Category: Saturday Study

The Spiritual Discipline of Fasting  5.10.25

The spiritual disciplines are practices we find in Holy Scripture that honor God in our doing and promote spiritual growth in the gospel of Jesus Christ among believers. They are practices or habits that Christians prioritize because it aids us to cling more to Christ and grow in Christlikeness. 

1 Timothy 4:7 …discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness  (NASB)

Disciplines are practices.   Spiritual disciplines are things you do. 

Before we jump into tonight’s discipline on Fasting, I just want to ask, how are you doing at implementing the disciplines we have covered so far this year?   

Because while most of us like the idea of growing in the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, if left up to you all by yourself you are likely not very motivated to really pursue them with regular devotion. 

Or, maybe you have been very convicted or even motivated to get after some of them but the problem is, you go home and go to bed and wake up to a new day and week and life and not much changes.   

This is because you must make time to plan, to evaluate, to implement if you are truly going to take on new disciplines and put away old ones.  

The spiritual disciplines must become more than just a good idea or a lofty ideal.  They need to truly become new disciplines in your life.  

If you are willing to make the changes and do the work you will see the sweet results of spiritual growth and breaking through barriers in your faith and life that you have been stuck in for a while. 

This week’s discipline is likely one that most of us know of but likely have not really studied and or practiced in our Christian lives. Hopefully as a result of our time together tonight you will have a new spiritual discipline to put to work in your life for the purpose of godliness. 

The spiritual discipline of fasting is one that many modern-day Christians do not know much about, or they do not do much with it. We are a have-it-now culture that is neither patient nor quick to go without something. We love what we love, and we love lots of it. But this is not a lesson on moderation nor on regulation, instead it’s a lesson on intentional surrender unto exaltation. 

Let’s define fasting before we move further. Fasting is a voluntarily going without a good thing that God allows, or has provided, for a determined time for the sake of some spiritual purpose.

When thinking about fasting, many people only think of going without food, but a fast can be a voluntary going without any good thing. There is not a singular way in which the Bible prescribes us to fast. Because we can’t fast air nor should we ever fast water, food is naturally a good thing to set aside in part, or whole, as it affects us without hurting us. 

Fasting is something many Christians rarely, or if ever, practice even though God has made it clear that we should. Jesus doesn’t say “if,” but “when you fast” (Matthew 6:16). And He doesn’t say His followers might fast, but “they will” (Matthew 9:15). So, now that we are clear that it is indeed a spiritual discipline, we should talk about what it is, what it isn’t, and then some practical ways in which to make fasting a regular spiritual discipline in our life.

What it is: Fasting is a mode of surrender during a time of request.

In Old Testament passages like Isaiah 58 and Ezra 8:21-23, we see the people of God fasting as a way of focusing on bringing their request to the Lord in prayer. When the people of God were serious about a need that they were to put before the Lord, they would clear the deck, strip back normal things for the sake of prayer, and focus on God. For example, when you fast from food and you feel the hunger pains, you are reminded of your dependence on God. You are reminded to pray and pray hard. 

What it isn’t: Fasting is not a power-pack to your prayers that convince God to do something.

I have heard people turn fasting into a manipulation in order to put God in their debt. By fasting, you are not attaching more power to your prayer life and/or some kind of obligation on God to do what you ask Him. We never put God in our debt, nor do we put Him to the test by our works. As we study the Old Testament on these topics, we must remember that the Old Covenant God made with His people was fulfilled in Christ, and we who are now in Christ live under the New Covenant. 

What it is: Fasting is a hunger for God.

The first thing Jesus did after His ministry formally began was to get away from the normalcy of life and fast from food for 40 days and nights in Matthew 4. In this, we can see fasting as a template of simplicity and a stripping away of the activities and happenings of life in order to focus on the Lord all the more. In this, fasting is a form of clearing the table of life from distractions and normal enjoyments to have a time of greater focus on the Lord. It is a way to say, “God is better than …” As good and God-honoring as that thing is, God is better. There are a lot of days when we seem to be satisfied with the basic provisions and happenings of this life. Fasting is a way to disrupt that flow and routine in order to remind your mind and soul that God is better. 

