KEEP OUT
Proverbs 4:14-15 NKJV
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
And do not walk in the way of evil.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
Okay, yesterday was a long devotional, so today we'll keep this one short. When I was a kid wandering around the woods near my home, I would occasionally see warning signs regarding trespassing. "No trespassing" was a firm but gentle warning. "Keep out" was more forceful. "Keep out" let you know not to go messing around past that sign. And usually, there was additional information stating that violators would be prosecuted, just in case you missed the message. In our verses for today is the biblical keep out sign to help us avoid sinning.
Don't enter the path of the wicked. Don't go there. Don't walk in the way of evil. This warning makes total sense. To stay out of evil, stay away from where it is happening. Areas that are a weakness for us need to be avoided. I have spoken with people who were set free from drug and alcohol addictions but slipped back into their old ways. Often, they had gone to places where they used to hang out, thinking they were strong enough to resist. If you want to witness to your old friends, do it on your turf, not theirs.
Solomon keeps up with the same theme in verse fifteen. In fact, he is even more adamant in this verse. "Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on." And that is the easiest solution for avoiding sin. Avoid it, turn away, and pass on. Let me add an important caveat to this verse. This is more than physical avoidance; this involves our thoughts. When we don't avoid wrong thoughts and allow our minds to "travel there" to turn the wrong way, we are setting ourselves up for trouble. So often we go there in our minds before our bodies follow. When it comes to avoiding evil and living free, start with your thoughts. Don't enter the path of evil in your thoughts. Don't walk that way in your mind. Avoid it in your imagination. If you can stay away in your mind and imagination, you are more than halfway home.
I wish I could tell you that controlling thoughts is easy. But it's easier to write about than to apply. But we are believers, and all things are possible to those who believe. God has enabled us to live free, and the fight for our minds is one of our biggest fights. But remember, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!
PRAYER
Lord, help me walk strong and away from the evil that would trip me up. Help me to fill my mind with Your word, Your thoughts, and avoid the paths that lead to nothing good in my life.