As you travel for work and vacation this summer, don't vacation from Christ.
2 Samuel 13:1-22
Now Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David's son, loved her. And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.” Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.” Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon's house and prepare food for him.” So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing. As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her. Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her. He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom's house. When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.
Apprehend Your Thought Life
If you don't discipline your secret thought life, you will eventually find a way to fulfill the sin you've been imagining.
Romans 8:5-11
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
The time will eventually come when some sort of temptation seizes you becoming tormenting to you if you don't control your thought life.
I Peter 4
How do I apprehend my thoughts?
What you watch, listen to, etc., matters. You are feeding your spirit man/woman with the ingredients that will lead to life or death.
Clean eating is all the rage for healthy living today. It's what we need to apply to our walk with God.
Avoid the Counsel of Jonabad
Be careful of your inputs.
Amnon listened to Jonabad because he was deceived. Sin always comes from a place of deception. Eve in the garden sinned when she was deceived by Satan.
Jonabad gave counsel that satisfied the desires of the flesh, not the Spirit of God. You need to surround yourself with people who increase your love for and devotion to Jesus.
Who are those people in your life and how do you regularly connect to make sure that you are perpetually standing strong?
Wherever you travel for work, pleasure or life, find a good Jesus loving, Bible preaching church and make it a priority to gather with the believers for mutual worship, edification and a reminder of focus on the kingdom of God.
Needing rejuvenation after your vacation
There was no work, travel or vacation clause from God's command to honor the Sabbath.
People come back weaker or condemned from such things because they forget about the one who brought them to the dance, living segmented and fragmented lives - being detached from the WAYS of God through which He builds His people and kingdom.
Stay connected to godly inputs as you travel.
Our aim should be to be holy - set apart in all of our deeds and purposes.
1 Peter 1:14-16
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Holiness
It matters not just what you believe but how you think and how you interact with the people/world around you.
This is how you cultivate and demonstrate your love for God.
A Saturday afternoon community group for consultants would be a good way to serve a population that travels during the week.
Playing scenarios out to the fullest extent, you will begin to despise the thing that tempted you.
Sin always disappoints.
"Sin always takes you further than you want to go, makes you stay longer than you want to stay and makes you pay a price higher than you want to pay."
- Ron Lewis
Say "I Ain't Too Proud To Beg"
Ask the King. Your Heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Secondly, talk to your spouse and or godly counsel to find righteous fulfillment of your desires.
Repent and meet Jesus the King at the cross to redeem mistakes that have been made and hurt that has been experienced because of sin. He can forgive, restore and heal as He took our sin on the cross, died for our punishment and was resurrected to write us a new story as we enter into eternal life with Him.
Second City Church: Why Not Sin? Sermon Series 2017