Start With the Heart
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title: Start With the Heart------------------------------ Date: 7/11/2003
Keywords:
"heart" "influences"
Welcome
to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual
temptation.
Passage: Matthew 15:19-20*
19. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
20. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'
Questions
1. Why does Jesus place more emphasis on the heart than on the externals?
2. How can we apply the message to our struggles against pornography?
Practical help
On the eve of the war against Iraq, the United States staged a bombing raid to kill Saddam Hussein. Though the attack apparently failed, the strategy made military sense: Cut of the head and the body will die.
The same principle applies to our struggles against pornography. Too often we focus on removing mere influences: no walks near that bookstore, no Net searches when no one can see our activities and so on.
While these strategies have their place, Jesus suggests a different starting point: the heart. With it, we're bound to succeed. Without it, our methods can only fall short.
Which begs the question, "What if I don't want to quit looking at pornography?" The answer is both complex and simple. To veer into complexity, the Christian never ultimately wants to do wrong; our core redeemed heart seeks God's will (2 Corinthians 5:17). Taking a simpler line, if you think you want to dabble in porn, get help. Another believer or a group of Christians can help you rediscover your deepest desire to honor God. Ask him, her or them to point you away from ephemera and toward the One who changed your heart.
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*Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.
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