As the Psalmist says in Psalm 63:1–5:

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; 

my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 

So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

Do you hear the holistic desperation David has for God above all else? Many days we don’t feel this way about God, and we should. Fasting is a way to reconnect ourselves to this reality as it allows us to better hunger for God over any other thing.

What it is: Fasting is a great way to focus on the leadership of God. 

In Acts 14:19-23, we see the early church leadership committing themselves to fasting as a part of the very important appointing and ordaining of church elders. In this, we see that fasting is a good practice when faced with big decisions in life. Stripping back other things to better focus on God’s written word and submit to God in prayer is a practical help to us along the road of life. There is so much noise in our modern world, and there are so many things coming at us, that clearing the deck to seek God is a great way to be still and know that He is God. 

What it is not: Fasting is not something we do for prideful gain.

In Matthew 6:16-18, we are given examples of those who fasted in order to be recognized and respected by others. This is a self-seeking aim for practicing this spiritual discipline. It is not for spiritual edification, nor for sacrificial living, nor worship to God. Jesus says that the recognition they seek is their reward. But for those who fast humbly and truly to honor and grow in the Lord will receive a reward of far greater value—God Himself, God who is the prize. Our sin causes us to say, “Look at me. Look at how spiritual I am,” but this pride and showmanship is the opposite result of what fasting is intended to produce. Fasting instead says, “I want to look at God, to focus on Him and enjoy Him.” Fasting is a humble action by which we seek God to reign in our lives. It is a setting aside of self rather than a puffing up of self. David said, “I humbled my soul with fasting” [Psalm 35:13]. 

A few clarities and practical applications:

First, going without something like food, haphazardly, is not fasting; it is just going hungry. Fasting is only fasting when it is an intentional, spiritual discipline with the aim of spiritual edification and spiritual purpose. 

Second, fasting is something you can start slowly and in smaller bites. You don’t need to start by fasting for a week from food. Start by fasting for a day from food or by fasting from any kind of screen-time for a day. Use that time to make time to be with the Lord, in His word, and in prayer. 

Third, fasting is something you can do alone or in a group. For all the reasons above, fasting can be very fruitful alone or with a group of brothers in Christ. 

Finally, like all other spiritual disciplines, it will not happen on its own. You have to make time to do it. When you fast, don’t just go without, but reach out to God and enjoy Him for all that He is. 

So, when are you planning your next fast? From what will you fast? What will you do to get time with God when you fast? Will you do it alone or with others? I pray this is a helpful insight for you into the spiritual discipline of fasting and that your improved practice of it is for God’s glory, your joy, and others’ good. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

Proverbs 7     5.3.25

Grab your Bibles and let’s go deeper into Proverbs 7.

This proverb repeats some of the teaching from chapter 5, though, there seems to be intentional details brought up here that were left out of chapter 5. It begins much the same way:

Proverbs 7:1-4 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend

Many times, the details provided give insight into the one sharing them. Solomon had over 100 wives and over 300 concubines. Solomon was not a man unfamiliar with physical lust and sexual temptation. Often the wisest man is the one most experienced. Solomon was not only the wisest man to ever live because of God’s blessing (2 Chronicles 1:7-12), but he also had it in his heart to chase out every temptation under the sun, only to find that they are vain (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). Those who have struggled with sexual temptation see quickly that the author of this proverb has personal insight into the deceptiveness of the sin of lust. This is why it is so very helpful.

Solomon begins this proverb with his normal warning to the reader/the son (or less mature one) to keep and treasure his commandments. Notice the connections he makes for us in verse 2: if we keep the commands, we live. So, how do we keep them? He goes on and implores the reader to make them “the apple of your eye,” to “bind them on your fingers,” “write them on … your heart,” and make them an intimate relationship to you—one like you would have with your sister or another family member. 

