Scripture reading: Proverbs 7:1 -17

1. My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
   2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
   3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
   4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
   5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

These are ten advices of God the Father to His children on earth:

The First Requirement

One must have the life of God. The Bible says, “My son”.  This means one must have received the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is sonship. The Bible says, as many as received Jesus He gave them the power to become the sons of God (John 1:12).  This life is given to anybody who repents his or her sins and believes that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. To repents means to agree with God, that, “I am wrong but God is right.” Then, I ask Him to forgive me and wash me with the Blood of His Son Jesus Christ. This act gives the Holy Spirit the right to come and dwell in the spirit of the person. It is then that the sinner become a saint and henceforth starts a Godward life.

The Second Requirement

The second requirement after being born again is to Keep God Words. The Bible says, “My son, keep my words”. To keep means, to attend to them. It means, to retain the words, to retain the words in the same form and fashion as God has given them. For them to be God’s words they should not be added or subtracted. The Father is saying, “My son, am urging you to keep my words.” This is the appeal of God. He knows why this is important for His son. His son does not have more experience than Him. Therefore, He says, “my son in all the things you keep, keep my words”. You have many things you want to keep but on top of the list, keep my words. The future, will only be secure if you keep my words. The path will be clear if you keep my words. Your eyes will be able to see if you keep my words, your ears will be opened if you keep my words. You shall only be victorious if you keep my words. Goodness and mercy shall follow you if you keep my words. Yes, my son please decide today to keep my words. If you keep my words, I shall guide you all through. My son, “keep my words.”

The Third Requirement

The Bible says, My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. The third requirement is to lay up God’s commandments with you. To lay up means, to store something for use when needed. You shall need the commandments or principles or laws of God to govern your life. In times of temptation you shall find that the word of God shall speak to you. The commandments of God shall inform your conscience about the right and wrong path. You shall have no problem know the will of God is every situation because you have laid His commandment in you. To lay up God within you means to treasure them above anything. It means to put God’s commandment first place in your life. It means, if God has said it, then that settles the debate. You have laid God words in you and you know that in keeping them there is great reward. You have laid the commandments as the best option in any dilemma. The commandment of God is your supreme law. You are made quality decision to obey His commandments. The word of God says, “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee”.

The Fourth Requirement

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.  2 Keep my commandments. It is saying, “my son, keep my commandments”. You know He had said to you my son, keep my words. This is because in His words you shall learn His ways of operation, meaning His laws, His principles, actually His commandments. Then He later said to you, “my son, make sure you prioritize my commandments”. Let them be first choice is your decisions. Then here in the fourth commandment He say, “my son, keep my commandments. In other words, be absolutely consistent and constant in keeping His commandments. It means belief them and make a godly culture out of them. Let them be your second nature. Let them be your automatic happening at all situations. Keep my commandments. Let it be known by all that you cannot go contrary to my law. Keep them despite any circumstance. Watch over my words and perform them. My son, “keep my commandments”.

The Fifth Requirement

The Father says, my son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. 2 Keep my commandments, and live; The word of God extents the admonition and says, My son, live. It says portray my commandments outward. Live out my commandments. It means, prove me by acting publicly my commandments. Do not look to the left or to the right, my son, live. My son by keeping my words and holding to my principles you shall find out concerning the treasures of My conquering life. Start to act out my commandments. My son, live. My son, express the life in you. Let the resurrected life in you be expressed. It overcomes all situations and glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Sixth Requirement

The word of God says, keep my law as the apple of thine eye. The Father, says to the son to Keep the law of God as the apple of the eye. The eye is the most sensitive part of the body. It is so sensitive that it cannot function if there is the least contamination. God is saying, “keep the law pure as you keep the eye”. Keep it holy as it is from a holy God. Any mixing or subtracting will make it not to function. It should be the light for the whole body. It has power to give direction, it has power to identify enemies.

