Today’s reading: Proverbs 5

Today’s focal verse: Proverbs 5:8 Stay away from her!
Don’t go near the door of her house!

Today’s Focus: Guarding against sin

This week’s memory verse: 

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best of everything you produce. Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

Sin doesn’t “just happen.” Temptation arises everywhere, but many times, before the temptation comes, we’ll find we’ve placed ourselves where we shouldn’t be or have exposed ourselves to something we shouldn’t have.

If you are or have been a parent, you probably remember how diligently you guarded your child/children, especially when they were young. You monitored what they watched on television and took a special interest in who their friends were. In yesterday’s devotion, written by Delia Latham, she reminded us of the need to guard our hearts with the same diligence.

Today I encourage you to guard not only your hearts, but your steps as well.

Affairs don’t just happen, and no one is immune.

In 1 Corinthians 10:12, Paul warns us: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”

And in Matthew 26:41, Jesus urges us to “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Or, in other words, to be on guard for the pitfalls of our flesh.

Pause for a moment to consider the warnings in Proverbs 5 in light of your own life and marriage. What are the dangers of thinking we we won’t sin?

What are some ways to guard ourselves against infidelity?

Pause for a moment to think back to Proverbs chapters 1-4. What role does the heart and ming–what we think about–play in sin?

Let’s talk about this! You can join the conversation by leaving comments below or by joining our Yahoo study group.

Join us tomorrow when my sweet friend and one of our Yahoo Proverbs study members discusses this further.