Nipping Adultery in the Bud

"You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying
over your head, but you can prevent them from
building nests in your hair." -Chinese Proverb

Temptations are constantly flying over our head. The Christian's battle is, "Are we 'shooing' the birds (temptations) away?"

How do we "nip adultery in the bud"? How can we live a life of moral purity and refrain from adultery? Is that even possible in today's crazy sexual revolution? Many Christian's lives answer that question with a resounding, "NO!"

What are your thoughts?

Pastor Noel

I think it really says something when one of the top movies in theaters is 'Sex and the City'. I have never seen the show, and will never see the movie, but from what I have heard, it glorifies a promiscuous lifestyle. It seems society not only accepts sin, but encourages it. I definitely think it is possible to keep this commandment, but it seems like the 'menu' is constantly being shoved in our face.

I was in Thailand a couple years ago, there were some streets that you could not walk down without people chasing you down showing you a flyer with all of the 'dancers' from their club. Which was a menu of sorts... I am guessing I don't need to explain the actual profession of these dancers. The US is a bit more subtle, but sin is sin.

When you take the world as it is today with it's "If it feels good and right to you then it must be okay" everything is a gray area. But the truth of the matter is there is no gray area and everything we do is black or white. If it is right it is right, if it is wrong it is wrong. This is a very confusing time for our young people to live in and try to determine what is right which is why parents need to instill christian values from an early age and keep in touch with our kids. When you look at the commandments I think there is a common theme throughout and that is respect. Respect for ourselves, respect for others and mostly respect for God and God's word. When we have total respect for God and His word in our lives everything else will take care of itself and the gray areas will turn to black or white.

Adultery is exactly that! One of my problems is that kids today believe that unless they have intercourse then they did not have sex. All other types of sex acts are not considered having sex. I blame ex president Clinton for some of these ideas. When the president of our nation claims that oral "sex" is not having sex, it sets a different standard for our youth. I believe sex is sex , Cheating is Cheating, adultery is adultery, you can not gloss it over.

As Jesus said, if you even look at a women with lust in your heart, you have broken this command. It seems that there are some clothing styles out there that are meant to provoke lust, and our society puts them on the front of magazines, and in music videos, and on television, and in movies... etc. Makes you wonder if maybe the muslims have the right idea as far as dress code [I may get into some trouble for saying that ]

The Eskimos have an interesting but gruesome way in which they capture an Alaskan wolf. The Eskimos will coat a sharp two-edged dagger in blood and let it freeze. Then they will repeat the process several times until there is a thick coat of frozen blood on the razor sharp knife. They will then place the handle of the dagger in the ice with the sharp, blood-coated end extending straight up. The Eskimos will then back away and quietly and discreetly wait for a wolf. The hungry animal with a keen sense of smell will be by soon to begin licking the delicious blood off of the dagger. As the frozen blood is repeatedly being licked off, the sharp knife slits the tongue of the wolf and his own blood begins to drip onto the knife. The wolf is now "blood drunk" rapidly licking up his own life's blood. The wolf ends up bleeding to death and the Eskimos have their wolf.

I know it is quite a word picture, but how appropriate to illustrate what Satan does to us through media. We are viewing television programs, movies and web sites, and listening to music that is draining our spiritual blood. We wonder why it is so hard to live the Christian life. Could it be that we are "blood drunk" on our media? Why is the sin of adultery so prevalent in the church? Why are our teens spiritually impotent to stand against the wiles of the devil? Could it be that the church has fallen prey to the devices of Satan and view adultery as normal and even expected in time? Is media our teacher? Or are the Scriptures? We would all like to say that the Bible is the authority and teacher of our lives, but do our actions betray us?

'SOMEWHERE' in Job there is reference to glancing at a maiden with desire. Chuck Swindoll called this particular passage THE JOB BOUNCE. Swindoll advised Christians to look once and then look away. Do not get tangled in the temptation by continuing to LOOK! We are cheating ourselves by gratifying selfish behaviors. We are exchanging the King's love for the devil's glee! How worthless, how wasteful, how belittling, how senseless -- selling ourselves for satan's ransom.

very true. There is a big difference between having something pass through your field of view, and dwelling on it. Sometimes impure thoughts come into our minds, but I believe it becomes sin when we dwell on that thought.

great question to ponder, right?! As Brother Noel contends, the enemy is predictable. So, logistically, we need to get smart about past failures. When and where do I need to literally flee? How can I avoid putting myself into scenarios where I have fallen in the past?

Most importantly, though, one will do what he wants to do most. Therefore, I have only one hope: that the desires of my heart are changed (Psalm 37). Ultimately, God alone does (present perfect tense) this. The imperative to the believer is to not conform to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12). Hebrews 4 reminds us of how profound prayer is and exactly where we are when we pray: The Thrownroom. Also, we have this great privilege: we get to pray and we are also commanded to cast all our cares on Him.

CHARLES H. SPURGEON said: "What, give us the new birth, and then not hear us? Did he bless us when we did not seek him, and will he not hear us when we do seek him? What, look after us when we were like stray sheep, deaf to all his calls; seek after us till he restored us, and then not hear us when we become the sheep of his pasture? Impossible!"

A man is what he is on his knees before God, and nothing more.
~ Robert Murray M’Cheyne

In the vein of transforming the mind, God also uses scripture. Something magical (in the purest sense) happens when a believer prays the Word. That is, God's Holy Spirit is in the believer, praying the word with you...for you. We know that His Word never returns void....it is never frustrated. When He acts, who can undo it? So, the believer needs to chew on his daily bread.

The law identifies sin. Jesus bears witness to the liberty we have in Him (Matthew 8) to obey and to do the Father's will....free indeed, Baby!. A huge part of faith is believing in Christ alone for salvation. The corollary is that we have no faith in our own ability outside of the true vine.

God get's the glory...everytime...and He is not about to share it.