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 9
Reflect:
Proverbs 9:17
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!”
Remember back in Proverbs 5 how the young man is warned against adultery. He was challenged to “drink water from his own cistern, running water from his own well.” (see verse 15) In other words, honor your marital covenant—honor your wedding vows! Why? Because this brings life, it’s what God calls good, and this is how you walk the path of wisdom. It’s how you honor God.
Yet here in Proverbs 9:17, we find Lady Folly telling us something completely different. She’s saying the stolen water is sweet, and food eaten in secret is delicious. She wants us to forget about those old, outdated ideas so we can be set free to experience the “real” life. She wants us to experience the rush and excitement of doing things outside of God’s commands. Don’t fall for her enticement!
Remember how the serpent deceived Eve. (see Genesis 3) His words made sense to her and she was convinced that the sweetness of stealing and eating forbidden fruit would somehow survive. We know how that turned out, and it was anything but sweet. It was tragic and led to the fall of all humanity.
“Stolen water” and “food eaten in secret” go much deeper than just sexual sin; they include other evil activities as well. Folly is anything contrary to God’s will. Folly’s banquet invites us, “Deep into the realm of the dead.” (see verse 18) Let that sobering thought sink in. Folly’s invitation may have an appearance of something sweet but, in reality, it leaves us with a mouthful of gravel. (Proverbs 20:17) It’s a perversion of God’s values. Isaiah put it this way, “Look at those people! They say good is bad and bad is good. They think light is dark and dark is light. They think sour is sweet and sweet is sour. They think they are so smart. They think they are very intelligent. (Isaiah 5:20-21 ERV)
As Christians, we can avoid walking in folly by walking in the light of Christ. There’s no darkness in Jesus at all. He is completely pure and righteous. And as a follower of Jesus, that light now dwells inside you. (See 1 John 1)
Respond:
Determine today to walk in God’s light. “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 NLT)
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:
Proverbs 26:27
Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.