Lustful intent... Adultery in his heart

Lustful intent... Adultery in his heart. Matthew 5:28

Patricia Ann, Originally posted on Saturday, June 13, 2015

I realize that in today's world, both men and women commit acts of adultery, thus betraying their spouse and breaking the marriage bond. Today I am sharing what God says about the lustful heart of men in Matthew 5:28. 
Our Father in Heaven has given us rules to live by. The Scriptures in the Holy Bible are meant for each of us to use every day and to walk upright and righteously in the ways of our Lord.
Jesus tells us, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:28 ESV

I have read this scripture many times and until recently I was unaware of the full meaning that our Lord wants us to know concerning lustfulness and its consequences.
This breaks my heart and it breaks the heart of God.
This pain fills me with compassion for women who are subjected to the lustful lifestyle that their husband brings into the marriage relationship.
A woman knows in her heart when something is wrong in her marriage. She feels the pain of her husband pushing her away. She feels the pain of seeing him lust after other women or accept their advances right in front of her. And she has learned that if she tries to talk about it with her husband, he will become angry or walk away, dismissing her as being over-reactive or just wrong.
However, a woman knows in her heart when her husband is cheating. The Bible tells us that "...every man who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:28 ESV 
Even if his lustful acts have not yet led to a physical act of betrayal with another woman, it affects the heart of his wife just as if it was a physical act of betrayal.

Our Father in Heaven has written specific rules for men to love their wives.
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." Ephesians 5:25 ESV
"In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves

himself." Ephesians 5:28 ESV
"Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them." Colossians 3:19 ESV
If only these men would stop spending time lusting after other women, and instead take that time and spend it on loving their wives in the ways of our Lord, we would see happy marriages instead of broken ones.
Marriage "partners" are happy in marriage.  As "one flesh," they are members one of another, "bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh." Because of this intimate relationship... "so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies" (Eph. 5:28).
 
My prayer for today is peace for all of God's children who are living through marriages subjected to the sins of a lustful heart.  I pray for healing of hearts and marriages and for forgiveness of sins. In Jesus precious name, Amen