Avoid Emotional Affairs: Have You Crossed the Line

“What exactly constitutes cheating?”

That’s the question my longtime married friend asked me over dinner after I told her she had entered a relationship danger zone. “You’re so uptight,” she said, adding, “I didn’t do anything with him.”

I shook my head and told her honestly. “You’re thinking about it, which means it’s only a matter of time before you act on it.”

I knew she didn’t want to hear that, but I know what Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-28 is true:  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. 'But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Regrettably, that scripture was fulfilled in my own life with a terrible outcome.

Back in July, I shared how I ended up doing what I never thought I would—committing adultery—after an emotional affair with another man turned physical. You can read that article here.

But even with my experience, my dear friend told me, “Teresa, I’m not you! Girl, I have way more control and strength than that.” Then she said, “Just because you fell doesn’t mean I will.”

My response was simple. “I know you’re not me, but the same principles apply to us all. If you play with fire, you’ll get burned.”

That was four years ago.

Click to read more ...