A Wise Child Discerns

Wise children discern the appropriate direction for their God-designed desires.
 
When desire is engaged, it is critical to discern the substance unseen beneath the surface that is appealing.
 
Proverbs 5:1-4
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
   listen carefully to my wise counsel.
2 Then you will show discernment,
   and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,
   and her mouth is smoother than oil.
4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison,
   as dangerous as a double-edged sword.

Proverbs 5:12-14
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
   If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?
   Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin,
   and now I must face public disgrace.”

This is the destination of misdirected desire and a foolish choice.
 
When desire is engaged, we have to know what is at stake and worth protecting.

Proverbs 5:15-19
15 Drink water from your own well—
   share your love only with your wife.
16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets,
   having sex with just anyone?
17 You should reserve it for yourselves.
   Never share it with strangers.
18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.
   Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.
   Let her breasts satisfy you always.
   May you always be captivated by her love.

By design, intercourse is to be intoxicating, captivating, and fiercely guarded in marriage.
 
1 Corinthians 7:3-5
3 The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. 4 The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Ephesians 5:25-26, 31-32
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

The wise child knows a foolish trade.

Proverbs 5:20-23
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman,
   or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?
21 For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,
   examining every path he takes.
22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
   they are ropes that catch and hold him.
23 He will die for lack of self-control;
   he will be lost because of his great foolishness.