August 7th
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” 1 John 3:14 NIV
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:7-11 NKJV
These verses show how love is the key to our transformation as new creations in Christ. Love is a conscious decision that we make in appreciation for God’s love through us. His love for us was proven by the costly sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. When we refuse to love others as God has loved us, we remain in the death that sin produces.
Sex addiction enslaves us to our own lusts. It cares nothing for other people and looks only to fulfill its own desires (usually at someone else’s expense). Since lust is basically the opposite of love, it makes sense that our love can “grow cold” when we are enslaved to lust. Jesus commented on this condition in Matthew 24:12 concerning the end times, “lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (NKJV).
When our love for others grows cold, we stifle the progress we may have made toward living for God as a new person in Jesus Christ. Jesus died so we could be forgiven for our sins, but also so that we would live for righteousness and not continue in of sin (1 Peter 4:1-2). If we let lust rule our lives, we could miss out on the changed life that Jesus died to make possible for us.
If you feel that you have lost the ability to love through your pursuit of lust, you can reverse the process with God’s help. The place to start is to ask God’s forgiveness for allowing your love to grow cold through your pursuit of sin. Then you can ask him to refill you with his love and to teach you how to love again. For more info about how to live in love, see our Live in Love page.
Questions for further thought:
How does our relationship with God impact our ability to love?
How is lust different from love? (Lust vs. Love)
How do we show love for God? (1 John 5:3)
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me and redeeming me from destruction through the blood of Jesus. I was not worthy of your love, but you lavished on me anyhow…thank you! I confess any shortcoming in loving others that I have allowed in my life: ____ (specify). Please forgive me for letting my love for others grow cold in any way. I invite you to fill me afresh with your love for others. Please teach me your ways, Lord. I am your servant and your child. I praise you and thank you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”