I was reading in Matthew 5 this morning. Here are the words of Jesus:

Matthew 5:27-28 (The Message)

“You know the next commandment pretty well, too: ‘Don’t go to bed with another’s spouse.’ But don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt.

I absolutely love how Jesus is always after the heart. Seemingly outward obedience isn’t enough for Jesus. We often miss what He’s really saying here. 

Yes, the act of sin is wrong, but the intent of that sin is also lethal. Christ isn’t condemning natural sexual desire, He’s condemning the deliberate and repeated filling of one’s mind with fantasies that would be evil if acted out. This is why lust is so wrong.

He’s saying that what’s in your heart is much more precious than how you act openly. Anyone can bend themselves to an outward moral code.

Why isn’t outward obedience enough? Why isn’t staying in your own bed enough?

Eventually, whatever you put in your mind will make it’s way into your heart. And whatever is in your heart will become your actionable desire and passion.