Don't be fooled.

So in proverbs 7 we see that there is a man being lured into adultery by this women. She is enticing this young man and leading him down a path that ends in destruction. This is a classic struggle of flesh and spirit. This man has to choose whether to give into his fleshly desire or to honor the Lord and do what is right. In this story this young man give into his flesh. Now I know that this is talking about adultery but I believe that there's more behind this then just that one topic. I believe that this is calling us to resist any thing that leads to sin. Just as Solomon was warning this man to stay away from this temptress, we also need to avoid things that would ensnare us. I know saying that and doing that is easier said then done. Let's be real here, things that we need to stay away from are usually the things that are flesh crave the most. They are usually the things that are being plastered all over T.V, radio, the internet, and any other media outlet. The media does such a good job of enticing us to want to crave these things, it's like they are programming us to crave these things. Even though the media does this doesn't give us an excuse to give in to our flesh. Solomon shows us in this Proverb that these things will look good, feel good, and it will feel natural for us to want these things. Look how he describes what actually is taking place:
²¹ With persuasive words she led him astray;
   she seduced him with her smooth talk.
²² All at once he followed her
   like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer^[a] stepping into a noose^[b]
 23 till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
   little knowing it will cost him his life. (Prov. 7:21-23)
So how do we avoid these things? Well how about doing what Solomon has been telling us to do, Keep these commands within you(Prov 7:1). This whole book and the whole bible show us what we need to do. If you are struggling with this and feel like you just can't win then maybe you should examine how you preparing yourself for this battle. Are you reading God's word daily? How times a day do you talk with Jesus, are you asking him for help? If you're not doing this then don't expect to have victory in this area. The only way we can overcome this is with Jesus and Jesus alone. I don't care how smart you are, the only way to have victory is with Jesus.
So my prayer for us today is that we would ask Jesus for strenght in this area. I pray that would would recognize temptation and then resist it. I pray that we would search God's word and ask for help in this area. I pray for continued strength and faith for us to let God be God.