April 15th

Consuming Fires

23For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, 24To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress. 25Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids. 26For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. 27Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? 28Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared? 29So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her shall not be innocent" Proverbs 6:23-29 NKJV 

One of the main reasons the sex industry is so successful is that our sexual passions can easily get out of control when fed with lust.   Solomon, one of the Bible’s experts on sex, likened such lustful passions to fire.  Like a fire that burns out of control, sexual lust will consume every part of our lives if we feed it through looking at pornography and/or other “sexually charged” activities. 

For example, we can apply the above passage to the activity of looking at pornography.  Solomon wrote, “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.”   The faces of porn often feature captivating, inviting eyes.   They entice us to take a peek and tempt us to taste of the forbidden fruit.  Once we start giving in, we discover we’ve been infected with the insatiable appetite for more porn.  The images corrupt our thoughts, leading us to sin over and over through lust.  The memories of what we’ve viewed torment us at the most inopportune times….when we’re trying to worship God, or trying to pray, or when we’re playing with our children.   They make us feel dirty and evil.  They laugh at us seductively, because they know that they own us.   

If we have kindled the uncontrollable fires of lust in our lives, there is hope for recovery.  God makes a type of “holy fire” available to us that can overtake and destroy the relentless fire of lust.  This holy fire is the fire of God, which is a fire of true love, passion and purification.  Moses described it in Deuteronomy 4:24 NIV:  “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”   God is a jealous God, and he is hungry for our attention.  When we give our attention to an idol such as  porn, we make God jealous.  When we give our attention to God, he consumes us with love and a passion for righteousness.  He transforms us into a new person, who finds true happiness and life.   

Questions for further thought:

Prayer:

“Father in heaven, I praise you and thank you for giving me hope.  Thank you for making a way for me to have new life fill my body and soul. Thank you that I can reclaim the areas of my life that have been ravaged by the fires of sin.  I confess that I have allowed sin to dominate the following areas of my life: _________(list).  Please forgive me for that sin and help me extinguish the fires of lust that I have sown to.  I commit myself now to following you.  Please fill me with your holy fire and give me a passion for holiness.  Thank you, Father!  In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.”