I Samuel 25:18

Abigail lost no time.  She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hunred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys...

Throughout the years that my husband was struggling with pornography, I often wondered just what I was supposed to do - if anything.  Should I say something to him?  To somebody else?  I was told he should have male friends to hold him accountable, and that I was not to take that role.  Did that mean I should sit idly by?  He knew that what he was doing was wrong.  Was it my place to point that out, or would I be nagging?  Should a Christian wife be submissive when her husband is choosing sin?

I think Abigail shows us the answer.  Her husband Nabal was a fool (it says so right in verse 25), and his foolish actions were about to destroy his household (v. 22).  Did Abigail hesitate?  No.  The Scriptures say she "lost no time".  She defied her husband and did what was right.  She took action to correct his error.  She stood in the gap between him and David and pleaded for his life.  David had mercy on Abigail (v. 32) and spared the lives of Nabal and the rest of the household.

As leaders in our home, our husband's foolish choices can destroy our families.  Our actions will vary based on the circumstances.  Abigail, for instance, apparently knew she would get nowhere by talking with Nabal.  For us, talking may be the most effective choice of action.  Perhaps a godly admonishment, spoken in truth and love, will open our husband's eyes to what he is doing and be enough to change his course.  It may take more than that.  Maybe we need to talk with a pastor.  Perhaps we need to urge him to seek out a counselor or support group.  In extreme cases, we may have to take our children someplace safe for a period of time.  But we should not - we cannot - sit quietly while our families are falling apart.

Remember, too, how Abigail pleaded for Nabal.  Intercede for your husband.  Bring him before the throne of grace and beg God to work on his heart.  Lose no time.