Prov 7:5 [ESV] to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.

 

As a very young boy I went into a small shop one day. The lady who ran the shop was through the back, and there was no-one else in the shop. I reached out my hand, took a bar of chocolate from the shelf, and put it into my pocket. When the lady came through I bought and paid for the item I had come in for – I think it was something my mum asked me to get and had given me the money for. 

That night, alone in my bedroom I ate the chocolate. Then. I did not sleep. I imagined police coming to our small house and crashing into my bedroom and arresting me. I imagined all my friends finding out that I was a thief, and what the reaction would be from my parents. It was horrible. I decided that I would never steal another thing ever again. 

A week or two later I stole another small item from another shop, and I slept just fine. (until my dad found it)…..

 

 

 

 

KNOWLEDGE

We have an inbuilt compass that is our conscience, and we know when we have done something wrong. Of course, the more we push those senses away, the more we refuse to listen to that voice or take action to restore the damages done, the easier it is the next time. We have started to “harden our hearts”. And make our own paths the way of the highest value. It’s incremental, it seems right to us when we live from comparison. The long term damage is considerable, both to us and to others.

To live the Christian life, humility is an essential characteristic. We have to be willing to hear the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and be willing to respond to God in those moments, regardless of the cost to our pride or position.

 

 

 

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 used for “smooth” here, is pronounced as “halaq” in the Hebrew. It carries the meaning of “slippery, deceitful, flattery, and seductive”. In the LXX the Greek word used is “χάριν” [charin] – from which our word for charity is drawn. The more literal translation in the LXX is “favour”. Words can be spoken over our lives that seem to promise favour, but they come from a suspect source and their intention is to derail, to deceive, and to delay.

 

 

 

WISDOM  – what half-truths and cultural norms cause me to drift a little, too easily. What words from Scripture will help me navigate these moments with clarity and courage?

 

STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Self-Assurance has such a power as a natural talent, we will back ourselves, even when the weight of opinion is against us. This is a powerful strength in today’s society when applied with heavenly wisdom.

 

Allan’s Unauthorised Version – Beware of strange practices, and alien ways that are full of deceitful sayings.

 

To keep you from – beware

the forbidden woman – strange practices

from the adulteress – alien ways

with her smooth – deceitful

words – sayings

 

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to stay very focused on your words, and the purity and guidance that you have for me in them, and to recognise when the wisdom of the world, or the pull of culture is causing me to lose my true direction in life.

 

To chat to me as a professional coach/mentor – allan@theallankey.com

 

 

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