Freedom Counsel

Proverbs is a handbook for timeless wisdom. Many have used the method of reading a chapter for each day of the month.

Consider freedom insights in this chapter 23. Consider these excerpts and added comments.

“… Consider carefully what is before you;
And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man given to appetite.” Prov. 231b,2a

When needed, exercise bold self control!

“My son, if your heart is wise,
My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself;
Yes, my inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak right things.” Prov. 23:15,16

When you apply wisdom to your life, you also give joy to your parents and spiritual leaders.

“Hear, my son, and be wise;
And guide your heart in the way.
Do not mix with winebibbers,
Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags…Buy the truth, and do not sell it,
Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.” Prov. 23:19,20,21,23

It is wise to abstain from company of those in a sensuous lifestyle (inclusing imaginary association by viewing videos), which leads to losses.

“My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes observe my ways.
For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.
She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.” Prov. 23:26-28

The way of wisdom is to turn your heart to the Lord and what is good. Pornography (which is a form of prostitution) leads to enslaving habits, like being stuck in a deep pit or stuck upside down in a narrow well!

“Who has woe?
Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions?
Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
Those who linger long at the wine,
Those who go in search of mixed wine.
Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it swirls around smoothly;
At the last it bites like a serpent,
And stings like a viper.
Your eyes will see strange things,
And your heart will utter perverse things.
Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the [h]midst of the sea,
Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying:
‘They have struck me, but I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?’” Prov. 23:29-35

Being “under the influence” of alcohol, or dopamine (a pleasure hormone released in the brain from the superstimulation of porn) leads to sorrow, injuries, and senseless addiction.

For a contemporary summary of ten harmful effects of porn (from a secular agency), see
fightthenewdrug.org/10-reasons-why-porn-is-unhealthy-for-consumers-and-society/

Let’s heed this biblical and contemporary freedom counsel as we pray, “…deliver us from evil.”

JBW