The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the LORD will fall into it. Proverbs 22:14

Here is a take in Proverbs that turns conventional wisdom on its ear.  It has to do with the adulteress - and with the man who seems to be having all the so-called success with the ladies.  Whereas the world wants us to think that this ladies man has it made - the Word of God here in Proverbs has a much different take on his status. 

The adulteress, as we've learned in previous verses (5:3 and 7:5) catches men with her mouth.  Her enticing words draws them in - and prevents them from seeing that they are not stepping into pure pleasure - but rather a trap.  Here, in keeping with the previous warnings, is another statement that her mouth is a deep pit.  Such pits where used for capturing animals and killing or making them slaves of the one who caught them.  These pits were usually covered with camouflage to make their presence unknown until the animal stepped into them.  By that time it was too late - they were either caught or dead.  The same is true of the adulteress.  She will hide her real intent with compliments and appeals to the ego of the fool she is trying to catch.  He, being a fool, does not see the danger in another man's wife giving him praise.  In the end, he falls for the deception and later falls into the trap.  This is not new to us - but the fact that now for at least the third time a warning is given about this should make us very cautious when a woman other than our wife begins giving us compliments and starts stroking our ego.

What I find shocking about this passage is the second statement made here.  "He who is cursed of Jehovah will fall there."  The reason that this is shocking is because we are told that one of the ways we can know that God has cursed someone - is that they are involved in sexual immorality - and even more so - that they are so involved in an adulterous affair.  The world shows us the quintisential ladies man - and then says to us that this man is blessed.  He has the ladies lining up for him.  We are told that he can have any woman he wants - and that this is a sign of being blessed.  The truth is much different - as it always is when it comes to the lies of the world and of Satan.  Contrary to this worldly view - the man who is involved in sexual immorality with someone else's wife - is cursed of God.  This is one of the ways that God brings His curse upon men.  He allows them to enter into such foolish sexual sin. 

Think about this for a moment.  Since this is true - then we should consider the sexual studs of the world - stupid.  We should look at the playboys that are held up for honor and respect - men who are worthy only of shame and disgrace.  We should see men like High Hefner not as models for us - but as morons.  This are not men of honor - but examples of horror!  The man who falls into sexual immorality is CURSED OF GOD!  Wow!  There is a turn of things for all of humanity.  The wise man does not follow the world in its estimation of who is to be counted as worthy and who is worthless.  These things are ultimately decided by God - Who has given us His estimation of things in His Word.  If therefore the Word tells us those whom the world calls blessed are cursed - know that they are cursed indeed.  Therefore the best thing we can do is reject the worldly ideas of manhood and a life worth living, and give ourselves to how our God views this world.  

To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Proverbs 6:24

Why do we need additional light by which to see in life?  Why is it that we need to be reproved and disciplined so that we choose life?  The answer to these questions and to the reason the Bible spends so much time warning us about sin, is found in the worldview of the Bible when it comes to the basic nature of man.  The Bible teaches that man is fallen and sinful.  Our basic nature is to turn from God and His ways.  If left to ourselves, we will NOT choose life.  If left to ourselves, we will by the very evil in our nature, go in a direction that is contrary to God's way.  That is why we need the light of God's Word to light our way.  That is why we need reproofs and corrections to move us into the path of God's commandments.

Here, after making that clear, the writer of Proverbs then reminds us that one of the ways that we will choose to our detriment, is the way of the evil woman.  The word evil here is the Hebrew "ra" which means an active, pernicious evil.  This is an evil that cannot rest unless it is acting out evil - and encouraging others to do the same.  The woman who is abandoning her vows to her husband - and encouraging other men to do the same - is an evil woman.  But unless you are wise, you will not detect her as such.  The father who is speaking here warns his son to turn to wisdom and the commandments and reproofs of God, so that he will not be led astray by the smooth tongue of this adulteress.  Her smooth tongue is her weapon of choice.  She uses it to flatter a man and use his natural tendency toward pride and a bloated ego as a trap.  That is why we are warned against her smooth, flattering tongue.  And it is also why we need God's commandments to direct us where our egos and our sinful nature will not.  Finally, it is why we also need the Word of God to rebuke and reprove us when we begin to make unwise decisions concerning sexuality and the kind of company we keep with the opposite sex.

