Proverbs 4:13 NIV
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
One thing we must always remember is that God’s instructions are always for our own good. Anytime we turn aside from what God has told us, we open a door to ruin.
There are many examples of this in the Bible, starting in the Garden of Eden, to King Saul’s downfall, as well as King Solomon and others.
For example, God instructed king Solomon that he should never marry foreign women because they would turn his heart away from God. Solomon, however, had a weakness in this area and disobeyed God’s instructions.
Just as God warned, Solomon’s wives turned his heart away from God. As a consequence, Solomon’s heirs eventually lost partial control of the throne.
We must always remember to hold on to the instructions God has given us and be careful to obey them. While God is willing to forgive us when we repent, He doesn’t always remove the consequence of our disobedience.
If there’s an area we may struggle to obey God in, we can always pray and/or fast for God’s help.
Whatever we do, let’s not take God’s instructions lightly!
If He has told us something, it is because He sees the impact it will have on our future.
1 Kings 11:4-5 NIV
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.
1 Kings 11:11 NIV
So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.
(To read more about King Solomon’s downfall, please read 1 Kings chapter 11)
