It’s The Intent

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. — Matthew 5:27

Okay, that's convicting for a morning devotional!

One of the false beliefs many young and unmarried men have about marriage is that once married, all our wrongful sexual desires will disappear because we are having sex all the time. Not so. (Even I believed that when I was a teen.) But marital status does not heal wrongful sexual desires; if this were so, then Christian marriages would never commit adultery. The real issue is not solved situationally or circumstantially. And when it comes to sin, Jesus always goes after the heart of the issue. He is not distracted by peripheral matters, probably because he can see the root cause so easily. And the root cause of sexual sin, or any sin for that matter, is that desires have turned lustful, and their intent is looking toward the self rather than looking toward God.

DO THIS: When lustful intent strikes, immediately show your lust something far more beautiful — look to God. And then desire Him!

PRAY THIS: God, rescue my heart from my depraved and lustful intentions — every single one.

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