“My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.”

A number of years ago, I was having a conversation with a good friend who was also in youth ministry. We would take a couple of trips a year together with our teenagers. We pretty much knew where we were going to take the group each year. Over time, some of the communities—because they were primarily tourist towns—changed and served a less family-friendly clientele. During the discussion, he commented that he would rather take his kids to Bourbon Street in New Orleans for a week than to that current location for a day. He explained that the sin on Bourbon Street would scare our students, while the subtle creep of sin where we had been going would be enticing. Solomon hits on this point. Satan knows that, for most of us, working through ignorant friends or acquaintances is much more effective than putting full-blown evil in our path. Decisions made by yielding to small sinful enticements lead to bigger, worse choices. Ultimately, we find our hearts captured by ugly and evil sin. Today, avoid what may appear to be safe compromise. #BeTheEdge

“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” 1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV