Victory Belongs to the Lord

[Proverbs 21:21–31]

As December 2013 arrived and I looked back on the year, I found myself meditating on 1 Thessalonians 2:1 during a recent early morning prayer meeting:
“You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.”

While meditating on this verse, I came to a personal conclusion about the year: “I have spent this year in vain (I have failed).” In the Korean Bible, the Apostle Paul tells the believers in Thessalonica that his visit and that of his coworkers was not in vain. In English translations, it says it “was not a failure.”

But when I look back on this year, I can’t help but confess, “I have failed this year,” especially when I think of how I did not gain victory over myself, sin, the world, and Satan, but was instead defeated repeatedly.

As I pondered why I was so defeated in the spiritual battle, I meditated on today’s text, Proverbs 21:31.

Proverbs 21:31 says:
“The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the Lord.”

Focusing on this verse, and under the title “Victory Belongs to the Lord,” I want to reflect on what spiritual battles we Christians must fight, and what the Lord commands us to do in order to gain victory in those battles, and receive the lessons God gives us through this meditation.

First, let us consider what the spiritual battles are that Christians must fight—in other words, whom or what are we fighting against? I would like to consider four areas.

First, we must fight against pride.

Look at Proverbs 21:24:
“The proud and arrogant person—'Mocker' is his name—
behaves with insolent fury.”

Can you imagine disciples of Jesus, who claim to believe in Him, carrying out His work with “arrogant pride”? The Bible calls such a person a “mocker”—one who is rude and proud.

This kind of rude and arrogant person is the same “scoffer” we previously reflected on in verse 11, who “does not love correction” (Proverbs 15:12) and “stiffens his neck after many rebukes” (Proverbs 29:1). That’s why the Bible advises not to rebuke such a person—because they will hate the one who corrects them (Proverbs 9:8). The scoffer hates rebuke, and thus continues to act in excessive pride.

Friends, if there is pride in our hearts, and we continue to do the Lord’s work with overflowing arrogance, the greatest sin we are committing is robbing God of His glory—or worse, stealing His glory for ourselves.

Think about it: if we are supposedly doing the Lord’s work but with a prideful heart, are we boasting about the Lord—or about ourselves? We might say with our lips that we glorify God and boast in Him, but in our hearts, we will boast in ourselves, promote ourselves, and desire all the praise, recognition, and respect from others.

That is why we are very likely to become like King Saul, the first king of Israel in the Old Testament. After winning a battle, he built a monument to himself (1 Samuel 15:12), and instead of repenting for disobeying God’s word, he asked the prophet Samuel to honor him before the elders and the people of Israel (v. 30).

If our hearts are full of pride like Saul’s, then after doing the Lord’s work, we won’t say, “I am an unworthy servant.” Instead, we will build monuments in our hearts and long to be exalted before the church community.

Do you know the defining trait of someone who does the Lord’s work with overflowing pride? They believe they are superior to others (Walvoord). In other words, the mocker who is rude and arrogant carries a sense of superiority.

If there is pride in our hearts, we will compare ourselves to our brothers and sisters and think, “At least I’m better than that person.” To put it more strongly, if pride is in our hearts, we may even pray like the Pharisee in the temple, saying, “God, I thank You that I am not like other people” (Luke 18:11).

Can you imagine that? In one church, if someone has a spiritual superiority complex, believing they are better than others and looking down on fellow members—judging and condemning them even in their heart—what kind of community would that church be?

Another characteristic of the proud person who acts with arrogant pride in doing the Lord’s work is this: they are not satisfied unless they are at the center. They don’t enjoy correction or rebuke (Proverbs 13:1), and they despise the Word of God (v. 13). They pretend to be important (Proverbs 12:9), and pretend to be rich when they are not (13:7).

So what happens if such a person is present in the church?

Proverbs 22:10 says:
“Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.”

This means that if we remove the arrogant, proud person who holds a sense of spiritual superiority within the church, then the fighting, strife, and disgrace within the church will stop. Don’t you agree this is true?

Why is there strife, conflict, and disgrace in the church? Because of pride. Because some think they are better than others. That spiritual superiority breeds conflict.

