Proverbs Devotional 8.6.20

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 6

Reflect:

Proverbs 6:27-29

²⁷ Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
²⁸ Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
²⁹ So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.

Can you scoop fire into your lap and your clothes not get burned? No. Can you walk on hot coals without your feet being burned and blistered? No. The answer to both questions is a no-brainer; if you play with fire, you’re going to get burned. In this proverb, the father wants his son to understand and think about these questions before getting to the main point which is this: it is impossible to commit adultery without being unharmed! Period. If you’ve known anyone who’s had an illicit affair, you know how accurate this metaphor is.

But the metaphor of getting burned goes beyond illicit sex. To dabble in sin of any kind is risky behavior. Remember, there will never be a time when it will be right for us to do wrong. We get in trouble when we feed the wrong thoughts, whatever they are. The more we entertain sinful thoughts, the more those thoughts grow. All of a sudden, we believe a lie so much that we’ll do things that leave people scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong. That’s what playing with fire does: it burns you. If you want to keep from getting burned, you’ve got to starve sinful thoughts and feed the right thoughts.

Respond:

If you’re being tempted to enter into adultery, stop! Don’t get burned, repent, and turn to God for forgiveness. For some, it may not be adultery, but a particular sin you’re feeding. Know this: you’re playing with fire and you’re going to get burned. Stop feeding those sinful thoughts, repent, and say yes to God. Start feeding on the righteousness found in Christ Jesus.

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 15:25