The Step by Step process using Proverbs Chapter 4!
Dear Zikora,
The proverbs is full of brilliant lessons and it is one of my favorite books in the Bible. If you ever have questions on how to navigate any situation, pick up the book of proverbs and apply its foundational principles!
This chapter emphasizes the importance of wisdom and insight. These two qualities help us understand how to relate to people, things, and ourselves. It also helps us move forward and thrive in any situation. Lets get into the step by step how to:
1) Know the Word of God and Practice it Always:
First things first, God created the world (Genesis 1 vs 1), so if you want to know how to live in the world God created, you must know, understand, and practice the guidelines stipulated in God’s words (the Bible). Think about it this way, what do you do when you buy an electrical gadget or toy? You first read the manufacturer’s manual to know how to utilize that gadget or toy properly!. Thus, knowing the word of God is the upper hand you need as it helps you navigate the world and, directs you on how to respond to every situation.
Proverbs 4 vs 3-4 puts it this way:
“When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me”;
“Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live” ….Proverbs 4 vs 3-4.
So how do you know the word of God? By reading and meditating on the Bible day and night, always thinking deeply about the words you’ve read. This helps you understand God’s instructions and commandments. It helps you to always be ready to execute and answer any situation correctly. This is also how you increase and maintain wisdom and insight. Here is how God wants you to do it:
“My son, be attentive to my words” ;
“Incline your ear to my sayings”.
“Let them not escape from your sight; Keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh”…Proverbs 4 vs 20-22.
Here is another quote:
“Keep this book of law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” : Joshua 1 vs 8.
2) Be Attentive and Obedient to God’s Words:
Now that you know the word of God, Trust what it says (Trust God). Make sure to pay close attention to what it says and carefully obey it. There will be many doctrines circulating as you go through life, but remember, only the word of God, as found in the Bible, is what you should listen to. So, when faced with a situation, only do what God commands or instructs to do regarding that situation.
“Hear, O sons, a father’s instructions and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching”…Proverbs 4 vs 1-2.
Furthermore,
“Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many”
“I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness”.
“When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble”
“Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her for she is your life” …Proverbs 4 vs 10-13.
3) Practice Wisdom and Insight:
Wisdom means having great knowledge and good judgement. Insight means to have a deep understanding of situations and people. Proverbs 4 vs 5-9 explains the importance of having these two qualities in this way:
“Get wisdom, get insight”
“Do not forget, do not turn away from the words of my mouth”.
“Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you”
“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get Wisdom”
“And whatever you get, get insight” .
“Prize her highly and she will exalt you”
“She will honor you if you embrace her”
“She will place on your head a graceful garland”
“She will bestow you a beautiful crown”…Proverbs 4 vs 5-9.
How do you get wisdom and insight? It’s simple! You get wisdom and insight by doing step 1 and 2 above: Knowing the commandments and word of God and doing the commandments and word of God. Remember, the Bible makes it clear that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction” Proverbs 1 vs 7.
All these goes to say: the word of God gives us wisdom and insight into the way the world works. It offers us protection, guards us, helps us, heals us, and gives us an upper hand.
Furthermore, adhering to the word of God makes our lives easier to live and removes the anxiety from it.
To summarize:
Use the word of God to guard your heart, meditate on it daily, when you are alone and even when you are with others. Think about it, reflect on it. Always cross reference your words and actions with the word of God before executing any action or saying any word. This means, pause (to think about what the word of God recommends in that scenario) before executing.
4) Intentionally Avoid Evil:
“Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil”…Proverbs 4 vs 26-27.
Do not participate in anything immoral, evil, harmful, or bad according to God’s standards. This also means that you do not befriend the wicked, do not want them to notice you. Do not walk in the same path or area as them. Do not mingle with the wicked, do not be wicked. Do not intentionally want people to fail or stumble. Do not intentionally cause people to stumble or fail. Do not devise means directly or indirectly to be evil. Do not be a hindrance to other people’s success. I think you get where this is going. So, no matter how enticing it might be to partake in evil, always choose righteousness as this is God’s clear instructions according to Proverbs 4 vs 14-17:
“Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil.
“Avoid it; do not go on it; Turn away from it and pass on”.
“For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence”
When it comes to navigating life, always choose the morally right thing to do. It is the wise thing to do, and you cannot go wrong because according to Proverbs 4 vs 18-19:
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day”.
“The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.”
5) Be Mindful of Your Thoughts and Thinking Process:
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life”…Proverbs 4 vs 23.
What do you think about in your mind? Why do you think those things? In order to make the best out of life, you need to understand what you are always thinking about, and what is motivating your thoughts. You should be intentional about the thoughts you allow linger in your mind. Guard your heart and mind from things such as malice, evil, jealousy etc., as these things corrupt you and they directly impact you, your actions, your speech, and your outcomes in negative ways. You should only be thinking on what is: “True, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4 vs 8).
6) Pause and Think Before You Speak:
In the same vein as step 5 above, watch the way you speak and the things you say. It is related to step 5 because your thoughts dictate your speech as well as your entire personality. (“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” Proverbs 23 vs 7).This is a very important aspect of having wisdom, insight and understanding. Pay attention to your tone, your manner of speech, the content of your speech, and your body language as it includes a lot of things that you are saying but don’t say verbally. When you speak, speak the truth. Don’t try to deceive people with your words. Here is a direct quote:
“Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you”…Proverbs 4 vs 24.
Remember, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits”…Proverbs 18 vs 21.
So be very careful about the things you say and how you say it, both to yourself and to others. Speak life and love into yourself and into every situation always.
7) Focus, Think Things Through, and Don’t be Easily Distracted:
“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you”
“Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure”. – Proverbs 4 vs 25-26.
In Life, you will experience lots of distractions and conflicts, however, stay focused. Whatever it is you want to do, first check that it is in line with God’s word, pray about it and then execute. Stop being distracted by fantasies, what other people are doing, or random thoughts. If you get tired rest, and then keep going. Don’t loose your focus, be Strategic. Don’t try to “wing” things. Be thoughtful and carefully consider your plans or actions before you execute them. Pay attention to what it is you want to achieve in life, what would it require, how would you gather what it takes? How would you cope in the process etc. Don’t just go in willy nilly. This is important because things take time and cost resources. Similarly, if things are not done properly or not well thought out, you would have wasted your time and resources while achieving mediocre results. Thinking things through allows you to be strategic and patient and give each endeavor the proper amount of time and resources it needs to become fruitful. It does not mean to aim for perfection before attempting any endeavor, however, you should be aware of certain factors involved before taking on or trying out serious projects.
In summary, focus! Run everything by what the word of God says and pray, committing it to God first. This is how you will know if it is in line with God’s word and will. After you have done this, execute without overthinking. Execute with clarity and confidence. Do not look to see what others are doing and be distracted or discouraged by it. Once you have decided and spoken to God about it, Execute. If God is with you, and it is the right time, you will succeed. Check out this blog post for more: How to make a decision and other lessons
Prayer:
Thank you Jesus for your word to me today. Please help me to learn, to be attentive, to meditate, and to abide by your words. Help me to gain the wisdom and insight that it holds. Help me to practice it daily and answer every situation correctly. Help me to guard my heart and mind, and heal me, in Jesus name, Amen. Thank you, Jesus because I know you have heard and answered my prayer!