Cancel the Invitation to Temptation | Jentezen Franklin
Sunday, August 10
Key Scriptures
Proverbs 7:6-27; Proverbs 9:1-6
Today we’ll explore the message, Cancel the Invitation to Temptation by Pastor Jentezen Franklin. The message encouraged us to recognize that every day, we receive invitations from two women: the Harlot, representing temptation’s fleeting pleasures, and Lady Wisdom, offering godly counsel and lasting fulfillment. You must respond to these invitations, and God won’t choose for you. Will you tear up the Harlot’s invitation and choose Wisdom to build something that lasts? Drawing from Proverbs 7:6-7 and Proverbs 9:1-3, we see temptation’s secretive, short-lived appeal contrasted with Wisdom’s open, eternal foundation of integrity and purpose. If you’ve stumbled, cry out to God, seek forgiveness, and choose life. The choice is yours—and it shapes your destiny.
- What stood out to you from this message?
Key Points
1. The invitation from Harlot is all about sensual, carnal things. This invitation is to a party all about temptation, and you get it every day. If you take this wrong invitation, it will cost you.
2. The invitation from Wisdom is all about spiritual things. This invitation is all about opportunities. You have an opportunity to do something eternal and leave a generational blessing to your children and grandchildren.
3. Harlot’s preparation is all about your senses. Everything that harlotry prepares is temporary and superficial. Any time the devil gives you any pleasure, it’s temporary, and then comes destruction. The devil has prepared a party to please you for a night; it’s a one night stand plan that will destroy your life. Sin thrills then kills. It fascinates then assassinates.
4. Wisdom’s preparation is all about things that last. Fools get into the one night stand plan but the wise build things that last. Wisdom takes planning and preparation seriously. Get your eyes off the cheap and temporary and onto things that last.
5. Harlot’s invitation is to a private meeting. Beware of invitations, apps, messages, and pictures that are only between you and one other person. Beware of invitations that make you avoid good, godly people.
6. Wisdom’s invitation is to a public meeting. There is wisdom in a multitude of counsel. If you think you’re more spiritual than your accountability, you’re deceived.
7. Harlot’s meal is all leftovers. Sex without love and commitment is like eating food without swallowing or digesting; you get the flavor but then spit it out without ever being able to be satisfied from it.
8. Wisdom’s meal is a feast of fine meats. Wisdom has prepared a meal that will satisfy you. The world can never give you the same satisfaction as Wisdom.
The harlot’s invitation in Proverbs 7 is a vivid portrayal of temptation’s allure—sensual, deceptive, and fleeting. It entices the flesh with promises of pleasure but leads to destruction. This passage warns us of sin’s tactics and consequences, urging us to stay vigilant.
Proverbs 7:10-13, 21-23, 26-27 NKJV“And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart… With her enticing speech she caused him to yield… Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death.”
The harlot’s tactics—secrecy, sensuality, and false safety—make sin appear appealing and harmless. She operates in darkness (v.9), uses alluring words and touch (v.13), and cloaks her intentions with religious pretense (v.14). Yet, her path leads to spiritual ruin, broken relationships, and eternal danger (v.27). James 1:14-15 echoes this: temptation births sin, and sin brings death. Today, we face similar deceptions—sin that thrills momentarily but kills eternally. Resisting requires awareness and accountability, trusting God’s way over fleeting pleasure.
Group Discussion Questions
- How does the harlot’s use of religious pretense (v.14) reflect ways temptation can appear respectable today?
- Why does secrecy amplify temptation’s power, and how can accountability help you resist?
- How can focusing on the temporary nature of sinful pleasure strengthen your commitment to God’s path?
By staying alert and rooted in God’s truth, we can reject the harlot’s invitation and choose the eternal joy of walking in His ways.
