So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

(1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV).

Perhaps it’s naiveté. We think we’re invincible, like Samson, man of giant strength, who pillowed his great head upon the lap of sin then rose at length not knowing that his strength was gone. Samson was a fool, and like David, “Wearing a linen ephod, the most mysterious of them all, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart” (2 Samuel 6:14-16 NIV), and like David so are we if we believe that we will never fall.

Everyone of us is temptable; everyone has a price. The key is to know how vulnerable we are and always be on the alert. We’re overthrown because we’re unguarded. “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV).

You may ask, “What can we do?” When we ask if we can guard our relationship with Father God. As the proverb says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). There’s a close relationship between human sexuality and human spirituality; the two are eternally linked. As many of us have noticed, sensuality and sanctity are so closely intertwined that our motives in some cases can hardly be separated until the tares are gathered out of the wheat by heavenly wisdom.

Just like the man after God’s own heart, sexual passion is in some inexplicable way a small representation of our more profound, spiritual passion for God. He alone can gratify that desire. So devotion to Christ serves to satisfy our deepest longings and quell, arrest, our other lusts. If our love for Christ, if our love for Jesus is on the decline of intensity, we get restless for something more and our resolve in every area begins to weaken.

We struggle with our minds against romantic and sexual fantasies. A predominant thought determines our inevitable action, as most of us know. What we think in our hearts is what we eventually do. Moral failures aren’t blowouts (hardly anyone plans an adulterous affair), but are rather like a slow leak, the result of a thousand small indulgences the instant consequences of which are never apparent. A small sin thus prepares us for the big one.

Scripture teaches us that a vice is a monster of such a frightful trait found in those actions or character in their demeanor. As to be hated needs to be seen; yet seen too often, familiar with their face, we first endure, then pity, then embrace.

Like King David who would ask, “How can we deal with our erotic thoughts?” The old Adam and Eve nature is much too strong for us! I agree. During this time in his life King David would say that our fantasies are much too strong to not be dependent on. However, like King David learned, erotic thoughts happen, but they can be controlled. As Luther said, “We cannot keep birds from flying over our heads, but we can keep them from nesting in our hair!”

When sexual fantasies intrude into our minds, King David was learning that we have two choices: we can either reinforce them, in which case they will eventually become obsession, or we can sidetrack them into devotion, meditation, and prayer like what we can see in Scripture. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8 NASB).

We men, and can I say women, husband and wife, must learn how to give ourselves to being in a one-spouse marriage! That’s protection for both us and our spouse. “Drink water from your own cistern and fresh water from your own well. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets?” (Proverbs 5:15-16 NASB). Let us take a look at the Amplified version: “Drink water from your own cistern of a pure marriage relationship and fresh running water from your own well. Should your springs, children, be dispersed, as streams of water in the streets?” (Proverbs 5:15-16 AMP).

As the wise Scriptures would say, we should rejoice in the spouse of our youth! Must I say, and as King David would say, to be captivated by their love. “Confine yourself to your own wife. Let your children be yours alone, and not the children of strangers with you. Let your fountain wife be blessed with the rewards of fidelity and rejoice in the wife of your youth. Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe, let her refresh and satisfy you at all times; always be exhilarated and delight in her love” (Proverbs 5:17-19 AMP).

We can work hard at cultivating intimacy in our marriage, maintaining its romance, rekindling its love and passion. Men and women who get in trouble usually do so because they’ve let their marriages drift, permitting them to become dull and unfriendly. If that’s so, and just like King David, we must woo our wives or maybe our husbands again, recapture our first love.

All of us men and women can watch for infatuations. Stay with me: infatuation refers to a strong and often short-lived feelings of passion towards someone or something, with a bent towards obsession or fixation, characterized by an intense emotional attraction. Unchecked desire for close physical proximity or intimacy! It’s not lust but infatuation that causes our fall.

Do we think about one person frequently? Do we look for excuses to be with them? Do we look forward to appointments with that one? What about our apparel, do we dress a certain way for him or her? Like David, most erotic relationships begin with that subtle look or should I say attraction. If we find ourselves drawn to another we must go no further, not lunch nor travel nor time alone.

When required to meet for business we can do so in the company of others. We can guard against intimacy with anyone other than our spouses. The secrets of our hearts, our deepest hurts, are reserved for our mates alone. “Confine yourself to your own wife. Let your children be yours alone, and not the children of strangers with you. Let your fountain wife be blessed with the rewards of fidelity, and rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:17-18 AMP).

The warning is clear: if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall. We are all vulnerable. Samson thought he was invincible. David thought he could handle a glance from the rooftop. Both fell because they believed the lie that they were somehow exempt from temptation’s power.

But there is hope. We can guard our hearts. We can cultivate devotion to Christ that satisfies our deepest longings. We can invest in our marriages. We can be vigilant about infatuation. We can control our thought life. We can refuse to go further when we sense attraction to another.

The key is to know how vulnerable we are and always be on the alert. Moral failures are not blowouts but slow leaks. A thousand small indulgences lead to the big fall. But a thousand small decisions for holiness, for devotion, for fidelity, for guarding our hearts, these lead to standing firm. Not because we are strong in ourselves, but because we have learned our weakness and learned to depend on the One who alone can gratify our deepest desires.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. Take heed. Be vigilant. Guard your heart. Cultivate devotion. Invest in your marriage. Watch for infatuation. Control your thoughts. Go no further when drawn to another. This is not legalism. This is wisdom. This is protection. This is love for Christ and love for our spouses. Take heed lest you fall.