Faithful & True

TRIAD FAITHFUL & TRUE

The Triad Faithful and True Men’s Group is a fellowship of Christian men who have a sincere desire to abstain from sinful sexual behavior. Many of us have been trapped in the vicious cycle of fantasy, ritual, sexual sin and despair.

Driven by shame, we saw no way of escape. Ours is a history of broken promises, violated vows, shattered families, lost jobs, spiritual bankruptcy, physical pain and even death. What we truly sought was love and nurturing, however we substituted sex for love, thinking that the high of sexual pleasure would erase our deeper needs for intimacy with God and others.

Many of us have promised, “This is the last time I will act out,” but it was not. Don’t be discouraged! Those of us who have gotten honest about our pasts, our emotions and our actions are experiencing true recovery with God’s help. Many of us have tried to recover by controlling our behaviors. We have even tried to coerce God into healing us through prayer, Bible study, and church attendance. We found that while we can’t control God, He will help us heal if we are truly willing to submit our lives to His will and keep ourselves accountable to others in the fight.

The principles we follow are a guide on the journey of recovery and not a magical cure. If you are willing to give up your old way of thinking and the years of behaviors that you have used to medicate painful feelings, then you too can become and remain sexually whole.

Because the Faithful & True Fellowships are Christ-centered, we encourage our group members to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. However, our fellowship is open to any male regardless of race, economic background, politics, philosophy, or personal differences. We also encourage attendance in other 12-Step fellowships or support groups. Our common denominator is a desire to be totally honest about ourselves and our behaviors, and a commitment to pursue sexually wholeness (healthy attitudes and behaviors concerning sex and physical sex only within the boundaries of the emotional and spiritual intimacy in a heterosexual Christian marriage). If you sincerely and humbly share this desire, we welcome you to walk the journey with us. You may call 877-890-4144 for more information.

What Is Sexual Addiction?

Simply stated, sexual addiction is the lack of control over some sexual behavior or relationship. Perhaps the most helpful definition is a practical one: sexual addiction is sexual behavior that has a negative effect on one’s life. In Out of the Shadows, Patrick Carnes says sex addiction fits the following cycle:

• Preoccupation: The trance/mood wherein the addict’s mind is completely engrossed with thoughts of sex.
• Ritualization: The addict’s own special routines or rituals that lead up to the sexual behavior.
• Compulsive Sexual Behavior: The actual sexual act that the addict is unable to control at this point.
• Despair: The feeling of utter hopelessness the addict has about their sexual behavior and powerlessness.

Sexual Addiction also contains these components:

• Repetitive: The addictive behaviors may repeat every day, or come in a binge pattern, but continue to repeat over time.
• Degenerative: The addiction intensifies over in time either in frequency or more intense sexual activity.
• Unmanageable: The addict is powerless to stop the cycle even if he wants to.
• Medicative: The addictive behaviors change his feelings, alters his mood, or creates a high.
• Destructive: The addiction begins to destroy his relationships, work, finances, health and life.

Finally, certain false core beliefs characterize the sexual addict:

1. Sex is equal to love and is my most important need.
2. I am a bad and worthless person.
3. No one loves me as I am.
4. No one will take care of me but me.

We believe that by seeking and knowing the love of Jesus Christ, He will, over time, replace each of these lies with His Truth. As His Truth and love invade our hearts, we will find that our sinful attitudes and behaviors will change too. This gives us hope.

The Fellowship

Each group will begin with an orientation and then cover a Unit in the workbook every week for a total of 13 weeks. Part One (6 Units) shows how to develop healthy Christ-honoring attitudes and behaviors about sexuality. Part Two (6 Units) deals with the more serious issues of compulsive and addictive sexual behaviors. Members will covenant with each other to make attendance at each group meeting a priority for the entire 13 weeks.

The Workbook

“Faithful and True: Sexual Integrity in a Fallen World,” published by Lifeway Press is a 12-unit LIFE Support course designed for a combination of individual and small-group study. Workbooks are available at Lifeway Christian Bookstores.

Join Us

Whether your behaviors are endangering your relationships, reputation and sanity, or you simply want to live out God’s model for healthy sexuality, we encourage you to contact us and join our fellowship.

We also welcome inquires from churches and pastors about sponsoring or hosting a group.

For information on group meetings please leave a message at: (877) 890-4144.