It Starts Before You Think It Starts
“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 lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – Matthew 5:27-28
When we think of adultery, most of us picture an obvious and dramatic act. Something physical. A secret affair. A betrayal played out behind someone’s back. But Jesus doesn’t start with the act. He goes beneath the surface and calls out the root.
In His words, the issue isn’t just what we do with our bodies. It’s what we allow in our minds. Adultery, according to Jesus, doesn’t begin in a bedroom; it begins in the heart. That’s the power of Kingdom Culture. Jesus isn’t only calling us to avoid breaking rules. He’s calling us to live with integrity at the deepest level. Not just cleaned-up actions, but a pure and surrendered heart.
The Pharisees made the mistake of narrowing the command to what you could or couldn’t get caught doing. If they stayed out of someone’s bed, they assumed they were righteous. But Jesus said to look deeper. That lingering gaze, that mental fantasy, that second or third look when you should have turned away. Those are the seeds of adultery. And just like a seed in the ground, once it takes root, it grows into something that can destroy.
Lust doesn't come in screaming. It slides in quietly and masks itself as harmless. But it's a wooden horse waiting at the gates of your heart. Let it in, and you’re giving the enemy an opening.
If you want to live free, start guarding your mind. Pray for eyes that honor God. Learn to catch the look before it becomes a gaze. Confess the thought before it becomes a habit. The battle is real, but it can be won, because Jesus isn’t just calling you higher, He’s empowering you to walk in purity from the inside out.
When we think of adultery, most of us picture an obvious and dramatic act. Something physical. A secret affair. A betrayal played out behind someone’s back. But Jesus doesn’t start with the act. He goes beneath the surface and calls out the root.
In His words, the issue isn’t just what we do with our bodies. It’s what we allow in our minds. Adultery, according to Jesus, doesn’t begin in a bedroom; it begins in the heart. That’s the power of Kingdom Culture. Jesus isn’t only calling us to avoid breaking rules. He’s calling us to live with integrity at the deepest level. Not just cleaned-up actions, but a pure and surrendered heart.
The Pharisees made the mistake of narrowing the command to what you could or couldn’t get caught doing. If they stayed out of someone’s bed, they assumed they were righteous. But Jesus said to look deeper. That lingering gaze, that mental fantasy, that second or third look when you should have turned away. Those are the seeds of adultery. And just like a seed in the ground, once it takes root, it grows into something that can destroy.
Lust doesn't come in screaming. It slides in quietly and masks itself as harmless. But it's a wooden horse waiting at the gates of your heart. Let it in, and you’re giving the enemy an opening.
If you want to live free, start guarding your mind. Pray for eyes that honor God. Learn to catch the look before it becomes a gaze. Confess the thought before it becomes a habit. The battle is real, but it can be won, because Jesus isn’t just calling you higher, He’s empowering you to walk in purity from the inside out.
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