John Gray Blames The Devil For His Emotional Affairs

Source: Marcus Ingram / Getty

Yesterday, we shared the Instagram post Pastor John Gray dedicated to his wife. In it, he apologized, once again for the emotional affair he was carrying on with another woman and for bad-mouthing his wife—on video—as he did so.

As we reported this past summer when it happened, Gray shared that he was taking on a more diminished role at Relentless Church and was enrolled in extensive therapy as he sought to learn and grow from this experience.

After seeing the social media, post I wonder what type of therapy calls for this type of atonement? Particularly when the injured party, his wife Aventer Gray, did not engage with the post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHQxWKwsLkO/

Instead, there were more than a few people who questioned how many times Gray would apologize for the same infractions.

And his responses to these inquiries were interesting. So much so that I wondered if Gray has really stepped into this accountability and integrity he needs to truly overcome this situation.

One of Gray’s followers wrote: “I pray this is the last time you apologize for the same choice.”

He responded: “me too. But some things aren’t as simple as choice. The apostle ­Paul said “when I would do good, evil is always present.” –he even said he does what he doesn’t want to do. No one chooses bondage. Especially me. But I will fight for my freedom like never before. Please pray with me. I want to serve God and die right.”

I do know enough of the Bible to know that Paul did say this. But I have to take issue with Gray’s interpretation that the actions we take in our life aren’t based on choice. We’re not speaking about a mental illness that renders him unable to control his choices.

Evil is always present for all of us. But that does not automatically mean we succumb to it—over and over again. That is what it means to not only have free will but have a relationship with God and his Holy Spirit that prevents you from engaging in actions that devastate everyone around you—from your church family, to your children, your wife and most importantly Gray himself.

Every time he picked up the phone to text, or FaceTime or record a video for that woman—he was making a choice. And there were quite a few of them. Evil is always present and I’m sure John Gray has proven himself to be an easy target at this point. But God didn’t leave us out here to fall victim to evil with no chance of victory. This is where free will comes in.

The devil is powerful but he doesn’t have control over us—especially when God dwells within. I’m hoping that John Gray is continuing his therapy work because full acknowledgement—accepting the blame for his choices over time is what begets real healing.

You can read Gray’s responses to his followers below.