A prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
– Proverbs 22:3

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

This verse tells us that what people, things or occurrences we should come into contact with in our daily life. For prudent men, God has a place in their heart. When anything happens to them, they obey God, fear God, and can seek the will of God instead of dealing with it according to their own likes and imaginations. So they can gain the enlightenment and guidance of God, see through these things, and know what things will bring misfortune to themselves. They foresee the evil, hide and keep themselves free from harm. They are responsible for their life. By contrast, people who are foolish and ignorant have no such discernment because they do not pray with a sincere heart to seek the will of God. They do whatever they think is beneficial to themselves, regardless of what the result is. In the end, they are punished because of their ignorance. In this evil age, there are many evil things that can lead us away from God, to sin and become depraved, such as online games, romance novels, and pornographic films. We are seduced by these kinds of evil trends of Satan. If we pay no heed to differentiation between good and evil but do things according to our fleshly preferences and desires, we will easily fall into the temptation of Satan and be taken captive by it, and thus suffer the affliction of Satan. We will even do evil things and commit sins and resist God.

Then how should we do to be a prudent man who foresees the evil, and hides himself? God says, “Do not come into contact with things that can draw your heart away to the outside, and do not come into contact with people who can draw your heart away from God. Drop whatever it is that can distract your heart from being close to God, or stay away from it. That way is more beneficial to your life.” “Furthermore, it is necessary to grasp how many administrative decrees of God there are, and to keep them firmly in mind, especially paying constant attention to those you are prone to violate. This will be ever so beneficial to you. Also, be clear about the environment and circumstances in which you easily violate the administrative decrees, and often pray sincerely if you encounter this sort of environment. If you can’t stand it any longer, breeze out. If there is no way to be victorious, better to walk away altogether. If you don’t walk away then you deserve death, and no one can save you. This is precisely how a prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself.” The words of God clearly show us that when we do something, we need to think whether or not it can draw our heart away from God. If it can destroy the normal relationship we have with God, then we should forsake the flesh and drop it. Meanwhile, we should pray to God and rely on Him to give us resolution and strength to forsake the flesh. Practicing this way can keep us from doing evils and avoid suffering loss in our life.