There is a multitude of bodies of water covering our planet Earth. I am blessed to live on the Inner Banks of the Albemarle Sound, where most of the water is brackish or fresh, unlike the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean. Here, you may fish with crab pots, lures, or live bait.
There is another type of lure and live bait that hovers on the darker side — the world of prostitution and human trafficking. Human bodies (most often women and children) are used for sexual activity in exchange for money.
1 Corinthians 6:15-17 is clear about prostitution: “Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? So, should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, the two will become one flesh. But anyone joined to the Lord is one Spirit with him.”
What say you about those abducted and forced into heinous sexual acts by their “handlers?” They become enslaved people at their hands. The exploitation of women and children is real and goes back to ancient times. Peter talked in 2 Peter 2:3 about corruption and misrepresentation in his second letter to the church at large: “And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
In Isaiah 61:8, we read, “For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.” When we suffer because of injustice, God is angry, and He will reward those who suffer because of injustice — He will settle all accounts. Earlier, in Isaiah 5:20-21, we read, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight!”
Our standard of living is God’s Holy Word, so if we do not follow it as written, all moral choices will appear fuzzy or gray. We must consider our own actions. Do we make excuses for our behavior? Is there a gray area wherein we break down the distinction between right and wrong? How do we resist temptations?
Again, lean on God’s Word. 1 Corinthians 10:3 states, “No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.”
Wrong desires and temptations happen to everyone, but any lure can be resisted because God will help you fight it. Develop a circle of friends who love God and can offer help when tempted. Recognize those people and situations that tempt you and immediately withdraw from them and that scenario.
Running away may seem like cowardice, but wise people realize that physically removing themselves from temptation can often be the most courageous action.
The Apostle Paul encouraged his young protégé, Timothy, to hold to sound doctrine, reject error, avoid godless chatter, and keep his life pure. “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart,” Paul advised in 2 Timothy 2:22.
Two forces conflict within us — the Holy Spirit and sinful nature. Being filled with the Holy Spirit gives us the courage to push back against temptation, allowing us to do what is pleasing to God. It is wise to utilize God’s supernatural strength by resisting temptations and not merely relying on our own strength.
Galatians 5:16-17 speaks to this: “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”
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