Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. – Proverbs 7:25-26

Scripture reading: Proverbs 7

In his Confessions, Augustine compares his struggles with lust to slavery:

“The truth is that disordered lust springs from a perverted will; when lust is pandered to, a habit is formed; when habit is not checked, it hardens into compulsion.”

It would be difficult to overemphasize the problem with lust in our culture and how that has affected the church of Jesus Christ. The writer of Proverbs pictures Wisdom as a Person crying out in the streets for all to be heard. The Folly of lust is right there as well and, for many, they are so compromised that they can no longer hear Wisdom, loud as she may be.

The father of Proverbs takes his son on a tour of the city to view the dangers of lust and expose its emptiness and slavery. We live in a world that seeks to fulfill every base and debauched thirst. It is a world that feels more lost and unsatisfied every day. It is actively preying on our children. Sexual lust of every kind attacks and maims, damages relationships and marriages and future marriages. It fills our hearts with shame and guilt. It sucks the energy out of gospel courage and confidence, leadership in the home and church. Nowhere else do we find such a need for gospel light and a church motivated to help.

“Say to Wisdom: You are my sister, and call insight your intimate friend” (Prov 7:4).

Suggestions for prayer

“Subdue my corruptions, and grant me grace to live above them. Let not the passions of the flesh nor lustings of the mind bring my soul into subjection, but do thou rule over me in liberty and power.” – The Valley of Vision: Confession and Petition

This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Mark Stewart serves the Burlington URC in Burlington, WA.