Proverbs 21:28-29

A lying witness will perish,
but the one who reports accurately speaks forever.
A wicked person shows boldness with his face,
but as for the upright, he discerns his ways.

Have you ever been lied to right to your face? And have you found yourself amazed that they were able to lie so easily and that their face didn’t even give anything away? It’s concerning isn’t it? They have become so comfortable with lying and evil that their face doesn’t communicate any discomfort.

These are the ways of the wicked person. They are so used to doing the wrong thing that they don’t even realize it’s the wrong thing anymore. That thing that used to make them cringe and cause their face to be filled with guilt is now so commonplace that they don’t even wince.

This is how the ways of wickedness work. It creeps in over time. And as you get comfortable with one level of it, you start to try the next level. Then the next, then the next and so on. It doesn’t happen right away. It doesn’t happen in an instant. It happens with lots of small bad decisions. Until one day, you find yourself telling lies and not thinking anything of it.

The the way of the righteous, the way of the upright is not this way. The upright person is constantly aware of their ways. They are constantly aware of how they are doing spiritually. They take notice of where they are walking, they take notice of the steps they are taking. They don’t allow themselves to drift off into areas of sin and wickedness for too long. They catch the problem quick and adjust it.

The upright person does not drift off into the wrong direction because they are intentional about how they live. But the wicked person doesn’t even make an attempt to get back on track. They are fine, and sometimes even proud of their ability to deceive.

Every time we come across a proverb like this, it’s a great opportunity to check yourself. Which one are you? Are there sins in your life that you have become so comfortable with that you don’t even notice them anymore? Are there issues that have become so commonplace for you that you don’t wince anymore? If so, perhaps it’s time to leave behind the ways of the wicked and start to discern what path you are on.

It doesn’t take much to get us off course. Without even realizing it, we can find ourselves adrift at sea. Even scarier, we can be adrift and be okay with it.

Which path are you on?