Wisdom Cries...Let not thine heart decline

Proverbs 7:25  Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

Well, for this series I wasn't looking to go all lexicon on anyone, but I could not let this one go by. The word here for decline in the Hebrew is satah, pronounced saw-taw', and it means to deviate from duty. This verse is specifically in the context of a young man following after a "harlot", but the over-riding thought can not be ignored. Whether by a girl or anyone else or anything else, we can't let our heart be deviated from duty.

Okay, think soldier of the cross. This isn't applicable to everyone, but as a born again believer, you are a member of the army of God. We have a directive given to us through the word of God and really the only weapon the enemy has against you is distraction, most call it temptation. The devil desires to make you deviate from the work God has commissioned you to. So, of all the pleas from Wisdom, this one is paramount. Notice, to deviate from your duty is to go astray, AWOL, absent without leave. As a soldier of the cross, it ought to be your highest honor to be vigilant, alert, on ready, and always on task. Be aware of the breeches in your defenses. Shore up the weak areas. Walk the perimeter and see where the work is needed. Do you need to concentrate more on Bible study? If certain temptations are getting you, you need to get some scripture to combat the enemy head on. If self is getting the best of you, buckle down on your prayer life. Submit yourself before God. Has the enemy distracted you from the fellowship of your local church? We are in play-off mode, especially here in the Baltimore area. Are you putting an athletic event with absolutely no eternal significance ahead of communing with the Heavenly Father and His people? Are you greedy or selfish with your money? You need to honor God with your substance. These, and many more, are places of attack of the enemy to make your heart decline, or deviate from your duty. I hesitate to put it in these terms because I am no legalist, yet the truth of the matter is that we do have some duties, responsibilities to carry out. Our faith needs to be known and will be known by our works, otherwise it is dead. Listen to the cry of wisdom...don't deviate from the mission.