Proverbs 1: 10,15 & 16, NIV
My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them . . . do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into sin.
The word ‘entice’ means to tempt, or to lead astray. It carries with it all the connotations of exciting, but ungodly activities. Things which fascinate the carnal nature and which, if we are honest, all of us can be vulnerable to from time to time. Everything from greed to lust, and a whole lot of desires between these two extremes, can get stirred up when enticement is in the air!
In these very testing days, when many people are struggling to hold things together financially, and many are having to fight a sense of despair, enticement is especially dangerous. People look for some form of ‘comfort’ or ‘escape’ from the pressures they are enduring and are that much more vulnerable to temptations when they come – whether that temptation comes in the form of making money, having a wrong relationship or simply indulging in selfish and unproductive activity.
When times are tough, whether the season is totally personal to you or part of a national or international situation, the enemy will always try to take advantage of what’s going on, to entice you into something ungodly. He tries to stand in the place of God and be a source of comfort, not telling his victims that his sort of comfort will always prove to be false comfort.
When John penned the letters from Jesus to the seven Churches, recorded in Revelation 2 and 3, each one highlighted issues and problems that needed dealing with in the churches, but then ended with strong words of encouragement to endure and overcome. Jesus knew that, in testing times, the enemy would want to rob them of their inheritance. So, I urge you not to let anyone be used by the enemy to rob you of your inheritance in God – press on, win through and keep running the race of life!
Prayer: Help me, Lord, to recognise the enticements of the enemy when they come and then to endure and overcome whatever obstacles stand in the way of my destiny in God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
