JANUARY 16 - Stay on the Path
3-Year-Bible Reading: Proverbs 4:10–19; Matthew 13
//
//
________________________________________
“I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.” — Proverbs 4:11–12
“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.” — Matthew 13:25
________________________________________
Have you ever tried walking in the dark without your phone’s flashlight? You move slow, stumble over stuff, and maybe even get a little freaked out. That’s what life is like without God's wisdom—uncertain, messy, and filled with traps we don’t see coming. In Proverbs 4, God gives us a solid warning: Don’t wander from the path of wisdom. It's not just about being “good,” it's about being guarded—from regret, from heartache, from mistakes that could’ve been avoided.
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a story about an enemy who sneaks in at night and plants weeds in a field of good seed. The enemy waits until everyone’s sleeping—completely unaware. That’s what happens when we get too comfortable, stop paying attention, or start ignoring what God has already shown us. The enemy doesn’t always show up loud and obvious. Sometimes he sneaks in while we’re distracted.
These passages remind us that staying on God’s path takes intentional choices. The world is full of distractions—some that look harmless at first—but wisdom keeps us grounded. God’s way is not always the easiest, but it is always the safest.
________________________________________
THINK ABOUT IT
1. Choose Your Path: Are your current habits and influences helping you walk in wisdom—or pushing you off track? Who’s really guiding your steps?
2. Stay Spiritually Awake: In Matthew 13, the enemy came while they were sleeping. What areas of your life do you need to “wake up” and pay more attention to spiritually?
3. Watch for Weeds: Not everything that looks good is good. Are there things (shows, music, relationships, attitudes) that seem okay but might be planting weeds in your heart?
________________________________________
BOTTOM LINE
God’s wisdom isn’t just a good idea—it’s your safest route through a dangerous world.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help me to love Your wisdom more than the world’s distractions. Show me the path You’ve prepared for me, and give me the strength to walk in it every day—even when it’s hard or unpopular. Keep me spiritually awake and aware, and teach me to guard my heart from things that don’t belong. I want to follow You with my whole life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
