“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” (Proverbs 24:16 NLT)
This Proverb goes with the verse right before it (take a moment and read it) and indicates that even if the wicked set out to “take down” the godly, they can’t succeed because the godly just keep getting back up. The old adage I’ve heard many times says, “You can’t keep a good man down.” What it really should say is, “You can’t keep a GODLY man (or woman) down!” He’s talking here about some kind of devastating circumstance brought on the godly by the wicked. However, the principle is true even if you falter or stumble on your own. It’s the “godly” that possess an inner fortitude, enabled by the grace of God, that prompts them to “get up again” and keep going. It’s sort of like watching a prize fight when a boxer is hit with one great, well placed blow and he goes down. The referee begins the countdown and before he reaches “ten,” the fighter jumps back up and is ready to continue. The resilience of the “godly” is such that evil (whether brought on by others or himself) cannot win! He knows he belongs to the Lord! He knows the Lord is compassionate and forgiving! He will not quit! Something to remember...by the term “godly” we mean the one that is sincerely seeking God. There are people that are Christians that are contented to just escape hell and nothing more. But, the one who has a heart to follow God has a resilience that will not let them quit when they get knocked down. You have three great enemies fighting against you. The first is the “world,” which has to do with the ideals, philosophies, ambitions, deceptions of this evil age in which we live. The second is your own “flesh,” which includes all the broken, inner desires and propensities that are opposed to godly living. The third is the “Devil,” which is the tempter, accuser, liar, and destroyer that is always looking to take you down. If we fail to realize that we are on a battlefield rather than a playground, we open ourselves up to a “disaster” reeking havoc in our lives. The number one target of our "enemies" (world, flesh, Devil) is the “godly” who are seeking to honor God with their lives! If we weren't trying to do right, there would be no reason for Satan to pick on us or look for the weaknesses in our “flesh” or “worldly understanding” to use against you. His ultimate goal isn’t just to make you look bad. His ultimate goal is to make your God look bad! Having said all that, when you fall from the enemies blows or by self-inflicted wounds, it is the godly that will not remain there to waller in their squalor! They will not allow their lives to continue to bring shame on their Lord! His glory is their priority and it drives them to get up again and keep moving in the right direction! Let’s stay on our “spiritual” feet and keep moving forward. If we get knocked down, let’s get up again and not give up! We all need more resiliency in our spiritual journey!
