"My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh." Prov. 4:20-22
The overarching theme when I read the latter part of Proverbs 4 is giving attention to which path we will take. Will our feet take the path toward evil, or will our feet take us towards the path of righteousness? Listen to these next verses.
"Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left, remove your foot from evil." Prov. 4:26-27
"The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble." Prov 4:19
Growing up my mom and dad would always would tell me to pick my friends wisely. When I was in my teenage years, I didn't always follow that advise. I found myself in detention, suspension, and doing things I knew weren't right because of the influence of others. I was letting them lead me down a path of unrighteousness instead of me leading them down the right path. As I grew older, I heard someone say, "You are who you hang out with." Then I read somewhere, "You show me a person's friends, and I'll show you that person's character." The more I read the Bible, observed myself, and others I began to realize the truth of those two quotes. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." The word keep means to guard and protect. In John Eldredge's book, "Waking the Dead", he says, "The story of your life is the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows who you could be and fears it." Our hearts have been attacked and assaulted by the enemy. We have to do everything we can to protect our hearts. We must realize two things: 1) Our heart is valuable 2) Our heart deeply matters to God. How do we guard and protect our hearts? How do we stay on the path of righteousness? These two questions are linked. We guard our hearts by staying on the path of righteousness. Give attention!
"Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. Prov 4:14-17
I believe the answer to keeping off the path of the wicked and on the path of righteousness is found in the following scriptures.
"A prudent man forsees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished." Prov. 22:3
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105
"Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word." Psalm 119:107
"You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God! Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live..." Psalm 119:114-116
The enemy has set so many traps for us along life's path, and we must have Holy Spirit vision to see the schemes that he has laid out for us. When we walk in the Spirit we're going to be prudent and wise and forsee the evil traps. When we're in the word, God lights up our path so we're not walking in darkness. If you're reading this today, and you feel burdened down with life. The enemy has got you down, discouraged, and you're feeling condemned because you fell into his trap at some point in your life. I have good news for you friend. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...""And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1 & 14
The good news is that Jesus is the Word that can revive you. Jesus and His Holy Bible will light your path. He is your hiding place and shield. He is the lifter of your head. "I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber...The Lord is your protector. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall protect you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." Psalm 121
Look to Jesus. He is the beginning. Jesus's shed blood on the cross is more powerful than any sin you may have committed. No matter how far you may feel from Jesus, He is just one prayer away. He is the path of righteousness. He is the way!
