“Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman And embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)? 21For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the LORD, And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings]. 22The iniquities done by a wicked man will trap him, And he will be held with the cords of his sin. 23He will die for lack of instruction (discipline), And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.”

Proverbs 20-23 AMP

In Proverbs chapter 5, Solomon warns about the lure of sexual sin but there is another theme running underneath his words! The adulterous woman and her draw and charm are personifications of the draw and charm of sin! Just as in the adulterous woman relationship, sin is always about self! That is one of the greatest lies that sin uses to trap people in an endless loop or pain and suffering.  Peter warning about the false teacher condoning immoral behavior said,

“They promise them liberty, when they themselves are the slaves of depravity–for by whatever anyone is defeated and overcome, to that [person, thing, philosophy, or concept] he is continually enslaved.”

2 Peter 2:19 AMP

Sin presents itself as freedom for the soul when in reality, it is a prison that is impossible to escape. I remember the night I fell on my knees and cried out to God about the drug addiction. Since the 6^th grade, drugs had been my vehicle of escape from the chaos of my world. At 20, I was so far in the trap that I could not get out.  As I sat reading the book of Proverbs, I realized that I was the fool that the book was talking about! It was at that point that I had to make a decision, stay in this mess and die or believe God for release! Verse 23 says, “23He will die for lack of instruction (discipline), And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.” I had been living in the foolishness of deception that the drugs could set me free. I cried out to God and said, “If I stay on this road I am going to die! Your Word said that the blood of Christ applied to the bondage of my sin will set me free. If that is true, please do it because I cannot fight this battle any longer!” That night I cried myself to sleep. In the morning, When I awoke, all the desire to do the drugs was gone! I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was free! The Scripture tells us that,

“Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, everyone who practices sin habitually is a slave of sin. 35Now the slave does not remain in a household forever; the son [of the master] does remain forever. 36So if the Son makes you free, then you are unquestionably free.”

John 8:34-35 AMP

That was more than 40 years ago and I can testify that I am free indeed. That does not mean that there aren’t other areas of my life that God is working on. Sanctification is an ongoing process until the day that we die. The good news is that grace no give us the choice to walk in the light or walk in the darkness. Jesus also told us,

““But when the [d]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor–Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify and bear witness about Me.” 

John 15:26 AMP

God knows that we on our own cannot make it in this place without His help. He has not let us to our own but has provided a companion to help us reach the goal of becoming more like Him! Why not chose today to freely receive of His freedom and grace? Just reach out and ask! He will not disappoint!

Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken