Proverbs 4:27

Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Look straight ahead. Mark out a straight path. Don’t swerve to the left or the right. Stay the course. Avoid deadly detours. This is the road map Proverbs is laying out for us here at the end of chapter four.

It’s never a good idea to go to a grocery store when you are hungry. You make a quick run to pick up some eggs, milk, and paper towels but you end up coming home with some extra snacks and goodies that weren’t on your list. You get sidetracked by your appetite as row after row of enticing boxes, bags, and bottles beckons you. Your belly takes over and wisdom gets left in the dust. Unfortunately, the grocery store is not the only place where your feet can proceed down the wrong road.

The way of wisdom – the road of righteousness – is straight. God does not provide any unnecessary back streets or alternate routes and there is never a short-cut to get to the destinations He has planned for your life (Eph. 2:10). His way is The Way…the King’s Highway…and it is the only road that He has called you to travel. Your guide is His Wisdom and your engine is His Spirit, so don’t get sidetracked! Stay the course.

Additionally, you will be tempted to stray from the righteous road and enticed to travel down the road to perdition. And while your flesh and your mind may want to follow in the footsteps of some evil desires, you must resist the temptation. Keep your feet from following after evil, which may come in the form of a red dress…or a lunch invitation…or a Facebook Friend Request. Do not just wander through life. Know your destination (righteousness), follow God’s directions (wisdom), and keep your feet from going down the wrong road.