron word. In marriage, fidelity means lifelong faithfulness to one person. So how can you pretend to be faithful to more than one person? That's just polybologna, as my dad said.

This morning I was thinking about it, and it occurred to me that I am just as guilty of polyfidelity. In fact, all Christians face this temptation. We profess undying devotion to the Lord, our Bridegroom, while we blatantly carry on an affair with the world and/or sin, and expect Him to be okay with it. He says we can't have both. It's either Him or the world. "Getting in bed" with sin does not improve intimacy with God. All my excuses and justifications do not erase my guilt. Only the continual washing in the blood of Jesus, renewing of my mind in the Word, and purposeful growth in my relationship with Him will keep me from the wily snares of the enemy. The man on the show said the other woman was very attractive, one that men just fell out of their seats over, and so does the enemy appear -- very attractive, even fulfilling up to a point, but in the end, there's only regret, destruction, and a wasted life.

"Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above."