Sauntering Near Sin

Every person has different weaknesses. What is hard for me to resist may be very easy for you. What you have struggled with for years may never even tempt me. You know better than anyone what you have always tried to stay away from because you know it’s not what God wants for your life. We have to understand ourselves, and we have to understand how we can either set ourselves up for failure or we can set ourselves up for success.

In Proverbs, one particular young man had a weakness for resisting temptations involving women. He knows this and knows he doesn’t need to be getting involved with these women. However, it’s interesting to see that he doesn’t call out and declare, “today, I am going to sin against my God by fornicating with an off limits woman!” No, he does what we all do when our flesh wants to commit the sin our spirit is telling not to do.

Proverbs 7:8

Sauntering through the street near the [loose woman’s] corner; and he went the way to her house.

He doesn’t march with his head held high, straight into his sin. No, he saunters near the sin. If he was a godless man, I’m sure he wouldn’t give it two thoughts. But, this man obviously knows he doesn’t need to go near here, so he casually saunters by.

What do you saunter by? If your weakness is alcohol, do you saunter to places that you know you will be offered a little too much? If your weakness is pornography, do you saunter by websites you know may have images that will peak your interest? If your weakness is the opposite sex, do you saunter by certain people you know you should just stay away from all together? If your weakness is over-spending, do you saunter by places you know you won’t be able to resist spending your family’s hard earned money?

We appease our fleshly desire by sauntering by things we are not going to have the strength to resist. Our friend in Proverbs did not have a good outcome by moseying around areas of his weakness.

Proverbs 7:22

Suddenly he [yields and] follows her reluctantly like an ox moving to the slaughter, like one in fetters going to the correction to a fool or like a dog enticed by food to the muzzle.

Notice the word reluctantly? His spirit doesn’t want to do it, but his flesh is suddenly caught in a trap of sin. This is why you say, “why did I do that again, when I really didn’t want to do it!?” It’s because you weren’t wise enough to set boundaries for yourself and not go near where you know good and well your flesh can’t resist.

In verse 23, it says this sin finally cost the man his life. I believe our end result does not have to be the same as this young man. We can use this example to keep us out of a world of trouble and hurt. We can have freedom from falling into our weaknesses, by cutting off any source that would cause us to saunter near the temptation.

Father God, thank You so much for this example! I can see areas in my own life where my spirit knows I don’t want to sin against You, so my flesh tricks me by telling me that I can handle just sauntering near it. Please help me to follow Your wise advice. Please give me the strength to not be tricked into going near areas I know I don’t need to be.

#temptation