The Peril of Sexual Sin

The main difference between sexual sin, such as pornography and fornication, and other types of vices is that it shackles the mind. The alcoholic can remember the taste of fine liquor, its intoxicating aroma, and the euphoria that comes from imbibing, but the memory will not make him drunk. The thief can remember the exhilaration from stealing, the feeling of taking money or objects from someone without their knowing, but the memory will not put ten dollars into his hand. And, the glutton can remember wonderful cuisine and overindulging in eating, but the memory will not spontaneously make him gain weight.

Yet for a person whose mind has been tainted by the sight of images of people engaged in all sorts of debauchery or the personal experiences of promiscuity, all it takes is one errant glance, one hint of perfume, or one glancing touch to flood the mind with those vivid memories and engage in adultery in the heart. While other sins are public and require some physical or verbal action, the theater of thought can provide a most wicked stage that can be viewed independently of anyone in proximity to the sinner being remotely aware of what lust is traipsing its way across the brain. Even a passing moment of engaging in wrongful desire can imprint a fantasy that can be replayed again and again for decades.

Flee sexual sin with all your might. Flee as Joseph did when Potiphar's wife tried accosting him. Flee the chances to see Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop at night. Run with all your strength in the opposite direction as hard and fast as you possibly can so that you may never have an occasion for your mental faculties to be compromised and plague you for the rest of your life.

And if you happen to be one who has the nightmares of your sexual sins cross your thoughts on a daily basis, flee to the Savior. He is the only one who can lighten, blot out, and erase those sensations from your mind. He will free you from your past and save your soul from Hell itself.