A couple of weeks ago I {TheJoyFilledWife}was pulling into a shopping center
to run a quick errand before heading home for the day. As I stopped at the stop
sign at the entrance to the center, I politely gestured to another driver to go
on ahead of me. As he pulled forward, the driver began staring at me, smiling,
and driving very slowly. I purposely didn’t pay much attention to him as I
continued through the parking lot to my destination. By the time I had
completed my errand and began pulling out, I hadn't realize that the driver of
the other car had parked right next to the stop sign at the only exit of the
busy parking lot and was waiting there for me to pull up. As I came up to the
stop, I heard a man's voice shout “Hey!” The noise startled me and I quickly
turned my head toward the voice, only to discover that it was coming from the
man who drove by me earlier. Once we made eye contact, he smirked at me and
asked confidently, “Can I have your number?” I politely replied, “I’m married”
and looked away, taking my foot off the brake. As I pulled forward, he quickly
responded, “Oh that doesn’t matter...”
I wish I could say that this was an isolated incident or
that I was utterly shocked because I had never had someone say that to me
before. Truthfully, though, I have experienced a similar exchange at least a
handful of times throughout my married life. I have even had it happen with
some of my children sitting in the shopping cart next to me at the grocery
store! As embarrassing as it was for my kids to witness such inappropriate
behavior, the Lord allowed me to use that situation to show them the sinful
things a heart absent of Christ chases after.
In a society such as ours where affairs are tantalizing, one
night stands are touted as harmless, and couples are opting to live and have
sex together absent of matrimony, is it any surprise that the covenant of
marriage is meaningless to those who do not abide in Christ? On the other side
of the coin, I have observed, countless times, the arrogant facial expressions
of women who catch married men gazing at their scantily clad bodies, and the
extra pleasure they seem to experience when they are successful at enticing him
to look while he’s standing beside his wife. It’s as if a woman feels she has
proven herself to be so intoxicating that even a man committed to another woman
cannot resist her allure.
We need to be aware, as the examples above exemplify, that this issue falls on both sides of the fence. As married women in an increasingly wicked society, we must be on guard at all times to the trappings of the enemy. We must choose daily to keep our minds and our bodies focused on the things above and not allow the enemy to gain a foothold by convincing us that a broken marriage is irreparable and that we deserve to find satisfaction elsewhere. The enemy isn’t smart, but he does have incredible timing and he does this by studying our weaknesses so he can tempt us at the opportune moment.
My prayer for us wives, as we navigate the waters of this fallen world we live in, is that we would be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. That we would choose to meditate on the things of God and wouldn’t allow the devil a foothold through our present circumstances and struggles, whatever they may be. The enemy is lurking behind every corner, in every form and fashion, but praise be to God, we have the ability to stand triumphant against the enemy through the power of Jesus Christ! May we choose to call upon His name each and every day and stand victorious against our foes!
To deliver you from the strange woman,
We need to be aware, as the examples above exemplify, that this issue falls on both sides of the fence. As married women in an increasingly wicked society, we must be on guard at all times to the trappings of the enemy. We must choose daily to keep our minds and our bodies focused on the things above and not allow the enemy to gain a foothold by convincing us that a broken marriage is irreparable and that we deserve to find satisfaction elsewhere. The enemy isn’t smart, but he does have incredible timing and he does this by studying our weaknesses so he can tempt us at the opportune moment.
My prayer for us wives, as we navigate the waters of this fallen world we live in, is that we would be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. That we would choose to meditate on the things of God and wouldn’t allow the devil a foothold through our present circumstances and struggles, whatever they may be. The enemy is lurking behind every corner, in every form and fashion, but praise be to God, we have the ability to stand triumphant against the enemy through the power of Jesus Christ! May we choose to call upon His name each and every day and stand victorious against our foes!
To deliver you from the strange woman,
From the adulteress who flatters with her words;
That leaves the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God'
For her house sinks down to death
And her tracks lead to the dead.
Proverbs 2:16-18
