Proverbs 7 feels like a parent standing at the doorway of a world his son is about to walk into, repeating the warning because he knows how convincing temptation can sound.
As a mother myself, I know what that’s like — saying the same important things again and again, hoping our kids will hear our love inside the caution. The chapter returns to adultery as the example, yet I also see a picture of sin in general: appealing, persistent, and often disguised so well that it doesn’t even look like a trap.
The young man in the passage doesn’t go looking for death; he simply wanders near it at dusk. And just like those “older folks” told us when I was a teen, there’s a little truth to the line I laugh and repeat now: “Nothing good ever happens being out after dark.” Darkness conceals things from human eyes. It lowers defenses. It makes foolish choices feel safer than they are.
But Psalm 139 corrects my generational proverb with God’s eternal one. No roof, no night, no secret ever hides a heart from the Lord. “Night is as bright as day” to Him (Ps 139:11-12). He already knows our paths, our weaknesses, and even the words we’ll speak before they reach our tongue (Ps 139:1-4, 13-16).
So the real issue in Proverbs 7 isn’t the time of day; it’s the posture of the soul. The father calls his son to bind truth to himself early — to keep wisdom close enough that when the voice of the seductress becomes relentless, the voice of God is already louder.
I want that for my children. I want that for myself.
To live as the one who sees the snare and chooses the lamp instead.
Proverbs Chapter 6 — Fleshing it out for My Understanding
Working through Proverbs 6 today, and I’m seeing more clearly that this is still a father speaking to his son — the kind of letter you’d hope every young man would read before he signs a loan, chooses his habits, or guards his heart.
The opening verses about becoming surety for your neighbor (6:1–5) felt confusing to me at first. I wondered if it meant, “Don’t sleep until the debt is paid.” But I think the deeper point is this:
God cares about stewardship. If I promise what I cannot reasonably cover, I may lose the very household the Lord told me to protect. Jesus taught the same spirit when He said to count the cost before you build (Luke 14:28). My kindness must never outrun wisdom.
Then the chapter points to the ant (6:6–11). That little creature preaches louder than any motivational speaker. The warning isn’t just “don’t be lazy”; it’s that sloth steals from the future God prepared for me.
Work was God’s idea first — Adam tended the garden before sin ever entered (Genesis 2:15). Paul echoes it plainly: “If a man will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
I also notice how God describes the worthless man (6:12–15) and the seven things He hates (6:16–19):
haughty eyes, lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet quick to run to evil, false witness, and — the climax — one who sows discord among brothers.
And can we just pause and laugh a second? 😂
The internet today yells “6-7!” like it means absolutely nothing, but God used those numbers first. He was the original 6-7 referencer — and He used it to talk about what He despises. That’s a little comical and ironic, and honestly it made me smile at the kitchen table this morning.
The longest section returns to faithfulness in marriage (6:20–35). Culture may joke about pop lists, but God used marriage language before anyone else. Lust toward another person is painted as a trap — darker than theft. A thief can repay, but an adulterer destroys his own soul.
Jesus intensifies this truth in Matthew 5:27–28 — sin begins in the heart before it ever shows in the hands.
There’s a thread connecting all of it:
boundaries in money, diligence in work, truth in speech, and purity in marriage all protect the same sacred thing — the household and the covenant people of God.
I don’t want to be a burden on my community; I want my diligence to bless it. That idea is biblical too — 1 Timothy 5:8 calls us to provide for our own, and Galatians 6:5 reminds each of us to carry our own load so we can freely help bear another’s when real need comes.
Takeaways in My Heart
Gazelles escape snares → so should I when promises are foolish. Ants plan quietly → faithfulness needs no platform. God hates discord most → unity is sacred. Marriage mirrors covenant → lust is spiritual rebellion.
Lord, help me heed the teaching You gave us and not fall into the trap of sin and evil. Here I am, Lord — teach even my habits to walk upright.
