Proverbs 4

In keeping with my Proverbs reading, today we are looking at the verses in Proverbs 4. Today we will focus on verses 20-27:


"My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil"


These verses follow advice on seeking and guarding wisdom. The words we are to heed are the words of the wise. Wisdom is found in the scriptures are we are to keep them in our sights and carried in our hearts. The Bible is not about legalistic rules, but about wisdom to guide us through life and to protect us from evil. Most of us, at some point, have made choices that did not line up with the instruction of scripture. Often when we make those choices they lead to pain and heartbreak. They almost always lead to some form of consequence. There are aspects of my life I could complain about, but I do not because they are the results of my choices that were disobedient to the wisdom of scripture.

Interesting to me in these verses is the phrase "above all else". There are several commands here, but the command to guard our hearts is stated to be the MOST important. It is true that everything we do, say, and think is a result of what is inside of our heart. If we do not guard out hearts we can become ineffective in our lives. If our guard is down, we leave ourselves open to the enemy. It is within our hearts that bitterness, offense, jealousy, fear, prejudice, and a myriad of other emotions can take root. Our heart is also the wellspring of joy, compassion, love, caring, tenderness, and mercy. If we are not careful to protect the gate of our hearts, any of the above can enter. We must remain vigilant to ensure only those things of God are allowed to plant and grow within our hearts.

We are also instructed to not allow perverse and corrupt words from our lips. I see this as a continuation of guarding our hearts. Our words and conversations are an overflow of the state of our hearts. I know in my life I have heard myself say something and then immediately think; "where did THAT come from?" I have had to step back and evaluate the reason for my tone, choice of language, etc.

Without focus, we can become easily swayed. Even thousands of years ago the world was vying for our attention. The author addresses this by telling us to neither look right or left, but remain focused on what is before us. Giving careful thought to the paths of our feet means we are intentional in what we do and where we go. We don't suddenly find ourselves in a bar. In the same way, we don't suddenly find ourselves in church. We have a choice to make and we must seek wisdom before we make those choices.

My prayer for you today is for wisdom to prevail in your life. I pray you will seek guidance if you are struggling with guarding your heart. Maybe there is a television show you need to stop watching. If could be a friendship with the opposite sex that could lead you to the "right or left" and you need to back away from that relationship. Each of us have our own area of distraction. I pray God will speak to you on what your area is and will give you the strength and tenacity to protect your heart at all costs!