The clear call here is to meditate on the commands, not just the teaching, that Solomon is giving in the proverbs. Not only that, but we are also to do that with the commands of God throughout all of Scripture. Now, notice he doesn’t just say what we should do; he is wise enough to tell us how to do it—memorize the commands, think about them daily, study the word, and let it become second nature to us. Make it intimate; be in such a close relationship that it appears to be our relative. When we store up God’s word in our hearts, it gives us great strength and wisdom in the hour of temptation. 

Solomon then turns his focus to one of the things you’ll avoid if you heed his warning: “to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.” (Proverbs 7:5) What will be the fruit of immersing yourself and memorizing the Scriptures? It will keep you from the forbidden woman.

The next section describes what the temptation looks like and the characteristics of the person who falls for the temptation: Proverbs 7:6-7 For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense

Here are the first characteristics of the one who fails to treasure the word of God. He is spoken of as a young man—again, this is not necessarily in age, but in maturity—and the man is lacking sense! 

Proverbs 7:8-9 passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.

Wow! How revealing the Scriptures are of our sin and how we pursue it. Notice the action that the one who lacks sense takes. He goes toward the house; he seeks it out and knows where it is. In the Proverbs 5 lesson, you were told about accountability and you were encouraged to pursue steps to remove temptation. Those are not the actions of the one who lacks sense. No, the one who lacks sense seeks out his sin; he goes in the dark of night and hides his sinful desires, as if it is not known to the only One who truly matters.

Proverbs 7:10 And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.

Satan is at work in this world. He is an adversary who prowls around like a lion seeking to destroy. If you are chasing after sin, if you are even flirting with it and in your mind deceiving yourself that it is harmless, the adversary will take advantage of your lack of sense. Satan will meet your sinful desires with the temptation and when you give in. 

Well, let’s look and see what happens:

Proverbs 7:11-12 She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait.

Again, the temptation for sin just lies in waiting. If you flirt with it, it will be there.

She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him (Proverbs 7:13). Those who have experienced sin (all of us, right?), in various degrees, know what this seizing feels like. There is a moment when your desire meets with the temptation to sin, and the moment of giving in to it is when it seizes you.

Proverbs 7:14-18 “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love.”

After it seizes you, it is unashamed in its talk. It (sin) has now seen the hold it has, and it no longer flirts; its aim is to take you further than you ever wanted to go and do more damage than you ever imagined it would. Notice the first step, though, is your flirting with it instead of putting it to death; then it seizes you. Then, when you’ve allowed it to take hold of you, it gets extremely bold with its enticing alluring. “Come in. I made sacrifices. I fully intend to sin with you, and it will be ok because we can make sacrifices again.” 

Notice the deception of sin and how quickly it says whatever you want to hear and whatever will make you pursue it. In verse 15 the woman says, “… I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.” This is, again, a lie. The story just said that the young man was the one looking for it; however, you feel more special if the sin has sought you out eagerly. Unfortunately, this is the same thing that’s said to every young man passing by looking for her. Sin is so deceitful; it is always aiming to take your life. Please be aware of the deceitfulness of sin. 

Proverbs 7:19-21 “For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.” With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. 

Let’s ramp up the excitement by adding some danger and more sin. Sin begets sin. The more you sin, the more sin you find, and the more you sin. Sounds silly, right? It is the proverbial snowball effect: as it rolls downhill, it grows larger and larger until it hits something and explodes. This is how sin works. If it weren’t enough for the sin of sexual immorality, let’s add in the excitement of possibly getting caught and the allure of having something that does not belong to you, for she has a husband. This is the seductive speech and the smooth talk that seduces the young man, because he lacks sense.

Proverbs 7:22-23 All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.

And just like that, he gives in to the temptation, and he brings himself to the death of true life in God in trade for momentary pleasures that if unrepented of will lead to eternal suffering and separation from our great God. As any of you who may have been a part of FFA growing up or were raised on a farm knows, the animals led to the slaughter go willingly. They have no idea what’s about to happen. They allow you to take them there. This is what is being said of the young man. Consider this: the average weight of an ox that would be slaughtered is around 1,500 lbs. If that animal knew you were walking it to its death, couldn’t it stop you? Of course. However, because it is ignorant of what is about to happen, it willingly goes along. Here is the problem: the deceitfulness of sin says like Satan did in the garden to Eve, “Surely you will not die. If you do this, you will gain.” And even though we have been told by God, who cannot lie, that we will die if we do this, we still buy into the sin and pursue it. This is what happens to those of us who lack sense and do not treasure the word of our God. Let’s continue:

Proverbs 7:24-27 And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death. 