And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; Proverbs 5:11

Here we find our old friend, the word "acharith," used in connection with the latter stages of sexual sin - and the diseases that area associated with it.  It is truly amazing that the Bible speaks of the latter end of sexual sin in these terms.  Long before the medical community could even test for these things - and all knowing and loving God warned us against lifestyles that would consume our flesh and our body.  What is truly sad is that men and women simply ignore such warnings generation after generation.  The result is that sexually transmitted diseases continue to run rampant in society with the same disastrous consequences to men.

We are warned that if we engage in sexual immorality we will 'growl' at our latter end.  The word used here speaks of a deep gutteral groan -a despairing sound that comes because someone has discovered too late that their sexual choices have come to destroy them.  This groaning happens also because their glesh and body are consumed.  The world mocks the church and the Word of God when we walk about such things.  I remember when a Christian teacher said that AIDS was a judgment of God upon homosexuality.  He was torn to shreds by the media - and honestly - by too many Christians as well.  In a way, I too, think he should not have said this.  What he should have said was that AIDS, syphillis, gonnorhea, clamydia, and some 30+ other sexually transmitted diseases are the consequences of sexual immorality, whether heterosexual or homosexual.  These are God's judgments on godless sexual choices.  He promises them not just in Romans chapter 1, but also here in Proverbs 5 and elsewhere in Scripture.  These consequences are inescapable if we choose to walk in rebellion to God in the area of our sexuality. 

I took some time before I wrote this post to go to various websites that gave information on the latter stages of STD's.  This is what STD's will do to us over time - they destroy our bodies.  Let me take a couple of moments to give you some examples of what happen when STD's reach their latter stages.  AIDS does its damage by attacking our immune system - making us weak and unable to fight disease.  It's final stages make us prone to having numerous different cancers, pneumonia, skin diseases, as well as other diseases that attack various organs in our body.  Syphillis in its final stages causes paralysis, numbness in our bodies, blindness, as well as involuntary muscle movements that we cannot control.  Worst of all is insanity which comes as our brains are systematically attacked by the disease.  Just looking at these two consequential diseases that attend sexual immorality should help us to see that God was very serious when He warned that this type of rebellion will cost us our health.  Oh that we would learn from these things, from these warnings concerning the medical consequences of walking contrary to God's ways when it comes to our sexuality.

For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. Proverbs 2:18-19

Where does sexual immorality get you in the end?  We all realize that it promises pleasure in the short term - but where do we wind up when the pleasure subsides and a life course reaches its end?  That is what today's proverb tells us.  It informs us of this through the destination of the harlot - the "strange woman" - the adulteress.

First, we learn of her "house."  This speaks of the place where someone dwells.  The word was used to indicate the building in which a family or household lives.  Here, though, it speaks metaphorically of where she will take you - as she encourages you to enter into adultery with her.  Her house sinks down to death.  There is no solid ground upon which to stand - or upon which to found a house with this woman.  How could there be - she is trashing her marital vows - ignoring God's Word - and striking out into her own desires for sex and for unbiblical companionship.  Her house will collapse - and sink like one built on sand.  Christ spoke of this in Matthew 7:24-27.  A person whose life is not built upon obedience to Christ's Word - is a life built upon sand.  The adulteress may promise passion and pleasure for a night - but when the storm of the adultery is known - the house will collapse because it was built on the sand foundation of sexual desires. 

Her house sinks like sand - down to death.  Her tracks or steps also lead to the dead.  Her house here is sinking toward being dead.  The term death here refers to more than just physical death.  When this term is used figuratively it expresses the idea of ruin and destruction.  It is most often contrasted with the opposite ideas of life, prosperity, and happiness.  Can you imagine walking into a buildling - a home - where you are guaranteed that any desires for life, prosperity, and happiness are going to be dashed upon the rocks of your own strong sexual urges.  What the father is trying to get the son to see here is that embracing God's Word will instruct him and help deliver him from such things - and from such women.

He is also telling his son that to follow her steps toward the bedroom - is to follow in a path that leads to the spirits of the dead.  I am not a fan of horror movies - but I can imagine a scene where seduction is taking place - and a man chooses to follow an adulteress into the bedroom.  But what I see as a result of the Scriptures is not a hot and heavy sex scene - but a transformation of those steps from following a sultry seductress to following an evil spirit.  Each step renders the former beauty that was leading me to the bed of adultery into a hideous, horrific creature that would make any horror film antagonist look like little bo peep in comparison.  That is the picture that is being painted for us.  But there is more in the next verse.

