Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - You're on the Verge of Wrecking Your Life | The Writings | Proverbs 24

Episode Date: October 21, 2024

Are you being active in your faith? Are you seeking the honey of God's wisdom? Do you have people in your life to hold you accountable? In today's episode, Keith shares how Proverbs 24 shows us that activity and accountability can help keep us from wrecking our lives. Read the Bible with us in 2024! This year, we’re tackling a group of Old Testament books traditionally known as “The Writings”— Psalms, Chronicles, Proverbs, Daniel, Ruth and more! Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Proverbs 24

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. You are on the verge of wrecking your life. I'm not sure how you'll do it, and unfortunately, there are a lot of ways that can happen. Maybe it will be a moral compromise you make. Maybe it could be an addiction that you give way to. It might happen by idolizing your kid and becoming dependent on their success to feel good about yourself.

It might mean idolizing your career to the point that you put career success over, friendships. There are countless ways that you could wreck your life. And here's a thing, the more you think I'm wrong and the more you think you're not on the verge of wrecking your life, the more likely it is that I'm probably right. Why? Well, it's not because I can read your mind, and it's not because I assume the worst about your character. It's because the Bible tells us pretty clearly that we have an unseen spiritual enemy who wants to wreck our lives. First Peter 5.8 says, be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. That means that right now, today, not just today, but every day, your enemy, the devil, is prowling around looking to destroy your life. He wants to wreck it.

And that's why Peter tells us to be alert, to be of sober mind, because this spiritual battle is happening whether you see it or not. And at 2013 interview with the magazine, Supreme Court Justice Scalia was asked if he really believed in the devil. And you could tell that Scalia was surprised by the question. He said, you're looking at me as though I'm weird. My God, are you so out of touch with most of America, most of which believes in the devil? Jesus Christ believed in the devil. Scalia went on to say that the devil's main strategy is to convince people that he doesn't exist. So Antonine Scalia's point is simple but profound. If you don't believe in the devil, you're more susceptible to his schemes. I think this same logic applies to us today. The less we are on guard, the more likely we are to fall victim to the subtle temptations and distractions he places in our lives.

The devil's most powerful trick is convincing us that there's no danger, that there's no need to remain vigilant. In Proverbs 24, we find a similar appeal for this sort of vigilance. Here's what it says, starting in verse 30. I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who had no sense. Thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. So the picture painted here in this proverb is pretty simple. And neglect, leads to ruin. The field, once filled with potential, is now overgrown with thorns. The stone wall

meant to protect has crumbled. And here's the thing about wrecking your life. It happens little by little. It's the small choices. To rest, to sleep, to fold the hands. Well, these verses could be used to talk about hard work versus laziness. I think they also apply to our spiritual lives. It's the difference between being spiritually alert and spiritually asleep. It's the difference between reading your Bible or scrolling in your phone, going to small group or finding every reason not to, attending your church's worship service or being absent. See, this passage reminds us of something crucial. Our walk with Jesus is intended to be active, not passive. Our spiritual lives like that vineyard require consistent care and consistent attention. When we adopt a posture

of passivity in our faith, when we stop tending the garden of our hearts, we allow the weeds of sin and temptation to take root. We let our spiritual defenses crumble, and before we know it, the enemy's temptations begin closing in on us. The devil doesn't need us to fall dramatically in one moment. He just needs us to stop caring, stop paying attention,

stop taking small steps toward Jesus. This is why the Christian faith has to be active. We're called to live with purpose, to be intentional, to be vigilant. Every day is a spiritual battle, and if we don't take it seriously, we can drift into a place where the devil's timetion. temptations come across as very appealing. Passivity makes us pray for destruction. So how often do you

allow yourself a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands when it comes to your faith? How often do you say, I'll get serious about my faith tomorrow? Or this isn't that big of a deal, right? Each one of those small decisions adds up, and before long, you find yourself in a place where the walls have fallen. The weeds have grown up and you've become vulnerable to the attacks of the devil. So in the eyes of the Bible, you're on the way to wrecking your life. How do we avoid this? How do we stay spiritually vigilant? Well, fortunately, Proverbs 24 also has some practical ways to fight the temptation of apathy.

The first thing it teaches us is that we need to be active. Here's verses 13 and 14. It says, eat honey, my son, for it is good. Honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know also that wisdom is like honey for you. If you find it, there is a future hope for you. and your hope will not be cut off. Just like honey is sweet and nourishing for the body,

wisdom is essential for your spiritual health. The question is, how do you get this wisdom? It doesn't happen by accident. Wisdom comes from the regular engagement with God through his word and prayer. This is the activity we're called to. You need to actively seek God's wisdom, just like you would seek honey to satisfy your hunger. So a regular habit of reading the Bible and prayer

allows you to gain the wisdom that nourishes your soul and prepares you to face life challenges. Without this daily feeding on God's word, you'll be spiritually malnourished, making it easier for the enemy to lead you astray. So this isn't just about avoiding bad things, it's about actively pursuing good things. And just like the sweetness of honey,

God's wisdom is something we need to savor, search for daily, and apply in every aspect of our lives. Staying spiritually active helps keep the walls of your spiritual life strong and the weeds of sin and temptation out. So are you actively seeking God's wisdom? How can you make sure your habits continue? And if you're not, what's one tangible step you can take today?

The second thing that Proverbs 24 gives us to fight temptation of apathy is accountability. It says this in verse 6. Surely you need guidance to wage war and victory is won through many advisors. If you're going to be diligent, if you're going to be vigilant, if you're going to be alert in your spiritual life, you can't do it alone. We need people around us who will help us stay on track, who will give us godly advice, who'll point out when we've started to drift away. Proverbs reminds us that to win the battles of life, we need many advisors.

Accountability isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. So who are the people in your life who can serve as advisors, who can keep you accountable? Who in your life says hard things to you, things you don't want to hear but need to hear? Do you have friends or mentors or small group members who can challenge you and speak the truth of God into your life and help you stay focused on God's wisdom? The Christian life is a battle. It's a battle that requires spiritual activity, constantly feeding on God's word and applying his wisdom, and it requires accountability to others who will help guide and support us.

So if you find yourself drifting, if you feel like the field of your life is starting to grow some weeds, or if the stone wall of your defenses is crumbling, now is the time to take action. Don't wait until the enemy is at the door. Start today by asking God for strength, inviting accountability in your life, and staying vigilant in your walk with Christ. Remember this. You're not doing this alone. The Christian life isn't about mustering up your own strength or relying on your own efforts. Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, is the one who gives us grace and power to say spiritually active and vigilant. Philippians reminds us that it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. So God gives you

the desire to obey him and the power to follow through. So yes, we must stay alert, we must stay active, we need accountability, but it's ultimately up to Jesus. It's his power, not ours, that sustains us. It's his sacrifice that already secured the victory over our enemy. Whatever battles you're facing today, take heart and knowing that Jesus is with you. He is supplying you with the grace and power you need to keep going. And remember that your past failures, your future failures, are already paid for on the cross. Amen.