Proverbs 4 does not stand alone; it is a continuation of the invitation begun in Proverbs 3. If Proverbs 3:5–6 establishes the heart posture—trusting the Lord with all your heart, leaning not on your own understanding, submitting to Him—then Proverbs 4 shows us what that posture looks like lived out with our feet on the ground.
The wisdom of Proverbs 4 is not abstract. It is directional.
“Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.” (Proverbs 4:25)
This is not a call to self-focus or personal determination. It is a call to fixed attention—eyes no longer darting between competing voices, desires, or fears. The straight path only remains straight when our eyes are fixed on the One who defines it. Proverbs 3 tells us who we trust; Proverbs 4 tells us how we walk once we do.
The narrowness of the path is intentional. Scripture never presents wisdom as the easiest way—only the right one. Jesus echoes this same truth when He teaches that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and that few find it. This narrow path is not narrow because God is withholding; it is narrow because it is guarded. Guarded from the chaos of self-rule. Guarded from the deception of the flesh. Guarded from paths that feel right but ultimately lead to destruction.
This is why Proverbs 4 warns us not to turn to the right or the left. Deviation rarely begins with the feet—it begins in the heart. When wisdom loosens its hold on us internally, our steps soon follow externally.
That is why the command to guard the heart sits at the center of the chapter:
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Scripture consistently affirms this truth: the heart is the source, and the rest of life is the overflow. Jesus Himself teaches us that what fills the heart will inevitably make itself known when He says,
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)
Our words are not accidental. They are not random. They are reveals. What overflows from the mouth first took root in the heart—whether wisdom or folly, trust or fear, submission or self-reliance. Jesus reinforces this again when He explains that a good person brings forth good out of the good treasure stored in the heart, and the opposite is equally true.
This is why Proverbs is so insistent that the heart be guarded above all else. If the heart is left unkept, the mouth will testify to it. If the heart is shaped by wisdom, the fruit will follow.
Here is where Proverbs 3 and Proverbs 4 meet so beautifully. Trusting the Lord with all your heart is not passive. It requires attentiveness, humility, and daily surrender. Fixing our eyes straight ahead is not about strength of will—it is about submission of sight. Whom we look to determines where we walk.
And the promise woven throughout Scripture is this: when our eyes are fixed on the Lord, when our hearts are yielded to His wisdom, and when our steps follow the narrow way—He makes the path straight. Not always easy. Not always comfortable. But always good.
I’m tagging along on a business trip with my hubs because he’s going to be relatively close to a good friend I haven’t seen in ages! As we do when he and I are on roadtrips, we picked a book to listen to. I had downloaded Jon Acuff’s “All You Need Is A Goal,” since it had been referred to me by my bestie.
There’s the link in case you’d like to get your own copy, I do earn commissions from Amazon from my referral links.
Anyhow, the first exercise he instructs readers to do is create a best moments list. He goes on to list some of his own best moments as well as others so there are ample examples of what those could look like. He even talks about the difficulty in focusing on yourself enough to call attention to some of your accomplishments as you recognize them as best moments. Not all best moments are accomplishments. Later you’ll categorize these moments into 4 different categories: experience, accomplishments, relationship, & objects.
This will not be a book review, it’s the doing of this exercise that captured my attention from a mental health standpoint.
As Shaun and I began to form our lists audibly calling out loud our best moments and reminiscing there were tears, smiles, laughter and joy. Jon said the 40’s hit a little different and are characterized by self reflection which I find to be true.
Today has been a gray day and it sputtered rain off and on all day. This is the typical kind of day that usually gets me down and blue, but this exercise made me really focus on so many of the good and wonderful moments I’ve had in my life. It’s very difficult to be gloomy when you’re focusing on those moments and literally writing them down on a piece of paper that you can stare at. It’s very difficult to ignore the truth you’re very plainly listing out and continue in false and dark thoughts attempting to consume your mind.