Therefore, we must be on guard against the rise of spiritual pride in our hearts. We must fight against pride. And we must fight pride with the Word of God. One such verse is Philippians 2:3:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

When we fight pride using this verse, we must repeatedly ask ourselves two questions:

1. Am I doing the Lord’s work out of rivalry or vain ambition? Am I saying with my lips that I am pursuing God’s vision, while in my heart I’m pursuing my own ambition? Am I claiming outwardly to do God’s work for His glory, while in my heart seeking my own glory?

2. Am I doing the Lord’s work with humility? Am I truly considering others better than myself? Or am I merely saying it with my lips, while secretly thinking that brother or sister is inferior to me?

Friends, we must fight against pride. God hates the proud in heart (Proverbs 16:5). Let us keep this in mind: the result of pride is ruin and destruction (Proverbs 16:18; 18:12).

Second, we must fight against laziness.

Let us look at today's passage, Proverbs 21:25:
"The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor."

Brothers and sisters, as we have been meditating on Proverbs, we have thought in many ways about laziness. If we summarize these thoughts, they go like this:

1. The lazy person desires wealth only in their heart (13:4).

2. The lazy person covets unjust gain (12:12).

3. The lazy person uses all kinds of unjust means to steal what is left (12:12).

4. The lazy person chases after worthless and vain pleasures (13:11).

5. The lazy person is a great waster (18:9).

6. As a result, the Bible says the lazy person will become poor (10:4).

In our passage today, Proverbs 21:25, the Bible says, "The desire of the lazy man kills him." In other words, the earnest desire of the lazy person kills themselves (as noted by Dr. Yoon-Sun Park).

So, what is the earnest desire of the lazy person? Isn’t it to live without working and just eat and relax?
In the second half of Proverbs 21:25, we see that the lazy person “refuses to work with his own hands.”

But the greater problem is that, even with this deep longing to relax and be fed without working, the lazy person continually craves all day long (v. 26).
In other words, while the lazy person does not want to work with their own hands, they still desire wealth (13:4) and covet unjust gain (12:12).

Isn’t that ironic? Isn’t it a bit funny that they do not want to work with their hands but are craving all day in their hearts?
They are lounging around doing nothing, yet in their hearts, they desire wealth and crave unjust gain. How ridiculous is that?

Dr. Yoon-Sun Park said:
“The devil dwells in the heart of the lazy. Gluttony and lust move more strongly in the heart of the lazy. The reason is that they do not direct their mind and energy towards work, but focus entirely on pleasure.”

Brothers and sisters, do you think greed and lust move more strongly in the heart of the lazy person?
As we have already meditated on, the lazy person moves their hands slowly but their mind works quickly. This means that a wicked and lazy servant comes up with many schemes (15:19). But they refuse to work hard, avoiding the sweat and labor that comes with it. Moreover, the lazy person focuses only on pleasure, not dedicating their mind or energy to labor.

What is the result of all this?
The Bible says the end result is death (21:25).

So, how should we fight against laziness?

1. To fight against laziness, we must first fight against greed in our hearts.
2. The reason is that the root problem of laziness is not just refusing to work with our hands, but greed in the heart.

So, how do we fight against greed in our hearts and overcome it?
To do this, we must learn the secret of contentment, just like the Apostle Paul (Philippians 4:11-12). We must learn to be content in both humble circumstances and in abundance.
And we must learn to be satisfied with Jesus alone.
When we do this, we will be able to fight and overcome the temptation of greed that seeps into our hearts.

Additionally, to fight against greed, we must live a life like the righteous person mentioned in Proverbs 21:26, who “does not withhold but gives generously.”
When we live a life of giving to our neighbors with joy and love, we will be able to fight and overcome the greed in our hearts.

2. To fight against laziness, we must keep in mind the words of 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

Let us look at 2 Thessalonians 3:10:
“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”

What we must remember is that if someone refuses to work, they should not eat.
But do we actually apply this in our homes? When our children refuse to work and just lounge around, living lazily, do we tell them not to eat?

In the church of Thessalonica during the time of the Apostle Paul, there were those who “walked disorderly, not working at all, but were busybodies” (v. 11).
To such people, Paul commanded and encouraged them to “work in quietness and eat their own bread” (v. 12).