Solomon once again pleads with the listener to avoid the sinful woman. Her way leads to death. This can be said of all sin: its ultimate aim is to kill you, eternally. For the saints, we can take heart. Since it is God who saved us and not us ourselves, we cannot lose salvation. However, we can lose life—in a sense of the quality of our life, the effectiveness of our life for God’s glory, the joy that we could have in God in this life that is robbed by sin, etc. 

I remember talking with Pastor Joshua in my early 20’s as God was doing a work in my heart. I was sharing with him my struggles with lust and saw another young man who was coming out of drug addiction. I said to Josh, “Here I am complaining about lust when this guy has to deal with true addiction and the fight of that.” Josh responded to me, and I will never forget his words, as they have rung true in my life of ministry, “I have seen more men fail and fall because of women or lust than I have ever seen from addiction.” 

Solomon finishes the chapter by saying that “… many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng.” (Proverbs 7:26) Do not be wise in your own eyes. The temptation of lust, particularly sexual lust, is very powerful and always aims to take life from you—if not eternal life, then as much life now as is possible. Do not be fooled; you are not the one who can withstand it. Instead, treasure up God’s commands within your heart. Memorize Scripture so in times of temptation you may see through the deceit of sin and stand strong in the grace and mercy of our Lord!

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

*This Saturday Study was written by Steve Obert.  

Proverbs 6     4.26.25

Grab your bibles and let’s go deeper into Proverbs 6.

Read again: Proverbs 6:1-8

Verses 1-8 are most pointedly a charge to work hard. We are in a battle in this world and in this time. We are strangers in this land, and we are among a people to whom we do not belong as Christians. We will have to work hard to avoid the temptations of the evil one and to avoid the entrapment of self-seeking neighbors. We will need to wake early and go to work—even when we don’t have to and even when we are not being told. We will need to make the most of every minute God gives us under the sun to steward well what He has entrusted to us. 

Read again: Proverbs 6:9-15

Then in verse 9-15, he calls the lazy man what he is: a sluggard who selfishly and lazily slides into a mode of poor stewardship. It is the man who has succumbed to the ides of retirement; he works until he retires and then he does nothing. It’s the man who is on disability or unemployment and uses that free time to do nothing eternally useful. We do not retire from the work God has called us to do in this life until He says this life is over. Even from a hospital bed, you can minister and disciple. Even from home, you can volunteer for kingdom work. 

Let us not be ones who make excuses and deceive others, for poverty and calamity will come upon us and wreck us. Beyond the warnings of calamity, let us be mindful of the teachings of Jesus who spoke in parables of condemnation for those who were poor stewards with what they were entrusted. It is God for whom we are ultimately working and living. Even when there is nothing else for which to work nor anyone else for whom to live, there is God almighty. 

God is not giving you another day on earth, even in a broken physical state, for no reason. He has an eternal purpose for giving you another day or another ten years. Let us trust Him in this. Let us wake each day and press on to win the prize, to tend to the harvest, and to make disciples who go unto the nations. We do this not to build ourselves a retirement nor a good life but to make much of His holy name! What do you need to repent of doing lazily or passively? What excuses have you been making lately? How do you need to rewire the days God gives you under the sun to be used better for Him, to work hard, and to obey His commands on your life? Who do you need to talk to so that you can have some accountability in these things?

Read again: Proverbs 6:16-19

In verse 16, Solomon says, “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him.”

