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Key Bible Verse: In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:18, The message) Dig Deeper: 1 Corinthians 6:13-20

Sex affects us spiritually. Many yearnings of the human soul are ultimately spiritual. When answers to our spiritual longings are not found in the course of our day-to-day lives, we may find ourselves seeking answers in all the wrong places. Sex involves becoming "one flesh," a unique expression of solidarity and connectedness, as we use our bodies to act out our deep longing for connection, meaning, and intimacy. We express with our bodies what is going on in our spirits. M. Scott Peck writes that those lost in a compulsive pursuit of sex are in fact looking for spirituality. Malcolm Muggeridge describes sex as the mysticism of the materialist. G. K. Chesterton said that "every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is actually looking for God."

While all sin is more than a merely physical act, since it affects us spiritually, sexual sin is unique because of the spiritual union that occurs. Without the commitment of marriage, it can tear away pieces of ourselves that are essential to our well-being. It's like ripping a pocket from a shirt—the damage is greater than we intended or anticipated. The injury and pain that occur leave us with an inescapable sense of guilt, remorse, and shame.

—Philip Carlson in Love Written in Stone

My Response: Am I experiencing guilt, remorse, or shame from past sexual sin? If so, I will seek healing from God.

Thought to Apply: Satan gives Adam an apple, and takes away Paradise. Therefore in all temptations let us consider not what he offers, but what we shall lose.—Richard Sibbes (British Puritan theologian)

Adapted from Love Written in Stone (Bethany House, 2011) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.

Copyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Father, give me a healthy understanding of my sexuality and help me to submit my sexual desires to your holy and wise will.

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