What if I told you there was a gift, but you had to go look for it? It’s like nothing you’ve seen before, so incredibly valuable and life-giving. Would you be motivated to seek out such a highly valued treasure?
That is what Solomon is instructing his sons to do in Proverbs 4. Keep looking for wisdom. Ask the Lord for it. Pursue it at all costs.
Wisdom isn’t something that simply happens to us. We have to pursue it. And that highlights our personal responsibility to know God and know His Word. You cannot sit in a secluded corner watching your trash TV, ignoring the biblical influences God has placed around you, and then get angry that God isn’t giving you wisdom.
He would love to give it to you! But Scripture calls us to ask for wisdom, seek it diligently, and then put safeguards in place to protect it.
It’s hard to see from our picture, but there is a very petite Teah in the corner behind some strong protectors. What chance do you think little brother had of getting to her through the giants surrounding her?
This is the type of protection we are called to place around our hearts, our souls, and our very knowledge of God.
Guarding your heart isn’t simply an afterthought. It is an essential spiritual practice. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Everything. What you speak. What your eyes are drawn to. The direction your feet wander. The choices you make. The things you begin to desire.
So get uncomfortable and ask yourself:
1. How am I going to pursue wisdom this week?
2. How can I guard my heart more effectively?
3. What distractions do I need to eliminate that are keeping me from doing what God has called me to do?
And please don’t misunderstand me, the act of guarding your heart isn’t simply about willpower. It is about actively choosing to fill it with something better.
If we are constantly pursuing God, filling our thoughts, minds, and souls with His Word and His presence, there is less room for everything else to take root.
That’s the end goal. More of You, Lord. Less of me.
So what are you watching? Is there something you’re consuming that might open up a guilty pleasure from your past? The Lord has already set you free. Don’t put even your toe back on the road that once led you toward destruction.
What messages are coming through in the music you hear? David understood the importance of music throughout Scripture. We see God’s power on display when music is used as an act of worship. There is power in melody. It can be used for His glory, or it can be used to advance the enemy’s kingdom. Pay attention to what is speaking into you.
Look at what, and who, you are in proximity to. Who have you married? Where do you work? Who are your closest friends? What are you allowing into your soul through that little piece of technology in your hand? I encourage you to surround yourself with a body of believers.
The voices you allow into your life eventually influence the choices you make.
God gave us the gift of community so that we can encourage one another, share the truth of His Word, sharpen one another, and continually point each other back to Him.
Because ultimately, He is the only true source of wisdom worth pursuing, and the treasure we find in Him is worth guarding at all costs.