As this fool follows the adulteress into her bedroom - the door behind them begins to shut.  Movie producers would have us to believe the shutting of that door closes the two of them in a room of ecstacy and a night of sexual pleasure that the two of them will never forget.  That is not the picture that the Word of God wants us to see though.

As the door closes - it is not with a gentle click of the doorknob hitting the plate.  What we hear is a slamming sound - and the sound we hear reverberates throughout all of eternity.  We read in the proverb that none who go to her return again, nor to they reach the paths of life.  What we need to hear is not a gentle door closing - but a snapping of a trap which ends with the crushing sound of our spiritual life being snuffed out.  If we go this way - we are closing ourselves into a prison cell - into a torture chamber.  We are locking ourselves into a sin the likes of which we may never escape.  This is not a pleasure palace.  It is a poisoned pit that will captivate us forever.  The poison is released when the flesh has secured our devotion to sexual immorality.  We become addicted to the high of sexual release - especially the kind of release that involves secret, unlawful, hidden, wicked actions.  That kind of high has enslaved men and women since the entrance of sin into this world. 

I realize in reading this some will accuse me of resorting to extremes to prove a point.  But consider the lengths the movie and television industry goes to in order to supposedly entertain us.  They are capturing us with pictures - with scenes that they want to etch into our minds.  The vast majority of the time these pictures and scenes are promoting the very things that the Scriptures warn against.  Yet we do not accuse them of something elicit.  God understood the power of pictures long before the idea of cinema ever entered the mind of man.  That is why His Word is filled with some of the most expressive language ever written.  That is why He uses word picture after word picture to warn us of the pitfalls and dangers of sin.  Rather than discourage a child from seeing the ones God gives us - maybe as fathers we should paint them in the most vivid colors imaginable for our sons and daughters.  I know that if we do we will find ourselves in the company of some very wise and godly men who knew how to use them for the glory of God and the protection of their children - rather than for a gold statue handed out at an awards show.  Remember dads, the only awards show that matters is the one at the end of the age - where the ONLY presenter will be God Himself. 

And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; Proerbs 5:11 

The latter end of our days.  The consequences of our actions not after a few moments - but a week later, a month later, a year later, a lifetime later.  This is what verse 11 of our proverb today is calling out to us today.  It is a challenge to think beyond the moment when we make choices.  It is a challenge to think longer in to our future and consider where our choices are going to take us.   

This chapter of Proverbs deals primarily with the adulterous woman and what she will do to the poor schlub who decides to engage in sexual immorality with her.  So far this proverb has told us of some very harsh consequences that will come to the one who does this.  We've seen so far that we will give our vigor to others (11), we will give our years to the cruel one which is a reference to the devil (11), the divorce that will likely come will end up having us send our goods to the house of someone else (12), and we will watch strangers be given the money we've earned with our strength (12).  These are pretty difficult things to handle - but now we see that the latter end of our lives will be bad.  The term "final end" is only one word in the Hebrew.  It is the word "acharith" which means to the end of the matter.  It has to do with having the wisdom to see what the final end of something is going to be.  According to today's proverb, our latter end - our acharith will be that we will groan as our flesh and body are consumed.  Let's take a look at what that may mean for us.

The rabbis speak about this passage and beleive it speaks to a problem with disease.  When you engage in sexual immorality it opens you up to the world of STD's that run rampant among the sexually active crowd.  I just took a few minutes to peruse the CDC website on sexually transmitted diseases and it was frightening to consider how many in our society are infected already.  What is even more frightening is that these are statistics from those who report that they have STD's.  Some experts believe that these numbers would at least triple or quadruple if we knew everyone who is truly infected.  Most of these diseases do not have an immediate effect on someone, but just about every one of them have devastating long-term problems that come with being infected.  This is what we would expect when we read what God has to say about sexual immorality here in Proverbs.  It is at the latter end of your days that you find your flesh and body consumed by the consequences of your actions.  It is a sad reality though that when these things begin to strike, we will groan because of them.  The groan mentioned here refers to a groan or a growl - even a roar could be the meaning.  What is being communicated to us is that the pain involved here is pretty excruciating.  If you've ever seen or heard of how someone dies of AIDS or syphilis, it is not pretty.  But this is what awaits those who indulge in sexual immorality very often. 

