The Bitter End

Proverbs 5:1-6, “My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.”

Temptation almost always starts with something that looks sweet. Solomon warns that what tastes like honey in the beginning is really poison in the end. The forbidden path promises pleasure but delivers death. This is true of sexual sin, but also of every sin that flatters us with quick satisfaction. Jesus warned that sin always lies to us. It never shows the full cost, but Christ went to the cross to break sin’s power so we would not have to walk that bitter road. The Holy Spirit now gives us the ability to see clearly and say no when temptation whispers. Wisdom does not wait until we are in trouble. Wisdom listens to God’s warning ahead of time. The person who walks with Christ learns to flee early rather than fight late. Life is too short and eternity too long to trade temporary sweetness for lasting bitterness.

Act today: Identify one temptation that has been whispering to you lately. Write down Proverbs 5:1-2 and read it slowly three times. Then pray and take one practical step today to stay far from that path.