Don’t Be Captive to Sin and Lack of Self-Control
His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Satan’s system is a very effective one. When we give in to temptations to sin, we fall into a trap and too often we tighten the noose around our own necks. Sin, and especially in this context, sexual sin (see verse 20 about the seductress), has its pleasures, and each sin plants the seeds of future sins. As the apostle Paul said, who we obey determines whether we will be slaves of God or of “sin leading to death” (Romans 6:16).
We must escape from sin by escaping from the temptations, not cozying up to them. We must make a 100-percent commitment to always obey God's law and to flee from temptation. We must ask God to strengthen the spiritual fruit of self-control (Galatians 5:23), and we must seek and heed His instruction in order to choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19).
For more about escaping from temptation and sin, see “Temptation.”
