By Josiah Espinoza | July 15th, 2019

“My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.” ~Proverbs 1:15-16

“my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths.”- Fathers, train your children in the fear of the Lord because if you don’t your children can be won by any philosophy that comes their way. The heart is easily swayed to any teaching that seems good to the ears and pleasant to the mind and if we do not train our children to heed the word of God rather than the word of man, we will lose our children to the folly of the world. I often hear parents tell their children, “Just follow your heart.” How dreadful it is for a child to be led by their own sinful desires. Children need the teaching of their parents. They need to be corrected, rebuked and trained in righteousness. If not, you will see your children following the footsteps of corrupt and evil men, led by their own evil passions, causing devastation in their wake. There are so many diversions in society that can easily corrupt the heart and minds of our children. Media, music, entertainment and education can ensnare our children to follow a path that leads to death. Point your children to Christ, for he is the only way, the only truth and the only one who can grant abundant life.

“for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood”-One need only to look in their own community, city or neighborhood to see that people sprint toward chaos and destruction. The love of money and sex is rampant among our youth and if we do not train our children to flee from impurities, they too shall find themselves running a race that leads to death and damnation. We must train them to become men and women who act like Joseph, who when tempted by Potiphar’s wife ran away in his nakedness in order to maintain his faithfulness to God. We must teach our children to run the good race of the peace and love, of righteousness and justice and of holiness. We must train our children to walk in the path of the gospel of the Kingdom of God so that they run away from evil and not toward it.

Violence is the outcome of an angry and envious heart. Those who run to evil, who look to do harm did not come to that place of wickedness overnight. Hatred, malice, malevolence, jealousy and hatred, when not dealt with by God, results in murderous violence. The shedding of blood is the result of a heart that has festered in the darkest of thought and emotions. Christians should not dabble in the things of the dark. The child of God keeps their mind and their heart in the things of Christ, in the things of the light. By doing so you will guard against the murderous intentions of your heart and we will be perfect just as our heavenly father is perfect.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:5-7