Then in verses 17-19 he lists them:

1. Haughty eyes
2. A lying tongue
3. Hands that shed innocent blood
4. A heart that devises wicked plans
5. Feet that make haste to run to evil
6. A false witness who breathes out lies
7. One who sows discord among brothers

Take a few moments and really meditate on these seven things that God hates. Don’t be so quick to dismiss them as being something with which you do not struggle. Are there some that you do practice or with which you struggle? Recognize that the redeemed should have no dealings with these things and should surely have no practice of them. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is now within you and empowering you to not only avoid such things but to have a God-given desire to honor Him by not doing them. Now, will we still get caught up in sin? Yes, but none of these should be a regular practice nor an undealt-with reality. So, what are you doing to make war with these things?

Let us have nothing to do with them. Let us follow Christ and point to God in all we do and say, no matter the cost or consequence. 

Read again: Proverbs 6:20-23

I have found over the years that these are some of the very best words of counsel to anyone who is young and under their parents’ God-given authority. We are so smart in our youth. We are so longing to cut free from what God has determined is best: to be under the authority of our parents. Our sin wants to rule our own lives. This plays out differently for the toddler than it does the teenager, but the sin of rebellion is still the same. Instead, Solomon says, bind them to you! In other words, hold fast to their counsel and teachings. They will be a lamp to you in life. The discipline you receive is for your good. 

I would say this same counsel also applies to the authority of pastors and elders whom God has put over us as the church. All too often we want to rule our lives on our own, but even as adults we are under authority, and it is counted by God as good for us to have counsel and teachings from those whom He has put over us. Do you see your pastors and elders this way? 

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Read again: Proverbs 6:24-35 

Underneath the umbrella of listening to our parents’ teachings, Solomon turns again to the specific instruction regarding the temptation of sexual immorality. The consequences of adultery are life-wrecking. The ways in which sexual sin tears us apart are so very real. Avoid it. Run from it. Do not be swept up in the eyelashes or the look of a seductive woman. Look away. Run away. It will literally save your physical life. 

I pray the wisdom we continue to glean from Solomon in the Proverbs is serving you well.  May we not be hearers only but doers of the word as we live to glorify Him in all we do.

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

Proverbs 5     4.19.25

I can’t begin to tell you how helpful this fifth proverb has been in my 25 years of pastoral ministry as I have counselled many. One of the very real temptations of our flesh is lust for the things God created instead of having honor for these things. Our selfish flesh wants to consume and have what it selfishly wants, many times with no regard for what or who it hurts or betrays. We are flooded with imagery and constant temptation to adulterate our eyes or body. God’s word tells us to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18), for its consequences are greater than any other to the body God has given us. 

Whether you are a man or a woman, everyone is susceptible to the lust of the eyes and/or sexual immorality with our bodies. We must arm ourselves with right thinking and daily, godly practices that keep us from these temptations. This week’s proverb goes straight to the heart of this fight. I pray you are not just hearers but doers after reading today’s study. Do whatever is needed to make war with any sin you are caught up in or susceptible to. The name of Jesus, the purity of our minds and souls, and the protection of our marriages and families is all on the line. 

The Warning

Proverbs 5:1-2 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 

Here, Solomon is driving home the need to be attentive to the counsel he is about to give. Lean in, son! Don’t miss this. You will surely need this. The topic is brought forth in verse 3: “For the lips of a forbidden woman.” What I have come to see in practical life is that the “lips of a forbidden woman” here can be any sexual temptation that is outside of God’s will for your life. It could be any person who is not your spouse (this applies to single people, too). If he/she is not your spouse, then you have no business engaging the temptation before you. It also can be any image or scene in a movie, or picture, or person walking by. It can surely be pornography. I have sat with many men and women over the years in pastoral counsel to look to this proverb as a great help in their need to wage war on addiction to porn. So, as you read the rest of this counsel, consider that “the lips of a forbidden woman” can be any of these sexually immoral things you may struggle with. 

Solomon goes on to clarify how seductive sexually immoral things are. They “drip honey” and “her speech is smoother than oil.” 

In that culture, honey was the sweetest thing you could enjoy, so it was very desirable. One who is smooth in speech is also very seductive and enticing. He is saying be alert and aware how entrapping her presentation is. 

The Consequences

In verse 4 and 5, we are given insight into the reality of what she actually brings: “but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol.” 

