Utter Ruin

Now then, my sons, listen to me;do not turn aside from what I say.Keep to a path far from [an adulteress],do not go near the door of her house. . . .[Otherwise,] at the end of your life you will groan,when your flesh and body are spent.You will say, “How I hated discipline!How my heart spurned correction!I would not obey my teachersor listen to my instructors.I have come to the brink of utter ruin.”

Proverbs 5:7-8, 11-14 (NIV)

Today’s proverb is a warning to stay away from immoral sex. Although written for sons, it applies to our daughters as well. Even though this was written many years ago, it mentions the very same type of damage that occurs with immorality today.

It’s been wisely said that “tomorrow is the best reason for doing the right thing today.” Yes, there is pleasure in sin for a season, but beware: it takes a serious toll.

And so I feel it’s important for us as women to be aware of the devastating consequences of sexual sin. STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) have become epidemic. We are learning more and more of the long-range damage this does to your body.

But more than that, immoral sex does not just mess with your body. It messes with your emotions, your thought life, and with your soul. Each time you have sex with someone, you bond in a deep place. When that relationship is torn, it tears a piece out of you. Sin is such a liar. Sin promises simple pleasure, but it delivers a powerful and complicated punch of pain and problems.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Maybe you are thinking, If only I had known then what I know now. Because everyone was doing it, you caved in to pressure to sleep around. Now you can look back and see a long trail of disappointment and pain. So, what now? I am so happy to say that God is the God of the fresh start. Purity is first spiritual, then it becomes emotional and physical. Jesus came to redeem and restore. Will you ask him and will you let him restore you, “white as snow”?

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 2:11–3:22; Matthew 17:10-27; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 5:7-14