The Seventh Requirement

The Father says, Bind them upon thy fingers. Let the law of God dictate all your actions. Fingers are important for holding, therefore do not hold any thing which the law of God forbids, do not grasp anything which God’s law says, thou shall not…. Touch not the unclean thing and the Father shall receive you as His son and daughter.  Let no blood be upon your fingers for the law of God has said so. Your fingers shall be holy in worship as per the law of God. Bind the Words of God upon your fingers, as you read the Book, as you open the pages let your finger stick to the pages. Hold on to the promise. Do not stagger in unbelief. Hold on to the promise. Faith comes by hearing the Word. He who has promised is able to perform it. Hold on to the promise. Be fully persuaded to inherit the promise by faith and patience.

The Eighth Requirement

The Father says, write them upon the table of thine heart. It means as you read the word and let them be engraved in your mind and in your conscience. Write them, by the power of the Spirit of God. Let them be your meditation day and night. God says, “you can write them in your heart”. Therefore, ask Him how to write them in your heart. The New Testament, says, “God Himself shall write His law in our hearts”. It is your right to ask God to write His law in your heart. That means afterwards, you shall not be able to forget His law. That means it is ever in your mind. That means He shall keep you in perfect peace, because your mind is stayed on Him.

The Ninth Requirement

The Father says, in verse 4:  Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; in this part He is saying, “son, use your mouth and say.” Say what? Say to wisdom. Who is wisdom? Wisdom is the Lord Jesus Christ. Wisdom is the living Word. In other words, Love wisdom and be vocal. In other words, again, Love the LORD Jesus Christ. Love Him as your blood relative. As your sister. This means, say wisdom you are my most intimate friend. You are my kinswoman. Love the wisdom which comes from above. This wisdom is pure and peaceful. Keep confessing that the word, speak the commandments, confess that the law of God is good. The law of God pure and it is converting my soul. Keep confessing, the Word of God in deep love and adoration. To confess the Word of God means to express your faith. Nobody is ashamed of his dear sister. Confess to the world that your love the wisdom of God. The Wisdom of God shall also not be ashamed to confess you before the angels of God. Speak boldly about your identity to the Father as a son. Be the light and the salt of the world

The Tenth Requirement

The Father says, and call understanding thy kinswoman: this implies praying for divine guidance. It means calling for understanding. Understanding means, the right timing and the accurate application of wisdom. It means to be very close in fellowship with God. To be intimate with God in every happening. It means to walk with God. It means do not talk any step without God. Call understanding your kinswoman. The one who has this close fellowship is a real son. He shall hear the voice of the Father saying, “this is the way follow it” He shall understand the fear of God. It is the level of having the word speaking to your heart and your heart responding to it. It is the experiencing of the amplification of the Spirit’s voice in one’s spirit by the living Word of God.

The Effects of Taking Heed to The Above Ten Requirements

5 That they [the requirements] may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. The effect of taking heed of the above is deliverance from immorality. In other words:

1. It shall keep you from seducing spirits.
2. It shall crucify your flesh and bring it to subjection.
3. It shall make the spirit stronger than the body.
4. It shall make the inner person to be strengthened with might.
5. It shall silence the voices of the world.

Brothers and sisters, look again at the issues addressed by our Father.

Look at the verses which follow after this great admonition: These verses speak of a youth who did not take heed to the instructions of the Father: Instead of attending to the words of the Father he is looking though window! He is seeing women wearing the uniform of harlots. [my beloved sister, kindly wear the uniform of heaven]. This boy because he as no law of God in his heart he is seduced and completely ruined by sexual sins.

Then in verse 24, the Father, gives an illustration by giving an example of the destroyed boy and repeats the advice and the importance ten requirements of having a life free from immoral seduction. My brother my sister, it does not matter how strong you feel you are to keep yourself from immorality, if you do not heed the ten requirements above read verse 26 and 27.  

Verse 6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

He summarizes by saying, Therefore….

24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.