Steps Of Temptation

I was looking out the windowof my house one dayand saw a simpleminded young manwho lacked common sense.He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman.He was strolling down the path by her house at twilight,as the day was fading,as the dark of night set in.The woman approached him,dressed seductively and sly of heart. . . .He followed her at once,like an ox going to the slaughteror like a trapped stag,awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart.He was like a bird flying into a snare,little knowing it would cost him his life.

Proverbs 7:6-10, 22-23

Oh, the fatal mistake of crossing the street! We are sadly mistaken if we think that we fall into temptation all at once. No, most the time it begins small and subtle. It’s not the first look that trips us up; it’s the lingering look that becomes the longing look. Then there is an action that takes us dangerously near. Before we know it, just like the foolish man described in the proverb, we are become trapped and snared. Whether it’s the chocolate cake on the counter or the R-rated movies on your TV, or the bottle of alcohol in a cupboard, it only takes one moment of weakness for us to “cross the street.” It’s like a magnet; the closer we get, the harder it is to resist.

What’s God’s advice? “Flee . . . youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22, NKJV). Shake the magnetic pull by turning around and walking away.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

One final word to us as mothers and friends: sometimes we allow something questionable in our homes or lives because we feel it will never tempt or trap us. But we must remember that a weak friend or a vulnerable teenager might use our liberty as an excuse to cross a dangerous line they can’t easily resist. I urge you to adopt Paul’s advice in Romans 14:21: “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.” That is truly love and wisdom in action.

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 21:22–23:13; Matthew 24:1-28; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 7:6-23