"My son, pay attention to my wisdom. . . ." Proverbs 5:1

"My son, pay attention to my wisdom. . . ." Proverbs 5:1

I've learned a few things through more than thirty-five years of ministry. One thing stands out as I think about this line from Proverbs. People caught in the throes of addiction don't want to listen to wisdom. While it doesn't make sense, my experience tells me that people in bondage to some habit think they know more than anyone else.

I've counseled people who drink, gamble, eat too much and engage in sexual sin. Even as I type these words I think about how remarkably unsuccessful I've been in those counseling situations. Some of the failure may be lack of skill. Much of it, however, results from people who won't listen to wisdom from God's Word.

People who read these Freedom Fighter emails, at least many of them, read because they want freedom from some life-dominating sin. Chapters 5, 6 & 7 of Proverbs all address the issue of sexual sin. Some commentators believe that some of this teaching speaks to the problem of spiritual adultery. They suggest that the "immoral woman" (3:3) may be anything that causes us to be unfaithful to God's instructions.

While that may be true in part, I believe much of this instruction warns us about the dangers of sexual sin. These are hard chapters to read, especially if you've been guilty of any of these offenses. They tell us how to avoid the same sins in the future, however. We need to listen!

If you remember, Proverbs is about living life skillfully. We live in a world full of sexual land mines. Navigating the dangers requires more of us than we naturally can do. Others who have already navigated the territory can help us avoid the dangers. We need to listen!

Those who don't listen, who don't receive the instruction of those with more wisdom, live in danger. The Proverbs writer tells us that those who think they know all they need to know will "die for lack of instruction." (3:23) We need to listen!

I have one goal in writing Freedom Fighters this month. I want all of us men to learn how to live life skillfully . . . safely . . . freely. God's Word knows more than we do. Some people in our lives know more than we do. We need to listen!

Don't forget: listening to wisdom protects us from danger! (Pastor John Strain -- First Baptist of Toms River)

Listen this week on Keswick Today as Jim George shares WHAT GOD WANTS FOR YOU -- 20 Ways to Experience His Power. Listen right from the website: www.americaskeswick.org.