This is our seventh day of thirty-one days of Proverbs and we are just getting started! (You still have time to go back and catch up reading the first six chapters, or just join in today by reading Chapter 7)

Chapter 7 is a little more difficult–not because it’s hard to understand, but because it is so vividly clear:

1.)  Seduction is real.

2.)  No one is immune.

3.)  There is only one way to avoid it.

While the words of warning may be written by Solomon to his son, these were not just personal notes that we get a glimpse of.  God ordained these words to be read by all of us, so we must consider the reason behind them.

If I wanted to choose what I most want to warn my children of, I think this passage is a reminder that if we are not vigilant,

While this passage directly talks of the seduction of a man by a prowling woman, the end result is the same.

When we allow anything to pull us away from God’s best for us, the consequences are stark:

“Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways; don’t stray onto her paths. For she has brought many down to death; her victims are countless.” Proverbs 7:25-26

You might be seduced by sex–others by the desire for riches or fame or position.  Either way, when we choose to go down a path that leads us away from the Lord, we are in grave danger.  Not just physically, but spiritually.

The Bible says that sin harms our relationship with God, and the consequences? Read Romans 3:23 —

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The remedy?  If you haven’t read Proverbs 7 yet, open your Bible and look at how the chapter begins:

“My son, obey my words, and treasure my commands. Keep my commands and live; protect my teachings as the pupil of your eye. Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”  Proverbs 7:1-3

The greatest protection we have is the Sword of Truth.  Taking ahold of God’s Truth, we must commit to reading it, studying it, and applying it on a daily basis.  When we learn to contain the truths we’ve learned by making them a priority, we are “writing them on our heart”.

You know as well as I do, that we have just enough time to do things that are important to us.  We each get 24 hours in a day and we all choose how we will use those moments.  What we value can clearly be seen in the way we fill our days.  Spending time with my grandchildren shows them that I love them.  I want more than just to hear about the things they are doing, I want to be an active participant in their lives.

God wants the same from you and I.  He desires an intimate, loving relationship with His children.  Getting to know Him doesn’t happen by osmosis.  We must choose to spend time with Him.

Thank you for joining me in this journey through Proverbs.  I’d love to hear how God’s word is speaking to you!

Is scripture memory hard for you?  It is for me, and I have to make a conscious effort to do it.  Sometimes I put sticky notes around or just make myself write the verse out over and over to help me retain it.  One of the newest ways I have found that works for me is to write the first letter of each word in the verse on my wrist, and keep it there until I have it memorized.  How do you write God’s word on your heart?