Live Like You Believe (Proverbs 5:21-23)

The Lord scrutinizes our paths on a daily basis. He understands where we are going and what we are doing even more than we ourselves do. Nothing is hidden from Him. Realize as well that He is not a part of why we fall, it is our own desires that entangle us, our own lusts that bewitch us.

"For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord, and He [Who would have us live soberly, chastely and godly] carefully weighs all man's goings." Proverbs 5:21, Amplified

Our whole lives are visible to the Lord. Every action or motivation, the Lord sees. He would desire for us to live very clean lives. As Christians the Lord expects more from us; the Lord views our lives through blood stained spectacles. Even Job understood tis concept. He said, "Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps?" (Job 31:4, NKJV) "For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps." (Job 34:21, NKJV) Even the writer of Hebrews understood this concept of the Lord's omniscience. He stated, "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13, NKJV) For today, I feel that this concept is lost on most Christians. Everything that we do is scrutinized, recorded and accounted for when the time comes. The end of the age is coming soon. The signs of the times are upon us, live like you believe.

"His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked, and he shall be held with the cords of his sin." Proverbs 5:22, Amplified

The man whose life is scrutinized by the Lord will be ensnared by his own sin. "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." (James 1:14, NKJV) It is because of the sinful nature of man that we will be drawn away. One of the fruit of the spirit is self-control. The Lord desires for us to live controlled lives, Christ-like lives. Our lives are not only scrutinized by the Lord but also by the world that we live in. We deceive ourselves, we ensnare ourselves.

"He will die for lack of discipline and instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray and be lost." Proverbs 5:23, Amplified

Lack of discipline and instruction is no excuse for a filthy lifestyle. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5, NKJV) WE have access to God. Open your mouth and ask. If we do go astray it is our own folly. If we fail it is because we chose not to ask. it is just like in school, when you did not understand a question, you asked for guidance from the teacher. Why can we not do the same with the Lord? He is our Instructor in life. Without His wisdom, instruction, direction and guidance we are doomed to go astray, to be lost, to die alone.

An Active Search

In our Christian walk, there needs to a an active and constant search. Think of it like a search and rescue mission. There is an intense search search by many different individuals over a large grid for evidence of the missing person(s). Take that idea to a more personal level, bring it down to a singularity. The Apostle Paul encourages the Christian to, "walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise..." (Ephesians 5:15) The idea of walking circumspectly is to walk exactly, accurately or diligently. A friend of mine once described it as walking in all directions at the same time. To walk with exactness is to walk with purpose and knowledge; but what happens when you do not know where you are going?

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7, NKJV

These are all action words, words that produce action. Asking produces giving; seeking produces finding; knocking produces opening. With this verse comes a verse with a promise attached.

"For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:8, NKJV

This is the promise, if you actively pursue the Lord, you will find Him. The Lord does not hide Himself from those who want to find Him.

"Or what man among you who, if his son asks for bread, you will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?" Matthew 7:9-10, NKJV

Even our nature proves the attributes of God. When my children tell me in the morning that they are hungry, I give them breakfast food to eat. I do not give them dirt or anything else. The idea that the Lord is portraying here is that our love for our children reciprocates the love that the Lord has for us. We are created in the image of God, His attributes are imbedded within our beings.

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11, NKJV

God is good, man is inherently evil. However, though we are evil, we still know how to give good gifts to our children. How much better would those gifts be coming from a God in whom no evil exists?

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12, NKJV

Whenever we see a therefore, we must find out what it is there for. Because of the concept of knowing how to give good gifts, we must then also translate that into our daily relationships with our fellow man. I tis just like the Christian faith, where would we be today if no one had given us the Gospel. Lost. The same can be said for the physical. Give and it shall be given; whether it be monetary, a gift or a favor.