Temptation Is Meant To Gradually Bring You Down

"So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice..." 1 Kings 11:9 The purpose of sin is to open doors which Satan can take advantage of and through which he will bring all sorts of repercussions. In this case, King Solomon amassed to himself wives, and many of them were from the heathen nations around him. God had specifically warned him about this, saying that marriage with the women from those nations would cause his heart to turn away from the Lord under the pressure of his wives to honor their false gods. But Solomon's lust was too much for him, and he fell to it. The process of the fall of Solomon's heart was very gradual, as Satan's ways always are. He leads you bit by bit so you won't notice your downfall. Solomon pleased his wives by erecting "high places" for worship of their gods, but eventually he followed after those gods too, under the pressure of his wives. As a result, Solomon's life went downhill fast. God raised up enemies against him, and eventually the kingdom would fail. It affected not only him, but all those under him, and led to great disaster. vs 11: "Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, 'Because you have done this, and have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you…'" vs 14: "Now the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom." This enemy would be trouble for Solomon for the rest of his life. vs 25: "He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon…" So because of sin, the door was opened to his enemies and they came against Solomon; and the glory of the kingdom began to fade. It would never be the same again. All this happened to Solomon, who was considered the wisest man alive. Surely you've heard of “the wisdom of Solomon.” Yet this wise and powerful man fell. What would it take to make YOU fall? If you're in rebellion against God, know for a surety that it will bring you down. It's a principle in life that sin brings all manner of repercussions into a person's life. The problem is that it doesn't happen immediately and that's why people don't "get it." That's why people become hardened. If it were cause and effect immediately, no one would sin. But because it "looks like" you're getting away with it, the consequences of sin will come as a surprise and the destruction will make you bitter. It's not worth it, folks. Pleasure is fleeting, but its repercussions can dog you all of your days. Satan will happily put forth thoughts of pleasure to you, to entice you. Many fall through his enticements, only to find in the end that sin brings misery. On the other hand, walking in obedience to the Lord brings great blessings both in this life and in the life to come. "The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it MORE ABUNDANTLY." John 10:10