Keeping the Spring

I've been teaching Sunday School in the Book of Proverbs lately. This week we dealt with Proverbs 4. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for from out of it flow the springs of life."

The author of the lesson used his cat for an illustration. He told of how his cat sits on a perch in the yard and takes in everything going on there, never missing a thing. We need to have our spiritual antennas up at all times. Everything "out there" is bent on doing us in spiritually. Nothing is neutral spiritually.

How do we do it? Immerse ourselves in the Word. Read it with the intention of obeying it. Obedience solidifies our relationship with the Lord. Obedience is not about legalism. It's about relationship. Use Scripture as a filter to keep all the spiritual poison out. If we don't immerse ourselves in God's Word, we won't know what poison is. Alot of professing Christians are going astray today, and this is one reason why.

Stay in a solid Bible-preaching and teaching church. Pray daily, as often as you can. Keep that relationship open. Ask the Lord to protect you from all the spiritual poison, and to give you spiritual discernment.

People say they can handle it. If you think that, you are already off track. You can't handle it. That's why you need a Savior. All the time. We're in a war. We can't take a vacation from spiritual diligence. Don't even try it.