3. To fight against laziness, we must go to the ant, observe what it does, and learn wisdom from it (Proverbs 6:6).

The ant works voluntarily, diligently, and cooperates, even though there is no one to supervise it (v. 7).
The ant is considerate, helps one another, and divides the work according to size and expertise.
Moreover, the ant prepares food for the cold winter, even during the hot summer harvest season.
Therefore, we must go to the ant and learn to prepare for the future (v. 8).

Thirdly, we must fight against evil.

Let us look at today's scripture, Proverbs 21:27:
"The sacrifice of the wicked is abominable; how much more when it is offered with evil intent?"

Everyone, while watching the news about the purging of Jang Song-thaek in North Korea, I came across a new four-character Chinese idiom that caught my attention because it succinctly describes his purge. The idiom is "Yangbong Eomwi" (陽奉陰違), which means "outwardly appearing to obey while inwardly betraying" (according to the internet).

The wicked described in today’s passage, Proverbs 21:27, can be understood as those who practice "Yangbong Eomwi." These are people who harbor the evil that God hates in their hearts while offering sacrifices to God. In other words, a wicked person practicing "Yangbong Eomwi" may offer sacrifices to God outwardly, but inwardly, they harbor evil. Dr. Park Yoon-Sun explained, “A person who outwardly appears to obey God while inwardly rebelling against Him is engaging in flattery.” A sacrifice made in such a manner, with outward piety but inward corruption, is considered abominable to God, as the Bible states (Proverbs 21:27). But how much more abominable is a sacrifice offered with evil intent? A sacrifice offered by a wicked person who plans to fulfill their evil desires is repugnant to God (Dr. Park Yoon-Sun).

The people of Israel during the time of the prophet Isaiah did the same thing. They offered countless sacrifices to God, yet did not practice justice or righteousness (Isaiah 1:11). Concerning these sacrifices, God said: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats" (Isaiah 1:11). He also said: "Bring no more futile sacrifices" (Isaiah 1:13), "I am weary of bearing them" (Isaiah 1:13). Their sacrifices were unacceptable because they continued in sin while offering them.

Similarly, during the time of the prophet Jeremiah, the people of Israel committed these abominable sins. They regarded the words of God delivered through the prophet Jeremiah as a curse and refused to listen to them (Jeremiah 6:10). Clearly, God’s words were not a curse, yet the people of Israel thought of them as such. The reason was that their ears were uncircumcised. Their hearts loved the world and rejected God's word (Dr. Park Yoon-Sun). Thus, they refused to listen to the prophetic words meant to wake them up (Jeremiah 7:17). They did not listen to God’s proclamations from the morning (Jeremiah 7:13). They didn’t even respond when God called them (Jeremiah 7:13). Instead, they listened to false prophets. These false prophets, driven by greed and falsehood (Jeremiah 6:13), spoke of peace when there was no peace (Jeremiah 6:14), and the people eagerly listened and enjoyed their lies. The people of Israel relied on useless lies (Jeremiah 7:8) and followed false gods (Jeremiah 7:9). They rejected God’s word (Jeremiah 6:19) and did not obey God’s voice (Jeremiah 7:28).

Although God had commanded them, "Ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it" (Jeremiah 6:16), the people answered, "We will not walk in it" (Jeremiah 6:16). They did abominable things in God's sight (Jeremiah 6:15), and they were not ashamed of their actions, nor did they blush (Jeremiah 6:15). They went into God's temple to worship, stood before God, and said, "We are safe" (Jeremiah 7:10), thinking that after performing some rituals, they were forgiven and at peace with God. Afterward, they went out and continued their abominable actions (Jeremiah 7:10).

In the end, the people of Israel went out into the world, continuing to do things that were abominable in God's eyes, yet entered the temple to perform empty religious rituals. How angering this must be to God (Jeremiah 7:19)! And yet, the people did not consider their actions shameful (Jeremiah 6:15). They still harbored the evil that God despises in their hearts while offering sacrifices to Him. These people offered their sacrifices to God with flattery, pretending to be pious outwardly, but inwardly being deceitful. They offered sacrifices to God as a means of fulfilling their own wicked desires.

