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Key Bible Verse: Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Bonus Reading:Matthew 5:27–30

Once he's cast the lure, the expert fisherman allows it to sink to a certain depth, then slowly reels in the line. Satan follows the same technique. He works the temptation. He's in no hurry. He's been doing this for thousands of years. He's become very skilled at the "slow tempt."

The temptation may be eye contact that's a little different from before. Or the joke that has a lustful overtone. Or the lingering business lunch with a member of the opposite sex.

"What would it be like. … ?" The imagination kicks in, and the fish begins to draw closer to the bait—not yet striking at it, but aware of it and moving toward it.

You can't keep Satan from tempting you—from enticing your curiosity or engaging your imagination. But any time a person begins to dwell in his mind on the possibility of sin, he's on his way toward sinning. That's why it's so important to stop temptation at this point. You can say, "I won't think about that. I won't entertain that question. I won't allow my imagination to go in that direction."

Jesus called men to be aware of the lust that causes a man to commit adultery "in his heart."

—Ed Young in Fatal Distractions

My Response: A "slow tempt" that I need to decisively reject is. …

Thought to Apply: The first look does not get us in trouble.

—Billy Graham (evangelist)

Adapted from: Fatal Distractions (Nelson, 2000) by permission.

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Holy God, help me to detect the dangling lures, and discern the consequences of responding to them.

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