The beginning of a New Year offers opportunities to reflect on the past, refocus and renew important commitments as well as make new resolutions to be carried out during the year. One of the biggest areas of concern is our health. Americans are more health conscience than ever. The Millennial generation has for one of it’s names, “the Healthy Generation.” While our physical health is very important I want us to take a look in this lesson at our Spiritual health. A physical examine would include the checking of your heart, your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your hands, your feet, etc. After the check up a doctor usually gives advice about things that will be needed to be done if the various parts and organs of the body are to continue functioning effectively. Solomon writes his son in Proverb 4 some advice on staying spiritually healthy. Notice the parts of the physical body that we must give attention to and take action with to stay spiritually healthy.
NKJV Proverbs 4:20-27 (Circle the various physical body parts)
My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.
Read other versions to help bring to life the teaching:
NIV My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
New American Standard My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.
The Message Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they’re bursting with health. Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
The Living Bible Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully. Don’t lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning. Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do. Avoid all perverse talk; stay far from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
Solomon tells his son to incline his ear to his word, to not let them depart from his eyes, to keep his word (God’s Word) in his heart as it will be health to all their flesh. His son would need to guard his heart as it would affect his life. Solomon then told his son to guard the words of his mouth and lips. He then gave more advice about the eyes and the eyelid before finishing with a call to think about where your feet are taking you.
Our spiritual health is tied to our eyes, our ears, our mouth and our lips, and our feet. The action taken by any of these four will impact our heart. To keep our heart we need to consider what actions we are taken with our ears, eyes, mouth/lips and feet. So let’s do a check up of these four areas and get some advice for things to do to stay healthy.
1. Our ears. Ears are for listening.
Proverbs 4:20 “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.” Solomon appeals to his son to give attention – to pay attention – to give his words weight and value -and he will do this by opening his ears to listen carefully and thoughtfully to what he has to say.
Other appeals to listen:
Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother.
Proverbs 5:7 Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Proverbs 8:32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways.
Proverbs 23:19 Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way.
Things to be sure and hear with your EARS:
Proverbs 4:10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.
Proverbs 8:33 Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it.
Proverbs 15:31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise.
Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days.
Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge.
Proverbs 23:22 Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.
The Danger of not Listening:
Proverbs 5:13 “I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!” Made by the man who committed adultery.
Proverbs 28:9 One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.
Are your ears open to what God wants to teach you about how to live life?
2. Our EYES. Eyes are for seeing.
One of the greatest blessings is the blessing to see. Our eyes allow us to see God’s beautiful creation – they allow us to read thus giving us the opportunity to learn. We have the ability to get around – image your life for just a moment without sight. What would you miss the most? While our eyes are a tremendous blessing they can also be used to harm our walk with God. Solomon writes to his son to “Keep his eyes looking straight ahead,
Some things to do with your eyes:
Proverbs 3:21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—Keep sound wisdom and discretion.
Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways.
Proverbs 22:9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor.
Psalms 141:8 But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord.
Oh Be Careful Little eyes what you See. The lust of the eyes is a desire to have – it fuels greed and materialism.
Proverbs 23:5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
Proverbs 27:20 Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Proverbs 28:22 A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.
Your eyes can reveal your feelings. Be careful who you give the “evil eye” to.
Proverbs 30:17 The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.
Actions To Take with your EYES:
Job 31:1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?
Psalms 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised…..
Psalms 101:3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.
3. Our Mouth and our Lips.
From them we have the power to dispense life and death. Our Words reveal our character!!! In the book of Proverbs Solomon writes over 150 verses that deal with “words”, “the mouth”, “the tongue,” or “the lips.” He describes the awesome power of our words by stating that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). Here in Prov. 4:24 Solomon writes to his son and tells him clearly to “Put away from himself a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from him.”
As we think about the use of words let’s begin by pointing out words can be HELPFUL.
Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life.
Proverbs 10:20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; The heart of the wicked is worth little.
Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
Your Words can be HARMFUL:
Proverbs 12:18 “There is one who speaks like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.”
Proverbs 25:18 “A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.”
Your words can be SINFUL:
When you Lie – Prov. 6:17-18 teaches us that God hates a lying tongue and a false witness who speaks lies.
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” Pr. 12:22
When you use profanity- The 3rd commandment tells us not to take God’s name in vain.
When you Use filthy language. Eph. 5:4 calls on us to stop using filthy language, foolish talking, or coarse jesting.
Advice for controlling your tongue – Two prayers to pray:
Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Psalms 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Don’t ever forget Proverbs 21:23 as Solomon reveals some great insight about words:
“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue, keeps his soul from trouble.” Proverbs 21:23
Are the words that coming out off your mouth truthful and helpful?
4. Our Feet –They take us on a road – a narrow road to life or a broad road to destruction
Solomon writes to his son to “Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:26-27)
Q. What does Solomon mean when he tells his son to ponder the path of his feet?
Oh be careful little feet where you go
Proverbs 1:15-16 My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood.
Proverbs 25:17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, Lest he become weary of you and hate you.
The feet of the immoral woman takes her to places of unrighteousness.
Proverbs 7:11 She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would not stay at home.
The path she chooses and those who choose to go with her lead to destruction:
Proverbs 5:5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell.
God’s travel advisory for your feet:
Proverbs 4:14-15 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.
The Right Way to Walk
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
Proverbs 14:2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
Proverbs 20:7 The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.
Proverbs 28:18 Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved, But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.
Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
Are you allowing your feet to take you to places you have no business being?
What changes need to be made with your ears, your eyes, your mouth/lips and your feet to be spiritually healthy this year.