The Beautiful Temptation

                                                                                                                                                                                     

It happens in the desert when you're in a season of dry, barren landscapes parched for just a taste of something succulent.

Or it happens in the land of plenty when you're more than satisfied but maybe a little bit bored.

Either way, it is beautiful.

It looks like the shape of a lovely lady bathing on a rooftop (not that what happened was her fault).

It can look like a moment of convenience, like when the spouse is away, and you just happen to be laying down on a bed, like Potiphar's wife did.

 

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It can look like a handsome co-worker who says all the things that you're dying to hear. The one that sports those bulging biceps or the charming witticisms that make you think about him well past the hours when work is done.

That one who is so easy to get along with, unlike your husband.

And you fell in love.

How do I know?

Because most people aren't trying to screw over their spouse, nor are they trying to wreck their own lives. The bait is always mouth-watering, finger-licking good, and you're positively screaming for just one little, harmless little bite. You find yourself on slippery ground before you know it, and you're not sure you even want to turn around at this point.

 

'Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?' Proverbs 6:27

The odds are good that the other person is just seducing you. Look at Samson with Delilah. She teased him, but she didn't love him. Look at Potiphar's wife and how quickly she turned on Joseph. She had him thrown in prison.

In Proverbs 9, there is a flirtatious woman who tries to seduce passersby, but in verse 18, it says this:

'But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.'

You may think you're in love, but the chances are that the other person is playing a game. A game of bait and switch. And the results are disastrous.

And even if they do think they love you, the end is still bitter.  

'But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.' Proverbs 6:32

If you're a man, the bait is likely that she gets you.

That she has respect for you, unlike your wife.

That she doesn't make you jump through hoops to get her smiles and her affection.

It may be that her clothes are just a little too tight and that her jeans fit her just right. She may think you're the funniest guy on earth, and she may laugh heartily at all of your jokes (a pretty good sign she's faking it, as nobody will find everything you do to be amazing. Just keeping it real).

Girls, if he just has all the time in the world for you, and he is intense and knows how you feel, if he seems inordinately interested in the minutiae of your life and cares about your feelings, even while sporting tense muscles and the cool facial hair of your preference, stay far away.

Far, far away. (He's also faking it.)

Your heart can be taken in by a beautiful temptation, a gorgeous sin, a deadly trap, a luscious piece of flesh wrapped up in a swirl of heady seduction. He may drive you crazy, dangling the forbidden fruit just an inch out of your grasp. She may show you enough so that you can easily imagine all the rest. You're salivating and chomping at the bit.

But don't fall for it.

That fruit has a worm with a deadly bite.

In the garden, the devil used a piece of fruit that looked good for eating.

It didn't look disgusting.

It didn't have the sins of the world etched on it, nor did it belie the screams of those in agony that would one day rot in hell because of the effects of sin. It wasn't covered in maggots, nor was it stained with the blood of mankind.

It was inviting, cool, and something new, although forbidden.

Sin is enjoyable. Don't let anyone tell you it is not, but it lasts just for a season.

His warm friendship will not warn you of an impending divorce certificate, nor of the selling off of all your things. The desire for his lips will not prepare you to inform your spouse of this betrayal. Your playful banter will not include the words: joint custody. Everything will be fun and games until the sting of this poisoned dart is felt in your flesh.

And then there will be regret.

Tears.

Confessions.

Anger.

Questions.

Silence.

The end of sin is death.

Repent if you have gone too far, and ask His forgiveness. If you've yet to take the plunge, my best advice is that you stay far, far away. (Prov. 5:8)

Stay Gutsy,

Rosa

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