I listed things like
-meeting my husband,
-getting to be pregnant 3 times
-having 3 beautiful babies!
-The sound of our children’s laughter even as adults especially when we’re all together.
-Our first trip to CO and every trip since that allowed us to meet some of the most incredible people who have become family and not just friends.
-Specific hunts
-our Little Buddy
-Frankie the Tortoise
-church camp 2018
-publishing my first book!
-and so on!
My list is soooooo long and it’s hard for me to continue to be blue with all of these clearly wonderful moments staring at my face! This will be an exercise I employ when I feel myself being blue, and it’s one you can use too.
As a believer, I have long known the expression “count your blessings” which makes me think of the song and then the following lyric “name the one by one.” This isn’t a new tactic, clearly it’s been in use awhile!
Further, I’ve long learned to employ the verse about taking my thoughts captive in 2Corinthians 10:5 and forcing them to be obedient to the will of a Christ. To turn them from gloom and despair to what Paul suggested us to focus on in his letter to the Philippians,
Philippians 4:8 (NASB95): Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Sometimes hearing that and doing it are two separate battles and trying to use it to reprogram your thought processes can be just as tough. This exercise however, is a simple one that set me on the right path today. I know that all good things come from my Father above, so if I’m listing out blessings, that’s focusing on lovely things that are worthy of praising our Father about.
If you’re struggling with depression, what could it hurt to grab a pen and paper and start listing some of your best moments, any favorite memory. You’ll see that the truth, and what you’re feeling, aren’t in alignment right now and you need to continue to focus on these “bests” to have them help you reprogram your “stinkin thinkin.” This worked for my stinkin thinkin today!!
The next book I listen to will be “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” by Joseph Nguyen https://amzn.to/3OeRJHE and I’ll see if there’s anything practical and helpful I can use and share with others in there!
I am definitely not the inventor of that phrase but it’s so very true. It’s a lesson that has taken me way into my adult years to learn where it applies to myself, but I have no trouble seeing the beautiful masterpieces other self-proclaimed broken people color with their lives. More specifically, one of my favorite things to do is to help others see the masterpieces they have painted or are still capable of painting through their brokenness as they cling to God. They literally paint the survival guide for someone going through the same thing. While I see this beauty in others, I often have a tough time recognizing it in myself. Just the other day I encouraged a friend who was struggling with his brokenness with the same words of this title. But 2 weeks later while I was having a pity party, I protested to my husband about my uselessness because I’m broken!
Sidenote
* Ya’ll should probably pray for him because while we are all saints as believers in Christ (1Corinth 1:2) this man is like a hyper saint, just saying.
This is not something our boys have ever struggled with. They’ve learned this lesson and demonstrated it to me on more than one occasion, two that still bring tears to my eyes. We had been to the zoo and on a rare splurge each of the kids selected an overpriced animal from the gift shop. They were young, Tristan, our youngest, was probably 5 or 6 years old. Later in the year we discovered one of the dogs had used one of the back legs of T’s warthog as a chew toy and it was badly mangled. While headed on my way to throw him in the trash, Tristan took off to the bathroom asking if we had any band aids. Instead of throwing him out, Tristan’s first thought was to heal or bandage what was broken. When he realized I was about throw the wart hog away he was incredulous and took him from my hands with tears in his eyes as he said, “if I was wounded would you just throw me out?” …..and the Oscar goes to….TRISTAN. However, Tristan is now 16 and we still have that warthog with medical tape on his back leg which I dutifully applied through tears!
As I sit here unpacking Christmas ornaments, I came across what has become the mascot for our tree and truthfully my life. Frist of all, I am not allowed to do our main tree as a fancy themed tree. I did this one year and was so proud of myself and even had a few people comment about how it looked like it belonged to a department store. My kids HATED it, they prefer our crazy ornaments collected throughout the years that hold special memories and sentimental value. Deep down I agree with them. And so it is that the first ornament I unpacked this year would be the glass dinosaur with the band aid on his bum where his tail should be. Tristan went through a dinosaur stage as every little boy does and had received a treasured dino ornament for Christmas one year. Not wanting a repeat of the warthog guilt as even without a leg that warthog still dutifully snuggles, when we discovered the dino’s tail had broken off, I quickly set to work healing what was broken. That dino still looks beautiful on the tree and under our skilled hands we are able to place him in positions to shine without ever really noticing he’s broken.
