But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  Matthew 5:28 

 

It happened years ago to a prominent religious figure. His addiction to pornography was exposed - twice! Afraid, ashamed and alone, he wrestled with it, preached against it and prayed over it. When did his problem begin? As a teenager. Every time he picked up another pornographic magazine he filed a mental image for the enemy to pull up in moments of temptation. Ultimately it drove him to forfeit and destroy all he held near and dear. Jesus said, '... anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.' Are those words compelling enough to stop you from looking? Or are you willing to suffer the consequences of continually drinking from the well of sexual impurity? Sometimes the consequences are difficult to envision, but they’re there. They come in the form of lost opportunities for intimacy. Every lustful glance damages your marriage bond. The less you desire your mate, the more you’ll look for things in them to justify your turning away. You’ll become critical of them so that you can feel ‘entitled’ to play mind games with others who cross your path. The saddest part is, you’ll never know what your marriage could have been, because you chipped away at its foundation - one visual turn-on at a time. Today, turn to God in repentance. Ask Him to give you a clean heart (Psalm 51). Then go home and fulfill the command, 'Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her' (Ephesians 5:25).