How to affair-proof your life
Studies show that 20-25% of men and 10-15% of women commit infidelity.
It’s a huge problem. Many spouses, children, friends, and future generations will be disappointed.
Is it “fixable” or just inevitable? Are there solutions that will help to cut that down to almost non-existent?
HERE ARE FIVE THINGS YOU AND I CAN DO TO HELP US PREVENT THE DEVASTATION OF BETRAYING OUR SPOUSE:
1. Establish patterns and disciplines and stay in them.
David was accustomed to going to war in the springtime. One year, he decided to break that pattern, and he ended up with a lot of free time on his hands.
The result? Bathsheba.
Living life in patterns and disciplines keeps your wasted time in check. You are not as prone to experiment because of boredom.
Please set up a schedule for life and stick to it.
2. Control the imaginations of your mind.
On one of David’s boring days, he spotted Bathsheba bathing on a roof. His mind spun out of control, and he could not resist commanding her to come.
The rest is history.
The Internet provides an endless playground for fertile imaginations.
Please turn it off when you feel attracted to things or people you have no relationship with. Control media and keep it from bringing you into a world of fantasy.
3. Learn to say “No” to yourself in small things.
Every day, we face opportunities to indulge ourselves (food, drink, spending, media). Can you say “No” to yourself when you become attached to one of those things?
Saying “No” to something as small as food can help you say “No” to something as dangerous and destructive as infidelity.
Skip a meal or a doughnut now and then, and you will train yourself to deny a more dangerous pleasure.
4. Think about long-term consequences.
David never dreamed Bathsheba would get pregnant.
Satan doesn’t show you the end of the game. He makes an affair seem so tempting and satisfying.
Inside every bait is an unseen hook.
Embarrassment, disappointment, diseases, and a host of other consequences accompany adultery. Satan even has renamed it an “affair” to dress it up.
5. Live your life in the fear of God.
Joseph was tempted numerous times by Potiphar’s wife to commit adultery with her.
Joseph’s response to her advances? “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9)
God sees everything. You may think that an adulterous affair is harmless and unseen. It is not.
God is the Judge of all. One day, we will all stand before His throne to give an account of ourselves.
Remember that.
He loves us and can forgive us. It still will not clear all the consequences we may face.
The fear of God is not being “afraid of God” but reverencing and respecting Him and His commandments.
Let’s stem the tide of infidelity, control ourselves, and leave a pattern of covenant for the next generation.
It’s worth the effort.