Day 64: Proximity
Proverbs 5:8
Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house.
Principle
All sin is proximity.
You can avoid a lot of pain simply by protecting your zone. I have talked about this before, but it is worth reiterating – there is a line between respect and familiarity – governing that line protects your relationships. In other words, sin is caused by a failure of proximity.
Our Advisor warns us about this, saying, “do not go near the door.” Knocking on this door will lead you to places that you don’t want to end up.
Unfortunately, I have helped men face the fallout and collateral of crossing this line. The devastation is unimaginable. The toil of the pain is unbearable.
All of it can be avoided simply by keeping your distance – from the path, from the door, from the woman. Respect this line, and you’re safe – cross it, and you will see the grip of familiarity take hold of you.
Three Keys to Respect/Familiarity:
- Make a covenant with your eyes. Job said that he had entered into a covenant with his eyes not to look upon a young woman. It’s much like the discipline of a diet for your appetite – you make a promise to your stomach that you will refrain from certain foods that you’ve found to be damaging to your health. Similarly, make a covenant with your eyes that you will not look at women inappropriately.
- Don’t go down that road. Every city, every internet portal, every store has a path to destruction. Stay on safe trails. I recently was in Alaska, exploring some of the wilderness. One thing that you learn quickly is to stay on safe trails. There are too many dangers outside of the safe trails.
- Keep your distance. The only way to regain respect is to create distance. Familiarity breeds contempt. That means that as you get close to something, you lose its value or, in this case, fear.
Remember:
Don’t go down that path. Click To Tweet
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