Proverbs 7:25 (Mini Sermon)

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25. Pro 7:25 - "Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths." A. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, i. Decline v. - 1. a. To turn or bend aside; to deviate (from the straight course); to turn away. 3. fig. a. To turn aside in conduct; esp. to swerve or fall away (from rectitude, duty, allegiance, instructions, etc.). a. To decline to the strange woman's ways is to turn aside and deviate from God's ways. b. We are not to decline from God's word (Psa 119:157; Pro 4:5). ii. Solomon previously warned his son to stay on the strait and narrow way and turn not to the right hand nor to the left (Pro 4:27). iii. God's way concerning romantic relationships is to get married to one woman (Mar 10:6-9), stay married to her for life (Rom 7:2-3), and only have sex with that woman (Heb 13:4). iv. The strange woman's ways are to either never get married and have sex with whomever she chooses, or to get married and still have sex with whomever she chooses. v. We must follow God's way and not decline to her ways. a. If we do so we will have a blessed life, a happy wife, and a pleased God. b. If we don't we will have sorrow, misery, and death (Pro 7:26-27). B. go not astray in her paths. i. Astray adv. - 1. Out of the right way, away from the proper path, wandering. 2. Away from the right; in or into error or evil. ii. The paths of the strange woman incline unto death (Pro 2:18). iii. None that walk on her paths return again, either at all, or as the men they once were, nor do they take hold of the paths of life (Pro 2:19). iv. To ensure that we go not astray in her paths it is critical to not enter them in the first place, but to avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away (Pro 4:14-15). v. It's a lot easier to stay on the right path than it is to try to find your way back to it after falling in a ditch or wandering out into the wilderness.