Purify Your Mind Series (Part 3) by Joe KirbySample

Men Love Flattery

"To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress." (Proverbs 6:24)

Many men are craving affirmation, perhaps because they have known rejection for much of their life. Maybe they are demeaned at home on a daily basis by their wife or family. Maybe they are just plain insecure. Whatever the reason, many men are desperate to hear something positive about themselves.

That’s where the seductress, or “strange woman” in the KJV, comes in. She is a strange woman, not in the sense of being odd, but not being his wife. She is outside his family—a stranger to him.

She comes in all forms. She may be a coworker who says, “You’re so creative,” or the barista at Starbucks who is overly friendly. She might be your neighbor who laughs loudly at your unfunny jokes.

To any woman reading this, let me say two things. First, though this verse applies to men, everything I’ve said can also apply to you. Women also crave love and acceptance that they might not get from their husbands. The second thing I’d like to gently say to you is, if you’re married, make sure you encourage your husband. He may seem tough on the outside, but all husbands need a loving wife to build them up. Sadly, some men do feel like total losers, and if they don’t get attention from any of the people mentioned above, where do they go? Pornography.

Much of the unclean websites men watch are centered on giving a man a false sense of feeling special, with the actresses saying everything a man is desperate to hear. If that’s you, listen to this warning from Solomon: “The stranger . . . flattereth with her words” (Prov. 7:5, KJV). It’s all an act, and the scriptwriter (Satan) knows just what to say to distract you from the ways of the Lord.