Visual People: For the guys...

Image courtesy of graur codrin

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."--Matthew 5:27-28.  Here we enter a section of the Sermon on the Mount which more than applies to us today.  Guys, this one is for us.  Ladies, tomorrow we will look at how this will apply to you but this is valuable information for either sex.  There is a reason Jesus says this.  Much of the reason if not the whole reason is because guys, we are visual people.

Visual people.  I will first speak to the single guys since I am still single.  Guys, be honest with yourself, what was your reaction the last time you SAW a girl you considered to be attractive?  It would be a lie to say that the girl did not grab your attention for even a second.  Guys, fact is it does not take much to stimulate our hormones.  It is just the way our Lord designed us.  Now I will say here that this is where self control is crucial because our responses to our natural desires e.g. sexual desires are to be withheld and saved for marriage.  We will get into further application of this in a moment but first I want to lay a little groundwork.

Returning to Matthew 5:27-28, notice what Jesus says.  He says "You have heard that it was said 'You shall not commit adultery'...BUT I SAY TO YOU that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Emphasis added).  Jesus is first of all establishing His authority here by making the statement "I say to you."  Second, what Jesus is doing is essentially telling the people to forget about what they have been taught about this command and understand that adultery happens long before the physical act.  Adultery begins in the heart.  Guys, adultery begins with our eyes. Why? Because we are visual people.

Visual people.  Fellas, the second point I want to consider here is not just the question of how you reacted when you saw an attractive girl but ask yourself how did you react to how she was dressed?  An issue we will address in tomorrow night's blog.   Was she dressed slightly provocatively or extremely provocatively?  This too stimulates our desires and creates a certain amount of temptation and it is often difficult to look away.  I recently experienced this for myself.  I was driving home from school the other day and some girls were running.  Problem was their sports gear was revealing forcing me to look an other direction but for a few seconds there, my attention was locked.  This is evidence that as guys, we are visual people.

Visual people.  Guys, this is no foreign struggle to Christian men, especially single Christian men.  So the question is, what can we do about it?  We know that God designed us this way so does that make it God's fault that we react the way we do and that we struggle with this?  OF COURSE NOT!!! What has caused this struggle that single and even many married men alike is the disease called sin.  Our battle with sin began in Genesis 3:1-22 in the garden of Eden upwards of 6000 years ago.  But again what can we men, who are visual people, do so that we do not commit adultery in our heart as described here in Matthew 5:27-28?

Visual people.  My encouragement to you tonight is this.  First of all by all means PRAY!!!  But one practical way we can do this is to do as Job said he did in Job 31:1 and to "make a covenant with our eyes."  Quite literally make a deal with yourself that you will no longer look at a woman with lust for her.  Believe me I know this is easier said than done but it is NOT impossible!  Also, if you are looking at woman lustfully on the internet or any other media through pornography, put some filters on your browser that will block that content such as Safeeyes or other parental control software.  You can also eliminate this temptation by accessing the internet in public places.  Parents, your kids are not immune to this either so one piece of advice would be to keep the computer in a visible place in your house such as the living room where there is a lot of traffic. Guys, God did create these desires within us but He created them so that our desire would be for our mate and our mate only within the context of marriage.  Don't let temptation (Satan) get the best of you.  Finally fellas, if you are struggling with this, talk with another male brother in Christ about your struggle.  Again, easier said then done but this creates accountability which motivates you to stop.

Adultery begins in the heart.  Don't let yourself commit adultery by looking at a woman with lust for her.  Whenever you are tempted, remember the words of Jesus here in Matthew 5:28 "BUT I SAY TO YOU THAT EVERYONE WHO LOOKS AT A WOMAN WITH LUST FOR HER HAS ALREADY COMMITTED ADULTERY WITH HER IN HIS HEART." (Emphasis added)

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!