"Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
"Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
"Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
"Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil." (Proverbs 4: 23-27)
To appreciate this passage, let's consider the context of preceding verses to help us:
"My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings." (v. 20)
As with any passage written before Jesus Christ died on the Cross, we must interpret and receive the revelation of Jesus Christ in all Scripture, seeing all Old Testament writings through the Finished Work of Jesus.
He is the Word:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1: 1)
By the Power of the Holy Spirit, the Word, Jesus Christ, now lives in us:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14: 26)
We are exhorted rather to abide in Him, not strive for Him:
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. " (John 15: 4)
and
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
(Colossians 3: 16)
We also receive a new heart:
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. " (Hebrews 8: 10-12)
This new heart has God's laws of life and liberty written out for us, the internal guidance system of peace which guides us in the paths of righteousness.
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"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." (Lamentations 3:40)
In no wise whatsoever should a believer in Christ Jesus ever read the portentous prophesies and pitfalls which befell the children of Israel, a people had brazenly entered into the Mosaic covenant of obedience and reward (Exodus 19: 8), a standard which not even the best could have maintained..
Lamentations does speak of repentance, but in the New Covenant, all of our sins are forgiven, and God remembers them no more (Hebrews 8: 12)
In Christ, there is no returning to the Lord, for He now lives in us::
"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 1: 27)
and
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
(Galatians 2: 20)
Christ lives in us and through us! We do not turn to Him, but now under the New Covenant we rest in Him:
"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
"For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 9-11)
And Jesus is this rest:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. " (Matthew 11: 28)
If we are moved by the Spirit of God in us, then we do not even have to worry about sinning, either:
"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5: 16)
The matter of taking an inventory is moot, since all the sins and laws against have also been wiped out:
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)
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