I have also become convinced that any woman can bring about the moral downfall of any man—no matter how godly. This is one area of our lives where we can never afford to be less than vigilant. I have only made a few vows to the Lord.
One of those sacred commitments is the vow to be morally pure. This is such a serious matter to me, that I have asked the Lord to take my life before I would jeopardize a marriage or come between any man and his wife. Those hedges have been a powerful safeguard and protection—for my own heart, for those men and their marriages, for my reputation, and most importantly, for the reputation of Christ.
I have been blessed to serve alongside of many men who have strong hearts for God. But I never assume that I or they are beyond being tempted and falling.
My focus in this piece is particularly on our relationships as women with married men. Just as hedges surround our property to protect and surround what is ours, and define what is not ours, we also need hedges in our relationships. Once those hedges are in place, they need to be carefully maintained. Each woman needs to know her own areas of weakness and vulnerability—especially if she has not been morally pure in the past—and adjust her hedges as needed, for greater protection.
Staying within the guardrails provides protection from falling off the edge of the mountain, but it represents more than that; it represents freedom. Adhering to these practices has allowed me to have a part in strengthening marriages and family relationships. This is not an exhaustive list or a guarantee against infidelity. It was never my intent to publish this list. To some who have been influenced by our permissive culture, these standards will probably seem excessive.
