Proverbs 4:1-2; 4-8
"My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions...My father taught me, 'Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live. Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you."
Proverbs chapter 4 tells us, that we, as children, are to listen to our father's correction. In the sense of a physical and earthly father (or parent if you will), we can see just how important it is that we children obey our parent's corrections. The same thing goes for God the Father: God guides us down paths that are good for us, and we are never to turn away from His instructions, meaning that complete and total obedience is demanded of us as Children of God. When we follow God's commandments, we are promised life! Obeying God isn't a chore. If anything, it is a gift given to us by our loving and caring Father, who only wants what is best for us!
Proverbs 4:10-13
"My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble. Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life."
We have already established that listening and obeying the Lord's instructions has benefits to it. We know we are promised a long and good life if we obey, but we are also promised something even better: true wisdom from the Lord Himself! The path the Lord leads us on is straight, and as we walk it out, no plan of the enemy can hold us back or cause us to stumble or trip! Staying steadfast in holding on to the path God has laid out for us is what we are to hold on to when it seems like we are falling short.
Proverbs 4:14-15; 18-19
"Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving...The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over."
Because of the effects of sin, we inevitably live in a wicked and sinful world. As people who constantly fall short, it can be easy for us to stray off the path of righteousness God has for us, and fall onto the path of evil. Verses 14 and 15 say it so plainly: do not do as the wicked do, and do not follow their path. In fact, do not even think about going down that path. If anything, simply turn around, walk in the opposite direction, and keep moving along the path of the things that are righteous in the sight of the Lord. It is as simple as that! Conviction from the Lord and wisdom tell us which way we are to go, and let me tell you, that way is not the path of darkness and destruction. As long as you and I can keep our gaze on the things of the Lord, you truly have nothing to fear!
Proverbs 4:20-27
"My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil."
This passage of Scripture is filled with knowledge, insight, and wisdom that we, born-again Children of God, need to take to heart constantly. In order to stay on the path the Lord has laid out for us, we must let life penetrate the deepest depths of our hearts. The words found within the pages of the Bible aren't just random phrases: they are actual life!
Since our hearts are the root of all that flows out of us, we guard them. That means using Godly discernment to decide who we are and what we let inside us, as what we let in will flow out. We are commanded to avoid speech tainted with the stains of perversion and corruption. Everything we say stems from the heart. If our words are coarse or perverse, it means that our hearts are as well. That also means we failed to guard and protect what we let in and out, leading to a heart defiled by the things of the enemy. Keeping our gaze and focus locked on the things of God is crucial and non-negotiable as well. When our sight is on the Lord and the way he has laid it out for us, our feet will continue to follow along the path of the Lord.
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