Prostitutes: For a harlot is a deep pit; an adventuress is a narrow well. She lies in wait like a robber and increases the faithless among men.
Proverbs 23:27,28 RSV
‘She lies in wait like a robber…’
It is healthy to have a strong sense of spiritual paranoia. As the saying goes, ‘just because you have paranoia doesn’t mean that someone is NOT out to get you.’
Look at the clear teachings of Scriptures.
Before Cain killed Abel, God came down and spoke to him saying, “If you do well will you not be accepted, but know that SIN IS CROUCHING at your door and its desire is for you….’ Gen 4:6-8
I Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober minded, be watchful, your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeing someone to devour.”
Prov 4:14-16 “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
Psa 119: 23 Even thought princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes
Psa 119:85 the arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law
Psa 119:95 the wicked are waiting to destroy me…
Psa 119:110 the wicked have set a snare for me…
Think about this for a moment. Unless you live in an isolated area where there are NO PEOPLE around you, you are in danger. There are people who are actively plotting your spiritual destruction. There are people who have set snares and traps for you and dug pits for you to fall into. Satan is actively searching for his next victim or target.
Add to this, prostitutes are lying in wait to stalk you and to rob you of your faith and your honor and possessions. ‘She lies in wait like a robber…’
In I Peter 1:17 says, “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct ourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile…
I fear falling. I fear stumbling. I fear the snares and the attacks from the evil one. I fear betrayal. There is much to fear from a Godly perspective. But we are not to be paralyzed or immobilized by this fear. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus and to fear Him who has the power to kill the body AND the soul. We are to walk in reverent wisdom, aware and sober, alert to our surroundings and to not be foolish.
I pray that you would develop a balanced and wise Godly paranoia. If you are trying to walk with Jesus, then you ARE a target.
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Thanks for keeping me on my toes. If the wisest man in the Bible, Solomon, fell prey to sin so can we. Only by God’s grace can we escape destruction. Keep up the good work. Chris
THANKS for the encouragement! I think about this. If the strongest man in the Bible, Samson; and the smartest man in the Bible, Solomon; and the ‘man after God’s heart, David; all fell due to sexual sin, what chance have we? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ who will deliver us from this body of death.