Wisdom is this - God's way in sexuality.  He desires for us to reserve ourselves for our husband or wife.  He desires abstinence in singleness and faithfulness in marriage.  If our society were to adopt these practices we would watch STD's plummet in number - and eventually be gone from our world.  But the truth is that fallen men and women engage in sexual immorality.  The result therefore is that we have a world that is unfortunately running wild in a very dangerous area - and that the infection rates will continue to rise.  May God give us wisdom to avoid being one of the statistics and hold fast to God's way.  May we also be wise as fathers in instructing our children - especially our sons as to the true dangers that are out there for the sexually immoral one. 

That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; Proverbs 2:17

Many folk may not realize this, but it is a very healthy thing for your marriage to spend time in the Word each day reading it and listening to God through it.  It is this very Word that counsels us in a way that will deliver us from a woman or man who would forget their marriage covenant - and leave their spouse.

Today's proverb of the day takes us back to a promise that was made in verse 11.  As we get into the Word of God and learn wisdom from it, we will find that the discretion it gives us will guard and watch over us.  After telling us how it will guard us from the way or evil and the man who would speak perverse things to us (by perverse it is speaking of one who would pervert God's ways and replace them with his own, the worlds, or the devil's ways) it then turns to the adulteress and the strange woman. 

We are told that the adulteress leaves the companion of her youth.  The idea here is not that she leaves a boyfriend - but that she is leaving her husband.  If that is not clear in the first part of the verse, it becomes very clear when we are told that she "forgets the covenant of her God."  Some might argue that this refers to God's Law - more than any kind of marriage covenant.  I would agree whole-heartedly on this point of Scripture, but I would also add that God's covenant is what teaches us to honor marriage and remain committed to our spouse. 

As a pastor I find it kind of funny that some people think that the traditional marriage ceremony is out of Scripture.  It is often treated as if it is just as authoritative as Scripture.  With no desire to lay waste to the ceremony itself, I have to state that the ceremony is not in the Bible.  Having said that, I do believe that the principles behind it are absolutely supported by the Word of God - but the word for word ceremony is not.  The only thing we have close to a ceremony for marriage is the words God inspired in Adam and God's commentary on it afterward in Genesis 2:23-25 when He brought Adam and Eve together.

Some, seizing upon this, assert that there is no need for marriage or any kind of marriage ceremony.  Whether or not this is true (the ceremony part), there is one thing that I can absolutely assure you of that is Scriptural.  Mmarriage between a man and woman - is called a covenant twice in the Scriptures.  Here in Proverbs chatper 2 we see that the adulteress leaves her husband and disregards the covenant made with her God.  Again in Malachi 2:14 we see that marriage is considered a covenant with God.  Therefore, whether you have a ceremony like the traditional one or not - you are not married until you enter into a covenant with God - and God takes covenants very seriously. 

That is why we are warned to be delivered from such a woman.  It is wisdom to know to stay away from an adulteress woman who forgets a covenant with God to love her husband exclusively (and just so there is no doubt - we should stay away from an adulterer or whoremonger too for the same reasons.)  Wisdom honors covenants and appreciates those who remain true to their word - whether given in a covenant or not.  Jesus makes that clear when He tells us to let our yes be yes and our no be no.  One who disregards their word when their sensual desires rise up within them is not a wise companion.  When this is the case with someone of the opposite sex - it turns out to be more than just unwise - it is deadly!

The Word of God will counsel and admonish us to walk in a way that will honor our word - and especially honor God's Word.  That is why it is so important for your marriage that you get into the Word every day and make sure that the Word gets into you.  

Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; And for an adulterous woman hold him in pledge. Proverbs 27:13

There are just plain dumb decisions that are made in life.  At times when we make these stupid decisions, God in His mercy will deliver us from the consequences.  If this happens, do not think God approves your actions - He is just showing amazing mercy to you in the midst of them.  But there are some decisions God decides to allow us to face - with the full measure of the consequences being given to us.  This proverb tells us about two of them. 

