Senses Secured

RISE AND SHINE FOR JESUS!

By Pam Iannello (my late mother)

"Senses Secured"

Proverbs 7:1-5 (KJV)

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. [2] Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. [3] Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. [4] Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: [5] That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

As I studied this portion of scripture I was heavily struck with the importance of having our senses saturated with the Word of God. You see, sexual sin often begins with unguarded eyes, hands, and hearts… And knowing that the rest of this chapter vividly deals with the unhealthy situation that occurred between a simple young man and a strange woman, it is no wonder that the Lord opens the story with strong scriptural advice! Truly, it is a perfect text to teach young people, and especially our boys, as they stand at the threshold of life…

1. Keep my words
2. Keep my law as the apple of thine eye
3. Bind them upon thy fingers
4. Write them upon the table of thine heart
5. Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister
6. Call understanding thy kinswoman

KEEP MY WORDS

Ladies, Proverbs 7 validates the need for our sons to have a strong relationship with the Lord and a fixed connection with the Word of God before they begin seriously interacting with the opposite sex. It is when God’s Words are most sacred and familiar to us that we will be able to discern ungodly communication. Thus, alluring offers can be detected early! The Lord also furnishes men and women with the wisdom necessary to understand appropriate conversational guidelines while talking with one another.

KEEP MY LAW AS THE APPLE OF THINE EYE

When the law of God is kept as the apple of our eye it has the power to direct our eyes off of the wrong and onto the right. The eye gate is an admitted area of weakness for most men, especially young men who are not experienced with the sensual pull of worldly visuals. A deep appreciation for the law of God must be rooted in our young boys before their eyes are bombarded with alluring temptations or caught off guard with immodest imagery. An intimate relationship with the Lord and a sharp spiritual focus will furnish them with a strong desire to protect their eyes from danger.

BIND THEM UPON THY FINGERS

Our sense of touch can also be organized by the Word of God and directed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible clearly tells the believer not to touch the unclean thing… Human contact is important to a Christian’s survival – but it must be the right kind! If the Word of God is fastened to a young man’s fingers then he will know what to handle and what to stay away from; what should be touched and what shouldn’t. And when he reaches for the forbidden fruit, conviction will kick in and work to keep him from sinning… He needs a constant reminder of God’s purpose and plan!

(click the image for audio devotional)

WRITE THEM UPON THE TABLE OF THINE HEART

Another area of life that young people are especially vulnerable is their emotions. Their deepest passions can send them in a million different directions! However, if the Word of God is written on the table of our hearts, rather than just our heads, it is always there to read and guide and direct and counsel and calm, etc. Here is a sound solution for immorality! God’s way of life must be engraved and established on a man’s insides; the seat of thinking and feeling. He must feel the truth before he feels anything else! Lust cannot take over where the Word is in control; wisdom keeps us from yielding to sexual allurements.

SAY UNTO WISDOM THOU ART MY SISTER

How sad when young people close their spirits to family… There is nothing like firm family relations to reinforce our bond with God! And a sister is one who knows a brother best and is quite familiar with the bent of his personality. When wisdom is warmly welcomed into a man’s daily life he is better protected. It must be allowed to hold his hand; to accompany and instruct or correct him as would a loving sister. Wisdom must be honored and treated dearly, not taken for granted or pushed away.

CALL UNDERSTANDING THY KINSWOMAN

Here is another nurturing attribute that benefits a young man as he goes on his way through life. What two better helpers could there be than wisdom and understanding to keep a young man from falling prey to the devil’s traps! I find it interesting that God assigns these two qualities with feminine attributes – perhaps because there is nothing like the counsel of two respectable women to sharpen a young man’s intuition and enhance his perception when dealing with a strange woman! Wise is the man who embraces godly advice. In fact, the Bible says in Proverbs 7:7 that the young man who fell prey to the strange woman was VOID of understanding…

In conclusion, there is no doubt about it – the temptress is crude and aggressive; she is out to catch whoever she can and will use any and every sense to appeal to a man and bring him under her control. Thus, it is important that our young men are taught the importance of having an above average relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God! It is a whole lot more than just Bible knowledge; this bond must be very personal and his strongest controlling factor. The Lord must be the greatest love of his life before he ever sets out to find himself a wife. Ladies, our young men will meet up with all sorts of women before they will find a virtuous one – but whether or not our boys fall into a seductive trap in the process will be determined by their connection with the Word of God and the God of the Word. And they’ll need it their whole life long! Are your son’s senses secured? Is the Bible ruling his affections? Perhaps it’s time you discussed Proverbs Chapter 7!

God Bless,

Pam

Isaiah 60:1&2

Copyright 2007 Pamela A. Iannello