The LORD stands beside me like a great warrior.           Before him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. – Jeremiah 20:11

 

16 Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman,
    from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.
17 She has abandoned her husband
    and ignores the covenant she made before God.
18 Entering her house leads to death;
    it is the road to the grave.
19 The man who visits her is doomed.
    He will never reach the paths of life.

Verses 16-19 are talking about another temptation people often face.  The media glorifies it, and people get entangled in its enticement.  The temptation – sexual sin.

The song, ‘Looking for love in all the wrong places’, from the movie Urban Cowboy comes to mind when reading verses 16-19.  The lyrics to the chorus are:

I was lookin’ for love in all the wrong places
Lookin’ for love in too many places
Searchin’ her eyes, lookin’ for traces
Of what I’m dreamin’ of
Hoping to find a friend and a lover
I’ll bless the day I discover,
You – lookin’ for love.

                         

People tend to use sex in an attempt to fill “a hole”.  That hole, being a desire to love and be loved, as the lyrics above mention.

There is nothing wrong with having a desire for love.  In fact, it is God who gave us that desire.  Unfortunately, many times in our search for love we end up side-stepping God’s teaching and guidance.   We may find ourselves led astray by the ways and beliefs of our culture. Although we’ll find a ton of cultural support for our ungodly choices, the results may turn out to be anything but what we have hoped.

It is easy to get draw into sexual sin when led solely by feelings.  Often times people think that “I “feel” so happy, maybe if I sleep with ____, they’ll “feel” that same way about me.”  Or, “I have “needs”, and if God didn’t want me to fulfill them, He wouldn’t have given them to me.”  We’re reminded, however, in verses 18 and 19, that those who give into sexually immoral “feelings” are being led to death, not life.  They will be doomed, not blessed.

Remember God’s promise to us:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. – Matthew 6:33