Brothers and sisters, we must not offer such abominable sacrifices to God like the Israelites did.
When we come to worship God every Sunday, we must not come with hearts full of sin and offer worship only to comfort ourselves for the wrongs we’ve committed during the week. Instead, we must come before God with pure hearts, with honesty and sincerity, and worship Him humbly, believing in Jesus Christ. Like the psalmist, we must pray: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

Fourth, we must fight against lies.

Let’s look at today’s scripture, Proverbs 21:28:
“A false witness will perish, but the one who listens carefully will speak with power.”

From Proverbs 6:19, which we have already meditated on, we learned that one of the seven abominations that God hates is the "false tongue." God hates those who lie to harm others, and He despises the false lips of such witnesses (12:22). These false witnesses open their mouths with deceit (6:12). That is, they speak lies and deceit with their crooked lips (12:17). They intentionally twist the truth and speak lies from their mouths (see also 19:28). Especially in business, those who speak lies and deceit with crooked lips accumulate wealth through deceit (21:6). While at first, they may gather great wealth and seem prosperous, in reality, they are “seeking death, like a fog that is driven away” (6:6).

The false tongue also involves "hatred" in human relationships. Let’s look at Proverbs 26:28:
“A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.”

What does this mean? It means that the liar hates the person they have harmed with their false tongue. And because of that hatred, the liar will continue to lie in order to hurt that person. Dr. Park Yoon-Sun said: “A false witness’s business is to concoct lies and testify to them. It’s as if their conscience has been branded with a scar (1 Timothy 4:2), and they do not feel any guilt for their lies. They even take pleasure in lying.”
When we lie, we must feel the guilt in our conscience. And we must never take pleasure in lying. Furthermore, we must remember that the false witness will perish (Proverbs 21:28).
Look at Proverbs 19:5:
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape” (see also 9:9).

Dear brothers and sisters, we must be those who listen to the truth.
In the second part of Proverbs 21:28, it says, “The words of the one who hears with certainty have power.” What does this mean? It means that those who listen carefully and only accept the certain truth are powerful (Dr. Park Yoon-Sun). First, we must dedicate ourselves to listening attentively to God’s truthful word. The reason is that by doing so, we will gain strength through His truth. When we listen carefully to the truth, we will be able to stand firm in it and discern the lies. In doing so, like Jesus, we will be able to fight and overcome the temptations of the father of lies, Satan, with the written word of God.
We must also be true (and sincere) witnesses (Proverbs 14:25). We must not lie but speak the truth as faithful and true witnesses of the Lord (12:17, 14:5). Look at Proverbs 12:19:
“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.”

We, who have been saved by faith in our true wisdom, Jesus Christ, must grow in the knowledge of Christ. As we do, we will become more and more wise saints. And the more wisdom we gain, the more we will fear God and obey His commandments. The more we obey God’s commandments, the more we will live a life in which His wisdom—Jesus Christ—will be revealed in this vain world. The true wise person is a true witness. And the true witness bears witness to Jesus Christ. The witnesses of Jesus Christ, by preaching His gospel, bring many people back to Him. I pray that we may all be true and wise witnesses like this.

Finally, for us Christians to gain victory in spiritual warfare, I would like to reflect on three things that the Lord commands us to do.

First, what the Lord commands is to practice justice and mercy.

Let us look at today's passage, Proverbs 21:21:
“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor.”
Here, “righteousness” refers to acting correctly before God and people, and “love” means loving others (Park Yoon-Seon). What the Lord commands us is to act rightly before God and people, and to love others. One way to show love for our neighbors while acting rightly before God and people is seen in the second part of Proverbs 21:26, where it says that we should give without holding back. Conversely, not acting rightly before God and people is seen in coveting what belongs to others (26). The heart of the wicked, who follows sinful ways (12:11), is filled with greed (12), and they covet all day long (21:26). To overcome this sinful instinct, we must fight and win by acting rightly before God and people, and by loving our neighbors. We must strive to live a life of generosity, giving to others.
Friends, our Lord Jesus Christ acted rightly before God and people and loved His neighbor. He loved His neighbor to the point of laying down His life on the cross without reservation. The Bible tells us that to those of us who believe in this Jesus, God will give “life, righteousness, and glory” (21:21). In other words, God will give us eternal life, His righteousness, and His glory.

