Paul once said that we shall be judged for everything that we do in our bodies, whether good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10).  While this is true, and something we should never take lightly, we must remember that we will be judged not only for our actions but for our hearts as well.  In the days of Jesus, some were thinking that as long as they avoided committing adultery, the lust in their hearts would not affect the condition of their souls.  Jesus straightened them out.  

Matthew 5:28 (ESV)
²⁸  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Jesus reminds us that what is in our hearts matters to God.  The elders of Israel should have realized this, and so should have the scribes and Pharisees of that day.  The notion that one could fill his mind with the filth of immorality and still be right with God was an erroneous supposition and one that contradicted their own scriptures.  The Psalmist, who lived under the law of Moses, declared, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).

You may never commit adultery with your body; but, examine the condition of your heart.  If you commit that same crime against God with your mind, you are guilty of sin.  These words from Jesus should remind us that long before adultery takes place in the bed, it has taken place in the head.  Adultery is the outward manifestation of a heart corrupted by lust, and a heart full of lust is condemnable to God.

Avoiding this sin is more challenging than ever before due to the state of the world.  The temptation to lust is all around us in the forms of immodest apparel and loose moral habits.  The clothes people wear today are ridiculous.  Females of all ages clad themselves with as little covering as possible, leaving little to the imagination when it comes to their bodies, and men are not much better.  There is only one way to avoid having eyes full of adultery (2 Peter 2:14) and that is on purpose.

David got in trouble when he gazed at Bathsheba as she bathed on the rooftop (2 Samuel 11:2).  The Hebrew word for “saw” in this passage can mean “to gaze,” and we know that is how it is used here because a simple glance does not cause a man to do what David did next.  He ordered his servants to bring Bathsheba to him and proceeded to have sexual relations with her, knowing that she was the wife of another man (2 Samuel 11:3-5).  Before adultery took place in the bed, it took place in David’s head.

We must never gaze upon the opposite sex, no matter how innocent we think it is to do so.  We can convince ourselves that we are just admiring someone’s looks, but before we know it that admiration turns into lust.  In this world where half-naked people are walking all around, we must develop the habit of turning our heads.  It is as simple as that.  Do not allow your curiosity to get the best of you.  It can lead to obsession and finally to committing adultery with your heart.

I have been talking about what to do when the temptation to lust is right in front of us, but how do we avoid this sin in general?  The answer is to develop a strong spiritual mind.  This we do by filling our minds with the Word of God.  After David learned from his mistake, he wrote, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).  That will work for us as well.  Let the Word of Christ dwell in your heart, and the rest will take care of itself.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.