The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (11 page)

February 5

Steps of Temptation

     
I was looking out the window

          
of my house one day

     
and saw a simpleminded young man

          
who lacked common sense.

     
He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman.

          
He was strolling down the path by her house at twilight,

     
as the day was fading,

          
as the dark of night set in.

     
The woman approached him,

          
dressed seductively and sly of heart. . . .

     
He followed her at once,

          
like an ox going to the slaughter

     
or like a trapped stag,

          
awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart.

     
He was like a bird flying into a snare,

          
little knowing it would cost him his life.

Oh, the fatal mistake of crossing the street! We are sadly mistaken if we think that we fall into temptation all at once. No, most the time it begins small and subtle. It’s not the first look that trips us up; it’s the lingering look that becomes the longing look. Then there is an action that takes us dangerously near. Before we know it, just like the foolish man described in the proverb, we are become trapped and snared. Whether it’s the chocolate cake on the counter or the R-rated movies on your TV, or the bottle of alcohol in a cupboard, it only takes one moment of weakness for us to “cross the street.” It’s like a magnet; the closer we get, the harder it is to resist.

What’s God’s advice? “Flee . . . youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22,
NKJV
). Shake the magnetic pull by turning around and walking away.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

One final word to us as mothers and friends: sometimes we allow something questionable in our homes or lives because we feel it will never tempt or trap us. But we must remember that a weak friend or a vulnerable teenager might use our liberty as an excuse to cross a dangerous line they can’t easily resist. I urge you to adopt Paul’s advice in Romans 14:21: “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.” That is truly love and wisdom in action.

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 21:22–23:13; Matthew 24:1-28; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 7:6-23

February 6

Seduction

The topic of today’s proverb is seduction. It is a warning call not to be swayed and lured by temptation. Look down that path before you step one foot in that direction. Oh, the grief that would be spared if we thought through where that path of temporary pleasure would end up. Stop and ask yourself what kind of damage it would do to your marriage, to your kids, to your Christian witness, to others who have looked to you as an example.

     
Listen to me, my children;

     
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:

     
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,

     
Do not stray into her paths;

     
For she has cast down many wounded,

     
And all who were slain by her were strong men.

     
Her house is the way to hell,

     
Descending to the chambers of death.

So now let’s look honestly at two emotional paths that can lead us as women to a crash landing of sexual sin.

1. At your office, emotional affairs start with sharing personal information and negative feelings about your husband with a man in the office. Then you meet for coffee, then for dinner—and then danger!
   
2. You bump into an old boyfriend and exchange e-mails. Stirring up old emotions can open a can of worms and lead to a secret life and fantasies. It starts as an escape and becomes a trap.
   

Let the red flag of wisdom stop you before you even get started.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Men are visual. Whether it’s our intent or not, they notice when a woman’s clothes give hints of sensuality. It’s not fair to them to be careless. Just between you and me, there are a lot of women who need to lean over in front of the mirror before they go out wearing certain tops. A skimpy blouse, a short skirt, tight pants—they send the wrong message.

You don’t have to look frumpy to be discreet. Let’s have some honest discussions with the young girls in our life. And let’s do a little wardrobe reality check ourselves.

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 23:14–25:40; Matthew 24:29-51; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 7:24-27

February 7

There’s No Excuse

     
Does not wisdom cry out,

     
And understanding lift up her voice?

     
She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,

     
Beside the way, where the paths meet.

     
She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,

     
At the entrance of the doors:

     
“To you, O men, I call,

     
And my voice is to the sons of men.

     
O you simple ones, understand prudence,

     
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.

     
Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,

     
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;

     
For my mouth will speak truth;

     
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.”

No excuse. That is what I’ll call the message of today’s proverb. There is absolutely no excuse for any of us to make foolish choices or foolish decisions, because God is so eager to make wisdom available. All we have to do is pause and pray, and God will, as he promised, give us wisdom at every crossroads and for every need.

George Müller is one of the great heroes of the faith. He housed and cared for over twenty-three thousand orphans in the 1800s without asking anyone but God for support. When seeking God’s wisdom in a matter, he said, “I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be.” Müller’s life is living proof that God is a God who hears our cries for help and he is a God who answers.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Do you ever look back and ask yourself why you made some of the big decisions in your life? Do you wonder,
What was I thinking?
I do. Regretfully, I sometimes wonder,
Why wasn’t I praying?
I can attribute every wrong turn and every careless decision to the fact that I did not wholeheartedly, patiently seek the Lord’s direction and his perfect will before I moved ahead. Are you at a crossroads? Will you stop and ask and wait for God to give you the wisdom and insight you need? Take him at his promise; he will direct your paths.

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 26:1–27:21; Matthew 25:1-30; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 8:1-11

February 8

Humility

     
I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;

          
I possess knowledge and discretion.

     
To fear the L
ORD
is to hate evil;

          
I hate pride and arrogance,

          
evil behavior and perverse speech.

In this proverb, wisdom says it hates pride. That’s good. Pride always causes trouble and is a sign of foolishness. So then if pride is out of sync with wisdom, humility is in sync. Let me tell you a story.

A small Christian college was having financial difficulties. One day a very wealthy man came on the campus, found a white-haired man in overalls painting a wall, and asked if he could see the college president. The painter pointed out a house on campus and said he was sure the president could be seen there at noon.

At the designated time, the visitor knocked at the president’s door and was admitted by the same man he had met in overalls, but now he was in a suit. As the visitor accepted an invitation to come in, he realized this man was the college president. He asked a number of questions about the needs of the college and told the president he would be sending a small donation. Two days later a check arrived for fifty thousand dollars. The donor had been touched by the humility of a man who was fitted for his position as college president but not too proud to put on the clothes of a workman and do a job that needed to be done. This is a picture of humility.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Why is it that humility is so endearing when we see it in others, but it is hard to accomplish in ourselves? Maybe it’s because we are not bowing and humbling ourselves before our God. When we do that, somehow it eases our need to hold so tightly to our rights and to have the last word in a dispute. Are you in a stalemate with your husband; has a friend offended you; has someone broken a promise? It’s been said, “It’s better to bow than to break.” Take God’s advice on this, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10,
NKJV
).

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 28:1-43; Matthew 25:31–26:13; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13