The Lord Jesus said that it is better to enter into heaven with one eye and one hand than to enter into hell with both eyes and hands. He said this in the context of violently and finally removing causes of sin--temptations.
Life and death are on the line. Heaven and hell is on the line.
It is written, "The fear of the Lord is to hate sin."
It is also written, "The fear of the Lord keeps you from sin."
Is she worth hell?
Is he worth the lake of fire?
These questions keep me from sin.
NO sexual temptation, no matter how truly gratifying, no matter how prolonged or intense or real, is worth eternal damnation and judgment. Surely the memory of adultery will be loathsome in hell. Surely the adulteress and the adulterer will hate each other in hell.
But Satan hides this, though he of all beings knows this truth better than anyone.
He gets us to focus on the temporal and ignore the eternal, the visible instead of the invisible, the tangible instead of the intangible, the physical instead of the spiritual, the mortal instead of the immortal.
He makes sin look and feel so good that it seems insatiable and irresistible. As I mentioned in the first article, in the context of sexual sin and temptation, the tempter makes the adulterer and adulteress seem irresistibly alluring. There will be something about him or her that the tempted will not be able to put their finger on. Yes, it may encompass physical beauty or sexuality, BUT IT VERY WELL MAY NOT. There may be NOTHING physically attractive about the person normally, but in this demonic situation, the temptation is undeniable. That hidden power of temptation is of Satan. It must be resisted spiritually through prayer and decree, directly. The tempted one must command Satan and the demons behind the temptation to leave them alone. Many times the feeling of the temptation will immediately lessen. Sometimes it must be resisted firmly until it does lessen.
Now Satan and demons wait for opportunity. They wait until you are already in a weakened spiritual or physical state, which is why Paul says to "be strong in the Lord and the power of His might." The almighty God never weakens or gets tired. If you and I are one with the Lord, then His almighty strength is at our disposal.
Temptations that are sexual are also spiritual. In scripture, many times, idolatry is called adultery. There is a connection. Those who sin sexually do so with their bodies, the temples of God. The body is a place of ecstasy and spirituality as well as physicality and sensuality. It is to be offered as a living sacrifice, and each body part is to be offered to God as an instrument and weapon of righteousness, according to the Apostle Paul. The sex act in marriage is therefore a supreme act of devotion between husband and wife, and between the couple and God. Life itself started on earth after, God created Adam and Eve, through the sex act. The only other life that didn't start this way is the life of Christ Himself. Sex is sacred.
The adulterer worships the adulteress with his body, and she worships him with her body. Satan loves this, for in this way, he and demons receive the worship they so crave. But as it is written,"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies, which are his."
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