In Jesus' Sermon On The Mount, He spoke of the Law and delved further into them, going right to the heart (literally) of the matter in Matthew 5:21-49. For example, in verse 21 Jesus said (NIV) "You have heard that it was said to the people, 'Do not murder', but I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement... In other words, when we become so PO'ed with someone that we want bad things to happen (been there, done that), we've essentially murdered him.
But I want to talk about Matthew 5:27-30. Specifically, Adultery. (NIV)"You have heard it was said, 'Do not commit adultery', But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one party of your body than for your whole body to go into Hell". Now of course, Jesus was speaking metaphorically, but the principle is clear, and we'll discuss it in a bit. But first, my story.
In my last blog entry, I told the story of an old crush that came back into my life. Rather innocently, of course, but as time went on, I became emotionally attached to her, while at the same time, trying to maintain my marriage and more importantly, my walk with The Lord. Over the last year, I have been on the receiving end of more blessing than I could fathom, and more than that, a closer, more intimate relationship with God Himself. I believe to this day that the events that started December 12, 2016 with my dismissal from Weydman Electric, to my job search and eventual discovery of going into a field I've been wanting to for some 30 years now, bus driving, has caused me to really open up to Christ because I wanted Him to control the circumstances of my life, but that also meant I had to completely surrender everything to Him. Now, I didn't exactly get to the goal right away, still working on that, but whilst I'm doing that, God is working on ME! I want to ensure that there is no hypocrisy in my life, and I guess this is the reason why I decided to completely open up to God. And I reminded myself, and still do, "If I'm treating my passengers better than my own family, something's wrong". And something was wrong!
That old crush that I had I allowed back into my life and as I said, I became emotionally attached to her, thinking about her, picturing a "what if" we'd been together instead of me with my Lynn, and rehashing the past. I committed emotional adultery and in many ways, it is far worse than the physical version. Primarily because this kind of adultery knows no boundaries, not even time nor distance could prevent it. Only trusting in Christ and submitting to the Spirit is the surefire way to immunize oneself from this. So, during worship, I could sense the Spirit of God telling me to sever any and all ties with this woman, to ensure that I would never attempt to make contact with her, even to hear her voice. And I did just that. The first thing I experienced was a great sense of relief and as Mel Gibson's Sir William Wallace shouted out: "FREEEEEEDOOOOMMMM!!!!!!" Now God has secured a major victory in my life and I have nothing but praise and worship to the Most High.
But I also have a warning to others who are either being tempted or are already in such a mess. GET OUT!! This is a wide open door for the enemy to drive a truck right through and completely screw with you and your family. Believe me, from personal experience, it isn't worth it. This is the principle of cutting off the dead limb. If you are involved, sever all ties with the other person. That means no social media, no phone, nothing! Nada! Second, confess and repent before God, before your spouse, before your family, and if applicable, to your church, especially if you are in a position of leadership. Third, trust God for His healing, whether it be through Him directly, or through human intervention/counselling. These things take time, and you will be healed and set free.
But I want to talk about Matthew 5:27-30. Specifically, Adultery. (NIV)"You have heard it was said, 'Do not commit adultery', But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one party of your body than for your whole body to go into Hell". Now of course, Jesus was speaking metaphorically, but the principle is clear, and we'll discuss it in a bit. But first, my story.
In my last blog entry, I told the story of an old crush that came back into my life. Rather innocently, of course, but as time went on, I became emotionally attached to her, while at the same time, trying to maintain my marriage and more importantly, my walk with The Lord. Over the last year, I have been on the receiving end of more blessing than I could fathom, and more than that, a closer, more intimate relationship with God Himself. I believe to this day that the events that started December 12, 2016 with my dismissal from Weydman Electric, to my job search and eventual discovery of going into a field I've been wanting to for some 30 years now, bus driving, has caused me to really open up to Christ because I wanted Him to control the circumstances of my life, but that also meant I had to completely surrender everything to Him. Now, I didn't exactly get to the goal right away, still working on that, but whilst I'm doing that, God is working on ME! I want to ensure that there is no hypocrisy in my life, and I guess this is the reason why I decided to completely open up to God. And I reminded myself, and still do, "If I'm treating my passengers better than my own family, something's wrong". And something was wrong!
That old crush that I had I allowed back into my life and as I said, I became emotionally attached to her, thinking about her, picturing a "what if" we'd been together instead of me with my Lynn, and rehashing the past. I committed emotional adultery and in many ways, it is far worse than the physical version. Primarily because this kind of adultery knows no boundaries, not even time nor distance could prevent it. Only trusting in Christ and submitting to the Spirit is the surefire way to immunize oneself from this. So, during worship, I could sense the Spirit of God telling me to sever any and all ties with this woman, to ensure that I would never attempt to make contact with her, even to hear her voice. And I did just that. The first thing I experienced was a great sense of relief and as Mel Gibson's Sir William Wallace shouted out: "FREEEEEEDOOOOMMMM!!!!!!" Now God has secured a major victory in my life and I have nothing but praise and worship to the Most High.
But I also have a warning to others who are either being tempted or are already in such a mess. GET OUT!! This is a wide open door for the enemy to drive a truck right through and completely screw with you and your family. Believe me, from personal experience, it isn't worth it. This is the principle of cutting off the dead limb. If you are involved, sever all ties with the other person. That means no social media, no phone, nothing! Nada! Second, confess and repent before God, before your spouse, before your family, and if applicable, to your church, especially if you are in a position of leadership. Third, trust God for His healing, whether it be through Him directly, or through human intervention/counselling. These things take time, and you will be healed and set free.
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