“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT)
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite that is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. People often experience flu-like symptoms and, if left untreated, they can develop severe complications and die. Satan has a similar strategy when it comes to sin. He “inoculates” us with the Truth of the Gospel, but not enough to really change our life.
We tend to believe that if we know something we’re good, but that’s not the truth of the Gospel. James 2:19 reminds us: “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”
Of course, good deeds don’t save us, but neither does faith alone. Saving faith is belief WITH good works. Yes, of course, faith is the foundation upon which our works are built, but faith without evidence that faith exists is of no value. We are saved by grace, the free, unmerited favor of God, through faith, which, of course, is itself a gift of God, as Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9 “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this, it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
We sometimes wrongly believe once we give expression to a belief we hold, our sins are forgiven and we’re good to go, but that’s not how it works. Yes, of course, that’s how it begins, but the same faith that affords us salvation must fuel our journey to sanctification, which essentially means our life in the Spirit.
The Spirit supplies the resource of strength to put our faith into action as we seek moment by moment to not only “rest” in our salvation, but allow it to be activated by the good works the Lord prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). If we’re not actively living out our faith, we’re very likely allowing it to lie dormant, which is not unlike allowing ourselves to have Malaria, but ignoring it.
We lie to ourselves about things the Bible teaches are clearly wrong. We say things like: “What harm is a text to thank her for our conversation today? She’s so thoughtful and caring and attentive to me.” or “My male co-worker will really like this picture of me in my new outfit. He’s so complimentary of how I dress.”
Are we really that stupid? (Don’t answer that, it’s too embarrassing). Yes, of course, we treat our co-workers, friends, neighbors, virtually everyone with kindness, but we cross lines when we carry our kindness too far in male-female relationships when we’re married and they’re not our spouse.
Emotional affairs can be swift and fatal to our marriage in a similar way as Malaria can kill our body. Janel Breitenstein gives us an insightful instruction when she writes: “Keep yourself from rationalizing the danger of opening your heart to someone who isn’t your spouse.” In much the same way as if you’re bitten by an infected mosquito, you run the risk of Malaria, if your heart is smitten by an emotional affair, please seek treatment!
Silence isn’t golden when you’re flirting (literally) with the demise of your marriage. You must tell someone (i.e. a Pastor, Counselor, close Christian friend, etc. – unless, of course, one of those is the one with whom you’re having the affair ☹). The best course is to tell your spouse, then seek help together. It will be scary and may risk your marriage, but truth is, your marriage is already at risk. You need help and you need help NOW!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 