Ephesians 5:15 (ESV)
¹⁵  Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

There are many benefits to walking wisely in life.  From a practical standpoint, living wisely most often leads to a good, peaceful life.  Solomon writes about it in the book of Proverbs. 

Proverbs 3:1-2 (ESV)
¹  My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, ²  for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

We should remember that proverbs set forth general truths that are not meant to suggest that life always happens just as stated.  This is true both secularly and scripturally.  A popular secular proverb says, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”  Is this always true?  No, it simply means that taking care of ourselves generally leads to success and productivity.

A popular biblical proverb says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Does this always stand true?  No, and it is not meant to suggest so, but it is wise instruction that, generally speaking, comes to pass.  This is the nature of proverbs.  Let’s keep this in mind as we examine some of these wise sayings from Solomon.

Living by the Word of God will, generally speaking, lead to a good life of longevity and peace.  The key that Solomon revealed in the proverb above is not to forget the teachings of God.  The power of God’s Word is only experienced when we allow it to dwell in us.

Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
¹⁶  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

It is not good enough to just hear the teachings of God, we must keep them in our hearts so that we do not forget them when we need them the most.  It is only when we remember God’s Word that it can influence our thinking and help us to make good decisions in our everyday lives.

Storing up the Word of God in our hearts is especially helpful when we are being tempted by the devil in some way.  Satan does not just tempt us in one way, he uses a variety of tactics to attack every part of our being.  He tries to get us to succumb to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life (1 John 2:16).  When God’s Word is dwelling in us, we have the ammunition to fight back and cause him to flee, at least temporarily.  But even when he returns, it does not matter, as long as we remember the teachings of God and apply them.

If we are not to forget the teachings of God when we are under attack, we must study the Bible regularly.  It is the only way that the Word of Christ will dwell in us.  It is easy to say we are not going to give in to Satan, but it is a little harder when he is shooting his arrows at us.  I think it was Mike Tyson who once said, “Everyone has a plan against me until they get punched.”   Overcoming the devil is easy in theory, but only the Word of God can help us in real life.  Let’s all store the Word in our hearts so we do not forget it when the fighting begins

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.