Lady Wisdom’s invitation in Proverbs 9:1-6 offers a path to spiritual growth, community, and eternal blessings. Unlike the harlot’s secretive and fleeting pleasures, Wisdom’s call is open, enduring, and rooted in righteousness, leading to a life of purpose and generational impact.
Proverbs 9:1-6 NKJV“Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars; she has prepared her food… She cries out from the highest places of the city, ‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’”
Wisdom prepares a banquet of worship, inviting all to partake in a community of faith. Her invitation is transparent, offered in the open, and fosters accountability. Unlike the harlot’s solitary, shame-filled path, Wisdom’s table abounds with love, righteousness, and lasting blessings. By embracing spiritual teachings, practicing humility, and seeking the Holy Spirit’s discernment, we develop wisdom over time, making choices that honor God and bless future generations.
Group Discussion Questions
Choosing Wisdom’s invitation builds a legacy of faith, guided by God’s truth and sustained by His blessings.
RSVP to Wisdom’s Party
Every day, whether you realize it or not, you are responding to an invitation. In Proverbs 7:24–27, Solomon paints the sobering picture of a young man being lured away by the voice of temptation—seductive, secretive, and persuasive. This invitation doesn’t come with warning labels. It’s enticing, promising pleasure, but it always ends in loss, destruction, and regret.
Proverbs 9:13–18 NKJV“A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple, and knows nothing… ‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’… But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell.”
Then Proverbs 9:13–18 gives us the contrast: Wisdom also sends an invitation. She calls out in the open, from the highest place where all can hear. She offers a feast—life, truth, stability, blessing. Her table is set not in secret, but in the light, with nothing to hide. The key truth? You cannot attend both parties. Accepting one means rejecting the other.
Our very own, Pastor Jentezen Franklin reminded us that the enemy’s strategy is isolation. The voice of foolishness doesn’t shout in public—it hides in shadows, drawing you away from accountability. Secrecy is fertile ground for compromise. The enemy thrives when you’re disconnected from wise voices, when you’ve drifted from community, when you stop letting others speak into your life. Proverbs 9 says it best... Wisdom builds her house with seven strong pillars, open and secure; folly lurks in the doorway, loud but empty, calling you into stolen water and hidden bread. The truth is, what’s done in secret withers in shame, but what’s built in the light can stand for generations. That’s why God calls us to stay planted in His Word, planted in His house, and planted among people who will not just celebrate us, but also challenge us.
Wisdom’s call is the opposite. She invites you to live in the light, to stay close to people who will ask you the hard questions, to align your daily choices with God’s Word. Her house is built on pillars—truth, integrity, righteousness, obedience, and faith—that stand strong for generations. These pillars aren’t built overnight. They’re formed through repeated, daily choices to walk with God even when the enemy whispers, “No one will know.”
When you RSVP to Wisdom’s invitation, you’re saying:
- I choose truth over secrecy.
- I choose God’s voice over my own impulses.
- I choose accountability over isolation.
- I choose to think generationally, not just for today.
Reflection & Discussion Questions
- Which “pillars” (integrity, obedience, truth, etc.) are you actively building into your life right now?
- Who can you invite into your life this week to help keep you in the light?
By choosing Wisdom’s invitation, you build a legacy that endures, rooted in God’s truth and strengthened by community.
Proverbs 7:24-25 warns us to guard our hearts and avoid the seductive paths of temptation, while Proverbs 9:10 reminds us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Every day, we RSVP to one of these invitations—either to temptation, which leads to regret, or to wisdom, which leads to opportunity, blessing, and legacy. God calls us to make intentional, God-honoring decisions that align with His Word, resisting the lure of secrecy and momentary pleasure. Let’s choose the path that builds our lives on pillars of truth, integrity, and spiritual strength. Tear up the enemy’s invitation and embrace the feast of wisdom. Your future—and the generations after you—will be impacted by the choice you make today.
Discussion Question
· What is one practical step you can take this week to “cancel” an invitation to temptation and instead embrace wisdom’s call?
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