We bring to conclusion this series on the 7 Deadly Sins with the sin of lust. We are called to live holy lives. Our calling is to be set apart and live different. The Apostle Paul writes:
For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (ESV)
It is difficult to live a holy life in the culture around us. We live in a highly sexualized and explicit culture. Impurity is everywhere. We see it in TVs, movies, and best-selling books. Access to pornography is easier than ever before. Children are exposed to it at a younger and younger age.
In 2 Samuel 11:1–27, we read about the story of David and Bathsheba. The story begins with David staying behind at the palace while his men went to war. This is the first problem. David was not where he was supposed to be. It left him in a compromising position.
In striving to live pure lives it is important for us to avoid putting ourselves in compromising positions. This starts with our choices about what we read and what we watch. It starts with what we visit on the Internet. It starts with boundaries we set towards those of the opposite sex.
The second thing that happens is David sees this beautiful woman bathing. But rather than turning away he inquires as to who she is. Because all the fighting men were at war there was no one to tell David this was a dumb idea. He had no accountability.
If living pure is a struggle for you, building accountability is one of the most important things you can do. Do you have filters on your computer? Do you have others you can openly talk with about this? Many of us struggle as we fight this battle alone, but this is not a battle to fight alone.
David was the King. He thought he was bigger than this. But this adulterous affair would be his undoing. His family suffered greatly. David would see a daughter raped and sons murdered. All stemmed from this momentary indiscretion. If David had to do it all over again, I am sure he would have run as far as he could run.
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18 (ESV)
This verse does not just say avoid sexual immorality. It says flee from sexual immorality. Run away as far as you can. Don’t think it could never happen to you. Too many marriages and ministries have been ruined when individuals thought that they were bigger than it.
When we run, God gives us a place to run. We run to Jesus Christ. God created us with a need for him. Jesus is the only thing that will fulfill that need. We try to find fulfillment in so many other things. David had everything as the King, but it still was not enough. He hoped to find in Bathsheba what was missing. What he actually found was that other things in life may satisfy for a short time but never truly satisfy. In the end he was left with more misery.
It is only in Jesus where we find complete fulfillment. Only he completely fills the emptiness inside. Overcoming impurity is not a matter of will-power, but a matter of God’s power at work in you.
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