Blake Robert Templeton describes a 2007 moment when God warned him that if he returned to lust, his wife would suffer a crippling disease. He argues that grace alone doesn't protect believers, and that real repentance requires hating sin as much as God does.
Before I actually made this massive shift, I didn't understand how much He hated this sin in me. And so while I'm working through this, I'm still struggling, the conviction's coming, and exactly where I was standing, it was in 2007, the Lord literally, it was as audible as audible could be inside of me. The Father voice came alive and the Lord said, 'If you lust one more time, I will give your wife a future disease that will cripple her, and you will live with her like that the rest of your life.' And I was like, 'Oh, I didn't know it was like that. I didn't know you were that serious.' I mean, I knew you were serious, but I thought there was this, like, grace card. And he's like, 'I'm giving you full control of your soul. I'm giving you the ability to allow me to purge you with the blood of Jesus, but you're gonna have to hate what I hate with every single nerve in your nervous system. You need to have such a conviction that is so bold the soul takes notice that there's a new sheriff in town. And if you don't, you will show me that you do not love me. And I was like— and it was so true. I just realized, like, man, everyone plays this game that they love God, but the actions within the depths of their heart show that the flesh is still connected.
