Lust- A battle of the heart

 "You have heard it said of those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for the whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast if from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for the whole body to be cast into hell."

                            Matthew 5:27-30

    Jesus makes it very clear that not only is the Old Testament law still important, but his life on earth desires to fulfill the law, not make it obsolete. He does this by reminding his listeners about the commandments they have heard their entire life, and expounding on them for a better understanding of what Jesus' ultimate sacrifice did for them and even us today. When the commandment of adultery was given to Moses on Mount Sinai, it was the assumption that any act of physical sexual sin was not permitted, but Jesus explains it in a little more detail. Beyond the physical, adultery, like a plethora of other spiritual battles, begins in the heart. If your heart is not being filled by the traits and gifts of God, the flesh will always find ways to satisfy the hunger. As a single guy wanting to someday marry and have a family, this commandment is one that I struggle a lot with. The heart will always chase what it wants, and if I desire to meet the right girl and settle down, until that happens, my heart and therefore, my mind, will desire to chase the wrong things, and by doing so, lead me down a path I was never intended to go down. One of the biggest hurdles we face when we walk with God is trusting in his timing. We believe he will come through like he said, but we tend to get anxious when our timeline doesn't line up with his. (Maybe this is just me, but I don't think I am alone in this). When God "is staking his sweet time", we tend to pick up the things we have laid at his feet and try to do them on our own. But if we have learned anything from the Forefathers of the Faith, we know this rarely ever ends well. Abraham was given a promise of a child by God. After about 10 years, with Abraham and his wife Sarah not getting any younger, Abraham tries to force God's timing, and he has a child with his wife's maidservant Haggai. Haggai is then forced out of the house by Sarah because of Jealousy and Haggai is left crying out to God alone in the desert. God still blesses her son, Ishmael, but his descendants do not have the full blessing that was given to Abraham's son, Isaac, who was given to him and Sarah nearly a quarter century after the promise was given. 

    After his sin, Abraham had to make some adjustments in his heart to be able to wait on God to come through as he said he would, and only then was his promise fulfilled. We must do the same as we wait on God to carry to completion his plans and promises for our life. by allowing our hearts to fester with lust, we end up delaying the promise, instead of making it happen on our terms. This type of sin is so harmful to the believer that Jesus encourages us to make a drastic change in our lives to avoid falling into the same traps as before, using a drastic metaphor of literally cutting off the piece of your body that caused you to sin in the first place. Jesus is not saying that every time a sinful thought enters our mind, we must desecrate our bodies, but we need to make the drastic notions that will eventually lead to repentance and change. 

    To my brothers in Christ, the world wants nothing less than for us to slip up and fail, but God has extended his hand to reach out and save us. We must be willing to cry out in genuine repentance and accept his plans, even when it requires a giant step of faith. You are not alone in this battle, and if you trust in the Lord, it won't be the end of you either. 

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey Through the Sermon on the Mount.