Don't Trade Your Future for a Moment

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Gentlemen, every day is a battle. A battle for your faith, your family, and your purpose. The men who stand strong don't prepare when the battle arrives. They prepare before it begins. Welcome to the Men's Morning Devotional. Let's get into God's word. It's time to man up.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Happy Friday, gentlemen. It's the old guy, Steve Alesi, on the team, and it's time for another man up moment. And please don't forget to send this to a buddy. He needs some wisdom. This is a great way to share it with him. We're continuing our devotion this week in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 6, verse 30 through 31 is talking about a man who is encouraged to not trade his future for a moment. It says, Men, do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving. Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it cost him all the wealth of his house. But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment. Whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away. Now every man has a moment when what he wants right now can compete with what he wants most. That's really what Solomon is warning us about. He starts with a hungry man who steals food, and we can understand why he did so because he was hungry and starving. But Solomon says something important. Understanding the temptation doesn't remove the consequences. The man may have had a good reason for stealing, but he says if he gets caught, he still has to pay. Then Solomon turns to something even more serious. He looks at adultery. And he says the man who commits adultery lacks judgment and destroys himself. Now, those are strong words because sexual temptation has a way of convincing a man to only think about the moment, how he feels right now. He starts to ask himself, who will ever know? What's the harm in doing this? May even convince himself that I deserve this and it's just going to be a one-time thing. But wisdom doesn't just look at the moment. Wisdom looks way down the road. So, man, hear this with an open heart and mind. There are decisions you can make in a few minutes that can affect your life for years. A few minutes can damage a strong marriage. A few minutes can destroy your kids. A few minutes can destroy trust that took decades for you to build. A few minutes can affect your reputation, your leadership, your friendship, and sadly your relationship with God. That's why Solomon says the man who does this, he destroys himself. Now the enemy doesn't usually show you the price tag when temptation shows up. He kind of shows you just the pleasure of it. But God, he's going to show you the consequences. And that's not because God is trying to keep something good from you. He's actually trying to protect everything good he has already given to you, like your family, like your character, your influence, the peace, and even the future that he has planned for you. That's why a wise man establishes boundaries before temptation ever arrives. He doesn't wait until emotionally he's involved or until the texts have become inappropriate. And he doesn't wait until the friendship has crossed the line or until he's in a situation he knows he shouldn't be in. Strong men don't just resist temptation. Strong men build boundaries that keep temptation from getting too close. Remember this today. Don't trade what you want most for what you want right now, as there's too much at stake. So here is your man up challenge. Now work with me on this one, gentlemen, because we're here on Friday and we got a long weekend ahead of us. So here's the challenge. Take an honest look at your boundaries today and ask yourself is there a relationship or a conversation, a text thread, an online habit, or a situation in my life that I know is getting too close to the line? If there is, be wise. Don't try to manage it. Delete the text or the picture. End the conversation. Create some distance. Tell someone you trust. Strengthen the boundary. Because what you're doing is you're protecting today what you don't want to lose tomorrow because you don't want to trade your future for a moment. So let's pray. Father, it's been a great week. And now we ask you on this morning to give us wisdom and strength to guard our heart, guard our eyes, and guard our relationships. Help us, Lord, recognize temptation before it becomes a trap. Give us the courage to establish strong boundaries and the discipline to honor those boundaries so that our marriages are protected and our families are protected, and our character and our future is set in stone. Help us live today in a way that honors you and protects everything good that you have entrusted to us. In Jesus' name, amen.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

All right, gentlemen, you've heard God's word. Now go live it. Lead well, stand strong, honor God in everything you do. Share this devotional with another brother. Remember, every day is another opportunity to man up.