Mike Focht 7/24/2026
For she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men.
Proverbs 7:26
Strong men and women can be slain by sin. Solomon has a wise word for us. The dangers described in Proverbs 7 are obviously sexual in nature, but the temptress here also represents temptation in all its facets and desires. Temptation is very subtle. It is a versatile weapon in our enemy's hands. Satan has many strategies to defeat strong opponents.
One of the ways that Satan gets a finger in our lives is through weak temptation. We can falsely assume the devil will always try to drown us in an overwhelming wave of sin. Strong men and women are ready for face-to-face confrontations with violent and brash temptation. Satan knows that, so instead, he will throw a single weak wave of temptation at us, and when we overcome it, we feel powerful. Another low rolling wave of temptation follows, and again, we stand strong. Afterwards, we feel even stronger. Soon, like Samson with Delilah, we believe that we have the situation under our control. We can play with temptation. We think we can stand and withstand.
All along, the weak temptations have been a satanic ploy to get us farther and farther from the safety of the shore. And like Samson before us, we end up most confident when we are farthest from safety. Satan wins when we face him, assuming we are strong, when really, we are at our weakest. It is then that Satan sends his strongest waves, and even the strongest men realize in the moment that they are totally helpless. For she has cast down many wounded and all who were slain by her were strong men.
Here is the correction we need! We are not strong enough to handle sin. We are not strong enough to play with sin. We do not have temptation under control. We cannot toe the line. If you read those lines and think, But I have played with temptation, and I am fine. Then realize, you are already on Satan’s path. He is leading you along and building your confidence through weak temptations. When we play with sin and temptation, even a little sin, we are being strung along by Satan. We are descending to the chambers of death. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that all the other men and women cast down by sin and temptation were weak, and we are strong. Even the strongest ox is led to the slaughter. Ignorance kills the ox. Not lack of strength.
We must allow the Holy Spirit to correct any thought that would cause us to imagine we can play with sin or temptation. There can be no excuse and no justification for our yielding to enticing speech and flattery. We cannot think that because the temptation is so much smaller than what we have previously experienced, that we are strong enough to handle it. All who were slain by her were strong men.
Too often, we despise the idea of a lot of sin, but we entertain the idea of a little sin. Unfortunately, those little sins lead us to places we never desired to go. To places where we are cast down, wounded, and slain. Weak temptation is one of Satan’s most effective lures.
We are not strong enough to play with sin. We are not in control of sin. We must correct any attitude, thought, or desire that would justify our acting otherwise. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not stray into her paths.