Artist Devo: Build the Walls (Bobby Bishop)

Proverbs 5

Whenever I travel, I generally have a cardinal rule that I tell a couple of my closest friends where I’m headed, how long, and if I will be in a hotel room, alone. This is because I’ve tried to make a strong attempt to set myself up for moral and spiritual success by putting accountability in place so that I have someone to answer to after the trip.

Reality is, there are plenty of temptations when one is away from home. I traveled alone this past weekend. I had a hotel room, alone, just for one night. And I realized this morning that I forgot to make those accountability phone calls. I realized as I looked around, however, that there were temptations all around me. Beautiful women roamed the conference. My hotel had internet and cable. There was plenty of opportunity for me to stumble, and my partners didn’t even know I was traveling.

I opened to Proverbs 5 and God met me there: “My son, pay attention to my wisdom: listen to my words of understanding…be faithful to your wife, just as you drink water from your own well. Don’t pour your water in the streets…these things alone are yours and shouldn’t be shared with strangers.” (v.1,16,17)

I was dumbfounded by my naïve thinking, as I was focused on my conference, the task at hand, and the outcome. The event ended late, and I took advantage of a long night’s sleep, as I had been awake for nearly twenty hours, and I completely overlooked what was right in front of me: the obvious.

Brothers and sisters, we need to ensure that our walls are wide and tall. Personally speaking, I have a lot to lose regarding what God has blessed me with. I have a beautiful wife, who is entirely out of my league. I have an amazing three-year-old daughter who adores me. God fulfills my dreams every single day of my life, in the midst of hardship and apparent success, He sealed our victory at Calvary. As followers, we can’t allow ourselves to become confident in our own abilities, and to forget that there is an enemy who wants us to fail.

“An evil man…will be held captive by his foolishness.” (v.22,23) Let’s commit to dodging foolishness and seeking God’s wisdom, throughout the every-day events of our lives.

“Father, thank You for Your grace. Forgive us for arrogance and ignorance, and deliver us from being held captive by our own foolishness. Amen”

For additional information on Bobby Bishop: www.myspace.com/bobbybishop