Guard Your Heart

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23

A PROGRESSION IS always evident in an affair: Verbal leads to visual, and emotional leads to physical. Most affairs can be traced back to conversations that became intimate—flirtation, sharing problems, connecting as friends. These conversations led to viewing that person—often a friend, coworker, or neighbor—sexually. Then the emotions got involved—thinking too much about her or spending too much time with her—which eventually led to the physical act of adultery.

Affairs begin in the mind, not the bedroom, because the heart is the doorway to the mind. That’s why Solomon advises us to guard our hearts, putting a garrison at the door, stopping unwanted and unwelcome visitors before the line is crossed.

Signs that you may be standing at the brink of an emotional affair include feeling that your wife is not meeting your needs; thinking that you can unwind easier with someone else; talking outside your marriage about your problems; rationalizing a friendship with a female coworker, churchgoer, or neighbor; looking forward to being with this person; and wondering what you would do if you didn’t have this relationship.

Beware, back off, and flee from these entanglements. You are teetering on the edge of an affair. When the emotions become engaged, most people are simply looking for an opportune time to take the final and destructive step into sin.

BOTTOM LINE

If you find yourself in an emotional relationship with a woman who is not your wife, you are playing with fire. You need to end this relationship immediately.

Moment of Strength: Proverbs 7:25