Adultery of the Mind

One of you has asked about where the line is drawn about adultery in the mind.  On the one hand we don't want to set the bar so high that we are doomed to fail.  On the other hand, we want the bar to be high enough that we become the men that God calls us to be.  To me, it depends on our definition of lust.  Lust is the process of thought in which we imagine having sex with someone and in certain situations.  Temptation is when we see someone or something that is sexually stimulating.  We can't avoid temptations.  They will bombard us on a daily basis.  When can notice that we are tempted by stimuli and allow the temptation to be in our mind without overreacting to it and trying at all costs to get it out.  If, on the other hand, we take the temptation and "run with it" into imagined sex, that is lust and that can be a sobriety violation.  I am, as always, interested in your reactions and experience with this question.  On September 15 I have three new books being released.  One of them is called Taking Every Thought Captive in which I cover this question in great detail.