March 9, 2021

Rhonda Patterson
“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. If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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 in to hell.”
Matthew 5:27-29

Although Jesus was speaking to the men that day; ladies, we certainly don’t get a pass…this is great direction for us all. As mentioned in Sunday’s message, we live in a day where the temptation to lust is all around us and ever before us. I believe what Jesus is saying in this passage is that we must not give even a moment’s sympathy to these thoughts. When our mind is governed by the Spirit, by His power, we can resist and rebuke these thoughts quickly, giving them no place in our mind to gain occupancy and grow. Victory in our thought life leads to victory in our actions. Ask the Lord to show you 2 things…1) Have you opened a door to the enemy in the area of lust (think about TV, movies, social media, relationships)? 2) Have you willfully incited lust from others by the way that you dress?  If your answer is yes to either of these, God’s forgiveness and help is readily available to you. You don’t have to fight this battle alone. God is for you and victory is available to you. Let’s close these doors to the enemy – to God be the glory!