The first has to do with a man acting foolish financially.  When someone becomes surety for a stranger, that is a very foolish thing to do.  This proverb tells us to even take a man's garment when this happens.  Just as a reminder, surety is when we co-sign a loan - or guarantee another person's debt.  If they default on the loan - we are on the hook for what they owe.  The reason this is so foolish here is because someone is doing this for a stranger.  He doesn't know the man - and is not related to him.  He is just guaranteeing a loan for someone he does not know.  He does not have a clue as to his character or his integrity - he just lays down his money to guarantee this man's borrowing.  Surety is discouraged for anyone - but this should be a no-brainer when it comes to a stranger.  With a family member of friend, we at least have a sense of their character and whether they will be likely to repay the loan.  But a stranger - we know nothing about him.  Thus, Solomon tells us to take this man's clothes when the loan defaults.  This is something that hopefully will teach him a lesson about guaranteeing the loans of others - especially those he does not even know.

The second scenario is when a man hires a prostitute for sex - and offers her a pledge as payment.  Adultery is a very foolish sin - but to offer someone our name as pledge is really foolish to another level.  Amazing as it may seem, this is what Judah did when he hired his daughter-in-law Tamar as a prostitute.  Tamar was not being a harlot.  She was simply desiring that Judah's family line fulfill their duty in raising up sons for the deceased.  When Judah did not have the money in hand to pay her - she asked for his seal and his cords.  These were things by which a man could be known if they were seen.  This was not wise for him - but it gave her the proof she needed when her adulterous father-in-law wanted to have her stoned for playing the harlot.  When Judah saw his own seal and cords, he was humiliated and withdrew his call for her death. 

No one wants to be humiliated by their sin.  But there are times when it is a far better thing to be humiliated and learn than to escape humiliation and continue in sin.  God is amazing how He delivers us from sin and from the world around us.  May God give us grace to embrace that deliverance - and truly be wise.

"For my husband is not at home, He has gone on a long journey; He has taken a bag of money with him, At the full moon he will come home." Proverbs 7:19-20

Once the adulteress has caught the fool in the trap of his own ungodly sexual desires - she then informs him of his soon-to-be-committed adultery.  At this point, the man is so entrapped, that he is no longer considering sin - but the ability to not get caught. 

She says to him that her husband is not at home - but is gone on a long journey.  Evidently her marriage means nothing to her.  Long gone are the words of her covenant to God - or any real love for her husband.  Instead she is interested in her next sexual escapade or conquest.  Her words betray her husband - and also betray that she cares nothing for her own spiritual condition, or that of her sexual prey.  Her focus is on neither of them getting caught - in this world.  In verse 19 she even knows the approximate time he is coming home.  Therefore she can sin unfettered until that time.  She even uses her treachery to lure the fool in closer.  She is utterly blind to the fact that God sees all this - and they are caught - NOW!

Think for a moment of David.  He thought no one saw him lusting for Bathsheba on his rooftop.  He thought that only a few knew of her coming to his chambers - and none of them actually knew if they committed adultery.  Then, when she became pregnant, he thought that no one knew of his treachery of bringing Uriah from the midst of a battle to cover his tracks.  When that did not work, he thought only a few knew of his plan to kill Uriah - and try to legitimize his adultery by marrying his widow after murdering him with an enemy army.  But the fact was David was caught the moment he sinned in his heart.  It was along the way that more people knew - and if you understand the nature of gossip - far more knew than he thought.

Covering our sin does not work.  David said after his sin that he who covers his sins will not prosper.  He spoke of how he suffered when he hid his sin - how the work of the Holy Spirit convicting him and sapping his very strength as he tried to keep things hidden was strong.  Sin will try to deceive us of its very existance in our lives.  It will tell us that we have NOT sinned.  It will tell us that we are FINE.  But all along the way are lies.  The wise man is the one who knows that trying to hide sin is the most foolish act in which a person can engage.  God is omniscient and sovereign - that is absolute fact.  This means that there is nothing we can hide from Him - even for a second.  It also means that all our attempts to maintain our sin are superceded by His sovereignty.  Man may plan his steps - but God ordains his way.  While that does not mean that God makes us sin - it does mean that His discipline WILL prevail when we do - no matter what we think we are doing to stop it.

"Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses. Proverbs 7:18

As we continue our look at overcoming sexual temptation, we come to the direct statement of the harlot.  We need to look at this statement to see the deception and the encouragement of sin in it. 

