Proverbs 7: Signs At the Crossroads of Temptation
You’d think it would be an easy decision to choose the correct door, right? I mean, dark and stormy versus light and sunny seems like a clear choice even without the warning signs. Read the warnings and story of caution from Solomon to his children in Proverbs 7, then ask yourself whether you would be wiser than the young man lacking judgment in the story. I hope we all would be stronger, but as I read about the way the woman works to deceive him, I can see the abundance of those deceits and lies in our present world. Sadly, the signs are usually more like what the AI had on them before I edited, a bunch of gibberish that’s almost impossible to comprehend. (The guy in the picture has it really easy now that I used my Photo Studio Pro app to give him the right signs. 😁) But we have The Holy Spirit to give us signs now. We’re promised that we will all find Him and know Him if we seek Him with our whole heart.
Jeremiah 31:34 BSB
[34] No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jer.31.34.BSB
Hebrews 8:11 BSB
[11] No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.8.11.BSB
Solomon knows the decision is not easy no matter who you are or how much wisdom you have access to. It’s the wisdom you commit to and hide in your heart that will help the most. So Solomon begs his children to grab the wisdom he’s making available to them and hold on for dear life. He tells them a cautionary tale of a young man who refused to listen to wisdom and walked into a death trap.
It’s an old story, you know. As old as the garden in creation. Temptation snags the one who’s not prepared or paying attention. And usually those things are lacking because of one of three things: The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. Those 3 are the foundational traps that caught Eve at the tree of “the knowledge of good and evil” not paying attention (to the right things) and unprepared. (See Genesis 3:1-6.) Examining the tree for what it might bring her made her forget the warnings from her husband and her God. She saw its beauty, she desired to taste it, and she wanted it to make her wise. And we know how all those desires ended.
But here’s the good thing: the enemy (ha satan) tried the same three temptations on YahShua (Jesus). But even after 40 days of fasting, The Lord was fully aware of the deceit and lies, and He did not give in. Instead, He had an answer for each of the temptations thrown at Him. He kept the victory by using Scripture, and so can we. He was tempted in EVERY WAY we can be tempted and walked away victorious, so we could face the same things and find the strength we need in Him.
For the lust of the flesh, use...
Deuteronomy 8:3 BSB (or Matthew 4:4 or Luke 4:4)
[3] He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/deu.8.3.BSB
For the lust of the eyes, use...
Deuteronomy 6:13 CSB (or Luke 4:8)
[13] Fear the Lord your God, worship him, and take your oaths in his name.
https://bible.com/bible/1713/deu.6.13.CSB
And, for the pride of life, use...
Luke 4:12 BSB (or Deut 6:16)
[12] But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/luk.4.12.BSB
Finally, the Apostle Paul gives us great advice when he tells us the right things on which to focus our minds…
Philippians 4:8 WEBUS
[8] Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
https://bible.com/bible/206/php.4.8.WEBUS
And that’s a good place to end with a video I found with the help of Google’s Gemini AI. I’ve never heard it before, but the a capella harmonies, the lyrics, and the visuals are all beautiful. It’s called The Wayside Cross by C. L. St. John…
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