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Belly Check

I enjoyed reading Proverbs 20. In Solomon's style of pointing out observations, he reminds us we need God's counsel to be the compass for our soul. I want to highlight my observations of his message to us.

Our Compass: Proverbs 20:9-13
Solomon implores us to assess our actions through the lens of what's right in God's eyes. God is our guide and measurement for what is good and evil. Solomon's warning about sleep points to a spiritual slumber caused by not growing in our faith in God. This leads to an impoverished soul. Solomon says to "open thine eyes." We need to be alert and be aware of our spiritual state of being. We need to cultivate our spirit with God's word and direction. Solomon points out that when our eyes are open, we "shalt be satisfied with bread," meaning our soul will be filled.

Our Counsel: Proverbs 20:5, 20:18, 20:24
I pondered over these verses for some time because I had a feeling there was something good that needed to be unpacked within these words. What I've come to understand so far, is that we cannot decipher wisdom on our own, or base it off of our surface level experiences. We (humans) behave like we are in control of our life and can dictate our experiences, but in reality, we are only acting and reacting to the life we've been given. Even more pertinent is the fact that God knows everything about us and knows how we can fail when certain complications come our way. He knows us! It's best to depend on God to guide us because he can help us avoid our own shortcomings. We don't truly understand it all nor can we handle it all, but with God's guidance, we can get a deeper understanding of life, our purpose, and gain direction for our path.

Our Soul Scars: Proverbs 20:27, 20:30
There is an internal battle taking place in our soul. It is happening even if we close our eyes to it and never look inwards to check on the health of our soul. When we use God's Word to whip our flesh into submission to God's will, we acknowledge this internal battle. Solomon's words indicate that this battle results in wounds and bruises that bring about our righteousness. This process of holy transformation is one that can be painful because we go against what feels easy and comfortable in order to progress towards what is perfect and pure.

Lord help us to keep an eye on our spiritual health. Help us to stay awake so that laziness doesn't allow evil to dwell within us. You know us Lord - please be our constant guide.

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