She makes the fool an offer of sex - but the way she states it is having his fill of love until the morning.  The word she uses for love here is the one that is usually used in the Hebrew for "lover."  But what she offers is not love in the truest sense.  She offers a fullness of love - at least until the morning.  She offers fullness of love - at least until her husband gets home - or she finds someone else to be her sexual dupe.  But all the fool hears is that he has a lover for the evening. 

That is the problem with sexual temptation - it offers an immediate pleasure - but says nothing of the long-term cost.  Sexual tempation (and actually any temptation for that matter) always focuses on immediate gratification.  Our flesh wants immediate gratification - and calls out for it every day we live.  But immediate gratification may leave a wake of incredible destruction.  Therefore, the more we allow oursevles to be deceived into thinking there are no consequences for our actions - the more likely we are going to fall for the lies being fed to us. 

The adulteress says that a night of wonderful love-making awaits us.  But let's be perfectly honest about this.  That promise is for about 10 to 15 minutes.  Drinking our fill of love until morning is a euphamism for little more than 30 minutes of our time.  The destruction had in that brief period of time - lasts far longer - and I would submit the pain involved is far worse than the intensity of the pleasure promised.  I've walked with people through divorce proceedings that last months.  I've walked with men who made this fatal mistake - and even years later they were still paying a price when their wives struggled with trusting them when they were late from work.  But sin never talks to us in these terms - sin only speaks of the "now" moment of pleasure.  Wisdom considers the moments after - the days after - the months and years after.

Delighting oursevles with caresses is another call to live for our flesh, and the adulteress uses it craftily.  The word "delight" here is interesting.  It means to rejoice in something - finding pleasure in it - and delighting in pleasure by expressing that pleasure above all other things.  What is interesting about this word is that the Bible uses it of the pleasure that is found in the sexual relationship in marriage.  God actually blesses this delight in pleasure - but He does so with the boundaries of marriage fully in place.  We read in multiple places in the Bible that God fully desires for us to experience the joy of married sexual love.  God did not give us sexual organs, desires, and the ability to feel pleasure only to forbid it.  But He knows that when we do so outside the bounds of a committed marriage relationship, it will turn destructive.  Just delighting ourselves with caresses can lead to the idea of multiple sexual partners - which we know leads to sexually transmitted diseases.  It leads to a shallow love based on physical attraction and physical pleasure alone.  In its more perverted forms - this leads to homosexualtiy - and in its worst forms to things like incest and rape.  Living for the physical pleasure of anything alone will lead to a complete abandonment of wisdom.  Sins like gluttony, drunkenness, and drug abuse are all ways that we start with a desire for the physical pleasure of something alone.  They all end in a bondage to sin that is very difficult to break.

The call to sexual temptation is a call to live for our flesh - and for a rejoicing in pleasure alone.  It does not think at all beyond the moment - and misses altogether the bondage that awaits in the future.  The fool does not think ahead - he only thinks of now.  He wants his pleasure now and is deaf to any consequences that await him.  The way to defeat sexual temptation is to use something other than your physical organs to make your decisions.  It is to use God's Word as wisdom guiding your mind as you encounter various things - various people in life.  That way you do not wind up a slave to your senses.  Biblically Romans 6 reminds us that in life we are going to be either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness.  Sin will destroy us.  The wise man submits himself to God - to His Word - and to a life that promises pleasure and blessing beyond the next 30 minutes. 

"I have spread my couch with coverings, With colored linens of Egypt.  I have sprinkled my bed With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.  Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses. Proverbs 7:16-18

Yesterday we took a first look at overcoming sexual immorality by understanding the way that the enemy will attack us in this area.  We saw that selfishness and ego are two weak points where we can be attacked effectively if we are not careful.  Today, we will continue to look at overcoming sexual immorality in our lives.

The adulterous woman continues speaking to the fool whom she is enticing with promises of a night he will never forget.  Having found "HIM" she then continues to entice him with what she has prepared for their night of passion.  Brothers, we need to know that the longer we allow this woman to talk to us - the more likely we are to be caught in her web.  This is something that seems strange to those who are looking from the outside in on this temptation.  We might find ourselves wanting to scream and yell at this man - warning him of what is about to happen.  The problem is that he is all but deaf to those warnings.  Having ignored the warnings of the Holy Spirit earlier - he is a sitting duck for this kind of stuff. 

