Proverbs 21

Watch Your Step

In verse 16 of this chapter, Solomon wrote, “The man that wanders out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” This verse uses an almost frightening word picture–“congregation of the dead” (KJV); “assembly of the dead” (NAS) to powerfully convey the danger of wandering or straying from the Lord and His ways. We are all, as the great hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” reminds us, “prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” Yet, when we understand that even for a believer, when we wander and stray for a long period of time, it will lead to death. For a believer, this does not mean that we can lose our salvation, but it does mean that we might experience the death of relationships, death of a vision, death of God’s anointing and power in our lives.

I remember a time of wandering and straying during my days as a student at the University of South Florida. I dated an unsaved young lady I worked with at Red Lobster. I knew it was wrong and, yet, I felt like I could influence her for Christ. She in fact did trust Christ as her Savior, but my relationship with her hindered me spiritually. The Lord patiently and, yet powerfully, convinced me of my need to sever the relationship. When I did break up with her, there was an immediate sense of spiritual renewal and vitality that I had not experienced in quite some time. I was no longer straying. I was back from the “congregation of the dead.”

Are you wandering? Are you little by little slipping further and further away from God? Come back to Him today and enjoy the abundant life that He has promised to give you.

--Mike Kahn