Second, what the Lord commands is to act wisely.

Let us look at today's passage, Proverbs 21:22:
“The wise man attacks the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.”
What do you think? In war, is “wisdom” better, or is “strength” better?
Let us look at Ecclesiastes 9:16, the first part:
“So I said, ‘Wisdom is better than strength...’”;
Let us also look at Ecclesiastes 7:19:
“Wisdom makes the wise more powerful than ten rulers in a city.”
Clearly, the Bible teaches that wisdom is better than strength. And it also teaches that wisdom makes the wise more powerful than ten rulers in a city. In today’s passage, Proverbs 21:22, the writer, King Solomon, says that the wise man, through wisdom, can break down the strongholds in which the mighty enemy warriors trust. What does this mean? It means that the secret to winning in war lies in wisdom rather than strength (Park Yoon-Seon).
As I meditated on this verse, I thought of a wise woman from 2 Samuel 20. Let us look at 2 Samuel 20:16:
“Then a wise woman called from the city, ‘Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so that I may speak with him.’”
The background of this story is when Joab, the general, was pursuing a man named Sheba, the son of Bichri, who had rebelled against King David. Joab came to the city of Abel-Beth-Maacah (20:14) to attack it. When Joab, along with his men, was about to destroy the city’s walls (20:15), a wise woman from the city took action. She cut off the head of Sheba and threw it over the wall to Joab (20:21-22), thereby saving the city.
In this way, one wise woman acted wisely and prevented the city from being destroyed.

Friends, in order to win the spiritual battle, we need wisdom. Spiritual battles should be fought and won not by strength, but by the wisdom that God gives us.
Let us look at Matthew 10:16:
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
The Lord has sent us into this world, and in this world, there are many false prophets who outwardly appear as sheep but are inwardly ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). That is why Jesus says He is sending us as sheep in the midst of wolves (10:16). Therefore, the Lord commands us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Friends, in order to fight and win the spiritual battle, we must be wise as serpents, as the Lord has commanded. What does it mean to be wise as serpents? I will share two interesting interpretations:

(1) First Interpretation:

"The idea of a 'snake' carries a very negative connotation for us. It feels unpleasant, and in Genesis 3:1, the snake appears as a cunning creature. However, the snake is not only cunning but also a symbol of wisdom. Therefore, the Egyptians depicted the snake as a symbol of wisdom in their hieroglyphs. When the Lord speaks of the wisdom of the snake, He is saying that, above all, the snake wisely navigates the various difficulties that come its way and avoids them. Among animals, the snake is said to be the best at detecting approaching dangers and swiftly evading them with technical skill. In this way, the snake has the ability to foresee and avoid trouble quickly. Therefore, when the Lord sent His disciples into the world to preach the gospel, He said that they needed wisdom, discernment, and caution to deal with the threats and intimidation from those who sought to oppose Christ's message. He told them to be aware in advance of anyone who might harm them, and to possess the wisdom that would protect God’s kingdom, people, and church from harm. The wisdom of the snake speaks to cautious discernment. The snake’s wisdom refers to the ability to discern and judge all situations. Wisdom like that of a snake means thinking ahead about potential problems and avoiding self-inflicted harm, acting wisely to go where one needs to go and do what one must do.” (Internet)

(2) Second Interpretation:

When Jesus sent His disciples to various towns, He told them, "Be as wise as serpents..." In the symbolic meaning of the Jews, this phrase simply means, "Speak wisely." In the Jewish symbolic tradition, the snake is connected with ‘wisdom,’ and this is because of its split tongue. While all other animals have a single tongue, the snake has two. From the perspective of the ancients, the tongue was an organ that enabled speaking well, so they believed that having two tongues would allow one to speak even more effectively than having just one. Speaking well was therefore associated with wisdom. The Pharisees and scribes were able to speak wisely by quoting the Torah, but their words often turned out to be venomous and deadly. In contrast, the words that the disciples were to speak were words of life. They were to speak not like a snake whose tongue is filled with deadly poison, but like a snake that gives life, speaking wisely. This was about proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ." (Internet)

Both interpretations seem reasonable, but I personally think the second interpretation is more valid. The important thing is that, as Christians, we must speak and act wisely as we preach the gospel and live a life worthy of the gospel in this world. We must win the spiritual battle with the wisdom of God. The victory is with the Lord, so I pray that both you and I will triumph with the wisdom He gives us.

