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Living Free - March 2, 2015


Living Free Every Day®

  

Today's Scripture

"All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." - Matthew 26:41 AMP

Thoughts for Today

Are you immune to the temptation of sexual sin? The truth is, we all have boundaries that, if crossed, can result in the loss of self-control.

The sin of proximity happens when we allow ourselves to be enticed to sin by not avoiding events, people, places, objects or anything else that we know will likely stir up lustful thoughts in our minds. Some would describe the sin of proximity as allowing ourselves to come into contact with the occasion for sin.

When we commit a sin of proximity, what we are doing is setting the stage for overt sin to occur. We are prone to lie to ourselves that what we are doing will not have consequences. We think we can play around the edges of sin without actually acting it out. This thinking is self-deceptive because sin has great power and, if entertained, can overwhelm us.

Consider this … 

Avoiding the people or events or things that may tempt us to sexual sin is vital to overcoming sexual addiction or to avoid entering into any kind of sexual sin. We must remember, however, that there is no "formula for success" in this path—otherwise we would trust the formula and not God.

The rules are only tools to enable us to better love Jesus. The real key is to stay in fellowship with Him—to "give strict attention, be cautious and active ... and watch and pray."

Prayer

Father, I know that only as I stay in close fellowship with you—through prayer and through your Word—will I be able to resist the temptations that come my way. I thank you for your love. Please give me the wisdom and strength to avoid situations and relationships that may entice me to sin. In Jesus' name …

These thoughts were drawn from …Crossroads: Choosing the Road to Sexual Purity by David E. Longacre. Crossroads deals with choosing the road to sexual purity and is suggested for use in support groups and Christian counseling.

  • Describes the sexual addiction process
  • Shows how the sin of proximity often precedes sexual sins
  • Shows the way out of sexual addiction
  • Presents biblical insights to help a person break free and stay free
  • Gives practical actions for renewing the mind

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Christianity / Devotionals / Living Free Every Day / Living Free - March 2, 2015