How to Commit Adultery

We began a series on Sunday called "Five Easy Steps to Wreck Your Life" and the first topic was "How to Commit Adultery".

"You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14

65% of men and 55% of women will commit adultery by age 40. NO ONE PLANS ON DOING IT.....so please don't dismiss this post just because you are certain that you would never do that. We have a very real enemy who lures us because he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy our lives. So, if we are all certain that we don't want to and would never commit adultery, then how does it happen? It's so subtle. It might start with a TV show that glorifies an affair. Then we realize we aren't really satisfied in our marriage. We meet someone.....cross a line we swore we'd never cross. Step by step.......that's how it happens and it leads to where we never thought we would end up.

5 Easy Steps to Commit Adultery:

1. Neglect your marriage. Don't share things anymore. Be roommates, basically.
2. Enjoy common interests and form an emotional bond with someone else.
3. Anticipate time together with that person.
4. Flirt with that person whenever possible.
5. Make excuses and rationalize your actions.

And an extra one: Say this will never happen to me!!

Proverbs 5:8-10 basically says to do whatever it takes to avoid the sin of adultery and to reduce your risk. Matthew 5:28 even says that anyone who even looks lustfully at another has already committed the sin of adultery in his heart.

In order to avoid adultery, you must do whatever it takes to:

1. Radically reduce the risks. Keep growing in your relationship with Christ, that way you will be able to recognize the sin coming and run from it. Never be alone with the wrong people. Never talk badly about your marriage with the wrong people. Surround yourself with people who have strong marriages. Avoid inappropriate places and situations. Facebook is a good example of this.......it can be way too easy to reconnect with an old flame, then start messaging them, then make plans to get together, etc.

2. Invest passionately in your marriage. Instead of convincing yourself that the grass is greener on the other side, water your own yard! (See Proverbs 5:18-20)

3. Visualize the destruction. Visualize someone else raising your kids. Visualize how that one decision can totally destroy your life. (See Proverbs 5:3-5)

Do you know the percentage of how many affairs end up getting married? 3% Of those 3%, 75% end in divorce. .075% actually stay married. Those are shocking statistics, especially when most people in an affair will tell you that he/she is their soul mate, they're so in love, blah, blah, blah.

Why is this? Because it is not real! It's a relationship based on lies and deceit. If you are contemplating an affair, go home to what is real! Love is a choice. It is an action, a verb, a covenant. Love is not something you fall in and out of. Whether your spouse meets your needs or not, choose to love them anyways.

God's good news is that even when we are unfaithful, He is faithful! (2 Timothy 2:13) Jesus would not condemn the woman who was an adulteress. He loved her unconditionally and told her to leave her life of sin. We can all relate to this message because we often turn our backs on God to seek the things of this world. We put money, time, and possessions all above God at times. We all need redemption and forgiveness. Guard your heart and your mind. Do whatever it takes to finish well with Christ and minimize your risks. Our only hope is built around Christ and the fact that He laid down His life to save ours. That is how we are called to love our spouses.