She speaks of how she has covered her couch with special linens - then speaks of how she has also sprinkled her bed with fragrant enticing smells and things that will heighten their sexual pleasure.  Let me say men, that if we have not turned and run by this point - we are most likely caught.  This man is listening with his sex drive by now - and when he has come to that point - he is deaf to anything else.  The enticements are too much for him.  He will most likely follow at this point.  She is making here case first appealing to his ego - and now to his senses of sight and smell.  Note though that at no time is his spirit being addressed.  This is enticement that is apart from the working of the Holy Spirit.  It is based solely in his flesh and his earthly appetites.  That is why he needs to be so careful NOT to let things get to this point.  What could this man have done to avoid this scenario - to not have gotten down the road this far?

First, we need to cultivate a good relationship with our wives.  Men, if you are not talking with your wife - you are making yourself vulnerable.  If you see that you are NOT talking to her - or the conversation has dulled or gone silent - take great alarm over it!  Your ability to talk to your wife about anything and everything is a safeguard to you!  It will prevent you from falling into the second trap - talking too much with another woman.

Second, you do NOT need to cultivate a relationship with other women.  If you have an encounter conversationally with another woman that you would even hesitate to share with your wife, you should be warned - you are headed for dangerous territory.  Too many men put themselves in vulnerable positions with another woman because they talk with them - and don't share that conversation with their wives.  And - if the talk ever takes an uncomfortable turn - one that is too intimate - RUN!  You should run to your wife and reveal that immediately - and ask her advice on what to do.  Then you should follow it.  Many adulterous affairs would have been nipped in the bud if the husband had only avoided any kind of talk that even remotely made him uncomfortable with another woman.

The third thing relates to the second very closely.  In the office and at work - keep your relationships and conversations with women on a professional level only.  Do NOT go outside these boundaries.  It may be uncomfortable to say it - but say it anyway.  Your relationship with this woman at work needs to remain professional.  Refer her to someone else than you for such conversations and such advice.  Opening up such areas can only lead to problems and conflict.  She works for you - or you for her - and this does not include a shoulder to cry on when her relationships are having problems.  Do not be rude - but make it clear that you are uncomfortable talking about such things.  You can even refer her to your wife if she is comfortable with that role - but YOU do not need to go there. 

The only way to avoid having another woman talk to you this way (sexually)is to make sure that the only woman who feels comfortable doing so is your wife.  This man would have been wise to do these things - but since he did not - he is in the lair of the wicked one - and about to be caught in a horrible trap.  The time to know of such traps is long before you step into them.

Now, let me address one last trap we tend to step into too often.  It is the trap of having these things done via the media.  What I refer to is movies and television.  Most of us would never think of looking into another person's bedroom - and their sex life.  That would involve being a peeping-tom.  But the fact is that we are ushered into the bedrooms of dozens of couples on a regular basis through film and television.  Voyeurism takes place via these mediums every day.  We watch a television program or see a movie where these kind of things are played out right before our eyes.  We see that sexy woman or hunky guy say all the perfect things - do all the perfect things - and enter into a night of ecstasy (or at least implied ecstasy).  We watch romantic movies where the actors are coached into saying the perfect thing in the perfect situation.  Then we slouch into our couches wondering why the spark is gone in our own relationship.  We are being coached as well by the wicked one.  Coached into thinking that our wife or husband is not enough.  They don't talk to me or treat me like that. They don't look like that.  They don't work out the perfect scenario like that.  And before we know it we've allowed our audio-visual voyeurism to make us discontent with our spouse.  Then we spend our thoughts dreaming of that perfect situation - and of course - it involves someone who kind-of looks like that person we saw on TV or in the movie.  Maybe it is that person with whom we are fantasizing having a romantic episode.  Whatever the situation, we're caught - the trap has sprung - and we are much more susceptible now. 

Careful saints - the temptations and the wiles of the evil one are very subtle.  He attacks in a myriad of ways - and his goal is to get to our minds and hearts.  There he can plant an idea - a concept - a way of thinking that is opposed to the Scriptures.  When he has done that - he has set up a beachhead from which to attack further into our lives.  That is why we need to remember what the Scriptures teach concerning our marriages - concerning our wives - and concerning our sexuality.  These are matters where to give an inch may mean later finding that the enemy has moved inward into our thinking and reasoning a mile.  Reserve ALL such talk and thinking for your wife and your wife alone.  That is wisdom.