• Thursday, August 12th, 2010
• Written By Luke Gilkerson
• Categories: Wives of Porn Addicts
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Confessing Lust to Your Wife: How Detailed Should You Be?

I’ve always appreciated the helpful insights provided by the counselors at CCEF (Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation). For over 40 years this group has set the standard for a biblical counseling model.

This video is of David Powlison, one of their faculty, answers the tough question, “When a husband confesses an instance of lust to his wife, how specific should he be? General confession? Detailed confession? Somewhere in between?”

Powlison calls for what he calls a “generic specificity” in this sort of confession. The confession must be specific: the wife must know what sort of sin she is forgiving, the gravity of it. At the same time, the confession should be general: there is no need to spell out gory details.

Powlison offers the story of David and Bathsheba as a good model of sharing detail.

If you liked this, you’ll love some of Powlison’s other materials:

• “Breaking Pornography Addiction” (article)
• “Sexual Sin is a Deeper Battle” (video from Desiring God 2004 National Conference)