Proverbs 5:11-14

…And at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.”

God is not silent about sexual sin. He doesn’t whisper the needed truth. He doesn’t spell out the words to protect our “innocent” ears. In this section of Proverbs, God slams the hammer down with four important warnings. 

• Sexual sin ends in regret. Far too many people begin to evaluate their actions at the end of their lives when all they can do is groan over the consequences. While it’s never too late for forgiveness, it can be too late to repair relationships. Our children don’t enter a growth freeze while we get our acts together. So, think of the legacy you want to leave and live today to that end.

• Sexual sin results from a lapse in discipline. Sexual sin is more than getting caught with your pants down; it’s living with your guard down. A sinful lapse of discipline is costly. In one moment of unbridled passion, a marriage can be destroyed, a family lost, and a reputation ruined. 

• Sexual sin produces arrogance. The most arrogant people I have ever spoken with are those engaged in sexual sin. Their hearts spurn guidance. When one jettisons God’s instruction and follows their sinful nature, they become self-absorbed and self-centered.

• Sexual sin is never a private matter. The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7-8). Sooner or later, those who continue in sin will come to ruin in the presence of their family and friends.

Father, protect us from sexual sin—in secret or public. If you are involved in sexual sin—an affair, pornography, an inappropriate relationship—confess it right now to God. Pray for those who are confessing their sins. For others, let’s check our hearts and ask God for his continued protection. Father, keep us humble before you. May we live our lives following hard after you…with no regrets. In Jesus’ name. Amen