Good Morning Gamers!
Thank you for stoppin' by again! Before we jump into Proverbs 5; I have a favor to ask: can you please make a comment if you haven't already? Or click on one of the reaction boxes? Just so I know who is out there and what you think of the blog? Thanks so much!!
OK, into Proverbs 5 we go! NLTse today & my bold print are verses 3-4 & 8
3- For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil
4- But in the end she is bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword
8- Stay away from her! Don't go near the door of her house!
Obviously, this chapter is counsel to young men about the immoral woman. It is great advice and one would do well to take heed. I think we can all agree there, no??
However!
I would like to address an area that I think pertains to us ALL! In the 12/3 and 4 posts, I talked about the sin in our life that we always seem to fall for and forming new habits to gain victory over it. A partial quote from one of my mentors states, "Sin promises freedom and pleasure, and in the end it seeks to enslave and dominate". So, it looks good in the beginning, doesn't it? We get fooled by the "glitter" which is really a smoke screen that hides the inevitable danger...
In those two posts, we also talked about not playing games with sin -- run like Joesph did if we have to, right? Well, verse 8, illustrates that point beautifully!! It says, "Stay away from her! Don't go near the door of her house". Don't go near the door...............? Why didn't he (Solomon) say "DON"T GO INSIDE"?? Because he knows if you get close enough to stand at the door, your ability to resist is GREATLY diminished -- almost impossible! So, why put ourselves in the position?
My mentor also teaches that we like to blame everything on being "tempted by the devil". Well, he also quickly reminded us that Satan is NOT omnipresent like God is. Yes, he has a lot of his minions running around, but they don't know everything either! If they did, "they would not have crucified our Lord (1 Cor. 2:7-8)". Many of the things we fall into are because WE walked right up to the "door"! We were not paying attention to the path that we were on, or got "distracted" and ended up "fallin' for the "okie-doke" again!
So, what's next........? Simply put: Stop putting ourselves in situations where we keep ending up at the door of temptation! Pay attention to our path, then shun, run, turn away, stay away from the "door of temptation"!!
Are you beginning to see how Proverbs is teaching us? By key words and repetition! You teachers and speakers know how powerful those techniques are, don't you?? Also, as you have been reading have you felt God granting that "treasure of wisdom and common sense"? I am feeling it and it affects my entire day!!
Well, GP4L. enjoy your day, make it a productive day as you "Stay away from the Door"!
I have a confession to make.
I've been scared a lot lately. Really scared.
Scared of the weather - tornadoes, thunderstorms, drought, floods,
wildfire...
Hi Coach,
ReplyDeleteFirst, in response to your questions, yes, I definitely feel the positive impact that meditating on proverbs has on me. I love proverbs especially because it reminds me of some basic truths of how things work, especially how people are, basic principles that can guide us for success and keep us paying attention to combat the boobytraps that are plentiful in this world experience.
Second, in regards to toda's proverbs, I appreciate your insights on the door - I also liked how you linked the 2 verses to your "mentor's" quote about sin - the verses definitely reveal the biblical basis.
Third, today when I was reading Proverbs 5, I saw a few things in ways I hadn't before. One - for a while, I've come to believe that the "adulteress" can refer not just to a woman, but in a broader context, like you saw it. But for me, today I see the adulteress as "any one who believes they don't need God's covering and therefore decides to not submit to Him." For instance, in our society, I believe it's often subtily, sometimes blatently, promoted that being an adult means you can take care of yourself - and the reality is that to a degree we can take care of ourselves but we can't do it on our own. We need God - for example - he often has knowledge that we don't know. When reading the end of the chapter "God examines all a man's paths....etc." and the fact that the man is basically victimized by his own folly - to me I take this to mean that God knows already that the paths that he doesn't recommend for us will not be good for us. But when we take on "adultery' we think that it will be ok, like somehow there's an alternative that God didn't consider that will still work out ok even if we don't submit to what he has commanded us to do. Finally, the takeaway for me is summarized in the beginning - pay attention to God and his instructions, and we won't get tricked by the "adulterer". This is in hypothesis form for me right now (and I'm kinda rambling b/c just have a few min right now) but I wonder what your thoughts are.
Overall, enjoying the blog. I live the author, the content, and the appearance. One question, may you make it so that the commments can show underneath your blog? I enjoy reading blogs in general that way (right now I have to click a button to see the comments after reading your entry).
Thank you for sharing and continuing coaching us!
Mack
Hi Mack and thanks for your comment. First, I know what you mean regarding the comment placement and apparently this format does not allow me to do that. I will research to see if there is a way because I like that way better also.
ReplyDeleteRe your question I think it is true that God has paths he would not like us to take. He knows what's best for us!! But, I the cool thing about grace is that even when we make dumb choices, He knows we will "dumb out" and still makes a "way of escape" (1 Cor. 10:13). He does that because he loves us....
Anytime we intentionally take another path, it subtly says that we don't trust what the Holy Spirit is warning us about and we think we know a better way. As you know, we have been taught that this action is actually "idolatry" because we are regarding our thinking above God's...and that is DEEP!!
Thanks for sharing, sir, and keep it up. I love the feedback!!