Proverbial Wisdom

September 1st – Proverbs 1: Word to the YOUNG

2011-09-01T09:27:00.000-04:00

“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;” – Proverbs 1:1-3

Is there anything wisdom from the Proverbs cannot do? The list of the benefits of wisdom is staggering, while the list of the consequences of NOT having wisdom is just as long. This Proverb tells us of some particular benefits that are available for the young and inexperienced.

“for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young… Proverbs 1:4

The word for knowledge here comes from the Hebrew root word “da‛ath” and it comes from another Hebrew word “Yada” which is used many times to describe worship. At its root it means “to know”, but not in cerebral head knowledge, but in experiential understanding. It’s the same word that is used here to describe sexual intimacy with a woman!

“And Adam knew Eve his wife. And she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from Jehovah.” Genesis 4:1

The wisdom contained in Proverbs will give the young man this kind of experiential knowledge. A young person does NOT need to bash his head against the wall, making the same mistakes that his father and his grandfather made before him! Wisdom enables us to avoid those costly errors in judgment and get straight to the good stuff! It’s asinine to suggest (as many do) that each young person has to make their way in the world and can only learn through mistakes. Only a great fool would ignore the clear warnings of wisdom and plunge headlong into the dark paths forged by his forefathers!

Unashamedly, when I met my wife I had NEVER had sex with, kissed or even held hands with another woman! Some might say I was sheltered and some might say I was inexperienced… and they would be right! But what I can tell you is that I was PURE and so was she! There are MANY things I have never done! I have never used drugs, smoked a cigarette, visited a prostitute or been in a strip club. To suggest that I need to “experience” these things before helping someone in bondage to drugs, sex or nicotine is ridiculous! The end result of that logic would say that Jesus couldn’t help us because He never sinned!

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." – I Peter 2:22

Another great benefit of wisdom to the young is that it gives “discretion to the young”. This translation really doesn’t say what the word means. Discretion here is basically talking about a plan, a plot or a purpose. Wisdom gives the young a plan, a step by step guide to get where he is going. It gives us the plot, the point of our lives. It gives us the purpose for our existence and keeps us grounded in the eternal consequences of our actions, never letting us forget out ultimate purpose. We sometimes tell people without a lot of knowledge to “get a clue” and that’s precisely what wisdom will do. Wisdom gives you experiential knowledge you didn’t earn and a purpose you didn’t have to create yourself.

LIFE LESSON:

Wise people learn from others mistakes, fools make their own.

August 31st – Proverbs 31: Speak Up!

2011-08-31T11:20:00.000-04:00

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for therights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rightsof the poor and needy." – Proverbs 31:8,9

My default is set to ALWAYS stand with and defend the poor,destitute and needy. I believe that it is the nature of God to always look tothe needs of the weakest FIRST. If a couple comes to me with a marriageproblem, I start with the assumption that the problem is the husbands fault orresponsibility. Why? Because the bible tells us that the woman is the weaker partner!

“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with yourwives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with youof the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” IPeter 3:7

This doesn’t mean that it’s always the husbands fault (although it’shovering near 95% for me), but it does mean the lion’s share of responsibilityin the marriage falls on the man:

“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head ofthe church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” – Ephesians 5:23

Men LOVE being in charge. They LOVE the authority that God grantsthem, sometimes reminding their wives to “submit” to them like the Bible tellsthem! But what they often fail to remember is that authority comes with a greatprice: responsibility. For example, we all know that the name of Jesus carries ULTIMATEpower and ULTIMATE authority. The Bible tells us:

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the namethat is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, inheaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that JesusChrist is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11

But like I love to tell people, whenever you see a “therefore”, goback and see what it’s there for! This passage begins with a “therefore” and wewould be well served to see the genesis of Jesus’ power and authority. Many peoplelike to believe that Jesus was granted His great power and authority from birth,but that’s not true! Jesus’ power and authority were not granted to Him upon birth,but upon His obedience!

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who,being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to begrasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, beingmade in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbledhimself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!” – Philippians 2:5-9

Jesus humbled Himself to the will of God and became obedient todeath, even death on a cross! THIS is the basis of His power and authority!Jesus took the responsibility for the redemption upon man upon Himself, qualifyingHim to receive the power and authority over all creation!

LIFE LESSON:

We must use our power and authority granted by God not to serveourselves, but to defend the poor, the needy and the destitute.

August 30th – Proverbs 30: Exalt Not Thyself!

2011-08-30T10:52:00.000-04:00

"If you have played the fool and exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hand over your mouth!” – Proverbs 30:32

This Proverb tells us that it is foolish to exalt ourselves. The word for exalt means to: lift, to hold up. So if we find ourselves lifting and holding up our lives, exalting ourselves we are to quickly put a hand over our mouth and STOP! In an increasingly self-centered and self-aware society, self-exaltation is becoming the norm. Our insatiable need for affirmation has given us license to praise ourselves! Our culture has decided that this is an acceptable practice, but the Bible tells us a different story:

“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.” – Proverbs 27:2

It’s simply not prudent and not humble to exalt or praise yourself, even if you are amazing! It’s the price of greatness. You can be great; you just have to let other people recognize this. We’re all happy that you did a good job at whatever it is you do, you don’t have to tell us how awesome you are. I’ve known people like this and you probably do to; they are a legend in their own mind! Few things are as off-putting as someone who is enamored with themselves.

But there is another very real consequence to exalting yourself:

“Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.” – Proverbs 25:6,7

It’s just the nature of things, when you exalt yourself; the only direction left to go is down. Likewise, when you humble yourself, the only direction you can go is up! We’re promised in the Word of God that if we humble ourselves we WILL be exalted, but if we exalt ourselves we WILL be humbled!

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12

I love that the Bible tells us the antidote when we find ourselves praising ourselves. “Clap your hand over your mouth!” When our tongue rages out of control we should take matters into our own hands and SHUT IT UP! This is because the tongue is a CRAZY thing and we need Divine help to keep it under control:

“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” – James 3:7,8

LIFE LESSON:

If you REALLY are awesome, others will recognize it; you don’t have to advertise yourself.

August 29th – Proverbs 29: A Mutual Agreement

2011-08-29T11:49:00.000-04:00

“The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright.”– Proverbs 29:27

Let’s be honest. We are to love ALL God’s children, good and bad.Why? Because Jesus loves them, that’s why! We can’t hate anyone! To hate yourbrother PROVES that you aren’t walking in the light (I John 2:9). Jesus lovedus and died for us while we were still sinners and we must do the same:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we werestill sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

But yet, there is this little gem in the book of Proverbs thattells us a secret; the righteous detest the wicked and the wicked detest therighteous. It’s an agreement of sorts. We who live righteously can’t stand thelack of basic decency and morality the wicked display as a lifestyle and thewicked can’t stand the display of decency and morality that the righteousdisplay. We don’t need to foolourselves. If we are truly righteous we have NOTHING in common with the wicked.

Several years ago I went out preaching in a tough neighborhoodwith a newcomer to our church. This guy was LILY WHITE. I’m talking pressedkhakis, a tucked in IZOD shirt with a shiny leather belt topped off withperfectly white Adidas and KNEE HIGH tube socks! Wow! He looked white, spoke whiteand talked white perfectly enunciating every syllable. Now, I have nothingwrong with that, this is who this guy was. But when we got into theneighborhood, we encountered a couple of really rough guys. It turns out thatthey were drugs dealers and one of the dudes made no attempt to hide a veryobvious bulge of a gun in his waistline.

So my VERY white "friend" walks up to these guys starts throwing some slang,“Hey man, how’s it hanging, BRO?” I looked at him in total horror. We were goingto get stabbed, I just knew it. He went on, “So yeah man, we’re just hanginghere in Da Hood and we wanted to shout at ya, WORD!” The guys recoiled with alook of disgust; they were getting angry. I elbowed my idiot friend to shut up andbegan talking to them, LIKE A NORMAL PERSON. I didn’t try to relate to them inthe natural, what do I have in common with a thug from the hood? So I began toappeal to them on the only common ground we do have; we have ALL been sinnersand fallen short of the glory of God at one time.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans3:23

They heard me out because I was talking to them honestly from theheart. But real life, they DETEST the fact that I live right and probably seeme as a goody two shoes. I in turn LOATHE their mistreatment of women, lack ofresponsibility to their kids and the immoral way they earn a buck. But I made amark that day. Perhaps one day they can come into the light and we can havesome real fellowship, but if not, we’ll just continue our little dance ofdetesting one another’s lifestyle. At least the battle lines in my life aredrawn clear, there is NO GRAY AREA.

LIFE LESSON:

Stop trying to be relevant to the devil; just stay relevant to theGospel.

August 26th – Proverbs 26: Fighting Fuel!

2011-08-26T09:05:00.000-04:00

“Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.” – Proverbs 26:20

All fires require fuel to burn. When you want a fire to burn hot and tall you must add wood. If you want a fire to go out, all that you have to do is stop providing fuel and in a little while, it will go out. In the same way, every quarrel, every argument requires fuel to keep going. When a quarrel is REALLY blazing, when two sides violently oppose each other, there is a BUNCH of gossip going on. He said/She said from questionable sources is how arguments and fights persist. If you want to end the fight, normally all you have to do is STOP the chatter from others and sit down, face to face and work it out man to man. Rarely ever will you find a quarrel that can’t be settled like this.

So why don’t we resolve more conflict?

Well, the sad fact is that most people are chickens. It’s just easier to believe the lies and rumors and get mad than it is to go directly to the source of the rumors and resolve the conflict. That takes something that is all too rare these days, especially in the church, COURAGE. So many conflicts could be almost instantaneously resolved if we would just GO to the person that we have been offended by and actually DO what the Bible says:

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” – Matthew 18:15

We mask our rebellion to the commands of Jesus with this veneer of “maturity”. We’ll say stuff like “I’m not offended, BUT…” What you forget is ANYTIME a “but” comes out; you can throw away whatever is said directly before that. If you came to me for a loan, let’s say you needed $20. If I said to you, “I can give you $20, BUT…” When you hear that “but” you KNOW you aren’t getting any money! In the same way, whenever someone says, “I’m not offended, BUT…” you KNOW they are offended. We need to stop playing games and start being real. You’re not so mature that you can’t be offended, sorry. When we are hurt and offended, instead of telling all your friends, dropping names and sowing your bitterness and anger wherever you go, you need to MAN UP and go directly to that person ALONE. Deal with the offense and it will likely go away, keep feeding it and it may consume YOU.

A word about gossips: the word here for “gossip” is; talebearer, whisperer. Isn’t it funny that gossip is ALWAYS told in secret, whispered from one party to another? Yet we cloak our “concerns” for the other party in this weird self-righteous attitude, like it’s our secret mission from Jesus to expose our buddy that hurt our wee little feelings under the veil of “concern” or better yet “prayer”. Talebearers or gossips always try to appear above the fray, but in reality they are the SOURCE of all conflict. If you can get them to SHUT UP, that fight will be resolved ASAP.

So how do you spot a talebearer? Their mouth will be moving.

“A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.” – Proverbs 20:19

LIFE LESSON:

Man up, resolve your conflict like Jesus told you to.

August 25th – Proverbs 25: Peace > Pride

2011-08-25T08:42:00.000-04:00

“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” – Proverbs 25:24

Coming from a man with all the wealth in the world, massive palaces that spanned acres and who also had 700 wives and 300 concubines, I think we can take this wisdom to the bank. Solomon KNEW what he was talking about! He says it would be better to camp out on the corner of a roof than to share a palatial estate with a contentious or brawling woman. I have seen grown men reduced to tears because they don’t know how to lead their wives. These are good guys, strong physically, strong in business and respected in the community that crumble when their spouse starts fussing.

Marriage can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be like this. Part of the reason it can be so tough is because some people like winning arguments more than they like peace. Those are the kind of people that are always fighting. They don’t like to fight, but they don’t like to humble themselves either. As men, we have GOT to learn how to lead our way through conflict. Early in my marriage I realized this. If I were to “win” every argument and “assert my dominance” we would fight all of the time! We started our marriage with a commitment to DO this verse:

“Be angry, and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the Devil.”- Ephesians 4:26,27

What that meant was that if we were having an argument or fight, we wouldn’t go to bed until that argument was resolved. Sometimes that meant LATE nights and early mornings. Many times in the first couple years of our marriage we would be up until 2 and 3am, having to get up around 6am the next morning. It made for a HORRIBLE day after, but at least we weren’t fighting!

One of these times we had STARTED an argument around midnight and I had the feeling this would be an all-nighter. I had a legitimate beef, but it was covered up in my bad behavior. She would NEVER hear what SHE was doing wrong while I kept being a jerk about it. While she was fussing at me I thought to myself: “Wow, here we go again. Man I SO don’t want to be up all night again… but I can’t let her win!” Then the Holy Spirit interrupted my thought process and said, “What’s more valuable to you? Being right? Or having peace in your home?”

I knew right then and there that having a home with peace and joy and without contention was WAY more important than me being “right”. I wasn’t prepared to capitulate and compromise, telling her she was right for what I knew she was wrong in, but what I could do was take responsibility for MY bad behavior. So I interrupted her fussing with, “I’m sorry, you’re right, I was being a jerk. Please forgive me.” Her mouth fell open and she stopped talking. She was totally shocked. She kept at it for another minute or two, just to make sure I was “really” sorry and I ate humble pie, not telling her she was right, but owning MY failure.

The fight was over in less than 5 minutes and a few minutes later we drifted off into a peaceful sleep, well rested for the day to come.

LIFE LESSON:

That day, I learned that my PEACE was more valuable than my PRIDE.

August 24th – Proverbs 24: Don’t Mess with the Righteous!

2011-08-24T11:30:00.000-04:00

“Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man's house, do not raid his dwelling place;” – Proverbs 24:15

I am a righteous man. Not because I’m a good boy and sin less than the average guy (although I do), but because of what Jesus did for me on the Cross. His work transformed me and He has enabled me by His grace to walk free from sin, sickness and disease. I AM RIGHTEOUS! Saying that, one of the dumbest things you could do is like this Proverb says, “lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man’s house”. The word for “lie in wait” is; to lurk, to lie in ambush. It means to be in a state of watching and waiting for the home and household of the righteous to fall. Now who would do this?

I’ve actually had a couple people very close to me do this very thing. One of them, when I confronted him about being involved in an extramarital affair, began to tell me through a snarl how he wished that I would fall into adultery and have an affair, ruining my marriage, wrecking my family and destroying my ministry! I couldn’t believe the evil I was witnessing from this guy, a professing Christian, breathing out demonically inspired curses upon me and my household. I told him, “I have done NOTHING to deserve these curses you are spewing at me. These curses you are speaking won’t land on me, but they WILL come back and visit you! I would SHUT UP if I was you.”

“Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.” – Proverbs 26:2

He’s already ruined two marriages and last I heard not doing very well.

As a Pastor, I get to come in contact with a lot of people. Some love what we do at our church, others hate it. Either way, I’m ok; life in Christ is not a popularity contest to me. The way I see it, you just do what God has called you to do and those that are called to be a part will come along, the others will fall away. Occasionally people get REALLY upset because you don’t do things their way and make it the ambition of their life to “lie in wait like an outlaw” or even “raid his dwelling place”. They think they are God’s anointed to slander you to everyone they come in contact with. They prophesy people out of the church and pray that you close down! Hmmm, sounds a bit like the devil to me!

What they should watch out for is part two of this scripture:

“for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.” – Proverbs 24:16

Yeah, we might go through difficulty, in fact we might go through a LOT of difficulty (seven times), but we’ll get back up. You and your devil proclamations though? Calamity is gonna wipe you out. BOOM!

LIFE LESSON:

Many who cannot live righteously slander and curse those who can. “Those who cannot DO, curse those who do!”

August 23rd – Proverbs 23: Show Some Restraint!

2011-08-23T09:51:00.000-04:00

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” – Proverbs 23:4

This Proverb could really save people months and years of their lives, marriages, families and relationships. How many folks have YOU known that have “risked it all” trying to make a bunch of money? I’ve known a BUNCH. I don’t know what it is about the promise of wealth, but it makes people do CRAZY things! I’ve known people in the pursuit of great wealth lose their marriage, mortgage houses, and cash in retirement accounts, completely ruining themselves financially. I’ve known some folks so desperate to climb the corporate ladder that 100+ hour weeks seem reasonable to them. It doesn’t seem to matter that their health, marriage and personal lives go in the gutter in their pursuit of wealth.

The word for labor here means: to faint, be exhausted, to toil, to tire. We should never willingly wear ourselves out to get rich. Ruining our physical bodies to make a buck is just stupid. So you get your millions, but then you die of a heart attack! The Bible tells us to NOT go about the pursuit of wealth this way, encouraging us to have wisdom that shows restraint. In our day and age if someone tries to demonstrate wisdom and show restraint they are castigated for “having no faith” or “playing it safe”. Well, say what you want, but I’ll just sit here in my nice, comfy trailer in Acworth in perfect peace, easily paying my bills and living well below my means.

But another translation of this verse reveals more:

“Do not labor to be rich; cease from your own understanding. – Proverbs 23:4

Having the “wisdom to show restraint” is translated “cease from your own understanding”. Here again we are told to forsake worldly, carnal wisdom and embrace the wisdom of God! Many times, OUR wisdom tells us to make more we must work more; as if somehow our production is directly tied to our toil. Yet God’s wisdom often tells us to work smarter, not harder. Studies have proven that laborers production falls sharply after about 50 hours of work a week. So grinding away hour after hour, week after week may NOT produce the great gains you are working for after all.

But God has wisdom; He has a way to bless us that has nothing to do with tiredness, toil or PAIN.

“The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” – Proverbs 10:22

Could it be that the secret to wealth is the blessing of the Lord? Why toil and struggle when you can simply receive a blessing from God?

LIFE LESSON:

I’ve done toil, it’s exhausting. I’m doing blessing now, it’s invigorating.

August 22nd – Proverbs 22: Ancient Stones

2011-08-22T09:09:00.000-04:00

“Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.” – Proverbs 22:28

In biblical times they would set up large boulders and stones on the borders of properties and land. These stones were large hard to move and therefore would serve well as a boundary stone to designate whose land ended where. When I was in Israel earlier this year we actually saw some of these stones. They were huge and hard to ignore. It would have taken many men or oxen to remove/move them. We are cautioned not to move them. But I think this proverb is about more than property lines.

I believe that an “ancient boundary” set by our “forefathers” speaks of a longstanding, righteous tradition that has been practiced, honored and respected for generations. Like marriage, for example. God instituted marriage in the book of Genesis, but the ceremony and institution has been a valuable part of our culture for thousands of years. It brings stability to relationships, families and communities. Yet in our culture today, the institution of marriage is under assault.

More than half of couples that enter into the covenant of marriage fail to keep their commitment. Once divorced, many then marry and remarry, tossing the marriage vows out like an old glove! These days, heterosexual couples are living together, having sex, having kids and setting up households without the faintest desire to get married. If you ask them why they don’t get married (And I do!) many till tell you, “Who needs it?” The onslaught doesn’t stop there as now homosexual couples are asking the same rights and privileges of hetero couples as they DEMAND that their state recognize marriage between a man/man or a woman/woman. This is MOVING an ancient boundary stone and the end result will NOT be good, guaranteed!

“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.” Proverbs 23:10,11

God is the defender of the ancient boundary stone of marriage and He WILL take up His case against us.

Another ancient boundary is the concept of frugality and wisdom in finances. This has been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years! Yes, there have always been those indebted in any culture, but they have ALWAYS been looked down upon and pitied as someone not having self-control. Yet in the last 50+ years in the USA it has become fashionable to go into debt… over anything! Yes houses, yes cars, but appliances and mattresses? This violates the ancient boundary of frugality which tells us to only spend what you make! And we wonder why our nation is in debt to the tune of 15 TRILLION dollars and on the brink of collapse!

Our country is in debt because the CITIZENS of our country are in debt. We elect REPRESENTATIVES that represent our values (or lack thereof). It’s pretty hypocritical for the person that’s thousands of dollars in consumer debt, has two car payments and is upside down on their mortgage to get all judgmental, railing against Congress and the President when it comes to our national debt now isn’t it?

LIFE LESSON:

Moving ancient boundaries seems all trendy and cosmopolitan UNTIL their Defender PWNS you!

August 19th – Proverbs 19: Don’t Be Hasty!

2011-08-19T10:29:00.000-04:00

“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” – Proverbs 19:2

The first part of this Proverb basically tells us that desire without knowledge isn’t a good thing. Think about it, how many endeavors have failed because of a simple lack of knowledge? Many businesses fail and it’s not because the owner didn’t have the drive or willingness to work, they did. The business failed because this very willing motivated person didn’t have the knowledge to complete the task. The other extreme is having someone with all the knowledge necessary, but lacking the motivation. This is where many in the church are today. Knowledge is essential, but knowledge coupled with zeal and a willingness to work will get the job done.

We are then told that it’s not good to be “hasty” and “miss the way”. So what does being hasty have to do with missing the mark? Another word for “miss the way” is sin. When we are hasty, or when we rush we start to sin. Why is this?

“…everything that does not come from faith is sin.” – Romans 14:23

We are not to be led by circumstances, pressure or anxiety, but by the spirit of God. Faith is proactive, it’s not reactive; it’s responsive to the Lord, not circumstances. When we start to get too hurried, we stop listening to His voice. It’s very difficult to hear the still small voice of God in a tempest.

I remember several years ago when I was new to the things of God and hearing His voice. I had (and still have) a heart to reach the nations with the Gospel. I received a phone call from a minister friend of mine that breathlessly told me of this GREAT opportunity to go and minister in Russia. Everything about the trip sounded great! It would be my first overseas trip, I would be able to work alongside other more mature ministers and it seemed like all the details were just right. Then, this person threw me a curve-ball. “I need to know whether or not you are coming NOW!” All of a sudden the pressure mounted. Where would I get the money? Would I be able to get my passport in time? How could I get out of work or prior obligations so quickly?? I asked for as much time as they could give me and this person told me to call back within an hour.

Ok, I thought, I can take this hour and seek God about the trip and He’ll tell me simply whether or not I can go. So I went into my office, got on my knees and said, “Lord, speak to me!” So I waited… and waited. The clock was ticking down and my hour was expiring. I began to think through all the details, what I would need to do to be able to go, how to raise funds, etc. The minutes went by and I was only about 15 minutes from my deadline and God hadn’t said anything! In a panic I called my Dad and repeated the details of the trip. I must have been talking fast because he asked me if I was ok, I sounded stressed. I then told him that I had only a few minutes left to decide. He didn’t even think about it and said, “Call them back, your answer is NO!”

I couldn’t believe it, how could he be so sure, couldn’t I be missing a great opportunity?? He then told me very flatly, “All pressure is of the devil, God doesn’t lead us through anxiety and He is certainly not in a hurry. Any ‘opportunity’ that has to be decided NOW is a NO!”

LIFE LESSON:

God’s not in a hurry, so why are you?

August 18th – Proverbs 18: Vain Imaginations

2011-08-18T09:48:00.000-04:00

“The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.” – Proverbs 18:11

In this Proverb we have two contrasting statements. The first is a declaration that the name of the Lord is a strong tower and the person that runs into it is safe:

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” – Proverbs 18:10

In this statement, there is no ambiguity, it’s simply the truth. The name of the Lord is the only REAL protection available in our world today. Many are looking all over for something or someone that they can put their trust in.

Some people trust in politicians. Just a few years ago, Barack Obama was hailed as the great Hope of America. Millions of Americans pinned their hopes for their personal and national prosperity and security on the ideas of a freshman senator from Illinois. In just a few short years, many of those millions have realized what the Bible has told us for thousands of years: the ONLY real hope and security available today is found in the name of the Lord!

Some people trust in riches. This is the reason for this Proverb. The writer declares to us:

“The wealth of the rich is their fortified city…” – Proverbs 18:11

Wow! So are we really to believe that wealth is a sure place of safety? If we were to stop there in the Proverb, that is what we might be led to believe. But when we keep reading, the reality sets in.

“they IMAGINE it an unscalable wall.” – Proverbs 18:11

In the IMAGINATION of the rich, wealth is an unscalable wall. In their minds, the rich believe that in their great wealth is salvation; that in their great wealth there is peace. An illusion forms and the urgency of seeking God personally starts to wane. If they get sick, they can afford the best doctor, why seek God for healing? If they have difficulty in their marriage, they can afford the best counseling, why go to Jesus? But this is a smokescreen, an illusion. In reality, wealth is like every other false hope or false promise.

Am I against great wealth? Absolutely not! You can do great good with great wealth. Somebody needs to make the money and it might as well be the righteous! But it’s when we try to make money or wealth something that it is not; a place of safety and security. Markets rise and fall, currencies crash and economies hit the skids. Believing that any piece of paper (or gold for that matter) can provide protection and security against the wiles of the enemy and this fallen world is a false hope.

LIFE LESSON:

HOPE in a man? I think not. SECURITY in paper or a rock? Ridiculous! The ONLY true source of safety and security for a believer is the name of the Lord.

August 17th – Proverbs 17: Son of FAIL

2011-08-17T08:50:00.000-04:00

“A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son, and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.” – Proverbs 17:2

Man, in the church we LOVE our titles, don’t we? People LOVE reveling in the fact that they are a “SON” of the Most High! We are all “FRIENDS” of God; we’re “KING’S KIDS!” We claim and flaunt the benefits of our salvation, secured through the blood and torture of the Lord Jesus yet we regularly forget that there are RESPONSIBILITIES that come with the title! This Proverb reminds us that titles are NOT everything; we must live up to the title bestowed on us through the life and death of the Lord Jesus.

Many Christians want nothing to do with being called a servant of God, they love it when Jesus said:

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” – John 15:15

Woohoo! We’re not servants anymore, we’re friends… right?

“You are my friends IF you do what I command.” – John 15:14

Yikes. You mean we actually have to do something to be called the friends of God?? Ok then, forget the whole friend thing…let’s move on to Sonship!

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26

Yes, you may be a son, but have you ever thought for two seconds what KIND of son you are? Remember the parable about the father with two sons? One lived as a Prodigal and the other stayed in his father’s house. One brought his father joy, the other grief. Which are you?

“A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.” – Proverbs 17:25

Have you ever stopped to consider the reality that God HIMSELF has anointed and appointed you as His son? This “title” He has bestowed on us comes with a responsibility to BE worthy of such a name.

“He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.” – Proverbs 10:5

When we don’t work when it’s time to work and harvest when it’s time to harvest, we bring disgrace. Our laziness in the things of God comes with a heavy price. God won’t disown you as a son, but you MAY be known as a son that brings disgrace. This word for disgrace means; ashamed, disappointed or delayed. God looks at our lives and wonders, “When will they ever become what I have called them?” Half of the Christian life is a process of becoming what God has called us! We have to participate in the process! Step up and BECOME what God has called you!

LIFE LESSON:

“Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” – Philippians 3:16

August 16th – Proverbs 16: Recipe for Restoration

2011-08-16T09:38:00.000-04:00

“Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.” – Proverbs 16:6

There is a lot of talk in the church today about restoration of those who have fallen, probably because there are a LOT of ministers falling! We’ve got heterosexual immorality, homosexual immorality and gross financial impropriety all going on in the church right now like never before. These days, before you even get a tearful repentance from the offender, there is a LOUD call for their restoration to ministry. It’s weird, we’re not even sure that this person WANTS to be restored, yet the restoration police come rushing in to MAKE SURE that the fallen pastor is in the pulpit WITHIN THE WEEK!

Why this rush to restore? Why the absolute NEED for fallen leaders to be put back in the place where they fell from? Why can’t they go sell cars or do something else for a living? Why should a pastor that has abused the trust given him be given more trust? I believe that this comes from a basic misunderstanding of repentance as detailed here in Proverbs.

First of all we should look at the end of this verse: “Through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.” It’s when we cultivate a relationship with the Lord and actually FEAR Him that we become sin proof. When we are looking into the eyes of the potential adulteress, we remember that we serve God and GOD is watching our every move. This recognition of the Lord in our life would KEEP us from evil! That means when Minister A “falls” (pssst! This stuff doesn’t happen overnight) into gross homosexual sin you can rest assured; he doesn’t fear the Lord! A leader that doesn’t fear the Lord isn’t a very good leader; their sin reveals this fact. When your leader is caught in a gross sin, you SHOULD take a step back and ask, “Do I really want to follow this guy?” If he’s walking into sin and he’s a leader, what is he leading you into? Righteousness???

I rest my case.

Secondly, it’s important to see that path of restoration or atonement in the scripture: “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for.” Your sin CAN be forgiven and you can receive restoration WHEN you apply this verse. It’s the first part that we are comfy with, the LOVE that atones for sin. God so LOVED us that we have been forgiven, absolutely. People can be restored to God INSTANTLY through the forgiveness available by the blood of Jesus, NO QUESTION. But if you want a working relationship with the people you have hurt in the past, if you want to rebuild the destruction that your sin has caused, you MUST keep going to FAITHFULNESS.

One of the faults of many who have violated confidence and broken trust in their sin is that they enjoy the love of Jesus for their forgiveness, but forget the faithfulness necessary to RESTORE their trust. This word faithfulness is translated “truth”. It’s defined as: stability, truth, trustworthy, established, right, sure and true. Without these things being PROVEN in the life of the offender, their “restoration” is shallow and unproven. Yes, you receive forgiveness instantly, but you BUILD trust through faithfulness over TIME. The wife whose husband has cheated on her NEEDS to forgive him instantly, but has NO BUSINESS trusting him unless he PROVES himself faithful over TIME. The church member whose leader is revealed as an immoral adulterer NEEDS to forgive him instantly, but has NO BUSINESS trusting this clown to lead them into the pat of righteousness unless he proves himself over TIME. Even then, he's now unqualified to lead anyone out of anything.

Paul tells us:

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” – I Corinthians 4:2

LIFE LESSON:

Yes, we’re forgiven by His blood, but our faithfulness is just as necessary to RESTORE.

August 15th – Proverbs 15: A Love/Hate Relationship

2011-08-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

“The way of the wicked is hateful to Jehovah, but He loves him who pursues righteousness.” – Proverbs 15:9

This scripture reveals several things about the Lord. First of all, it says that the Lord HATES the WAY of the wicked. It doesn’t say that he hates the wicked person, only their WAY. We’ve talked about it many times before on here, but our WAY determines our WALK. Wicked people have a WAY of walking that is detestable and hated in the sight of God. It’s a well-worn path, a road or course of wicked behavior that has become familiar to the wicked man. THIS is what God hates! And when we are talking about wickedness, it simply means WRONG. Morally for sure, spiritually maybe, but the bottom line is that they are wrong and walking the wrong WAY.

Just as righteous people have righteous habits, traits and characteristics and so do wicked people. The righteous worship God and serve their fellow man. The wicked worship their own thoughts and desires and serve themselves. The default of the righteous is to extend themselves for the benefit of their brothers and sisters; the default of the wicked is to extend themselves on behalf of themselves. All that the wicked contemplate is serving self and making their self happy. It’s irrelevant to the wicked who they hurt to attain their goal of self-satisfaction. Whether it’s making money, experiencing physical pleasure or achieving their goals, the wicked could care less who they hurt or how much they hurt on the way to THEIR goals.

Righteous people PURSUE righteousness. They run after, they follow and like the Hebrew word says, “Hunt” righteousness. Their PRIMARY concern is doing justly and they have made a habit of pursuing this way of life. The person who has righteousness is LOVED by God. Not just their WAY, but they personally are loved by Jehovah. That is an awesome promise! If we will run after and pursue righteousness, God will love us. It doesn’t say anything about attaining righteousness, it just says that the person pursuing this way of life will be loved by God. It’s interesting that the pursuit of righteousness has such a wonderful benefit. In the New Testament, we are told that simply pursuing righteousness will bring about a much different outcome.

“Yea, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” II Timothy 3:12

It’s amazing that this scripture doesn’t tell us that the achievement of righteousness will bring persecution, only the pursuit of righteousness. So yes, you will be persecuted as you attempt to lay hold of righteousness, but you will also be loved by God! I’d say that the benefits FAR outweigh the drawbacks.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” – II Corinthians 4:17

LIFE LESSON:

God LOVES the righteous, but the righteous will be persecuted for pursuing righteousness. Sounds fair to me! Everything costs something.

August 12th – Proverbs 12: Lose Some Weight!

2011-08-12T08:53:00.000-04:00

“Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.” – Proverbs 12:25

I remember the feeling like it was yesterday. Around 2003, I had gotten in debt up to my eyeballs. I tried to start and maintain a business on credit. DUMB. Things would look up, I would sell a big job and the tension, pressure and anxiety would relent, but only for a minute. Then something would come up, a vendor would wreck the job and I would have to pay to make it right, destroying my profit and taking us back to square one. Day after day the pressure and anxiety of financial pressure would mount. The bills were getting bigger, the credit lines were almost maxed out and I felt like I was drowning. That sick feeling in my gut was anxiety about finances, bills, my income, etc. How was I going to provide for my wife and kids? How in the WORLD was I going to get out of this mess? I was desperate for answers and mainly just desperate relief from the crushing weight of anxiety.

And then on the floor at a conference in Toronto, Canada God spoke to me. I had been whining and complaining to Him about our financial situation. I was asking for help, insight, whatever! My main complaint to God was “How am I going to provide for MY wife and MY kids? I feel like a bad Dad, I’ve gotten us all into this mess, how are we going to get out?!” After several hours of whining and crying, I had said what I needed to say. As I sat there waiting on the Lord, God answered. He told me simply, “Before YOUR wife is YOUR wife, she is MY Daughter! Before YOUR son is YOUR son, he is MY Son!”

What He said INSTANTLY relieved the weight of anxiety. The burden was gone! My wife was HIS daughter and my son was HIS son! My perspective shifted and I was free! I got up off the floor about 1,000 pounds lighter and almost floated home. It would take several years of disciplined action to get where we needed to be financially, but now it was possible because I was no longer carrying that burden of anxiety.

Anxiety is like a weight. You can literally “feel” anxiety in your heart. It’s a terrible burden that we as Christians don’t have the grace to carry… EVER! So let me ask you; what extra weight of anxiety are you carrying? Maybe like me, you have financial pressure that weighs you down. Maybe you have health related pressure or a marriage impossibility. Whatever it is, I can tell you that you can be free TODAY.

Just DO this verse:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6, 7

LIFE LESSON:

Give your anxiety to God, He can handle it. You can’t.

August 11th – Proverbs 11: Hide & Seek

2011-08-11T08:25:00.000-04:00

“He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.” – Proverbs 11:27

Those in the world call this principle the “Law of Attraction”. Here is the definition from Wikipedia:

The Law of Attraction is a metaphysical New Thought belief that "like attracts like", that positive and negative thinking bring about positive and negative physical results, respectively. According to the Law of Attraction, the phrase "I need more money" allows the subject to continue to "need more money". If the subject wants to change this they would focus their thoughts on the goal (having more money) rather than the problem (needing more money). This might take the form of phrases such as "I have as much money as I need" or "I have a job that pays very well".

I believe that this principle is way less mystical than they might tell us. The simple reality is that you find what you are looking for. How many of us have been looking at buying a certain type of car, and then miraculously, all of a sudden, everywhere we go, we see the car we are thinking of buying! Did the roadways suddenly become populated with the make and model of car we are looking for, or did we just start “seeing” what we are looking for?

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8

We see this principle play out time and time again in all sorts of different situations. Folks come to our church many times after a bad experience at their last church. Maybe they had a falling out with the pastor or someone in authority at the last church. When they arrive here, they are “looking” to get hurt by people in authority; and they aren’t disappointed! All that it takes for someone like this to get hurt is a sideways glance or someone no saying hello when they come to church. It doesn’t matter how nice or how understanding we can be, when people are looking to get hurt, they get hurt!

Many believers want good things to come upon them. They want a life full of passion, power and prosperity. But they are looking in the wrong place! Instead of seeking after such things, they turn on the TV and watch a bunch of worldly crap or they read trendy gossip rags. They call their friends for the latest gossip and spread slander about their pastor or maybe complain about their marriage, their husband and their finances. They are looking for bad stuff and they aren’t disappointed! The negativity just COMES to them.

If they simply changed their behavior and went looking for the right stuff, they would find it! You want passion? SPEND TIME WITH JESUS! You want to see the power of God? Then CONSISTENTLY put yourself in positions of impossibility where you need to see God move! PRAY FOR THE SICK! You want prosperity? Then turn off the TV, get off the phone with your stupid friends, put down the gossip rag and DO YOUR WORK WITH DILIGENCE! Oh yeah, you also need to give your time, energy and yes, MONEY generously.

LIFE LESSON:

Want Good? Seek Good will.

August 10th – Proverbs 10: Fear is CREATIVE!

2011-08-10T10:44:00.000-04:00

“What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted.” – Proverbs 10:24

Dread or fear, should never be a part of the Christian life. Jesus came and delivered us from ALL fear. His love revealed through His death on the cross destroyed the yoke and bondage of fear that had been on us for generations. His sacrifice on the cross set us free from fear. Instead, He gave us His spirit, by which we cry, Abba!

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." – Romans 8:15

If fear or dread comes upon us, the Bible is clear, it’s NOT from the Lord!

“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – II Timothy 1:7

The ONLY fear we should have as a believer is the fear of the Lord, which is pure and leads to life.

“The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.” – Psalm 19:9

When people fear, it’s about punishment. They believe that they are being punished or should be punished for their sins. This creates a sense of dread, or foreboding. Spiritually, they are waiting for “the other shoe to drop”. But God has delivered us from this sense of fear and dread through His great love.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – I John 4:18

The Bible says that what the wicked dread will come upon them. That’s because fear is just faith for all the wrong things. In the same way that faith “creates” or “manifests” the will of God, fear “Creates” or “manifests” the will of the devil! How many people have you encountered that have a deep, abiding fear of cancer that get cancer! We need to be careful what we fear, even the wicked can “create” their reality by faith in all the wrong things… FEAR!

The righteous only need to desire a thing and their DESIRE is granted. This is a real secret to the Christian life. I know MANY Christians that spend hours each day telling God what they want. But I believe that I only need a desire in my heart for God to grant it!

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4

LIFE LESSON:
The Wicked’s fears create for him a reality; the righteous’ desires do the same. BE RIGHTEOUS!

August 9th – Proverbs 9: Forsake the Foolish

2011-08-09T12:09:00.000-04:00

“Leave your simple (foolish) ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.” – Proverbs 9:6

This scripture is the essence of why I write this blog (other than to get some writing discipline working for me). In order to live out the Christian life and fulfill the purposes of God for our lives we MUST forsake every foolish way and walk in understanding. In order to forsake every foolish way, we must understand what foolish ways are and what they look like. We can’t look around at our culture and get this information; only in the Word of God can we really understand what foolish ways are and how to forsake them. Many foolish ways detailed here in the book of Proverbs are actually praised and encouraged in our culture. If the culture becomes our standard, we will fall well below the standard that God has set up for us in His word. We’ll “miss the mark” (sin) and fail to achieve the life that God has for us. Things that make sense to carnal people actually rail against biblical wisdom.

For example, there is not ONE scripture that supports debt OF ANY KIND. Yet, in our culture, borrowing money many times is called “wisdom”. Whether it’s for a home mortgage or that new car that we need/want, we are told that it’s ok, go for it. Yet both in the Old and New Testament, ALL debt is considered bondage. Many of the greatest encouragers of debt were folks telling people to borrow “as much as you can” to get “as much house as you can”. I guess that is advice IF the housing market is doing well. But look at the mess people are in today who followed that advice several years ago! Millions are losing their homes because the value of that home has greatly diminished while the value of the debt remained the same.

This kind of “wisdom” works SOME of the time. God’s wisdom works ALL of the time.

Debt is a simple (foolish) way. We (I) need to forsake it and walk in understanding. I now understand that anything I can’t pay for in cash today is something I don’t NEED today. Yes, I may desperately WANT it, but need it? Nope. So you tell me, who is right? Now I’m not pointing fingers, I myself have a mortgage. I am doing everything I can to pay it off as soon as possible, but yes, it’s there. My goal in life is what the Bible calls us to:

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves another has fulfilled the Law.” – Romans 13:8

LIFE LESSON:
You can’t forsake a foolish way that you still think is wise.

August 8th – Proverbs 8: Wisdom to BUILD

2011-08-08T11:05:00.000-04:00

“Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.” – Proverbs 8:30,31

It takes wisdom to build. Whether you are building a physical building or a spiritual one, Wisdom is the chief component in the construction. Wisdom tells us “what to do”. IF God Almighty required wisdom at His side when creating our world, then how silly are we to attempt to build without her?

The Bible tells us:

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” – Proverbs 24:3,4

Wisdom builds, understanding establishes and knowledge fills. Lots of people try to build with knowledge only. Knowledge is like a book filled with facts. Without a context or use, knowledge is useless. In our culture we are told “knowledge is power”. I disagree. Applied knowledge is power. Knowledge is like hot air that fills a balloon, wisdom is the balloon.

There are many, many people building businesses, churches and ministries all over the world today. They want wisdom, but the wisdom many are employing is NOT God’s wisdom! Everything God does is counterfeited by the enemy. For example, God created sex not only for procreation, but for pleasure and enjoyment in the context of a marriage covenant. The enemy took God’s creation and perverted it. He sells sex outside of covenant. God calls it “immorality” and the enemy calls it “freedom”. Real life, sex outside of covenant is a disaster, physically, emotionally and spiritually. How many diseases have been created by people sleeping around? How many relationships have been wrecked by sexual immorality?

There is such a thing as counterfeit wisdom. It’s called “earthly” and “demonic”.

“Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” – James 3:15,16

Many businesses, churches and movements are built on this kind of “wisdom”. Earthly wisdom is cold and unfeeling; it’s more interested in statistics than souls. For earthly wisdom, the end ALWAYS justifies the means. It doesn’t matter who you have to hurt or who get steamrolled on the way, the end result is all that matters to earthly wisdom.

God has wisdom and it is a wisdom from above. She was at His side when He created the earth. The Bible talks about this Wisdom:

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” – James 3:17

LIFE LESSON:
You need wisdom to build anything, but it needs to be the right kind.

August 5th – Proverbs 5: Marley Was Right!

2011-08-05T12:49:00.000-04:00

*Some might say that I’m a little morbid or negative with these blog posts. But that isn’t the case. What I am attempting to do is uncover the practices of fools so we can AVOID the destructive results of their lives. No little girls have ever told their Mom, “Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be an alcoholic!” When we are young we ALL want to be a person of significance. We want to accomplish great things and be great people. By studying the Proverbs, we can understand what LEADS to destruction and uncover what leads to a life of fulfillment and righteousness.

“The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.” – Proverbs 5:22

Remember that part in “A Christmas Carol” where Marley meets Scrooge in the middle of the night? He comes into his room all spookily floating and carrying these huge chains wrapped around his body. He tells Scrooge that the chains were fashioned link by link as they failed to show goodness and mercy on earth! Now is this just a silly fiction or truth in disguise?

The Bible says that the evil deeds of wicked men become a snare, or a trap to them. It says that the cords of his sin hold him in bondage. So it’s true that our behavior sets the course of our lives, whether for good or evil. We are held by what we do. When we live righteously, our righteous acts pave a road ahead of us and the road is level, smooth and firm:

“The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.” – Isaiah 26:7

When we live unrighteously, every evil deed we do becomes another obstacle to overcome. Some people, not showing self-control in their finances and living above their means, get in the horrible bondage of debt. Then, to get out from under the first bondage, they will do something else that just compounds the problem. They might cheat on their taxes,, just to keep a little extra to pay their bills with. Or maybe they get involved with a shady investment or crooked business scheme. In a minute, they are completely ensnared by their unrighteousness. What started as a relatively small thing ultimately consumes their lives!

I think it’s interesting that what the wicked ultimately die from is NOT their wickedness and sin, but from a lack of discipline. Several years ago I was sitting in a car repair shop next to a man in his late eighties. He was full of life and full of excitement, I really enjoyed talking to him. He was a WWII Veteran, loved the Lord and was as happy as could be. Before I left I asked him, “What would you tell a young man like me is a key to living a great life?” His answer surprised me. He told me, “Son, the #1 thing you need to get a hold of is discipline. Without it, your life will always be a mess!”

LIFE LESSON:

Listen to the happy old fella, go get you some DISCIPLINE!

August 4th – Proverbs 4: You ARE What You EAT

2011-08-04T11:59:00.000-04:00

“They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.” – Proverbs 4:17

We are fed by our works. What we do in life is the sustaining force of our being. If we do evil, we feast on wickedness. Doing wickedness is nourishment and sustenance to our base, carnal nature; our flesh. The Bible refers to it as “the bread of wickedness”. Bread is a real food, capable of sustaining a person and keeping them alive. When we do wickedness, we nourish the old man, our old nature. We keep it alive and sustain it.

Jesus spoke of His works being food:

“Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:31-34

Jesus was sustained in HIS life by doing the will of the Father. Doing the will of the Father was the spiritual food of Jesus. To nourish Himself unto righteousness and holiness, Jesus DID the will of the Father. Jesus was strong in Spirit because He ate the right kind of food.

So many Christians are anorexic in the spirit. Towards the spiritual food of righteousness, they are somehow afraid of their food, which is doing the will of the Father. They’ll say things like, “That’s just striving” or “I’m saved by grace, not by works”. When they say these things, they are pushing back from the table of the Lord. They aren’t eating and they wonder why they grow gaunt and thin, unable to ENDURE any difficulty. What they should do is what Jesus did, belly up to the table and FEAST on DOING the will of the Father. As they do so, they would grow strong, nourished in their spirits, capable to accomplish the will of the Father.

Yet towards sin and wickedness, they treat it like an all you can eat buffet. Plate after heaping plate of spiritual death, they gobble down pornography, immorality and carnality. Their old man grows and is nourished, ultimately overcoming their spirit man, weak and sickly from a lack of sustenance. The final end of this person is a sad one. Their marriages, families and finances end up in a sad, broken mess as this evil tyrant of the flesh declares ultimate victory.

“Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” – John 6:53-56

LIFE LESSON:

What you feed, you empower. What you starve, you can overcome.

August 3rd – Proverbs 3rd: An Inconvenient Truth

2011-08-03T11:23:00.000-04:00

“The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.” – Proverbs 3:33

Wow, I really like half of this scripture, you know the part about the blessing of God being on the house of the righteous. I just LOVE God’s blessings! I’m not so crazy about the other part of the verse, you know the part about curses… Are you serious, God sends curses?? Certainly not the God of the Bible? There is NO WAY that my precious daddy of grace, mercy and happiness would EVER send a curse… right?

“Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.” – I Samuel 16:14

What?? God sent an evil spirit to torment Saul?? Are you serious?? What kind of sick, sadistic God are we talking about here?? My Happy Santa “PAPA” would NEVER do such a thing! Maybe this is just Old Testament?? There is ABSOLUTELY no way that God would send something like a curse on someone in the New Testament… right??

“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” II Thessalonians 2:9-12

ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS!??? God sends POWERFUL delusion on people? In the New Testament?? Maybe it’s just a bad translation, let me check and see what the Message says about this… There’s no way! This doesn’t sound like the Santa God of happy, peace, love and joy that I give a few minutes and dollars to every now and then. MY Sappy, Happy Daddy God would NEVER do such things! His ONLY desire is to happy bless me with flowers of comfort and joy!!

“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.” – Acts 5:1-5

WHAT!? God killed someone? That’s it. The God that I SERVE would NEVER do such a thing!

LIFE LESSON:

Maybe the God you are serving ISN’T the God of the Bible?

August 2nd – Proverbs 2: The Paths of the Righteous

2011-08-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

“Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.” – Proverbs 2:20

If you pay close attention to the path you are on, you will be able to tell what company you are in. Righteous people have lived the same way for all generations. They have trodden well-worn paths that are easy to spot for someone that is looking. Good men all walk the same way. They love God and they love their brothers. Love for God will keep you from violating half the commandments, loving your neighbor will keep you from the rest. It’s been this way from the beginning.

“This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” – Genesis 6:9

Noah was righteous; he was blameless among the people. He didn’t steal his neighbor’s possessions or sleep with his neighbor’s wife. He didn’t harm or murder his fellow man. As a result, the Bible records that he was “blameless among the people of his time”. He stood out. Anyone could look at Noah and recognize that he was a good man. But more than that, the Bible says about Noah, “he walked with God”. Righteous people have been walking with God for thousands of years. Noah walked with God, Abraham walked with God, even being called “God’s friend” (II Chronicles 20:7). Isaac, Jacob and Moses all walked with God and this was before the blood of Jesus!

Good men have been walking out a “way” in the midst of wicked people for generations. Righteous people have been cutting paths through the wasteland of unrighteousness and faithlessness for thousands of years. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel and create a way; we just need to find the existing paths. The Bible tells us a few things about the path of the righteous:

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” – Proverbs 4:18

The path of the righteous is a path of increasing light. It gets brighter!

“The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.” – Isaiah 26:7

The path of the righteous is level. It’s not this up and down roller coaster of emotion. It’s steady, stable and always heading gently upwards.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” – Matthew 7:13,14

The road of the righteous that leads to life is NARROW. It’s small and only a few find it; not many people are walking on it.

LIFE LESSON:

Look down. What path are you walking on?

August 1st – Proverbs 1: The Point of No Return

2011-08-01T09:39:00.000-04:00

“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.” – Proverbs 1:28

Wow. At what point does the Savior of the world and the God of grace and mercy turn his ear from our cries for help? At what point does He hide Himself from us and suddenly become impossible to find? Well, one thing is for sure, this didn’t happen overnight. This was a long and arduous process. Most likely months and years have passed.

The Bible tells us:

“But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,” – Proverbs 1:24,25

God calls to people all the time. He calls them out of deception and out of wickedness into the truth and into the light, yet many REJECT His call! God stretches out His hand to help and many just bat it away. He extends Himself on our behalf to bring healing, light and mercy, but so many pay no attention and give no heed. God speaks to us out of His word and through His people, offering His advice and counsel on our situation, but sadly He is ignored. When His call, His hand and His advice are spurned, He then turns to a loving rebuke by a loving Father. He chastises and corrects us, many times through difficult circumstances.

In Hebrews it tells us:

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” – Hebrews 12:7

But even then, as God chastises and rebukes us, many STILL will not accept it. The result is SCARY.

“I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you— when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.” Proverbs 1:26-28

God is a patient, loving Father. But there is such thing as a point of no return. There is a place where we’ve gone too far to turn back. In this age of the popular deception, “once saved, always saved” many think that it’s an impossibility to lose their salvation or for their lives to be in danger of the fires of Hell. But wake up, the Bible is FULL or warnings just like this.

LIFE LESSON:

We need to accept His call, reach for His hand, heed His advice and accept His rebukes.

July 29th – Proverbs 29: Brought Low

2011-07-29T08:59:00.000-04:00

“A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.” – Proverbs 29:23

Over the years, I have been shocked by how LOW believers can go. You expect the crack heads and degenerates that don’t know Jesus to hit bottom, but rarely do you expect born again Christians to bottom out. Many people come to Jesus when they hit bottom but we’re not supposed to bottom out as Christians! If we do, this Proverb tells us why.

The ONLY reason that we bottom out and “hit the skids’ is because of pride. Pride is that amazing ability to COMPLETELY ignore the facts and be utterly deceived by our own “greatness”. The root word for pride in the Hebrew means; to mount up, to grow up, to rise up, swelling. Think of a loaf of bread rising before baking. That leaven gets in there and releases gas, making the dough rise to two and three times its normal size. But the second you touch it, or “punch it down” it releases the air and goes back to its ACTUAL size.

Pride has the same effect in the life of the believer. A little “leaven” of pride and we swell up like a tick. We’re fooled by our “growth”, barley recognizing that it’s all just hot air. It’s not real growth. Pride brings us LOW. I have known believers to completely bottom out financially, physically, relationally and emotionally. Now, everyone goes through hard times, even good people. But the kind of lowliness I am talking about here is extreme and totally unnecessary. Things like blowing through hundreds of thousands of dollars gambling, getting caught in multiple affairs, wrecking their lives and reputations with alcohol and even going to jail for not paying traffic tickets!

The scriptures say,

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." – James 4:6

Humility is not walking around with your head hanging low or speaking softly. No, humility is being aware of your need for God! When humble people hit a wall (and they do!) instead of try to tackle the impossibility themselves, they call on JESUS for help! Yes, they go to God in prayer, but God answers them THROUGH PEOPLE. Remember, he called us the “Body of Christ”! So they humble themselves to their spouse when they are struggling with lust, averting adulterous disaster. They confess their lack of self-control with drinking to their pastor or friend and GET HELP. Instead of “press through” financial impossibility, humble people ask for wisdom. It’s humbling in the moment, but in the end, it brings honor.

People that humble themselves are honored and people that honor themselves are humbled.

LIFE LESSON:

The grace we need to overcome whatever difficulty we’re encountering is only one act of humility away.

July 28th – Proverbs 28: Rebuke a Man = Gain Favor

2011-07-28T10:50:00.000-04:00

“He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.” – Proverbs 28:23

I’m not known for giving praise. In fact, I seem to be developing a reputation for being a straight shooter that will more likely rebuke you than praise you. This isn’t a bad thing. Sure, I have a LOT fewer friends than the person who praises everyone, regardless of whether that person is deserving of praise or not. But in THE END, it will go better for me.

Many who are easy “praisers” have such low standards that everyone deserves praise, everyone deserves honor and respect. You know the type; they endorse EVERYONE’S book with glowing accolades. But if you read the book, it’s crazy! They endorse EVERYONE’S ministry, even if they have a long history of immorality, alcoholism and greed. But this is NOT biblical teaching. Some in fact do NOT deserve honor or praise but they are DUE a stern rebuke!

“Therefore give to all their dues; to the one due tax, the tax; tribute to whom tribute is due, fear to whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due.” Romans 13:7

In many cases someone’s good deeds are used as a justification for their evil behavior. You’ve perhaps seen this before. It’s amazing how much “grace” the adulterous and greedy evangelist (e.g.-Todd Bentley) gets from other “leaders” in the body. Why does he get such preferential treatment? Because he “wins the lost” or because he was “instrumental in leading a revival”. But the greater question is, what exactly was he winning the lost to; If not the Gospel that requires holiness and purity? He’s leading a revival of what? Adultery & Immorality in the church?

You see these mega church pastors (e.g.-Eddie Long) that I guess are given a pass to seduce and sexually violate teenage boys. Why? “Because they do so much good in the community!” Where is it in the Bible that you are allowed to buy little boys expensive gifts with church offerings, take them on lavish “ministry” trips in order to seduce and perform all kinds of homosexual horror on teenage boys? But according to spineless, compromised DEVILS (e.g.-Creflo Dollar) he just “had a wreck” but “he has insurance” and “Jesus paid the premium!”

I guess I missed that passage in the Bible where homosexual pedophilia perpetrated by leaders in the church gets a pass.

LIFE LESSON:

It's like David Baker said, "Some believers are 'Coupon Christians' with a 'Discount Jesus'!"

July 27th - Proverbs 27: Let Another Praise You

2011-07-27T10:10:00.000-04:00

“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.” – Proverbs 27:2

Humility seems to be a lost art these days. When someone excels at most any endeavor today, they feel that it is their personal responsibility to publish this news to the rest of the world. Now, this isn’t a problem to folks that have settled for mediocrity in their lives, but it can become a major problem for folks that have let God transform them into someone truly remarkable. In truth, the call of God on our lives is a HIGH call. We were meant for greatness!

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:14

Many believers overreact and they seem to think the solution to a lack of humility is for NO ONE to have anything to be proud of and an almost forced mediocrity ensues. If NO ONE succeeds, then no one has any chance to be proud. Some churches basically worship ignorance and poverty, celebrating people’s lack of proficiency. We do it in songs that celebrate struggle and a culture that celebrates failure.

This IS NOT humility.

Maybe you’ve heard it at YOUR church? “Well, I lost my job, my house was foreclosed on, my car was repossessed and my wife left me… but PRAISE THE LORD, I’VE GOT THE VICTORY!” Umm, no you don’t. You my friend are a loser and you need JESUS to make you a winner!

In our church, we CELEBRATE those who achieve success in ANY endeavor. Whether it is scoring a big account that means LOTS of money, someone that graduates college with honors, or if someone sees a major miracle or leads someone to Jesus, we are the first to celebrate people that are exceptional. When someone achieves something great, it’s OUR responsibility to praise them and laud their achievements, since they aren’t permitted to sing their own praises. People need recognition for their successes and we need to be the ones giving it to them! Let’s not force them praise themselves!

If you struggle praising others for their achievements, perhaps due to jealousy, then you might have a poverty mindset. Poverty says that there is a limited supply and there isn’t enough to go around. Poverty says that if Person A is achieving something, then they are holding Person B back in some way! We are not called to have a poverty mindset; we’re called to have an abundance mentality! God is a God of MORE than enough and we need to become more like HIM.

LIFE LESSON:

I’d pat you on the back, but your hand is in the way!

July 26th – Proverbs 26: Worse Than a Fool?

2011-07-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” – Proverbs 26:12

I have spent a considerable amount of time here detailing the plight of the “fool”. To date I have some 130 posts on Proverbs, most of them in some way having to do with being a fool, not being a fool, etc. The total destruction that comes to a fool’s health, wealth and relationships because of their foolish behavior is truly staggering. In truth, the fool has a tough road to hoe and it’s in our best interest to avoid foolish behavior.

Yet this proverb tells us that there is something worse than being a fool. This proverb tells us that there is more hope for a fool than for a man that is wise in his own eyes! In the King James, the Bible uses the word “conceit” to describe the man that is wise in his own eyes. It means;

Conceit - favorable opinion; especially : excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue.

So what the Bible is telling us is that there is MORE hope for a foolish person than for one who has a bloated sense of their own self-importance. There is a greater chance for repentance, grace and mercy on someone that acts foolishly than someone who has an “excessive appreciation of one’s own worth or virtue”.

That’s scary!

I have met people like this. They are the kind that always believes they are right, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. These are people that are above instruction, correction or rebuke in their own minds. They see themselves as the teachers and benefactors of this earth; almost as if the world is graced with their presence. I have had people like this tell me that they have nothing to learn from their pastors/leaders at a church service on Sunday morning, all while their lives are an utter mess!

This mentality does seem to be on the rise in the church today in our culture of cheap grace and lax morality. With the expansion of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, everyone is a sage! You have total bums, living in their Mom’s basement and incapable of providing for themselves dispensing their YouTube “wisdom” full time. If they understood their ACTUAL importance or self-worth (Nill), they would shut up and get their life together.

Now more than ever, it’s important that we KNOW people, NOT according to what they say, but according to their fruit (or lack thereof).

“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” – Matthew 7:20

LIFE LESSON:

Better a fool that knows he’s a fool than a conceited idiot that thinks he’s the “dogs bollocks”.

July 25th – Proverbs 25: A Trustworthy Messenger

2011-07-25T14:36:00.000-04:00

“Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.” – Proverbs 25:13

Several years ago, I didn’t really understand this passage; I guess I just wrote it off for a piece of wisdom only applicable “back in the old days”. Yet today it makes all the sense in the world. I think that may have something to do with what I have been given to say. God has given our church and our ministry a message. We have something to say.

A messenger is just a carrier of a message. His job is to take a message from the King and deliver it to the intended audience. When you think about it, all believers are messengers. We have been given a message from our King. We will be judged in eternity in part on how faithfully we represented our King and how faithfully we communicated HIS message. When we communicate what we have to say to others, the word spreads. When someone who hears what we have to say and then in turn misrepresents what we have to say, we have a problem.

I preach the Gospel to unbelievers on a regular basis. It’s part of my lifestyle. By FAR, the #1 problem we have in sharing the Gospel with unbelievers is not that they have never heard the message, but the messengers that have brought them the message in the past were unfaithful. The either didn’t faithfully represent the King or His message. Think about it, how many businesses are ruined by unfaithful employees or churches reputations destroyed by the unfaithful behavior of her congregants?

In the context of our ministry, I have spent considerable time and energy clarifying things said by messengers who aren’t trustworthy. This happens as people that are exposed to what we have said go running around and misrepresent our message to others. It’s maddening. People who I don’t even know have formed these impenetrable judgments against us based on inaccurate information. Almost 100% of the time, if they give me a few minutes I am able to convince them that I am not the monster some bitter, petty person swears I am.

On the flip side, when we have people that faithfully represent what we have to say to others, it’s VERY refreshing. There are few things more exciting than when someone hears what you have to say, takes it and then faithfully represents it to others. Folks like that I consider my friends.

I wonder if the Lord feels the same way?

LIFE LESSON:

Be a trustworthy messenger. Both to the Lord and anyone you represent, from your boss to your pastor.

July 22nd – Proverbs 22: A Good Name

2011-07-22T14:33:00.000-04:00

“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” – Proverbs 22:1

Our name is who we are. The essence of who we are and what we do is contained within our name and our actions here on earth determine how our name is received. We are nothing without our word. If people don’t believe us when we speak, then we have lost everything!

Let’s do an exercise to illustrate the point:

ENRON

What do you think of when I say Enron? Prior to October 2001, Enron was seen as a strong business and excellent company to invest in. When the accounting scandal broke in October 2001, instantly their name became a synonym for corporate greed and a case study for all that is wrong with capitalism. How about,

OJ SIMPSON

When “The Juice” is mentioned, very few would think of his amazing accomplishments in college and professional football. Most everyone will remember OJ as being the one famously acquitted for a murder most of the world is SURE he committed. In the church, we could say,

JIMMY SWAGGART

When I say that, few would think of the amazing anointing once on that man’s life. Few would even recount the evangelistic power that he once walked in. Most will remember the scandal with him and a local prostitute and his tearful televised repentance of “I have sinned!”

The list could go on and on, but the reality is that our names are absolutely invaluable and contain the fruit of our life here on earth. Take the name,

JESUS

In His life on earth, Jesus demonstrated a supreme level of obedience, even unto the death. His ACTIONS procured for Him a name that’s above EVERY name.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!” – Philippians 2:5-8

It’s HIS name that will cause EVERY knee to bow and EVERY tongue to confess.

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11

LIFE LESSON:

Protect your good name more than you would protect all the wealth of your household, without it, you are NOTHING.

July 21st – Proverbs 21: Preparing For Victory

2011-07-21T07:10:00.000-04:00

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

This is a very familiar scripture to many. I personally love this scripture because it shows us two things: Our responsibility to PREPARE for victory and God’s ability to produce VICTORY. Many believers don’t understand this concept at all. We’ll look at three different types of believers, two of which DON’T experience victory and the third being the one we want to be like.

MR. SPIRITUAL

Many believers are so “spiritual” that they make no natural provision for victory. Sadly these believers are always experiencing defeat, while claiming the victory that belongs to them, but eludes them! Take the believer that needs a job. MR. SPIRITUAL will pray, stand in faith, declare and proclaim the new job, yet many times will make no natural provision for the new job. When I say natural provision in this context I am talking about doing things like, writing out a resume, looking and applying for positions, going to interviews. Should an “opportunity” some to them, they find themselves prayed up but unprepared. Sometimes prayer alone is not enough! Working in faith and with diligence in agreement with our prayers is vital!

I have met MR. SPIRITUAL and they have told me in beautiful, flowery language about their passion for missions and the prophecies spoken over them to work for the Lord overseas. My question is ALWAYS the same: “Do you have a passport?” If the answer is “No” I know they won’t be going anytime soon. Silly Christian, actions working together WITH faith is where it’s at.

MR NATURAL

This person is ALL hard work and doesn’t give God two seconds to work on their behalf. They work their fingers to the bone to achieve victory, whether it is in finances, ministry or whatever they do. The problem is that they are trying to accomplish a supernatural lifestyle through natural means… BUT IT WON’T WORK!

This has been my tendency in the past. When I needed money I would go out there and get it! I’d get up early, prepare the day, pursue the business, work the business and collapse in bed at the end of the day, exhausted but BROKE! Why?? Because God would never let me prosper in my own strength! It wasn’t until I learned to tether my natural activity to prayer, humility and the supernatural that I started to receive supernatural provision.

MR. BELIEVER

The proper recipe for breakthrough and victory in the life of the believer is faith working together WITH our actions.

“Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” – James 2:21,22

Abraham BELIEVED God AND offered his son as a sacrifice. His faith AND actions worked TOGETHER to make him the Father of Faith. The believer that needs a new job will pray AND prepare a resume. The believer that feels calls to missions will pray for God to open a door overseas AND get a passport. The Bible is clear; it’s not unspiritual to do natural activity when it’s connected to our consciousness of a supernatural God. It’s unspiritual to NOT work according to our faith, leaving everything to God.

LIFE LESSON:

Real faith WORKS.

July 20th – Proverbs 20: A Mouthful of Gravel

2011-07-20T10:21:00.000-04:00

“Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.” Proverbs 20:17

Most people don’t see themselves as thieves that gain their food (provision/sustenance) by fraud. But were we to examine many of our ways, we might start to think and act quite a bit differently.

In our morally soft charismatic environment, integrity is a dying breed. Don’t believe me? Just look at the “leadership” of the charismatic church. Compromised to the core, many of these charlatans are only out to make a buck, profiting of the church’s extreme lack of discernment. When it becomes ok for Todd Bentley to have an affair (during a revival no less), divorce his wife and almost instantly remarry his mistress, we have a MAJOR problem. Most disturbing are not the offender’s actions (anyone with discernment saw through him) but the chorus of approving voices that surrounded him in his sin. We were warned “don’t judge!” by the very people (Rick Joyner, Bill Johnson, etc.) that recommended this man’s ministry to the body of Christ. EVEN WORSE, these “leaders” have YET to apologize for publicly commending a scumbag to the church of the living God! FOR SHAME!

“In America today, it is considered worse to judge evil than to do evil.” - Os Guinness

No, the Bible is clear, any “produce” gained by fraud will in the end be just a mouthful of gravel! People that promote their ministry or church using deceptive or fraudulent tactics will, in the end, have nothing to show for all of their bluster. During the Lakeland debacle, there was a feeding frenzy from worship leaders and preachers in the body of Christ that wanted “stage time” during the revival. ON the stage, being broadcast around the world by GodTV, they could “get their name out there”. EVERY ONE of the money and publicity hungry hucksters jumped at the opportunity to appear “on stage” at Todd Bentley’s coronation/commissioning service in June 2008. Watching the show, you can literally see them jockey for “microphone time” and preeminence. Just how dumb did they ALL look just a couple weeks later that it came out that Todd was divorcing his wife, in an affair and an alcoholic??

Yeah, they may have gotten a temporary bump in their web traffic and book sales, but in the end it all came to naught. Their “prophecies” about Todd may have garnered them some brief attention, but the price they paid in the PERMANENT lack of credibility was more than substantial.

Business owners that build their business on deception or trickery of their clients/customers will, in the end, have no customer base. Sure, you feel good for a minute when you cash that check you made my deceiving/bilking your customer, but every dollar you just made will cost you $1000 in the days to come.

Home owners that lie to their mortgage company about their income/liabilities will ultimately have no home to sleep in when it gets taken away in foreclosure. Yes, it feels great to have a big house, that is, until you can’t afford the payments and it becomes a weight around your neck.

Business people that exploit their relationships for financial gain (MLM) will soon find that all the money they made through their “great opportunity” can’t buy them a friend.

The list goes on and on.

LIFE LESSON:

Walk in Integrity. Live above board. Be honest. Take your time. Choose the low road. If you don’t, your sin WILL find you out.

July 19th –Proverbs 19: Keep the Commandment, Keep Your Soul!

2011-07-20T09:47:00.000-04:00

“He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, But he who is careless of conduct will die.” – Proverbs 19:16

Obedience to the commands of God has a direct effect on the state of our soul! So that leads me to ask why people seem so flippant about the Word of God? Many believers treat the scriptures as if they were optional, to be obeyed, WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE IT! But our spiritual lives literally depend on heeding the commands of God, they aren’t optional! Our soul is in jeopardy if we honestly think that we can get through this life by picking choosing which of God’s commands we will obey and which we will not. I have literally watched believers harden during a sermon that I or others have preached. You can see the look cross their face and loud as can be you can hear their thoughts, “I’m not doing that!”

We are responsible for the truth we possess. If God has gone out of His way to reveal something of Himself to you through the scriptures or through the Spirit, you are responsible for that knowledge! Claiming ignorance on the Day of Judgment won’t work!

"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” – Luke 12:47,48

“He who is careless of conduct will die.” Spiritual death enters in when we walk flippantly and not circumspectly. We need to examine our WAYS and inspect our CONDUCT. When we do, we can easily judge ourselves to see whether or not we are walking in faith. Every act and action in our lives points to a value or priority. If our actions are unfruitful and unspiritual, our priorities and values are off.

Our conduct is IMPORTANT! So many Christians have embraced a “Greasy Grace” or a “Sloppy Agape” that somehow excuses our conduct here on earth. They sin willfully and then flippantly claim the mercy and grace of God, “No big deal” they say. NOT TRUE! Your conduct really does reflect your heart.

“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” – Matthew 7:18,19

LIFE LESSON:

Yes! Walk in and believe in the Grace of God, but don’t use it as an excuse to cover up evil!

July 18th – Proverbs 18: Let's Play Cinderella!

2011-07-18T11:08:00.000-04:00

“An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.” – Proverbs 18:19

I deal with a lot of offended people. Offended people leave churches and break relationships for spurious reasons. I can normally tell when someone is offended because when they approach you or are confronted with their weird behavior they are exactly as this Proverb declares, unyielding as a fortified city. They come with their minds made up and their (to them) ironclad arguments. You can tell they have had the conversation in their head 100 times before you have even talked. Reconciliation or redemption isn’t even on the table, the barred gates stare at you. The trial is over, the sentence has come down and you are just being informed of the good Judge’s decision.

The process is simple and totally avoidable:

Normally before someone gets offended, they get disappointed. Put simply, they had HOPED something would be a certain way and it didn’t go according to their plan they devised inside of their heads. Another thing that happens many times is they simply get their feelings hurt. It could be something small, like they didn’t get a return smile from someone at church, or they heard gossip that made them feel bad, unwanted, etc. Instead of being a GROWN UP and dealing with their offense, they keep it to themselves. Trying to appear mature, they say “There’s not a problem!” when really there IS a problem. In fact, it’s such a problem that they tell ten of their best friends and lose sleep over it. Over time, they nurture the offense, judgment or disappointment. They cultivate and grow their hurt, gathering a chorus of agreement from other offended and judgmental people like themselves.

They fortify the walls of their offense to KEEP PEOPLE AWAY! Building a wall of offense is a defensive mechanism; you keep people OUT with a wall. That’s all that people are doing when they get and make a decision to STAY offended. They build a wall, protecting themselves from another disappointment or offense. They dig a moat to keep all hurt and pain AWAY! The unintended consequence is that this wall also protects them and keeps them from resolving the conflict and getting HEALED. Your brother can’t scale the wall you have built with your offense. Your sister can’t swim the alligator filled moat of your offense to even get to you and resolve the conflict.

So there you sit, alone and angry inside your walls of offense. That wasn’t very helpful now, was it?

The truth is, everyone sitting inside the fortified city of offense is a COWARD. (You can quote me on that.) They don’t have the testicular fortitude to confront the hurt or offense they think or see. What they would find out a good 99% of the time is that the offense was unintentional or the disappointment was due to unrealistic expectations. They put on this brave face as if they are a hero, but they know in themselves that they simply have no backbone to CONFRONT. I live 100% free from offense and not because people don’t do horrible things to me like judge me, condemn me and slander me, but because I CONFRONT people when they do stupid stuff to me.

That’s how us winners roll.

LIFE LESSON:

This is like playing Cinderella, if the shoe fits, KICK IT OFF!! Run to your brother or sister and DEAL with the problem!

July 15th – Proverbs 15: God Sees ME!

2011-07-18T10:31:00.000-04:00

“The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” – Proverbs 15:3

When we were young, both in Sunday School and at home, we were always reminded that Jesus was watching us, no matter what and no matter where. This kept me many times from doing the wrong thing when I was a kid. I distinctly remember many times being very much aware that Jesus was watching me about to be naughty! The instruction was given so that we would avoid being foolish when Mom and Dad WEREN’T looking. Rarely, if ever has this reality been used to remind us that He is looking on us when we are doing RIGHT!

As an adult, I have a made a conscious decision to walk in righteousness and holiness. I have shed any and everything that either the Bible or my conscience says is impure. We don’t watch nasty movies or TV, we don’t listen to garbage on the radio or look at smut online. We don’t get drunk & we don’t sleep around. We don’t cuss like sailors or live lazy, undisciplined lives. We have ordered our home and our lifestyle to be pleasing to the Lord! Yes, when temptations come, I am reminded that Jesus is watching, but do I remember that He watches me when I live righteously?

I think we need to be MORE conscious that His eyes are on us in righteousness. I am no longer a wicked person, bent on doing evil. I am the righteousness of God in Christ (II Cor. 5:21)! Being therefore a righteous and good man, do I remember that Jesus is watching? When I am doing right, living right, speaking right and just plain BEING right, do I remember that He sees me?

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:2-4

This passage is all about who SEES you when you do a righteous act like give to the poor. If your concern is that MAN sees you, then you serve MAN. If your concern is that GOD sees you, then He is your God!

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:5,6

God sees our private prayer! He hears and He is listening when we call out to Him! This means that we have an audience with the King of all creation!

LIFE LESSON:

If you require recognition from Man you are living FOR Man.

July 14th – Proverbs 14: A Fool’s Talk Brings a Beating!

2011-07-18T10:09:00.000-04:00

“A fool's talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.” – Proverbs 14:3

Your mouth will either bring protection to your life or PAIN. I have known many believers that simply open their mouths and invite a major beating:

“A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.” – Proverbs 18:6

It’s amazing that what we SAY can affect our lives so profoundly. My life has more than one time been threatened because the people I was with couldn’t hold their tongue. In the same way, my life has been preserved because of the thoughtful, wise words that have proceeded from someone’s mouth. You would think our actions would be the only thing that can have that effect, but our words are equally powerful. God said that the power of life and death are in our mouths!

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” – Proverbs 18:21

The enemy is a legalist and he knows this principle. That’s why he will focus his energies into getting us to proclaim death or have an undisciplined mouth. He doesn’t need to personally get involved in destroying our lives physically when he knows all he has to do is get us saying the wrong things! We can proclaim life and we can proclaim death with our mouths. Many times the enemy just sits back as we reap a harvest of destruction with our lips. I’ve been in some believer’s meetings where Christians sing the very plans of the enemy. I was recently in a service where the believers happily sang what I would term the theme song of hell!

I may never raise the dead

I may never do miracles or heal the sick,

But as long as I’m in Your Presence, I’m great, etc. etc. etc.

That’s why it is imperative that we FILL our hearts with the Word of God. We need to wash our filthy minds with the scriptures so that when we open our mouths, GOOD THINGS come out!

“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew 12:34

We can’t tame our tongue (James 3:8), but the Lord and His Word CAN! This will bring protection, healing and LIFE! Not a beating, dishonor and death.

LIFE LESSON:

Change your life by changing your SPEECH.

July 13th – Proverbs 13: Foolish Behavior is EXPENSIVE!

2011-07-18T09:18:00.000-04:00

“He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.” – Proverbs 13:18

I think that it is amazing that our inability to receive correction or respond to discipline can and will affect our financial situation. This Proverb identifies the inability or unwillingness to receive correction or instruction as a source of poverty. This isn’t the only source of poverty, but it is one we can easily avoid. How many people have trounced over sound wisdom and instruction on their way to a fiery financial grave? How many business ventures have been ill advised from the outset by not being funded with cash, but with debt? Especially after the warning to owe no one anything!

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves another has fulfilled the Law.’ – Romans 13:8

Yet, in our blindness, arrogance and stupidity it “seems good” to us to fund major projects with debt! WHEN they come crashing down due to our inability to pay the interest we many times wonder, “What happened!?” All the while, the scriptures silently convict and reveal the source of our error. More than just poverty, shame comes from being unwilling or unable to receive discipline and correction. The word for shame here is confusion, dishonor and reproach. I don’t know one person that has hit the skids financially, losing homes in foreclosure or wealth in bankruptcy that is proud of it. Bottoming out financially is very humbling and confusing and is right up there with the death of a loved one on the traumatic experiences of life. Economic downturns, stock market crashes or real estate bubbles we can’t effect, but this area we CAN.

“A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.: - Proverbs 15:5

Honor however comes from heeding correction. This is the same word used in scripture to describe the weighty presence of God, the Kabode. It mean: weighty, heavy and regal. People that have bowed to wisdom and correction in their life, admitting where they went off the path and asking for forgiveness and mercy carry a regal, weighty presence about them. Many people get corrected, but only those that HEED correction are honored. A lot of fools think that because their stupidity was corrected they have changed. But it’s only when we apply the correction, discipline or instruction we have received that we change. Fools spurn correction, the wise change for the better as a result of it!

LIFE LESSON:

Foolish Behavior is EXPENSIVE!

July 12th – Proverbs 12: Cautious In Friendship

2011-07-16T11:12:00.000-04:00

“A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” – Proverbs 12:26

Friendship and relationships are one area where my parents REALLY worked us over on. They would constantly teach us and warn us about “fools”. Whenever we made new friends, the first thing my Mom would ask is, “Son, is he a fool?” Using the wisdom of Proverbs as my measuring rod I would evaluate ALL of my relationships, friendships and even acquaintances. I can only remember a couple times ever spending the night at friends’ houses, although many of my friends would have people over or spend entire weekends at friends’ houses. That’s because good friends are hard to find! The end result was that I was VERY cautious in my friendships. It served me well because I lived a relatively sheltered life; sheltered from sin, wickedness and foolishness. If you say that today, people roll their eyes and say things like, “You can’t shelter your kids forever!” (As they throw their kids to the wolves of sex, drugs and teenage pregnancy!)

Growing up I was aware that not everyone was like this. In fact I have heard some pretty strong accusations and arguments against the way I was raised by many. Funny thing though, the people that argue have bigger problems to worry about, like where their illegitimate grandchildren are going to sleep, or where they are going to find the money to pay for junior’s rehab.

The Bible says it clear and clean; Righteous people are CAUTIOUS in friendship. This word means that they reconnoiter, or research their associations. Some people rankle at this, as if love is blind. They take offense at a person that is concerned about who they fellowship with. What they forget is that Love COVERS sins, it doesn’t IGNORE them. The righteous understand the NO ONE is looking out for their own salvation and entrust themselves to no man. Like Jesus!

“But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” – John 2:24,25

We are called to walk circumspectly. We MUST be cautious in who we share our lives with. If we end up walking with the wise, we will grow wiser, but if we end up strolling the path of life with fools, we’ll be DESTROYED!

“He who walks with the wise shall be wise, but a companion with fools shall be destroyed.” – Proverbs 13:20

LIFE LESSON:

Research your friends, know their actions and only walk with those committed to truth!

July 11th – Proverbs 11: Guided by Integrity, Destroyed by Duplicity

2011-07-16T10:50:00.000-04:00

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” – Proverbs 11:3

The unfaithful are like chameleons. They can change for whoever is in the room. If they disagree with you, they will never tell you to your face. They are much too cowardly for that. They will wait until they gather together with those who are as compromised as they are and when they are sure that their illegitimate support group is behind them, they will say what they really think. Funny thing though, they never tell the right person, which is the person they have the problem/disagreement with. The worst thing about the unfaithful and their total inability to be honest is that they are dishonest under the pretense of “helping” the person they slander against. They say nice things like, “I don’t think so and so could handle this, that’s why I am telling you… here, let’s pray!”

Righteous people are righteous all the time. People who possess the truth don’t need a chorus of voices that agree with theirs. They regularly stand alone, guided by their integrity. You see, integrity demands that we walk a certain way, ALL of the time, no matter who is in the room. The unfaithful shrink back from telling and walking in the truth, guided by their fear of facing men! The righteous are guided by their fear of the face of God! Who you fear determines the quality of Christian you are!

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” – Proverbs 29:25

The snare the fear of man talks about here is the same one that our Proverb for today is talking about: the snare of duplicity. The word duplicity here comes from a Hebrew word that means: to wrench, subvert, overthrow, pervert & distort. And that’s exactly what the unfaithful do, they distort the truth to make it fit their personal convictions. They distort their true feelings, telling everyone what they want to hear until their lies catch up with them. In an environment full of committed people, the unfaithful AMEN a call to commitment and sacrifice for the Gospel. Yet in another environment full of backsliders, they question the “wisdom” of such calls and side with the weak and fearful. The weak and fearful just need encouragement; they are weak and fearful ALL of the time! But the unfaithful man needs a kick in the tail and a sharp rebuke for his lifestyle of deceit.

LIFE LESSON:

We need to drop ALL pretense and just BE righteous.

July 8th – Proverbs 8: HATE Evil!

2011-07-16T10:27:00.000-04:00

“To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” – Proverbs 8:13

It’s very unfashionable these days to hate anything. Yet the Bible tells us that if we fear God, we will HATE evil! Not laugh at it when it’s displayed on our television screen! In truth, if we DON’T Hate evil, we really don’t fear the Lord! But in our compromised church environment, if anyone would be so bold to claim that they hate what the Lord hates, they would quickly be condemned for not “walking in love”. Yet the Bible is full of things that God hates and we are encouraged to love what He loves and hate what He hates!

“The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.” – Psalm 11:5

Wow. Can you imagine being hated by the soul of God?? God’s soul HATES the wicked and those that love violence. I would HATE to be on that roll!

“There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” – Proverbs 6:16-19

1. Think about this, GOD HATES haughty (proud) eyes.

I simply loathe them, but God takes it to another level and declares His HATRED towards proud eyes.

2. God HATES a lying tongue.

At the worst, I roll my eyes when people lie to me, a bit perturbed, yes, but HATE? Not quite.

3. It says here that God HATES hands that shed innocent blood!

Unrepentant murderers DESERVE the Hell they are going to get.

4. God HATES a heart that devises wicked schemes.

Wow! God hates a heart??

5. God HATES feet that are quick to rush into evil.

Maybe that will slow your pace next time you think about sinning??

6. God HATES a false witness that pours out lies.

This pretty much damns our entire political system. We all know they are lying just about every time they open their mouth.

7. God HATES a man that stirs up dissension among brothers.

A man that brings strife where this is none into a fellowship is on God’s short list of detestable things. Look out church splitters!

LIFE LESSON:

It’s OK to hate the right things. I’m bringing HATE back!

July 7th – Proverbs 7: Seduced With Smooth Talk

2011-07-16T10:07:00.000-04:00

“With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.” – Proverbs 7:21

The Devil is sneaky. He knows that we are naturally on guard for things that are overtly demonic. If he came to us shrouded in a red mist as he ascended from the depths of hell with pitchfork in hand and horns on the top of his head, after soiling ourselves, most Christians would IMMEDIATELY begin to rebuke him in Jesus name! No, he is much smarter than that. The New Testament tells us that the enemy many times comes masquerading as an “Angel of light”.

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” – II Corinthians 11:14

Light speaks of revelation and illumination. The enemy coming as an angel or messenger of light many times speaks of the enemy coming to deceive God’s people as a bringer of revelation and “truth”. I can’t tell you how many Christians, many of them dear friends who “see the light” and are led “off the path.” Time always tells though, normally, sooner rather than later, anyone paying attention can tell what quality this “new revelation” brings.

The adulteress, with all of her trappings and the total destruction that her ministry brings comes with smooth talk. If she told you the truth, you would RUN. Seduction always appeals to our base, carnal nature. It tells our flesh “You don’t REALLY have to persevere or endure things for the sake of the Gospel” or, “This whole walking with Jesus thing is too hard, I think you are striving in serving God”. I have watched many Christians, some of them dear friends be seduced by “the easy way”. Walking with God is TOUGH. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to get an offering out of you! Certainly there is joy, life and peace, but that is for your spirit! No one (except the devil) said you would get what you want, when you want it.

That’s Burger King, not the Kingdom.

LIFE LESSON:

It’s time to wake up and recognize that the seductive voice calling you to a life of ease is NOT the Holy Spirit, it’s the enemy of your soul!

July 6th – Proverbs 6: Wisdom for Walking, Sleeping & Waking

2011-07-08T09:08:00.000-04:00

“My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck.” – Proverbs 6:20,21

I know, not all of us have had mothers and fathers that walked in Wisdom and Understanding. In fact, the only thing that some of us can learn from our parents is what NOT to do! Even then, we should learn the lessons well. We’re encouraged to bind them upon our heart, the core of who we are. We are called to fasten them around our neck like an amulet, always remembering their instruction. Thankfully I have some wonderful parents. I especially remember my Mom and Dad reciting to us proverbs. My mom would continually warn us kids about hanging around with “fools” and my Dad would not so graciously awaken us in the morning with this passage:

“As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed!” – Proverbs 26:14

Regardless, we should take what wisdom and understanding that we did learn from our parents (whether what to do or what not to do) and apply it in our lives. Why? Well, this kind of wisdom has MANY benefits. As we will see, this wisdom and understanding coming from the Father’s commands and our mother’s teaching will benefit us when we are walking, sleeping and awake!

“When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.” – Proverbs 6:22

As we walk, what we need is direction and guidance. We are already moving so we want to make sure that we are moving in the right direction and not walking in error. Regularly as I am living my life and making decisions I remember the teaching of my mother and the commands of my father. As I walk with God on the path of life, they are like markers on the edge of the path. More often than not, I know exactly when I stray from the path.

Their teaching and instruction also watches over me as I sleep. It is the context for my dreams and like a security blanket. The scariest place to be is out of the will of God and when I lie on my bed I am forced to come to grips and deal with my conduct, whether it is pure and right… or not! I’ve told unbelievers for years that there is power in a clean conscience. Going to bed with a clean conscience and knowledge that I am walking in truth is AMAZING!

When I awake from my peaceful slumber of the righteous, the teaching of my mother and commands of my father speak to me. They remind me of what is right and what is wrong. They set my feet in the right direction. They are like a road sign, directing me towards the path of life.

LIFE LESSON:

Those that forsake their parents’ instruction are confused when they walk, tormented when they sleep and harassed when they awake.

July 5th – Proverbs 5: In the END

2011-07-08T08:53:00.000-04:00

“For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.” – Proverbs 5:3,4

In the end, it all will be clear. In the end, the decisions we make, sometimes wondering if we are doing the right thing will be exceedingly clear. In the end, EVERYONE will know how right, or how wrong you actually were. In Proverbs, we are being continually reminded of this fact. It seems that part of Wisdom and understanding is simply looking past the temporary nature and appeal of things into the end of the matter. The adulteress sounds good, looks good and feels good, but in the END, she’ll kill you!

I believe that everything in our life should be considered from an eternal perspective. Every decision has got to pass the test of endurance. You should ask yourself, “How is this decision I am making today going to affect me tomorrow, or next year, or ten years from now?” If people considered the end of things, I believe there would be a LOT less bad decisions. As this Proverb tells us concerning adultery, yeah, the whore here is sweet as honey and as smooth as silk, but in the end, she’s nothing but heartburn and a piercing sword!

“At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, "How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly." – Proverbs 5:11-14

Again, we’re told to consider the END of things. It’s at the END of their life that the fool FINALLY has a realization of the price he paid to forsake wisdom and understanding. Hating discipline and spurning correction is fun… for a minute. It’s great to hang loose and not be disciplined in the moment. But the price in the long term really isn’t that pretty. But at the end of his probably short life, the fool considers the END. By disregarding the teaching of his teachers and failing to listen to his instructors, her has come to the brink of utter ruin in front of EVERYONE!

LIFE LESSON:

Consider the END of the matter, not only the temporary benefits.

July 4th – Proverbs 4: Everything Costs Something

2011-07-08T08:50:00.000-04:00

“Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” - Proverbs 4:7

Wisdom is supreme. This word means: first, the beginning, chief, the principle thing. Wisdom should be the first thing we go after. Without wisdom, life does not have the proper context. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. Whenever I wonder how Christians are able to rage against the most basic morality, getting involved in such base sins as lust, adultery, perversion, gambling, lying/cheating on their taxes, breaking their word, etc. I remember, they are able to do so simply because they lack the Fear of the Lord. With the Fear of the Lord, they would have a basic grasp of wisdom which would prevent such ridiculous errors.

Everything costs something. If you are going to possess wisdom and understanding it will cost you something to attain it. If you decide that maybe wisdom and understanding aren’t for you, that will cost you something as well. What’s always been amazing to me is the price that people are willing to pay to NOT get wisdom or understanding. We shrink away from paying a small price for something of eternal value while paying a HUGE price for our lack thereof. Understanding will cost us EVERYTHING we have here on earth. When you truly possess wisdom and understanding, you are walking in fellowship with the Lord. When you walk in fellowship with the Lord, there is no telling what you may have to give up to walk on the narrow way.

If you lack wisdom and understanding, you may get to keep everything you possess here on earth, but you will most certainly lose everything you could have had in eternity! We are all making decisions all of the time. Wise people make quality value decisions to esteem that which is eternal over that which is temporary, foolish people mortgage their eternal security for a fun time here on earth!

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – II Corinthians 4:17,18

LIFE LESSON:

Wisdom and understanding will cost you everything here on earth. Failing to possess them here will cost you everything there… in eternity.

July 1st – Proverbs 1: #WINNING @ 30,000 Feet!

2011-07-06T09:58:00.000-04:00

“My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.” – Proverbs 1:10

I was sitting in First Class on a flight from Atlanta to California. I was given the option to upgrade my ticket to First Class for $50 and I took it. We were going on a ministry trip to minister at a church in Southern California and I had a team back in coach coming with me. It was a crammed flight and not an empty seat on the plane. One of the last people to get on the plane was a GORGEOUS young woman. She came and sat down next to me. Right away I knew she was trouble. The way she dressed and the way she carried herself were VERY seductive. I greeted her politely and began to read the book I brought with me very intently.

No sooner were we in the air than she began to order drinks. Only a couple hours into the 5 hour flight and she was pretty loose. She began talking to me, asking questions about what I was reading and what I did for a living. Telling her I was a preacher on my way to California to preach the GOSPEL didn’t seem to have any effect on her whatsoever. Clinking my wedding ring on the chair didn’t either. I excused myself, used the restroom and on my way back to the seat asked the stewardess if I could switch seats so I could sit closer to the guys on my team in coach. She was unable to help me, the flight was too full and they really couldn’t bring folks from coach into business mid-flight. I was stuck next to a loose lipped, slightly inebriated young lady that dressed and acted very seductively.

When I sat down, she gave me the whole story. Her marriage was in trouble, she was moving to California to pursue her career. She was seriously contemplating divorce. She suspected her husband of having an affair on her and she was angry. She began making eyes at me as she spoke. She also began touching my leg as she talked. I politely moved her hand off, but she would not STOP! She told me plainly that she wanted to get back at him and without a doubt; I was to be her revenge. She told me where she was staying and how to get in touch with her in California. But what took the cake was her less that subtle offer to join the “mile-high” club with her.

This sinner was enticing me! The temptation was intense to give in to her. But in a moment of clarity I saw her for what she is: a dirty WHORE inspired by the devil who was hell bent on ruining my marriage, my ministry and sending me to hell!

Here’s what I said:

Ryan: “Real quick, let me ask you a question.”

Whore: “Ok.”

Ryan: “You said you were married, right?”

Whore: “Yeah!”

Ryan: “So, you had a ceremony, right?”

Whore: “Sure!”

Ryan: “Like at a church or whatever?”

Whore: “Totally, it was this beautiful building, etc. etc. etc.”

Ryan: “Like all weddings, you probably had a bunch of witnesses, huh?”

Whore: “Yes, it was a BIG wedding, maybe 200 people!”

Ryan: “Did you have a preacher do the service for you?”

Whore: “Oh yeah, he was a family friend, blah, blah, blah…”

Ryan: “So, did he have you guys recite vows?”

Whore: “Of course!”

Ryan: “Like the traditional ones? You know, till death do us part type thing?”

Whore: “Ummm, yeah… I guess?” *getting suspicious now*

Ryan: “Let me make a recommendation, is that ok?”

Whore: “Ok…” *freaked out now*

Ryan: “I think that you should go home to your husband and fulfill your vows that you made in a church, before God and witnesses!”

Whore: *stunned silence*

The last two hours of that flight were as quiet as could be. I think I even managed to take a little nap, sleeping the sleep of the just!

LIFE LESSON:

“My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.” – Proverbs 1:10

June 30th – Proverbs 30: His Word is Flawless

2011-06-30T10:32:00.000-04:00

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Proverbs 30:5

The Word of God is an amazing gift we have been given by God. As it claims of itself, “Every Word of God is flawless”. It is without error or flaw. The Word of God has an amazing ability to protect and become a refuge for any who would hide themselves in it. Just about any Christian home in America has several copies of it. Multiplied millions of Christians around the world claim allegiance to its precepts. Thousands of books have been written in study of it and millions of sermons have been preached on it. I dare say that millions of Christians would die to protect the integrity of it. I have heard it said, “I can find 1,000 men who would die for the Word of God for every 1 man that will actually read it!” Yet for all of our claimed allegiance to it, for all of our bluster, few really read it (and obey it) as it is.

So the question needs to be asked, “If the word of God is so amazing, why don’t we obey it?” Also, “If the Bible is so wonderful, why do we feel the need to add to it?” Now, I obviously don’t have a problem with digging into scriptures and pouring through them, unlocking their meaning and how it applies to our lives. But what I do have a problem with (and God does too) is adding to what God has already said. Many churches and ministries, even ministry and bible schools have a set of core values that in many cases supersede the Word of God in priority. They are defined not by what the Word of God says about them, but by what they say about the Word of God.

“Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” – Proverbs 30:6

We are in an age of increased knowledge (Daniel 12:4) and these days, among the wise and learned in Christendom, there is a belief that in addition to the scriptures you need a “special” revelation of the scriptures to live the life that God intended. This is the basis of Gnosticism and was prevalent in the early church. It’s a destructive heresy that takes the emphasis off of the Word of God and onto our understanding of the Word of God. Maybe people don’t want to be defined by the Bible because the Word of God is serious business!

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:12,13

LIFE LESSON:

Let us not get our identity from our understanding of the Bible, but FROM the Bible.

June 29th – Proverbs 29: DIRTY HIPPIES!

2011-06-29T10:03:00.000-04:00

“The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.” Proverbs 29:15

Dirty hippies are everywhere. They have even invaded the church of God! They should be run out of town on a rail by people who love and believe the BIBLE, but instead they are celebrated and empty headed, ignorant masses follow them, unknowing that the road they are on leads to destruction! From the beginning, God has given us SPECIFIC instructions on how to discipline and raise our children, yet dirty hippies everywhere rage and scoff against the clear dictates of scripture! These days, if you discipline your kids, you are a Cro-Magnon, unenlightened dolt. Well, call me what you will, but I am responsible for my children’s salvation until they reach the age of accountability. I won’t stand by and let Dr. Spock, Dr. Phil and Oprah tell me what is best for my children. I certainly won’t let some left coast pastor who has embraced the spirit of this age and writes nice shiny books on the subject tell me that corporal punishment is tantamount to violence! I will love my kids “on purpose” AND Discipline them! God has weighed in on the subject and I will listen to Him!

The self-help mantra of dirty hippies everywhere basically teaches us that children, deep down, know what’s best for themselves and are capable of making good decisions on their own. How wrong can you possibly be and still breathe?! To leave a child to themselves will ultimately lead to disgrace. And that is one of the many things that I love about life. In the end, time will tell. Time ALWAYS tells. You can argue while you are under construction, but when the building is done, EVERYONE will see what you created! If you have neglected the discipline of your children and opted to manipulate their every little decision, at best they will grow up to be master manipulators, at worst, I will visit them for you on Saturday nights when I go to the prison. Mom, it’s going to be real difficult to smugly assert your “enlightenment” when your evil, undisciplined MONSTER grows up and embarrasses your family name.

LIFE LESSON:

To avoid egg on your face TOMORROW, discipline your children TODAY.

June 28th – Proverbs 28: Trusting in Yourself

2011-06-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

“He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.” Proverbs 28:26

The man that trusts in himself, even in his own experience, knowledge or learning, is a fool. This proverb is important because many who seek wisdom sometimes start to think they have arrived. They think that because they have sought wisdom in the past, there is no need to seek out and search for wisdom in their present or future. All throughout the word of God, especially here in Proverbs, Wisdom is always standing outside of us, calling to us:

“Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares;” – Proverbs 1:20

We don’t see and aren’t encouraged to look for wisdom from within, but from without. She calls to us and we answer her call. As we dialogue with her and give ourselves to understanding, we begin to receive the wisdom we need. But the minute we shut ourselves off from outside influence and begin to think that we have everything we need in and of ourselves, we’re in trouble.

Mature Christians are dependent people. We are called to be utterly dependent on the Lord. Many in the Western church are trained almost from birth to esteem self-sufficiency. Even in the “enlightened” Charismatic church, we teach people o live for God without God’s help! But I hate to tell you, the Christian life is a co-dependent relationship. We lean HEAVILY in the Lord; we trust utterly in the voice of the Spirit of God and build our lives around His words. Once we do this we do become possessors of divine power, insight and revelation, but it’s important to remember where it came from. Even Jesus recognized this fact:

“Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” – John 5:19

Just in case you think that’s a typo:

“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” – John 5:30

I think we get the idea that God fills us with His Spirit and with His Word and then leaves us out there, naked, cold and alone. NO WAY! He offers Himself freely, but we are to live every day in recognition of who is in us and working through us. Jesus told us to live the same way as He did:

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

LIFE LESSON:

Trust in yourself and you will fall, walk with Wisdom and you’ll be safe!

June 27th, Proverb 27: Role Reversal

2011-06-27T10:17:00.000-04:00

“He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.” – Proverbs 27:18

This proverb highlights an important principle in the Kingdom of God. If we will give ourselves to doing the job we were created to do, God will make it His priority to care for our needs. In the same way that the man who looks after and tends to the fig tree has the right to eat of its fruit, we have access to the provision of God when we give ourselves to doing His will.

“So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:31-33

God’s promise to us is that if we will give ourselves to seek FIRST His Kingdom and righteousness, He will make it His business to provide for all that we need! Then why is it that so many Christians let their ENTIRE lives be consumed with the procurement of their personal needs? And we wonder why we have so little evidence of the Kingdom in our lives! Maybe it’s because instead of seeking the Kingdom, we are seeking our own personal needs? We are doing God’s job (providing for our needs) and asking God to do our job (seeking the Kingdom). The order in the Kingdom is this Seek First the Kingdom & Righteousness, then God will provide! I can’t tell you how many times that I have heard believers say that if they can JUST provide for their needs, THEN they could seek the Kingdom! That’s worldly wisdom, not the Kingdom!

This proverb tells us that if we look after our master, we will be honored. That word for honor there is the Hebrew word “Kabod” and it is the word in the Bible used to describe the Glory of God! We are told that if we will care for our Master we will receive honor. Isn’t that what we are here for? We are called to worship the Lord and serve Him with our lives! As we do, we will be filled with His glory and receive honor and praise from where it counts, HIM! But most Christians neglect their Master (Jesus) and seek their own honor. We’ve got it backwards!

LIFE LESSON:

Seek your own honor and you get dishonor. Seek HIS honor and you’ll be honored. Seek your own provision and you neglect the Kingdom. Seek His Kingdom and HE will GIVE you His provision!

June 24th – Proverbs 24: Saved to Save!

2011-06-24T10:12:00.000-04:00

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” – Proverbs 24:11

We are called to rescue those being led away to death and those staggering towards slaughter. There is simply no other reason that Jesus would save our souls here on earth and then leave us here until He comes back or we go to see Him! We who have been saved are called to save the lost. Salvation is not a personal thing, it’s a global thing. Selfish believers are ones that keep the glorious grace of the Gospel to themselves and don’t share it with the lost and dying around them. This Gospel only works as we pass it on. What we have been given, we are to give!

“As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” – Matthew 10:7,8

We have been freely given the Gospel, to NOT freely give it away is madness! I have heard Atheists exclaim, “If I believed in an eternal hell, how much would I have to hate someone to not give my life to warn them from impending disaster?!” It’s true, our apathy concerning the Gospel is proof to the world that either we don’t really believe in an eternal Heaven/Hell or love the world enough to tell them about it! It’s one thing to share the Gospel and be rejected. It’s another thing entirely to neglect the sharing of the Gospel for fear of rejection. We as believers need to overcome our fear of men and embrace the fear of God. It’s way scarier to me to deal with the Face of God in eternity than to deal with the face of men here in this temporal world.

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

This constant recognition that God is watching our lives and knowing our motives and that ultimately we will be held accountable for what we do (or don’t do) is called the Fear of God… and it’s a good thing! The rest of this Proverb tells us precisely that:

“If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” – Proverbs 24:12

LIFE LESSON:

You can fool yourself and pretend that it doesn’t matter what you do in this life, but deep down, we know the truth… don’t we??

June 23rd – Proverbs 23: The Marriage Stone

2011-06-23T09:41:00.000-04:00

“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.” – Proverbs 23:10,11

This Proverb encourages us to not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless. We’re told that their Defender is mighty and he will take up their cause against us. So what does this mean and how do we apply it today?

In ancient times, when lands and properties were granted or territories were divided, they would set out stones to mark the boundaries of the land. These stones were large and heavy; they were difficult to move and stood the test of time. Generations would pass and the boundary stones would remain as a quiet reminder of the boundaries set generations ago. To “move an ancient boundary stone” is both literally and metaphorically speaking to us. Today, the application would primarily be metaphorically. The Proverb is telling us to not attempt to change an ancient boundary, law or principle.

Take marriage for example. From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, God instituted marriage between a man and woman. It was established this way before we walked the earth. For many generations, thousands of years in fact, the institution of marriage has been celebrated, respected and honored. But in our generation, many think they have become “enlightened”. They think that if a man loves a man or a woman loves a woman, they should be able to marry. Right now it’s actually being seriously considered in many states to allow gay (homosexual/sodomite) marriage! This is concerning because if this happens, as a nation we are allowing an ancient boundary stone to be moved. You can guarantee that the Defender (Redeemer) of this ancient way will be taking up the case against our nation!

The “fields of the fatherless” speaks of the property and possessions of those that can’t defend themselves, orphans, widows and the like. To overpower them simply because they are disadvantaged and do not have the power to fight back is demonic. This happens every day as greedy corporations or city governments’ walk all over the rights of the widows, orphans and the poor. I have watched the “beautification” of Atlanta over the last 15 years and am appalled at our city’s treatment of the poor and the homeless/fatherless. It’s true, they can’t defend themselves so they make an easy adversary in court, but they DO have a Defender: His name is Jesus! You mess with them and He will mess with you! This reality should cause us to think very carefully before taking advantage of the poor and disenfranchised. Just because we CAN doesn’t mean we SHOULD. This applies corporately, in businesses, governments and even personally.

LIFE LESSON:

Gay marriage is an abomination to God and a blatant relocation of an ANCIENT boundary stone. You can quote me on that.

June 22nd – Proverbs 22: The Simple Keep Going and Going and Going…

2011-06-22T08:29:00.000-04:00

“A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” – Proverbs 22:3

The simple or foolish are a lot like the Energizer bunny; they keep going and going and going. Even when the road ahead is clearly fraught with danger and destruction, they press in and press on their foolish course. It’s not that they don’t know which direction they are headed, they just keep going! I believe that many of us in our foolish idealism feel that “if only they knew” they would do something differently. Think of the political climate today. Our lawmakers honestly believe that if they give the American people more knowledge, they will stop doing stupid stuff like smoking, drinking to excess and having unprotected sex.

NOT TRUE!

