November 5

Nov 5 - Today from Proverbs 5 we look at verse 8
"Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house."

We will remove this verse just a bit from its context (pertaining to the adulteress), and expand the warning to the principle of most any object of temptation. "Keep a path far from it, do not go near a place of entry into it."
In His time of ministry here on earth, Jesus would personally confront sinners, forgive them, deliver them, and then leave them with this instruction, "Go, and sin no more." His grace is not cheap. We are not to be presumptuous with His mercy. I find from my own personal experiences, and from the experiences of many other believers, that once we have been deeply ensnared in some area of bondage, that area remains to be a target of the enemy pretty much for the rest of our life. Once we have been forgiven and delivered, it doesn't necessarily mean we are free from the enticement. It is usually just the opposite. We must be very careful after repentance from an area of sin. We need to hear the imperative of Jesus' command often; "Go, and sin no more."
The Teacher gives sound instruction as well, "Keep a path far from any area of temptation." I was once in a men's accountability group with three others. One was a young Pastor who in earlier years had become obsessed with pornography. The Lord delivered and forgave him, and he pursued a call to ministry. He was provided with a computer by the church, and at that time the internet was just beginning to become popular. He convinced his church that it would be a good resource for his studies. You can pretty much guess the rest - he found a path that led right to the door of his area of weakness. He got drawn back into the trap and became ensnared in pornography in the privacy of his own office. By God's providence, he was in a Christian accountability group right at this critical time in his life. He was very ashamed, but very honest with us regarding the circumstance. We promised we would stand by him and pray with and for him, but he had a tough decision to make; we required him to give up the internet (there were no ‘filters’ available in those days). He agreed. After weeks and months of prayer and being personally accountable, he once again found freedom and a clear conscience to boldly proclaim God's Word to his congregation.
Our hearts may long to follow the Lord in obedience, but the flesh is weak. The flesh desires gratification, especially of that which it once tasted. The exaggerated memory of the pleasure of sin can tend to blot out the guilt and misery it created. When Israel was in bondage to Egypt, Exodus 2:23 says they groaned and cried out for help because of their slavery. God heard their cry and delivered them. God then led them into the wilderness to reveal Himself, His purposes for them, and to teach them to totally depend on Him. Time and again Israel grumbled and complained. They actually said such things as, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted." (Exodus 16:3). The exaggerated memory of the pleasure blotted out the misery they suffered in bondage. That is the power of the flesh.
We have a greater power, but we must access it in order to benefit from it. Jesus puts it in the simplest terms in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." The first imperative is to watch. Keep your eyes on the path so that you know in advance where you are headed. As soon as you see yourself wandering into a dangerous area, pray. Prayer of this nature is a personal accountability to the Lord. "Okay Lord, I can see that opening this web site is going to fill my eyes and mind with intensely lustful pictures and thoughts." You are in direct communication with the Lord. Are you going to follow Him in obedience? Or are you going to push Him aside and allow your flesh to prevail? If you choose to obey, He will give you grace. "Thank you Lord, that through the shedding of Your own precious blood on my behalf, you delivered me from bondage to pornography. Thank you for the strength to walk away." Then do it. His grace is sufficient.
Pornography is just the example. The principle applies to all forms of temptation; gossip, slander, selfishness, dissension. . . read Galatians 5:19-21 . . . Paul gives a whole list of them. In all things we are to be led of the Spirit. We can only be led of Him if we will but listen to Him. Practice His presence and you will keep to a path that leads away from temptation.