This is no casual consequence. The division that a two-edged sword brings is very real. The road she takes you to is death and suffering. This is the con of all cons. You think you are getting pleasure and comfort, but you are really getting bitterness, breakdown in life, and consequences that lead to death and great suffering. 

In verses 7 and 8, he says “listen up” again. 

“And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.” LISTEN TO ME! Do not depart from this counsel or it will wreck your life. Stay far away from such temptation. Do not allow it nearby. Do not wander into places where this kind of temptation resides. This gets very practical for us. What conversations are you having or relationships are you flirting with that are set in a foundation of innocent intentions but are really on the doorstep of great blunder? He says, “Stay away.” To practice this in life and ministry, I have found that we should not engage the opposite sex in any unaccountable space. I don’t care how long you have known them or how much they love the Lord. One on one time together, phone calls, text or email messages can all have the greatest intentions and might practically be helpful, but they are often the doorway to greater intimacy being formed. It is worth it to take steps to keep these kinds of interactions in accountable space where others can see and keep these relationships above reproach. 

Another application of this is where is sexual immorality accessible? Do you have cable in your home, internet access on your computer or phone where sexual temptation is present and a click away? In order to stay far away, as the counsel is given, it can be wise to remove such access. Block certain channels on your cable (let someone else set the code) and have accountability software on your computer or phone whereby a trusted person can see what you are seeing. “XXX Church” and “Covenant Eyes” are both great resources for such software. I have many brothers who don’t have a personal computer or smart phone simply for the fact that they don’t want the temptress on their doorstep at all times. Now, you might be telling yourself, “That would greatly affect my life to not have such access.” I get it. But I would also ask, how much of your life would be impacted if you don’t take the steps to prevent sexual immorality from manifesting itself in your life and marriage? That is the point of Solomon’s next words. 

In verses 9-11, he says, “lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed.” Here, Solomon is saying that the consequence of the fallout that comes with this kind of sinful engagement will steal your life away. To give your honor and respect to others opens the door for them to:

-“Take your strength”–This is what addiction does to your life. You lose your ability to say no. You become weak and at the mercy of the master you have succumb to. 

-“Your labors go to the house of a foreigner”–This is the sad reality of marriages that fall apart and families that are destroyed as a result of addiction or adultery. All you have worked for in life is stripped away. 

Regret

In verses 12 and 13, the reality of the fallout is finally understood. The problem is that it is too late. The destruction has happened, and the consequences have taken their toll. The listener is remorseful as he says, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.”

This is the gift of good counsel ahead of time. Hopefully, you don’t have to be the one who laments, “Why didn’t I listen? Why did I make excuses and do what I wanted?” This is the gift of this proverb. Hopefully, you take it seriously! Even if you are already engaging in forbidden things, STOP! REPENT NOW—before you delve in deeper. Humble yourself to ask for accountability from a brother who is close to you and can walk with you. Don’t wait until it’s too late and be the one saying, “Why didn’t I listen to godly counsel when I could?”

In verses 18-20, Solomon turns to bring encouragement to enjoy the provisions God has given in marriage. Marriage is worth investing in. Even if you have come to a dry place in your marriage, it is worth whatever it takes to reboot your intimacy and enjoy what God has given as good and right. 

The Holy Lord of Glory is Our Audience in All Things!

Finally, in verse 21, Solomon reminds us to never forget that God is always with us and everything we do is before His eyes.

“For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths.” Let us look to honor Him above all else in these things when alone or just in our own thoughts. God is with us, and we are to honor Him in even the most private moments of this life. He is worthy of our praise and fight for righteous living. 

I am praying for you as you fight this fight. It must be fought. Sin must be overcome. Bring what is in the dark into the light. Get the accountability that is needed to overcome these things. God is able to restore and heal and sanctify. Trust in Him. Listen to His word, and let us glorify Him with the days He entrusts to us under the sun. 

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

Proverbs 4     4.11.25

In Proverbs 4, we are given more insight into the counsel of a father for his son. We are given more encouragement to take hold of good, godly counsel and to let its many blessings lead you in life. 

