"you shall not commit adultery" Matthew 5:27-30 NKJV
In a world where there is every conceivable temptation possible, it is most difficult to keep one-self pure. In our text, Jesus tells us, 'whoever looks at a woman to lust for her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.' v28
The early Jewish law was so strict about this, that if anyone committed adultery they were to be punished by death - usually to be stoned. But what about Jesus' words in this text? If everyone who looked at another woman, or man, were to be punished by death, there would not be many people left in our world. No, Jesus was actually talking about the person who deliberately looks at another person with lust in mind. They are guilty of adultery.
In our world, we have easy access to pornography, sexually explicit videos and films and even our TV. This sort of thing, can be described as a stumbling block. It accelerates temptation and unfulfilled desires and, if we are in the wrong place at the wrong time, the temptation can be so great that adultery can so easily take place.
Jesus mentions a grim solution of plucking out the eye or chopping off a hand. However, He was not suggesting physical mutilation here. Rather, He was suggesting a radical approach to the problem - a rigid self-denial, which could bring about an inward change. Taking control of the heart, mind and body begins with taking control of the eyes - what we view; what is readily available to look at.
This requires finding the root cause that needs to be destroyed. A person needs to identify what causes the temptation. The eye views something and the thoughts then begin to process this; the heart then makes the decision of what to do. One solution could be to go away into the remotest place on earth, one in which no one is around. However, the thoughts that have been recorded in our memory bank will still be there to tempt us.
Another solution could be to make a declaration that, 'I will not think these things anymore.' Some believe that if words such as these are spoken frequently, it will eventually change things. This is doubtful because, whenever a tempting situation arises, they will begin again.
Possibly the best way to deal with this situation at the time, is to think wholesome thoughts - Philippians 4:8, then connect these thoughts with Romans 12:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 10:4-6. Check these scriptures out as they are life-savers. It must be stressed however, that conquering adulterous thoughts is never easy. But, if you can be disciplined to replace the bad thoughts with good ones, you can be victorious.
Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.
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