Guarding Against the Sin of Adultery
The Sanctity of Marriage
Getting married is one of the most amazing moments of your lifetime, and the moments that are spent together wiith your spouse leading up to that event and beyond those years should never go unappreciated. The sanctity of marriage is the eternal love, bond and commitment between a husband and a wife. Marriage takes 100% of your energy and effort to build a healthy and faithful family. However, marriage also comes with many challenges, with one of them being temptation, which results in the sinful nature of adultery.
Adultery in the Bible
Committing adultery is one of the ten commandments, and it is mentioned and emphasized numerous times in the Bible. Proverbs 6:32 mentions, “But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.” The act of divorce is permitted by God only based on the grounds of sexual sin. However, getting married to an adulterous woman is also considered adultery.
Matthew 5:28 states, “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Breaking this commandment is punishable by death. For the wages of sin is death. However, God instruct us in the Bible how to be faithful, loving spouses, and how to resist tempation.
Maintaining Discipline Against Adultery
In order to maintain discipline against the evil tempations that Satan presents to us, we must break a pattern of sinful habits even if they are habits that are common and acceptable in modern society. Some of these examples are rated R programming, pornography, social media, music, masturbation, and more. Temptation is everywhere, so it is important as Christ followers to not let your lustful eyes wander.
As Christians we must follow scripture wholeheartedly about resisting temptation by muttering actual scripture to ourselves, praying about it, and meditating on the word of God. For He will be there to protect and guide us. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. By maintaining discipline, you are retraining your mind and soul to follow a healthy pattern of living a Godly disciplined life.
How to Sustain a Disciplined Life
More Reading, Less TV & Social Media: Stay away from television and social media, for these can become addicting habits and lead you down a tunnel of sexual temptation. Even if your intent is to just keep in touch with family and friends, the devil uses those algorithms to deliver sexual content to you. Place filters on your social media to help distance you from temptation. Instead, read more. Read the Bible, books about the Bible and Scripture. Dive into the word and study with a faithful heart.
Bible Study & Fellowship: A lifechanging journey that has helped millions of devout Christians is attending Bible study and developing a fellowship with other faithful servants. A fellowship sparks friendships that turn into healthy relationships. Being in a fellowhsip will help keep eachother accountable for the mistakes that we go through in life. Other members of your Bible study group may have also committed adultery, or may have been the victim/s of it. A fellowhsip will keep you on a safe pathway in your spiritual journey.
Focus on Your Marriage: Focusing on your marriage and your family is of the utmost importance to help you sustain a disciplined life. Hebrews 13:4 says, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous”. Break bad habits that may affect your marriage, and focus on good habits to help strengthen it. Pray, worship, and study scripture together as a family.
Pray: Pray and pray often. Pray when you are happy, sad, frustrated, angry. Pray abundantly. Pray throughout the day, even short one-minute prayers keep you close with God and helps to develop a stronger relationship with Him. Give thanks and praise Him for what He has done for you. Pray for healing, for financial stability. Meditate on what and who you are praying for. For God will work and provide for you. Pray for others, for your loved ones, co-workers, your Church, even your enemies. Put others before yourself. Pray with a humble heart, do not exalt or praise yourself. Be humble. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:12). Last but not least, pray so that God can help guard you against Sin and Adultery. For He will guard your heart and never abandon you.
Conclusion
Guarding your heart against the sin of adultery begins with fostering a deep, personal relationship with God through prayer, Bible study, and worship. Stay vigilant in maintaining emotional and physical boundaries, being mindful of situations that could lead to temptation. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Cultivate open and honest communication with your spouse, addressing issues early to strengthen your bond. Surround yourself with godly influences, seeking accountability from trusted Christian friends or mentors through fellowship who encourage you to remain faithful. Finally, fix your thoughts on purity, intentionally focusing on things that honor God and your commitment to your spouse (Philippians 4:8).