Solomon mentions many of the blessings that holding fast to good, godly counsel will give us in this life. 

For example:

Proverbs 4:6 says that this kind of wisdom “… will keep you …” and “… she will guard you.”

Proverbs 4:8-9 says that this kind of wisdom “… will exalt you …” and “… honor you if you embrace her.” And “… she will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

Proverbs 4:10 says that this kind of wisdom will make “… the years of your life … many.”

Proverbs 4:12 says that this kind of wisdom will cause your step to “… not be hampered …” and “… you will not stumble.”

So, there are practical benefits to hearing, keeping, and walking in good, godly counsel. We will be guarded, rewarded, it will prolong our days, and it will cause us to walk without stumbling. 

This is so practical and true, but somehow, we are guilty of missing its application in our lives. Many of us are quick to say, “Amen!” and “Yes, I find that to be true,” but then we are guilty of not applying it to our daily lives. Instead, we set the godly truths we have learned aside, and we end up in jeopardy. Or, instead of being rewarded, we are penalized. Instead of our days being plentiful, they are cut short, and we end up stumbling because we look to sinful desires within ourselves, or we heed the counsel of the wicked, or we step into the temptations of the worldly. 

The good news is that Proverbs is going to keep driving this point home again and again. Are you seeking and valuing wisdom? Are you heeding it and applying it? You will falter and sin and stumble if you do not. 

James said this so well in his letter, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)

Sunday church is not enough. You are not done with your eating of the truths of God when church is over. No, your diet of God’s truths should just be beginning. Your pastor’s teaching of the word should be a catalyst for your walking in, meditating on, and living out the word of God all week long. But all too often what we end up doing is hearing it on Sunday and then never doing it throughout the week. 

It is the same thing with our daily Bible reading. Is it just a moment in your day? Do you read it and then are you done and move on to other things? Or does it wreck you, propel you, slow you down, cause you to truly be changed and motivated to live out the truths you have learned and the wisdom God has given you?

In the second part of Proverbs 4, we are admonished to avoid the path of the wicked. Warnings to avoid what is sinful and evil in the sight of the Lord are a great gift from God. 

Do you regularly invite mature, godly brothers and sisters to speak into your life—to love you enough to bring warning and to walk with you in life so they can have eyes on you to help you see what you are not seeing? 

I have found this to be a great gift in our lives in the body of Christ. We are all susceptible to sin and, therefore, blessed to be warned to avoid sin and evil that we just don’t see ourselves. 

Proverbs 4:14-15 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.

The writer goes on to highlight the way of the wicked and how he practices lawlessness and stumbles in the darkness. But the way of the Lord is life in the light, which is a blessing and a great provision of good. 

Finally, in verse 24, he brings his counsel to a close in this chapter by specifically calling for his listeners to put away the specific practice of crooked speech and devious talk—to keep your eyes looking ahead at the prize and not at the wicked things of this world and to be mindful of the steps of your feet so that you do not swerve and turn into evil.

Brothers and sisters, this is important counsel that we need to be reminded of often, as we read through Proverbs this year. Sin is tempting. Acting like the world is always before us to gain laughter or acceptance by those with whom we do life. 

We must heed this counsel to avoid acting like, or walking with, the world. We must not set down our testimony of Christ and become loose with our daily and moment-by-moment practices. 

So, take inventory this morning so you are not just a hearer but a doer. 

Are you constantly valuing the counsel of the word of God and of mature believers in your life—inviting them in and feasting on God’s word daily? 

What are you looking at lately—other people or media on the computer or phone? 

What are you saying with your mouth—coarse jokes, teasing others, cutting remarks, and/or language that doesn’t exalt God?

What are your habits, practices, or the things you do daily—the places you go and the things you do? Are they of the world, or do they make much of the name of Jesus? 

As you contemplate these questions this morning, don’t consider making changes alone. Go to God in prayer and share with a trusted brother or sister so they can walk with you and hold you accountable. May the Lord be glorified, and may our lives be better for the practical application of these things. 

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com