Pitfalls in Life: Avoid Them!

1. Taking on debts of others (v.1-5)

a. Don’t carelessly or recklessly co-sign on a debt or guarantee a loan for someone else.

b. Don’t make rash pledges otherwise you will be trapped or placed in bondage.

c. Keep yourself away from risky financial obligations.

d. If ever you do or you are in such situations you ought to humble yourself, swallow your pride plead and be desperate to get out of the arrangement. Free yourself from the bondage of debt.

the manner or urgency in which you need to get out of it is similar to a trapped gazelle or a bird stuck in a net struggling to be set free.

Remember the movie “Finding Nemo?”

God’s Word says that many people wander from the faith and pierce themselves with many griefs when they allow money to have an improper hold on their hearts. Money destroys relationships. That’s why the Bible contains hundreds of verses on how God wants us to treat money, and this includes the lending of it.

Matthew 5:42 NASB95

42 “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Psalm 37:21 NASB95

21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives.

Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which you need most.” There is no doubt that friendships have been strained or even lost due to the lending of money. Yet, if both parties stay within biblical parameters, there should be no problem. However, to forego jeopardizing a relationship you value, in some situations a gift may be better than a loan. God expects His children to give to those in need, so we give of our time, talents and treasure. As Jesus taught us in Luke 6:38:

Luke 6:38 NASB95

38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Luke

2. Laziness (v.6-11)

a. Learn from the ant who works tirelessly without anyone to tell it.

b. Be diligent like the ant who works all summer to gather and store food winter.

c. Don’t slack off, sleep is good for the body specially if it is not only a matter of need but reward from hard work. I have not heard of anyone living a comfortable life because of a career in sleeping.

d. Laziness leads to poverty.

e. Don’t live off from charity but rather eat from the fruit of your labor. A country becomes industrious due to the hard work of its citizens collectively. Do the math, if people take more from a country than they give in, the country won’t last long and go into poverty.

f. Poverty is the result of laziness.

g. Symptom of laziness - too much sleep, having no desire to work and too much having fun. There is no genuine gratification is spending money that you did not work for.

h. Notice what follows after the warning agains laziness --- WICKEDNESS!

3. Wickedness (v.12-15)

a. Wickedness = worthlessness

b. Examples of wickedness:

corrupt and foul mouths

liars and deceivers

Exodus 20:16 NASB95

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Exodus 20

seducers

plotting evil

stirring up trouble

c. Wickedness has only one destiny - destruction! Beyond all hope of healing.

Wickedness defines by what the Lord hates! (v.16-19)

Verse 16 states: There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests:

There are six things the Lord hates—

no, seven things he detests:

(note: this is one of those rare instances where YES! and NO! are used to mean the same thing.)

Prideful eyes

Lying tongue

Murderous and violent hands

Devious and scheming hearts

Careless / wicked feet that eagerly rush to do evil.

Deceitful, lying witness

Trouble makers - one who cause makes discord in a family.

4. Not listening to parental advice (v.20-24)

Ephesians 6:1 NASB95

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Exodus 20:12 NASB95

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 NASB95

6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deut

Obey and do not neglect the advice and teaching of your parents.

Parents’ advice will guide you and keep you from making mistakes in life.

Parents want the best for their children thus it goes that they won’t teach them to do things that will be bad for them.

If there is one thing that causes pain to the parents is watching their children suffer.

5. Immorality (v.25-35)

Moral - standards or acts that manifest high principles for proper conduct.

Immoral - not conforming to accepted standards of morality. It is sinful, evil and wrong behavior.

There are different forms of immorality: murder, bad language, fraudulent business practices, deceiving, etc. But the example pointed out here in vv.25-35 is relational and adulterous.

Proverbs 6:24 NASB95

24 To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.

Proverbs 6:

Ways that leads to immorality?

Tantalizing words.

Seductive and lustful beauty.

Proverbs 31:30 NASB95

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Seductive and lustful beauty.

Matthew 5:28 NASB95

28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

3. Seductive words, sweet and alluring words.

Proverbs 6:25 NASB95

25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.

Proverbs 6:

Proverbs 6:25 NLT

25 Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.

Coy - making a pretense of shyness or modesty that is intended to be alluring. (Pa cute-cute pero cuto-on diay to! - Cebuano joke)

Flirting is a woman’s way to court a man!

Flirting can be verbal and non-verbal.

According to Psychology Today:

Flirting styles predict flirting behavior. Not everyone flirts the same way, so if you know a person’s style, you can use setting cues to help figure out if they’re flirting. Recent research (McBain et al., 2013) revealed that:

a. Traditional flirts, who tend to be introverted, are cautious and polite when flirting at a party, bar, or educational setting. They are not the folks chatting it up at the supermarket.

b. Physical flirts, who use a lot of body language, like to playfully flirt across many contexts.

c. Playful flirts are less polite than physical flirts and tend to be highly extroverted, throwing caution to the wind when flirting. They are not so sincere in their flirting when the context doesn’t match the goal (supermarkets) but are sincere when speed-dating.

d. Finally, the sincere flirt and the polite flirt both prefer to be introduced to someone, as opposed to initiating contact themselves, and are cautious in their approach.

The pitfalls of being a victim of the immoral woman:

Death and Poverty

Proverbs 6:26 NLT

26 For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.

Proverbs 6:29 NASB95

29 So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.

Prov 6:

Proverbs 6:34–35 NASB95

34 For jealousy enrages a man, And he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not accept any ransom, Nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts.

Prov. 6:

2. Prostitutes will cause a man to be destitute. He will be destroyed.

2. Prostitutes will cause a man to be destitute.

3. It will burn & scorch you: You will not escape harm any more than a person who holds fire in his lap or walks on hot coals.

It will burn & scorch you: You will not escape harm any more than a person who holds fire in his lap or walks on hot coals

4. Guaranteed consequences.

5. Distruction

Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2012). Proverbs (p. 106). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

5. Disgrace

ONE LESSON:

AVOID THEM LIKE A PLAGUE!