Turn Away from Evil
It’s not woo-woo wisdom, it’s the Bible
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Do not be wise in your own estimation; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This will bring healing to your body, and refreshment to your inner self.
Proverbs 3:7-8 (NET)
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A few months ago I read through the entire book of Proverbs in one sitting.
I was specifically looking for all the verses on wealth & money (for a project waaayyyyy down the road).
But I noticed something interesting:
This theme of fearing the Lord leading to wisdom kept popping up.
It was littered throughout the Proverbs. Over and over and over again I would see these verses call back to finding wisdom by fearing the Lord.
Fascinating.
We tend to think that wisdom comes from experiences. Either our own experiences or learning from others (incidentally, others’ experiences are why I’m such a fan of reading books & listening to podcasts). But we have a better source of wisdom:
God.
I also want to point out the connection between the mental, spiritual, and physical in these verses.
We see the author telling us that this wise life that turns away from evil actually leads to physical health & emotional refreshment.
Now, remember, Proverbs are not absolute promises, but generally true statements. Exceptions do exist, but these are the rules that drive most of life.
Anyway, this is definitely one set of verses I encourage you to memorize and think deeply on.
There are probably tons of personal applications for your own life if you’ll spend some time pondering the wisdom found here.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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