Proverbs 5:1-23 (NLT)
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel.
2 Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil.
4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.
7 So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say:
8 Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house!
9 If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
10 Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
11 In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.”
15 Drink water from your own well—share your love only with your wife.
16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone?
17 You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers.
18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love.
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?
21 For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.
22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him.
23 He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.
In discipline, there is overcoming the whims of the flesh. The flesh does very much have its own druthers, things that naturally insist on immediate gratification by the enticement of the moment. Though they come with the body we’ve been given, if they are allowed to rule, there will be no attaining of anything worthwhile. They don’t have to rule, however, and wisdom comes with enlightenment for self-control. In the case of sexual relations, our bodies come with a drive that demands fulfillment that is vulnerable to the closest and most enticing candidates. Until there is a revelation of the consequences that come with yielding to those demands, however, the spontaneous response of the ignorant or uncaring will not just be for the moment. It will also become a part of the path taken to devastation. Though sexuality is the focus of this example, this same principle applies to a wide range of other flesh-driven tendencies. Laziness, gluttony, and various other flesh-preferences are all vulnerable to a similar dominance of the flesh that leads to destruction and failure. Obedience to the Spirit from a constant acknowledging of God’s presence will become the self-controlled, disciplined life that reflects a true fear of God in matured wisdom. Those who turn from a widely held commitment to fulfillment will find that there is long-term worth and significance in the things accepted by the Father that tend toward life and not loss.