“My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.”
I use to work full time with teenagers. I still volunteer with ministry at a couple of local high schools. Their struggles have remained the same for the past 40 years. The intensity has changed and the support structure has definitely become worse but by and large they are still very similar issues. Drugs, alcohol, pornography are just some of the things on that list. I often recall people referencing the teenage drug problem or the teenage drinking problem. What always struck me was the fact that we don’t really have a teenage problem with those things what we have is an adult problem and teen victims. Teenagers are not sneaking across the border and smuggling drugs into America. Teenagers are not selling alcohol to underage kids or leaving it where it can be found in homes. Teens are not creating porn. Adults are the purveyors of many of the temptations that our kids face. In the same way Solomon is reminding us that sinful men are the ones throwing temptations out in front of God’s followers. It is true that their is responsibility teenagers have to not give into the temptations that confront them daily. In the same way we adults have that same challenge. There certainly are evil men and women enticing all of us with sin. In the business world it may be to lie or deceive or manipulate to get ahead. At his core Satan is the ultimate tempter. Our challenge is, regardless of the source, to resist it and where necessary to flee. Today avoid those who draw you into the dark places away from the love and light of your creator God. #BeTheEdge
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NIV