Thirdly, what the Lord commands is to guard our mouths.

Let’s look at today’s passage, Proverbs 21:23: "Whoever keeps his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles." The writer of Proverbs, King Solomon, already said something similar in Proverbs 13:3: "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction." As Christians, we must guard our mouths and not speak lies. We should not lie, and we should avoid habitual lying. The reason for this is that if our lips become deceitful and we lie habitually, we will be ashamed and humiliated because of our deceitful speech (v. 5). Furthermore, our path will inevitably be rough, and in the end, we will face destruction (v. 3).

Brothers and sisters, we recently reflected on the Lord’s words to be “wise as serpents,” and I’d like to add one or two further explanations related to our lips regarding the second interpretation of this teaching (internet).

(1) The first additional explanation comes from the first part of Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made...”
Here, the Hebrew expression "cunning" [arub] is used in a similar context in 1 Samuel 23:22, where someone says about David: "He behaves very wisely (arub)."
Therefore, this word refers to wisdom in how one behaves, speaks, or thinks, and it was applied to the serpent that persuaded Eve. As a result, the image of the serpent became established as one who deceives and entices others with words. This serpent image also appears in the Book of Revelation, where it is referred to as “the one who deceives the whole world.” Revelation 12:9 says: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Thus, according to Jewish understanding, the serpent was the wisest and most eloquent of all the creatures God had created.

(2) The second additional explanation comes from Matthew 3:7 and 23:33: "When John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance’" (Matthew 3:7); “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).
John the Baptist, along with Jesus, called the Pharisees and scribes “brood of vipers” and “serpents, brood of vipers.” The term "brood of vipers" indicates the fundamental nature of the Pharisees and scribes. They were the teachers of the law and interpreters of the Torah, and they were very eloquent speakers. However, from the perspective of Jesus and John the Baptist, they were not speaking words that would bring life according to the true law. Instead, their words were leading people to destruction and death. Although they spoke well and seemed wise, their words were full of venom that killed. Their speech was like the crafty words of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, which ultimately led to death. This is why the eloquent words of the Pharisees and scribes are likened to the serpent in Eden.

The reason I share these two additional explanations is that Proverbs 21:23 in today’s passage tells us, "Whoever keeps his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles," teaching us that we should not deceive others with our words, like the serpent in Genesis 3. Furthermore, we should not speak like the Pharisees and scribes in Matthew 3:7 and 23:33, who spoke well but whose words were full of poison and death.

Brothers and sisters, let’s look at Proverbs 12:13: "The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will come through trouble." The Bible says that the wicked will be caught by the transgression of their lips. Our lips should not become ensnared like this. Also, as Proverbs 14:3 says, we should not be "like the foolish" who “by pride brings forth strife with their mouth.” Instead, as Christians, our lips should speak truth, and we must proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with sincerity and faithfulness, bringing life to others.

I want to close this meditation by sharing briefly about something I reflected on in the introduction. As I look back on 2013, I felt that I had failed that year. However, when I meditated on 1 Thessalonians 2:1 during my morning prayer, I found comfort in God’s encouragement. Even though I felt like I had failed and wasted the year, I realized that my covenant-keeping God, who is faithful and true, had allowed me to succeed through my failures that year. Even though I fought against my sins, the world, and Satan, and failed again and again, covering God’s glory with my failures, God remained faithful and accomplished His perfect and good will. I could not help but thank God for His grace. In that context, I meditated on Proverbs 21:21-31 and received three lessons about the four spiritual battles that I, and we as Christians, must fight. We must fight against pride, laziness, evil, and lies. We must fight with justice, mercy, and wisdom, and guard our mouths, following the Lord’s teachings. As we engage in this spiritual battle, let us believe that victory belongs to the Lord, and may we experience the Lord’s grace as we triumph in our spiritual struggles.