Proverbs Devotional 3.5.20

I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:

Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you.  It is yours.  I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there.  Speak to me during these moments.  I commit them and myself to you.”

 II. Prayer of Confession:

“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you.  I confess my sin(s) of ______________.  Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)

III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________.  Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”

IV. Scripture Reflection

Read: Proverbs Chapter 5

Reflect:

Proverbs 5:3-5

3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave. 

Have you ever been on a diet before? Ha! If you’re like most people, you probably have. I remember once starting a diet and on the very first day, as I walked into work, there sat a full box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Looking at all that sugar made my mouth begin to salivate, I wanted a doughnut—now! I can even remember taking a deep breath and exhaling as I tried to get my composure. Maybe you’ve had the same kind of experience before. When I read the words, “drip honey.” I immediately got the point Solomon was trying to drive home. There will be times when temptation looks to us like drops of honey!  Especially in the realm of sex.

Adultery is sex between a married person and a person who is not their spouse. It’s immoral. Here the warning is about the adulterous woman, but it can just as easily be an adulterous man. The point is, both are susceptible to lips that “drip honey.” It’s not the beauty of the adulterous woman that is mentioned, instead it is her words that Solomon warns us about. The words are sweet and tantalizing! Notice he doesn’t say, “Son, watch out for her kisses.” No. He says it’s her words that will draw you into a trap. Her words pose the greatest danger!

Flattery on the lips of the adulteress can cause us to give our hearts to someone else, and once given, it’s easy to move into a sexual encounter. This is why Solomon is warning his son to be on guard! 

I have heard couples say, “I don’t know how we ended up here, it just happened.” The truth is it never just happens! It starts with letting our guard down. We start spending time together, sharing things you have no business sharing with them. Their responses drip with honey. Your emotions get revved up. Soon you begin to see this person as one who really gets you, they understand you, their words taste good and soon they capture your heart. The next thing you know, you’re thinking about them all the time, you can’t get them off your mind, you can’t wait till you see them again.

Oh that you would wake up and be snapped out of your trance! Move away from the trap! The grass is not greener on the other side. Adultery is poison to your soul. What actually comes out of encounter with the adulteress is bitterness and death to a life of peace and harmony. It will cut you like a two-edged sword. The sword cuts in all directions; it is intended to inflict massive damage. It only leads to ruin.

Respond:

Physical infidelity always begins with mental infidelity. Guard your mind! Choose today who you will live for. Take your thoughts captive, don’t allow the enemy to have a stronghold, make your thoughts obedient to Christ! (2 Cor 10:5) 

V. Prayer for others:

Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others. 

VI. Prayer of commitment:

“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself.  Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.”  (Luke 10:27)

This Week’s Scripture Memory: