The book of Hosea helps us to see our way back from the brink of destruction by living out of a proper knowledge. Without that knowledge our collapse is sure.

In Hosea 4, the LORD shows people how godly knowledge breaks down. Let’s take a look at a deadly five highlighted there that must be avoided:

REJECTION: (v6) Rebellion and indifference cause us to give up on what God says. They feed our desire to carve our own path and do life without Him, believing our ignorance will be bliss. Both kill knowledge.

Be careful.

TRADES: (v7) Sometimes we monkey with things so that we can find a way to secretly get more credit. Our pride gets the best of us. We know better, but our pride kills knowledge.

Watch out.

COMPARISON: (v8) It’s amazing how often we try to feel better by highlighting others’ failures, or see how much we can get away with morally and still feel good. Comparison kills real knowledge.

Stop taking those kind of notes.

ECSTASY: (v10,11) Sex, booze and drugs do a great job of arousing, anesthetizing and distracting our pain, but contribute nothing to our knowledge of how to fix, heal or overcome.

They are enormously, inexcusably deceitful. And they kill real knowledge. Just say, “No, thank you.”

BAD MATH: (v12) A “spirit of prostitution” leads us to believe that if one is good, two (or more) must be better. That always produces deadly math.

Have no other gods besides Him. Idolatry is bad math, and it kills knowledge. To have Him is to have enough.

These five areas are all knowledge killers. Don’t let them cozy up to you! Keep better company.

Pursue knowledge of the Holy One (Proverbs 9:10).

Reflect: Do you have a quiet rebellion or indifference issue going on? Toward what or whom? (Put it to death before it kills you.)

Are you maneuvering for self promotion? Do you use other people’s failures to excuse your own? How are you doing with sex, booze and drugs? Is Jesus enough for you?

A prayer to consider: LORD, to know You is to know the truth about so much in life. Help me to keep pursuing You above all else … and to avoid the spirits of rebellion/indifference, pride, comparison, lust and bad math.

As I do, make me so confident that my destruction will be avoided and my joy in You will be amazingly, eternally full. Amen.