Lust, Caution

Scripture

"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:13-15

Observation

As we sail the seas of life, there are some pretty enticing land sites. They are filled with beautiful palm trees and all the fruit your heart desires. Let’s call these little land sites Temptation Islands. But as promising as these islands seem, the minute we abandon our ship and turn our backs on our crew—our spouse, the church, good Christian friends and fellowship —we find ourselves isolated on one of the Temptation Islands.

Application

One of the most powerful Temptation Islands we drift towards is lust. God has given us sexual desire as a gift to be shared exclusively with our spouse. But Satan takes that desire, customizes it to our weaknesses, and then lures us into believing that we can still experience God's blessings even though we give in to the sin of lust.

But the good news is that we don't have to helplessly drift toward the Temptation Island called lust. God has empowered us to make the right choice. And he will always give us a path of escape. He will give you the strength you need to sail away from temptation.

What you and I need to do when it comes to such temptations is to act with caution and find a person to whom we can be accountable and secure. Satan, in those seasons of vulnerability wants us to stay isolated but God intends us to win those battles only when we are rightly associated with others.

Ang Lee has come up with another movie (An NC16 version of the movie opens in Singapore today), this time dealing with extra-marital affairs in WW2-era Shanghai. He calls it ‘Lust, Caution.’ I don’t think it is a movie worth our time. At most, it will drift us all to our own Temptation Island. But there is one word from the movie title we need to heed when it comes to lust – caution!

Prayer

Lord, I want to live a pure life before you. Help me to control my sexual desires and reserve them for the person you have reserved for me. Empower me to make the right choices and to discover your path for my life. Teach me to exercise graet caution when it comes to lust. In Jesus' name. Amen.