This is our relationship with God the Father. We are all broken by our sin and the sufferings of this world wrought by ours and others sin (Rom 3:23). But in Christ we are new creations (2Corinthians 5:17). He starts a work in us that will be completed on the day Christ Jesus returns (Phil 1:6). Healing and restoration is a process for anyone, but we have a supernatural healer working on us who promises to stay right by our sides regardless of the path he calls us to walk (Psalm 23, Psalm 18.33). We have a supernatural strength inside us even in our weakness for when we are weak, Christ’s “grace is sufficient for us and His power is made perfect in weakness” (2Corinth 12:9). When Paul wrote Philippians 4:13 he wasn’t saying he could lift an SUV through Christ who strengthens him, or pass a test, win a game, get a promotion etc. He was talking about persevering through any season of life and any circumstance because of the power of Christ inside him, being content and joyful in seemingly unjoyful circumstances like prison and poverty, for Paul, because of our hope in our Savior Jesus Christ. When we are tethered to Jesus, regardless of our brokenness and hurt, be it physical or emotional we are broken crayons that can very much still color! We are that warthog with the bandaged leg and the dino with the bandaged bum, still useful to our Creator who is more than capable of healing our brokenness!
I was having a conversation with my oldest son the other day about a quote the late Kobe Bryant made that Wes retorted to his sister while in a verbal sparring match. They were discussing teamwork and Gracie, not so gently, chided Wesley that there was no “I” in team, to which he replied, “well, in the words of my man Kobe, there is an “M-E”!
I began to think about that statement and apply a Biblical filter to it, you can’t find that filter on snap, or insta, trust me, I’ve looked!
When you are part of a team, there is a ME in team, but those two letters don’t make up the whole team and neither do you. However, your role is important, and your contribution is to bring your very best at what you are good at! Teamwork isn’t a Major League sports idea or concept. In fact, God had Paul write about it WAY before anyone ever became famous playing any sort of team sport on a league as he talked about how each person uses their spiritual gifts in 1Corinthians 12 as part of the Body of Christ.
The Bible tells us that plenty of things were written on our hearts by our Creator that we have “gut” feelings about but don’t always understand because someone hasn’t helped us see through a Biblical lens. This is evidenced in Romans 1:18-20 where God through Paul says,
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness because that which is made known about God is evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so they are without excuse.”
Romans 1:18-20
This is general revelation; we can observe nature and see that it bears the mark of an intelligent designer when we observe its uniqueness and complexities. We understand that creation did not just haphazardly boom into place or evolve from pond scum at its own will into what we see now. Creation screams there is a Divine Creator.
People for centuries have understood that “instinctively” but needed further revelation, special revelation, to understand who that creator is. This is also evidenced by the progression of the book of Romans where by chapter 10, Paul writes starting in verse 14,
“How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things.”
Romans 10:14-15
When we hear the word preacher, you may be thinking the dude that stands in the pulpit, but this word could also be translated proclaimer. This is special revelation that we are all tasked by Jesus in Matt 28:19-20 to go and tell, not just making converts but disciples, meaning not only sharing the gospel but also teaching those we have had the opportunity to evangelize to, to obey everything Jesus has commanded, or at the very least, making sure someone will be able to build that discipleship relationship with them.
