The Adulteress
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” - James 4:4 (NIV)
Adultery is a term that we have all heard and one that seems to be most commonly used in the context of sex. The very essence of the word, however, means to commit an act that violates a covenant that one has made with another. When I think of the word in that sense, adultery is no longer limited to sex, but applies within the context of spiritual things as well. In other words, it is indeed possible to commit adultery against God as revealed in James 4:4.
During a wedding ceremony, when a man and woman exchange vows and say “I do,” the two enter into covenant with one another. If either individual were to dishonor their vows by being unfaithful, for example, such an act would violate the covenant they both agreed upon.
The same is true when we enter into covenant with God through salvation. When we confess our sins and accept Christ, we not only acknowledge Christ as our Savior having died for our sins and rose from death so that we can have eternal life, we surrender our lives to God and make a commitment to live in accordance to the Word of God. So when we have sex outside of marriage, gossip, judge others, fail to walk in love, allow corrupt language to flow from our mouths, create idols out of things and people — a few things that violate the covenant of a believer — we demonstrate to God that He doesn’t fully have our hearts, but instead we have set our affections on the things of this world.
By no means am I saying that those who become saved are perfect and no longer sin. In fact, as humans we will always fall short in one way or another and deliverance from sin is a process that begins once we give our lives to God. True confession, however, involves a commitment not to continue in sin by the grace and power of God’s Spirit within us.
So often I hear people say, “God knows my heart…He knew I was going to commit the sin before I did it…all I have to do is ask for forgiveness.” This, to me, is an excuse and something someone says to justify and continue his/her behavior. There is truth to the statement, “God knows my heart;” but that also means He knows when we are truly remorseful for our sins or simply taking advantage of His love and grace.
God has also given us free will which means we are in control of our actions and have a choice. When you truly love someone, I strongly believe that you do everything within your power to avoid displeasing or disappointing them. This principle is the same for those who say they love God. Pleasure that keeps us from pleasing God is sinful; therefore, we must refrain from indulging in such things. The truth of the matter is to love God is to obey Him, and we can’t love God and court sin at the same time.
So, who or what has your heart today?
Have you given your heart to a guy who God has confirmed over and over is not His best for you? Or have you made a guy who causes you to compromise your standards/convictions an idol in your life? I know personally how hard it is to walk away from a relationship that your flesh desires; but God revealed to me recently that as His daughters, we can’t give a part of our hearts to a relationship that delights us in the world and still seek Him with a whole heart. We must come to the understanding that devotion to God means giving all or nothing.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Matthew 6:24
To my other sister, is your heart full of hate and bitterness? Are you still holding onto a grudge for something someone did to you months or even years ago? We’ve all faced disappointment at one time or another, and the pain seems unbearable when someone we love disappoints us. But no matter what someone has done to you, God has called us to walk in love and forgiveness. So whether you get an apology or not, ask God to grant you peace, heal your heart, and give you the strength to forgive and move on.
Whatever it is that you have given your heart to — lust, jealousy, dishonesty, greed, etc. — make the decision today to give your heart, your whole heart, back to God. Deuteronomy 6:5 commands us to “love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart, with all [our] soul, and with all [our] strength.” Remember that to love God is to obey God, but in order to love God we must know God and know Him intimately.
In order for us to love God on this level with undistracted devotion, we must seek God by spending time with Him through prayer, worship, and studying His Word. God promises in Jeremiah 29:13 that those who seek Him with all of their heart will find Him. So I encourage you today to make the decision to walk away from anyone or anything that has caused you to be displeasing and unfaithful to God and begin to seek God with a pure and open heart. God loves us and is completely committed to us, so let’s wholeheartedly devote ourselves to loving Him in return.
With love,
Imanne
Meditation Scriptures:
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” - 1 Peter 1:14-16
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” - Revelation 3:15-16
“Set your mind [affections] on things above, not on earthly things.” - Colossians 3:2
“You shall not commit adultery.” - Exodus 20:14
In addition to these scriptures, I encourage you to meditate on the scriptures referenced throughout the post and read 1 John Chapter 3.