“When you play with fire, you either get burnt or smell like smoke.” That’s an old saying I heard years and years ago and have never forgotten it. And yes, I have used it on many occasions. 

It came back to me as I read the following verses from Proverbs 6:27-28:

Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? (CSB) Can a man walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? (NLT)

The context of those verses is speaking of adultery. Can a man (or a woman) embrace another (that’s not talking a casual side hug) and not be left unscathed? Further reading gives even more clarification of those verses and the subject. 

But let’s take it beyond adultery for a moment. That can be applied to the addictions we are chained to: porn, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, gambling, risky financial ventures, embezzlement, and more. Who plans on becoming an addict when they take that first drink, pill, or (you fill in the blank)? That’s the genius of this verse. Don’t start. Don’t deceive yourself by saying it will never happen to me. All it takes is one time to get some people hooked. The question we must consider is, “Do I want to take that chance I might be the one to get hooked?”  

Key thought: Don’t start. Play with fire and you get burnt or smell like smoke. Perhaps you can start by praying something simple like this prayer: “Help me, Father, to break the chain that keeps rearing its ugly head and has its grip on me.”