Proverbs 7:24-27, “Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”

Proverbs 7 presents nine keys that help us get wisdom and understanding about our sin and how to avoid sin…

#1—Pay attention to God’s Word.

#2—Learn lessons from life.

#3—Make wise decision in advance of the moment.

#4—Learn to live in the center of the narrow way.

#5—Determine to walk in the light with children of the light.

#6—Be alert and aware of sin’s appeal.

#7—Be alert and aware of that appeal’s power.

#8—Live with eternity in view.  

Today is the ninth key: learn not to miss the obvious. What is obvious is that you are tempted when you are lured and enticed by your own desire. That temptation is not sin, but yielding to that temptation is. Yielding to sinful desires gives birth to sin, and sin brings forth death. That is exactly what the final four verses of Proverbs 27 demonstrate.

Some of you are “praying” about stuff that you are either doing or considering, and instead of praying about it you should just stop it. It is obvious. You should have nothing to do with it, but you are “praying about it” because you are overlooking the obvious. That is not wise. Dear reader, we have spent four consecutive weeks on temptation and sin because this is right where we live. We are regularly inundated with sin and the temptation to sin. We are not immune to its appeal and it power, but neither are we helpless before it. We need wisdom and understanding about sin, and it is available to us. Grab hold of it and follow hard after it!