Devotional

Christian Devotional – September 6, 2019

September 6, 2019 /

Temptation. It comes in all forms and is often designed to distract us from what we know to be true and right. Read Proverbs 5.

Temptation’s Appeal – Proverbs 5:1-7

My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding; That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it. Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Proverbs 5:1‭-‬7 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.5.1-7.NASB

It looks so pretty and so appealing, but is so disastrous. Temptation wouldn’t be a temptation if it didn’t appeal to us. We nust recognize our areas of weakness and not be pulled in by the false appeals and promises of a temptation.

Temptation’s Consequences – Proverbs 5:8-17

Keep your way far from her And do not go near the door of her house, Or you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one; And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien; And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! “I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors! “I was almost in utter ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation.” Drink water from your own cistern And fresh water from your own well. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone And not for strangers with you.
Proverbs 5:8‭-‬17 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.5.8-17.NASB

There are consequences to disobeying God. In addition to the fact that we have sinned against a Holy God, there are several physical consequences to sin. Solomon lists through these here. We never have sins without consequences. We need to remember that as we are faced with temptation.

Temptation’s Lie – Proverbs 5:18-23

Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. As a loving hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love. For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord , And He watches all his paths. His own iniquities will capture the wicked, And he will be held with the cords of his sin. He will die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.
Proverbs 5:18‭-‬23 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.5.18-23.NASB

The big lie of a temptation? What you have isn’t the best and you deserve something better. As we see the temptation before us, the lie is that it’s better than what we already have and that we deserve some better than we have. Will we find our satisfaction in God and in what he has provided to us?