“Now then, my sons, listen to me  And do not depart from (forget) the words of my mouth. 8Let your way [in life] be far from her, And do not go near the door of her house [avoid even being near the places of temptation], 9Or you will give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one, 10And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God]; 11And you will groan when your life is ending, When your flesh and your body are consumed;12And you say, “How I hated instruction and discipline, And my heart despised correction and reproof!”

Proverbs 5:7-12 AMP

Solomon initially warns us of the dangers of sexual sin. His direction is that we should not listen to the charms of any sin! The pleasures of the fleshly lust are very powerful and tempting but how fatal the consequences will be! This section of the Proverb is filled with the unimaginable consequences of rejecting God’s laws. Solomon is writing from real-life experience.

“And I discovered that [of all irrational sins none has been so destructive in beguiling one away from God as immoral women for] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is [composed of] snares and nets, and whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the sinner will be taken captive by her [evil].”

Ecclesiastes 7:26 AMP

Like the adulterous woman, sin is an active force moving in the world today. Many times, we think of sin as the resultant action, but reality is, it is the force driving us to engage in the behavior. Look at what God told Cain when he was confronted about his rejected sacrifice.

“If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.”

Genesis 4:7 AMP

The word “desire” there explains the power and activity of sin. The Hebrew word used means “to dominate or control,” “a strong desire to have to do something.” Jesus warned that our enemy has one desire, lie, kill, and destroy! 

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”

John 10:10 AMP

Oh, that we would always take heed to the Lord’s warnings! Many times I hear the complaint, “Why would God do this…” The reality is, our actions have consequences. When those consequences befall us it isn’t God’s fault, it is ours! Those who are ignorant of Satan’s devices do not understand the goal of all his temptations, to keep you from choosing the path of life, to keep them from going to heaven, to steal the joy that is experienced when we are walking in God’s ways. His goal is to keep you from the pathway of life by clouding your reasoning regarding God’s Word! Solomon tells us to “avoid even being near the places of temptation!” Take time today to see that you are on the pathway of life. Those who want to be kept from harm need stay out of harm’s way!

Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken