For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood…her ways are unstable.

Proverbs 5:3,4,6

These verses refer to an adulterous woman, but they can also be applied to an addictive personality. (Sin, after all  is addictive.)

Addictions, in the beginning, are usually pleasant-like honey and olive oil; it is only later that they turn bitter. And because addictive behaviors bring pleasure, they blind us to a downward spiral. Only after all the chains have bound us do we begin to see how destructive our behavior is to ourselves and others.

As we look at who we have been and who we have become, we become to realize that much of our destruction behavior comes from our being “unstable.” Only as we understand our spiritual and emotional “wobbliness” will we begin to feel God’s wisdom and His deep love and supporting strength.

God wants us to anticipate trouble, to recognize the addictive pattern ahead of time , to depend on His stable strength. If we do, we can learn to be free from sinful behaviors  that we have been caught in the past. God wants to deliver us from bondage, but He will not do it without our cooperation.

Thought:  I will acknowledge my own unstable tendencies today to avoid slipping into addictive behaviors, even if they appear to be as sweet as honey.