Proverbs 5:22 the iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin
Do you ever see stories on the TV when people are undone? They have been caught out in some act, taking money from their company, inappropriate images on their computers, random acts of violence, or an affair outside of their seemingly perfect public marriage.
I wonder to myself where it all started for them. What was the first step, and who in their life did they have that they could trust and turn to for help right at that point?
Sin rarely starts as a full-blown disaster, but rather creeps into our character on the back of a half-torn invite. It’s not something that we can play with, or have one foot in, as it has one desire only, and that is to own us to the point where we have no hope.
I think of people I know this morning who are trapped in sin, they are like hostages that don’t know they are captive, believing that this is the best they can hope for.
How many people right now are taking the first step, or another step on the road to disaster, to public shame, to life-changing moments.
Father, we call out to you today for the people in our world, wherever they are, that they would sense your presence, your hope, your ways, and be drawn by your kindness to the beauty of repentance, to the freedom of confession and to the liberty in your new life.
We go back to Proverbs 3:26 “for the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught”. Wow – thank you, Father.
KNOWLEDGE
Here is the picture of the person who is without hope, they are caught in a net of their own construction. The more they fight with themselves the tighter the net draws in around them, they can see no way ahead. The things which they at first coveted and chased, believing they held happiness and wholeness for them, now are wrapped around them, constricting them. The things they first briefly imagined they had, now have them.
Addicts know this story well. Drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling are our society’s well-known ones – and we hear such tragic stories of people’s lives entangled for 40 years and more.
What about low self-esteem, pride, gossip, selfishness, jealousy, hard-heartedness……these are a few of the intangible cords of sin that wrap themselves around our hearts and are just as gripping and controlling as any tangible issue.
If that’s your experience today, you are putting on a brave face, but life and the joy of life are harder and harder to find, perhaps it’s already drained away. Maybe the pain of life has been replacing the pleasure of life more and more and you don’t know who to talk to, or even how to explain where you are.
There is a beautiful counsellor, the fountain of wisdom, and the river of forgiveness, and he is waiting for you to turn to Him. He holds the keys to full life and will share them with whoever comes to him and humbly asks for help.
Call out to Jesus, cry out to Him today. Tell him your predicament, ask Him for help. You will be astonished at the new adventure that opens up to you at that point.
Jesus is alive – he wants more than anything to have a personal relationship with you, all you have to do is believe that He is alive, that He is who he says he is, and that he loves you.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
The word for iniquities in Hebrew is pronounced as ” ‘awon” and appears 233 times in the Old Testament. In the ESV it is translated into English words such as punishment; iniquity; guilt; crime; sin; chastisement; and, fault. For our reading in verse twenty-two, we see the idea of wickedness with liability.
WISDOM – what decision do you need to make today, that you have been putting off.
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Intellection is a beautiful Strategic Thinking Strength, you love to ponder and take time to think through decisions. You prepare your considerations and explanations well in advance and are persuasive with the power in the ideas you present. Be careful not to be lost in your thoughts, or respond to undue pressure for a quicker answer. Be careful not to over-commit to solitude, but find partners who will share and discuss your ideas and even help turn them into action. You can become so overloaded with options and ideas that you are seen as indecisive.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [Without God in our lives, everything we continually do wrong has the ability to somehow wrap itself around us till we feel like we have no choice left, no options available, we are simply stuck.]
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to stay close to you and help others get free from the snare and entanglements of sin.
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