Next time you have an itch … don’t scratch it. Really. This is great practice for gaining the discipline to stop a porn addiction or (for us healing women) the addiction to compare ourselves to other women or over-analyze our husband’s heart and motives.
Think about it. When you have an itch, you scratch it. Just like an addiction to porn or comparing, we don’t even think about it when we scratch our itch. It can be subconscious sometimes. We react to the temptation without thought. It’s habitual.
And when you have an itch and don’t scratch it the itch intensifies, doesn’t it? The temptation to scratch is so extreme that it starts to effect your brain. You feel like you need to scratch, but you really don’t. And what’s the best way to make the itch go away?
Stop thinking about it. Focus on something else. As you focus on something else you may still notice the itch, but the more you zero in on another thought, the less intense the itch will be. Eventually, it goes away and you forget you “needed” to scratch something in the first place.
It’s not easy to ignore the itch. It’s not easy to ignore the temptation to lust. And it’s certainly not easy to compare not ourselves to other women after we discover our husband’s have been looking at other women. But think about the Chicken Pox. The more you itch, the uglier you become. The itch spreads, taking over your entire body. Then it’s even more difficult to stop scratching, but it’s possible.
We can overcome our bad habits/thoughts/and temptations by changing focus. When you are tempted to sin (lust or jealousy or doubt) focus on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
When the temptation to lust or think a negative thought arises, think of something else, something lovely. Otherwise these temptations (itches) will take over your body, making you so ugly — like an internal Chicken Pox of the heart.
Remember, ladies … it’s not just men who need to stop scratching. We play a part in this as well. Our negative thought patterns, our hyper-sensitivity, our comparisons and jealousy and insecurity — it’s all negative, it’s all harmful for our hearts and marriages.
The Chicken Pox of the heart can go away. You can do all things through Him. Believe. Hope. And trust that all things are possible. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not as far away as it feels. I promise.
All this talk of itches … I hope your brain has created one right there on your elbow so you can start practicing. 