As a personal aside, I am missing the big toenail off of my left foot, it fell casualty to multiple incidents, the first involving me having to drag a deer that I had harvested across a too full and FREEZING creek whereby I took my shoes and coveralls off so they wouldn’t get wet and stumped my toe on an underwater log creating a 90-degree angle between my toe and said toenail. The coups de gras was not nearly as exciting of a tale, I again created a 90-degree angle with this same toenail and toe by catching the end of it while lifting an unplugged chop saw to move it while in sandals. All of this was to illustrate that due to that missing toenail, my feet are anything but beautiful by worldly standards but according to the Bible, as I am obedient to the commission to share the gospel they just look better and better!
As you read through 1Corinthians chapter 12, spend some time meditating on what you are gifted at, what others in your spiritual circle have affirmed you’re gifted at and brainstorm ways you can use your talents to bring special revelation (the truth about Christ) to the table in your local congregation, at your workplace or school, in your home and community! My youngest son, Tristan, often uses his unique skills doing card tricks to gain an audience and build relationships so he can share the gospel! What unique and creative ideas do you have? Are you simply just a kid magnet, orator, athlete, organizer, etc. bring it!
As Christians according to what we read 1Corinthians 12, we understand that we are gifted with spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit when we are saved. In what is likely a poor attempt to pull of this together, is it possible that the idea of teamwork and desire to play on a team and in sports is a manifestation of that instinctive need written upon our hearts by God to not only recognize Him as creator and place our faith in King Jesus as Savior and Lord so that we are reconciled to God, but as we take on our roles in the body of Christ and live out our calling, utilizing our gifting(s) to strengthen the body, we are fulfilling that desire by playing our part on Team Jesus?
A couple of years ago, I came across one of the best illustrations, particularly as a southerner who loves a good potluck, I have ever seen in relating how we each are to use our spiritual gifts to bring our very best to the table of ministry in the body of Christ. Check out the excerpt below!
BRING YOUR BEST
I like to eat. I travel a lot for my work, so I get to eat out regularly. As much as possible, I frequent local dives rather than franchises. But no matter the restaurant, the chef, the city, or the ambiance, nothing replaces a good covered-dish meal.
In the church culture I grew up in, periodically after the Sunday worship service, everyone would make their way to the fellowship hall, pull out their food dishes, and we would feast.
Each person had his or her specialty. Mrs. Polly cooked macaroni and cheese, while Mrs. Smith baked pecan pie with the pecans she’d picked and cracked from her own yard. Mr. Thompson made homemade vanilla-bean ice cream (that topped off the pie) better than any ice cream parlor you have been to.
We had sugar-cured ham with a drizzle of honey, green-bean casserole, peach cobbler, fried okra, mini ham sandwiches on poppy-seed sweet rolls, buttermilk fried chicken, and every other assortment of mouthwatering food you can imagine.
The key to this covered-dish dinner is that everyone knew what they made well, spent time putting their contribution together, and brought to the table the best they had to offer. No one tried to make better fried okra than Mrs. White. They brought their own specialty.
The covered-dish feast is an important illustration in the life of the church. God has given each of us our own specialty that He specifically designed us to have and use. That includes you.
The greatest meals are the ones where everyone brings their best. The table is not a table for one. It’s an enormous banquet table where God Himself invites all to come and dine. Your “covered dish” is the particular gifts God has given you, no matter what they may be. Paul tells us that since we have “gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:”
Excerpt from: “Life in Community: Joining Together to Display the Gospel” by Dustin Willis.
As we continue to seek the Lord and serve Him, let’s BRING OUR BEST! Seek the Lord in prayer and through His word asking Him to reveal ways that He has uniquely created, prepared, and equipped you to serve in the Body of Christ, see these opportunities in your everyday life at home, work, school, doctors’ offices and public. Remember, that he promises to be with us wherever we go, our role is to be obedient to go and tell (Matt 28:19-20), and the Holy Spirit will guide and convict into truth (John 16:8), that’s teamwork! Untether yourself from thinking you don’t have something someone else has to give, bring what YOU have to give, that what’s needed!!
Raychel Writes 