But I say, anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.<\/em> \u2014 Matthew 5:28 (NLT)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Lust is the second look.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a truth that changed everything for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lust isn\u2019t just about what you see.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s about what you choose to keep looking at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We live in a world where triggers are everywhere. You will see things\u2014images, people, bodies\u2014that can catch you off guard. And sometimes, it\u2019s not even your fault. You can\u2019t control the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what you can<\/em> control is your response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That moment when you glance again\u2026 dwell a little longer\u2026 zoom in just once more\u2026 that\u2019s where it begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first sin ever recorded in the bible started with that glance. The bible literally says that Eve looked at the fruit, saw it was pleasant to the eye, and saw it as one with the ability to make one wise. Genesis 3:6. Why would one look at a tree and you believe by eating it, you will become wise? You can only begin to perceive thoughts that are not yours, the longer you glance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I used to get triggered a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe I\u2019d be walking and see a woman with a big bum. Or I\u2019d notice someone on a bike and certain parts of her legs would be showing. That was all it took. My body would react. My mind would follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when I truly understood that it was that second look<\/em> that gave lust permission\u2014that\u2019s when my mindset started to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\ud83c\udfa7 Slow Fade<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a line in the song Slow Fade<\/em> by Casting Crowns that says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Oh be careful little eyes what you see, For It\u2019s the second glance that ties you, as darkness pulls the strings.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
That one line hit me hard. It helped me realise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t have to go there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t have to give in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t have to let my eyes be pulled where my heart shouldn\u2019t go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want freedom from lust, don\u2019t take the second look.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, the first glance might catch you. That\u2019s normal. But maturity says, \u201cI know what comes next\u2014and I\u2019m not going there.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udccc Reflect:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
What situations tend to make you take that second look?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Do you recognize the difference between seeing<\/em> and staring<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
What can you do today to practice walking away from a trigger?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\ude4f Let\u2019s pray: Jesus, teach me to recognize lust for what it is not just a feeling, but a choice. Help me stop at the first glance. Give me the strength to walk in freedom and live with clean eyes and a clean heart. Amen.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
But I say, anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. \u2014 Matthew 5:28 (NLT) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-devotional"],"acf":{"choi\u0441e_menu_page":"global_settings","full_width":false,"header_transparent":false,"header_white":false,"menu_type_page":"default","menu_align_page":"default"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4530"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5407,"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4530\/revisions\/5407"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therootcourse.com\/devotional\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}