The nature of sin is illogical. Think of Adam and the woman (she wasn’t given the name Eve until AFTER they had sinned), they had this idyllic environment and very few restrictions. In fact, they only had one “Don’t eat of the tree in the middle of the garden”. Having knowledge that eating the tree would lead to death, they still ate! Why? Because sin is deceptive! It’s confusing and it blinds us to simple truth:

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.” – Hebrews 3:13

In our culture, we worship knowledge. We believe that knowledge is power. In truth, having knowledge is much better than not having knowledge, but as this scripture describes, it’s not ignorance that leads the simple to destruction. They know that the road is dangerous but they don’t change course.

The prudent man on the other hand sees the danger ahead on the path he is taking and CHANGES COURSE. He does a little course correction and takes refuge from the impending disaster. This is his salvation. The wise application of knowledge is infinitely more powerful and effective than the gathering of knowledge. I would rather have one guy with a small amount of applied knowledge than an “expert” who has never applied one thing he learned! The church is fool/full of these kinds of people today! We have adopted so many of our wicked and depraved culture’s values that we truly exalt knowledge above action.

LIFE LESSON:

What we know is only as effective as what we do with what we know.

June 21st – Proverbs 21: Directing Our Hearts

2011-06-21T10:03:00.000-04:00

“The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” – Proverbs 21:1

Many times I have read this verse and thought that this scripture is talking of those in great levels of authority and power. People like Kings, Presidents and Prime Ministers. It’s true, this scripture does apply to those in great power. God can touch and change the affections and cares of our leaders as this scripture describes. But today while reading this verse, I believe God was showing me more. Doesn’t God call US, His people, Kings & Priests?

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” – Revelation 1:5,6

And again:

“And You made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign over the earth.” – Revelation 5:10

Being a disciple of the Lord Jesus can sometimes be scary and here is a reason why. When we, His people dedicate our lives, our resources and our affections to the Lord, he takes them! When we “give our hearts to Jesus” that is really what we are doing! We give Him the power to direct our affections, desires, dreams and ambitions. I have talked to believers who the Lord has called and directed their hearts to:

• Give their lives in Africa, India & Mexico

• Give their lives taking care of widows and orphans

• Sell everything & spend themselves completely on behalf of the poor

Now, I am not one of those people that believes in the inherent good of man. I think that most people are bent on taking care of themselves, not helping others. But something happens when we encounter the Lord and trust Him with the affections of our hearts! He will take a selfish, self-serving person and transform their heart into one that is completely laid down in service to others! This is what happens when the lord directs the course of our hearts as HE pleases.

LIFE LESSON:

Many folks take/give personal credit for a heart directed by HIM.

June 20th – Proverbs 20: An Invisible Inheritance?

2011-06-21T09:48:00.000-04:00

“The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.” – Proverbs 20:7

This passage could also be translated: “The just and lawful man walks continually in innocence, integrity and prosperity, his children are left with a legacy of happiness, honesty and righteousness.” Many people today, especially men, are almost obsessed with leaving a financial inheritance for their children. This is good, to a point. The Bible tells us:

“A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.” – Proverbs 13:20

So being wise with our finances is important. It’s best to give our kids a “leg up” on their future. Starting them on the right foundation with their finances is important. Training them to understand simple concepts like spending less than they make and how to invest their money is important. But even more important is laying up for them an eternal inheritance, that’s NOT made with money! Think about it, what is a financial inheritance without integrity? Didn’t the Prodigal Son get a crazy awesome inheritance? But without a conscience or integrity, he blew it ALL on whores and wild living in no time at all! How would you like to see your decades of hard work go up in a puff of pot smoke like that? This makes me respect the response of the Father even more! He came RUNNING to his kid that had squandered decades of HIS hard work. Amazing!

So giving my kids a financial inheritance would be nice and I will do what I can to that end. But an inheritance of righteousness is even more important. It is my ambition to give my children the most precious inheritance of righteousness and integrity. They are going to watch their parents spend themselves completely on the Lord and His purpose for our generation. I’m going to teach them what a laid down life looks like. I’m going to show them a working model of a righteous life. They will know what it looks like to live a “blameless life.” Because my concern is an eternal inheritance, I may not be able to give them a huge financial inheritance, but what I will give them will be more valuable than a fully matured CD or fully funded IRA.

LIFE LESSON:

Not all inheritances are made of money. Those kind actually pay out more at death than cash.

June 17th – Proverbs 17: Wise Servant or Disgraceful Son?

2011-06-17T10:14:00.000-04:00

“A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son, and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.” – Proverb 17:2

There is much talk in the body today about our sonship in Jesus Christ. This is a good thing and a deep truth. Many teachers had come before Jesus, but Jesus was the only one to call Himself a son and claim that God was His Father. We ARE called to be sons of God in Christ Jesus, walking in the same power and authority of our older brother:

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” – John 1:12,13

We are also called to serve God. One revelation does not destroy another! Jesus was the ultimate example of an empowered son who serves:

“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." – Matthew 20:26-28

Yet many believers flaunt their new-found sonship with a sense of pride and air of superiority over those poor peasant Christians who are still working for Jesus as servants. Even worse, many are using their “sonship” as a cover up for a fleshly, carnal lifestyle. Whenever they are called to account for their unspiritual behavior, out comes the “I’m a King’s Kid” excuse. This Proverb shows us that it would be better to maintain the role and mentality of a faithful servant than pervert the reality of sonship. Now, I don’t think that because many have perverted the truth we need to overreact and walk away from the revelation that we are in fact Sons and Daughters of the King! But what we do need to understand is that it would have been better to faithfully serve as a servant than to claim sonship in disgrace. In fact, the wise servant walks in greater authority than a disgraceful son.

If we are to err, it would be better to err on the side of faithful servant hood than it would disgraceful sonship. This is because a son is the pride of His Father, He carries the family name and represents His Father to the world. In the same way we are called to carry the family name and carry on the Father’s business of reconciling the world to the Father.

LIFE LESSON:

Lots of disgraceful sons look down their noses at faithful servants, not knowing that this mere “servant” just took their inheritance!

June 16th – Proverbs 16: Silver & Gold

2011-06-16T09:28:00.000-04:00

“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!” – Proverbs 16:16

In these uncertain economic times, every other commercial I have seen on TV is telling us to invest in gold. The thinking is that when and if our currency fails, gold will be a safe haven to invest wealth in. It’s true, holding hard currency like gold or silver seems like a good idea when our paper money is being devalued. But the Word of God has an even better investment strategy. Instead of storing up gold and silver, the word of God tells us to lay hold of and possess wisdom and understanding.

The primary writer of the Proverbs was Solomon. Solomon knew more than anyone that wisdom and understanding were better than silver and gold. When he was a young man, he had an encounter with God where the Lord came to him and basically asked him “what do you want?”

“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." – I Kings 3:5

Solomon could have said “wealth” because politically speaking, wealth is power. Solomon could have asked the Lord to wipe out all his enemies or to give Him unlimited power, but he did something altogether unexpected:

“Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" – I Kings 3:6-9

Solomon asked for a discerning heart, to understand right from wrong. He asked for Wisdom. This request pleased the Lord. So much in fact that God gave him MUCH MORE than he had asked for:

“The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." – I Kings 3:10-14

You see, Solomon understood what we often forget. Wisdom is supreme. Understanding is vital. Without it, we are rudderless and our lives have no context. What is a rich man without morality? What is a wealthy nation without principles? Possessing wisdom and understanding gives us access to all the wealth and prosperity we need!

LIFE LESSON:

If the dollar collapses and our economy and country falls into ruin, I would rather have wisdom than a block of metal.

June 15th – Proverbs 15: Calm or Chaos?

2011-06-15T10:59:00.000-04:00

“A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.” – Proverbs 15:18

I’ve read this proverb many times before and I think that I am just now seeing what its saying! This Proverb could be translated; An angry man that is poisoned with rage meddles with and stirs up strife and discord, but a man who is patient and long suffering brings a sense of calm and settles a controversy wherever he goes.

The hot tempered man brings that atmosphere wherever he goes. He can walk into a room and suddenly strife and controversy will appear. If there is dissension or unease under the surface, he brings it to the forefront. As I read this, I am thinking of a couple people I have known in my life that had this affect wherever they went. You could be in a group of people and everyone could be getting along just fine until this person walks in. Suddenly the atmosphere in the room is charged with controversy and before you know it, sides have formed and the peace that was once there has long since retreated. I’ve worked on many teams, from home groups to worship teams to ministry teams and the person with anger in their heart manifests anger in their relationships.

In the same way, the person who is patient and long suffering can step into a room or heated situation charged with anger and bring calm. The same calm that abides in their spirits manifests in the room! It’s always been my desire to be that kind of person, as I have seen the power of this proverb in action. Patience and long suffering benefits the person who has it as well as everyone that person comes in contact with. In the same way, the short tempered and angry person suffers in their anger, but they also bring others into that same suffering! Basically, we bring others into the atmosphere that we carry in our spirits. If we are at peace, we bring peace wherever we go. If we are depressed and anxious, we bring that stuff with us!

Now, there is a time and place for controversy and confrontation, but the purpose is always restoration! People that never confront anything normally have LOTS of gnarly stuff going on just beneath the surface. But people that are always stirring up controversy and debate without ever getting a resolve are just a problem.

LIFE LESSON:

What do YOU bring to a situation? Calm or Chaos?

June 14th – Proverbs 14: Tearing It Down!

2011-06-15T10:32:00.000-04:00

“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” – Proverbs 14:1

Oh man, this Proverb is LOADED. In my last 99 posts, I have talked extensively of the foolish man and the wise man. We’ve even talked of the lady we call Wisdom and the lady we call Folly. But here another two women are mentioned; the wise woman and the foolish woman.

Here we find the wise woman doing what wise women do, BUILDING! The wise or prudent woman builds up her house. This word for build means to make, to obtain children, to set up and interestingly enough, to repair. So we find the wise woman doing all of these things to her own house. She is laying hold of and obtaining children. Why? Because children are a blessing! Any mentality that tells us that children are a burden is pop psychology and rails against biblical wisdom. Sure enough, children are a huge responsibility and not to be taken lightly (I have 3 of them) but they are amazing! Don’t let anyone tell you differently! We also find the wise woman making and setting up her home. She works diligently to make the home a place of nesting and resting. She creates a place of nesting for her as she creates an environment and atmosphere that supports life and peace in the home. She creates a place of resting for him to rest and recreate after exposure in and among the world.

Lastly, we find her repairing the home. She’s repairing the home because stuff breaks! Relationships break down, the kids need adjustment and the marriage needs constant work. Instead of talking against her marriage, her home, her finances, the wise woman gets busy repairing the problem!

Now the foolish woman is another story altogether. The foolish woman tears her OWN home down! The word for “tear down” means; to pull down, break in pieces, ruin, destroy, overthrow and beat down. The foolish woman doesn’t respond well to adversity. When the marriage starts to break down you can hear her badmouthing her “idiot” husband. When the kids are out of control, instead of working diligently to discipline and correct them, she runs her mouth about how “bad” they are and how she can do nothing for them. When finances are tight, instead of pinching pennies and being frugal, she complains and moans about how much better it would be if she married a doctor or a lawyer. The worst thing about it is that she is tearing down her own home!

LIFE LESSON:

As her once beautiful home crumbles all around her, you can see the foolish woman gripping a sledgehammer whilst standing over a pile of rubble, LOUDLY wishing her husband would have done more to save it.

June 13th - Proverbs 13: Either Way, You Get Paid

2011-06-15T09:52:00.000-04:00

“He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.” – Proverbs 13:13

Everything we do in life is a choice. I abhor the idea that we are simply slaves to and powerless over our circumstances. This mentality creates a culture of victimization and makes deliverance from the circumstances nearly impossible. No, the truth is that we have power to affect our circumstances. In circumstances that we can’t control we at least have the power to affect ourselves and our reaction to circumstances. We are powerful people!

Many people look at the circumstances of their life, whether it’s relational difficulties or financial difficulties and forget that they had choices in the creation of such circumstances. The person that’s in debt up to their eyeballs or struggling to make payments on their house often forgets that they signed on the dotted line and made a covenant to pay X amount on the X day of the month at X interest rate. But when that bill comes due, all of a sudden, we develop amnesia, forgetting our commitment! Or consider the person that’s struggling greatly in their marriage. Very rarely do people suddenly overnight sprout a serious disorder or sin pattern. No, more than likely it was discovered maybe during the engagement or when they first started dating, or even early in the marriage. Many folks, afraid of confrontation don’t bother to deal with such things in their infancy hoping they will just go away. But when they come to maturity, say 5, 10 or even 20 years in the marriage all of a sudden we act surprised!

The truth is we made a choice. A choice to not confront TODAY is a choice to deal with the repercussions TOMORROW. Likewise, a choice to confront TODAY is a choice to blunt the effects TOMORROW. We all make choices. This proverb describes such a process: It tells us that the person that despises and loathes correction, instruction and rebuke will suffer greatly. Another translation says that they will be destroyed. This Hebrew word also means bound, offended and to writhe in pain. This is the fruit of a choice. A choice to scorn instruction is a choice to hurt. In the same way, a person that chooses to respect a command or heed instruction is choosing to be rewarded.

Taking responsibility for our lifestyle, relationship and financial choices may seem like a difficult task. But suffering the effects of bad decisions as a victim is MUCH worse.

LIFE LESSON:

Own your failures. Admit them and make a CHOICE to overcome them.

June 10th – Proverbs 10: The Blessing of the Lord

2011-06-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

“The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” – Proverbs 10:22

This is an amazing scripture and also an amazing observation. I’ve seen so many people working for the blessing of the Lord, increasing their hours each week they are working, increasing their responsibility to attain God’s blessing and favor. The only problem is that isn’t God’s blessing! When God blesses us, He simply adds to what we are ALREADY doing. We see an increase in production, effectiveness and income WITHOUT added toil or energy being expended!

But first, let me qualify that… We are all called to work diligently and with excellence. Is this because we just love our boss or company? No, it’s because we are truly working for the Lord, not men.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23,24

Some people are just lazy and don’t work diligently or with excellence. When they begin working diligently, there is an increase in production and hours or energy. When they see God blessing this effort, they associate blessing with hard work. Yes, we need to work hard and work diligently, but the nature of God’s blessing is that it comes WITHOUT added toil or energy being expended. I can always tell when God is blessing me because I am not doing anything additional to earn it!

The word trouble here is translated: sorrow, grievous toil and even “idol”. This is important that we understand this! Many folks begin their quest for the blessing of God when the Lord gives them a promise that He is going to bless them! When it doesn’t happen in their time table (and it never does) often folks are prone to work hard for what God has promised freely! With us, when God promises blessing and that blessing seems delayed, we are tempted to “help him out” by working more, starting a new business, becoming a real estate investor or stock market analyst, etc. forgetting the very nature of God’s blessing: “He adds no trouble to it.”

It was the same way with Abraham, God promised to bless him dramatically. When the blessing didn’t materialize, Abraham figured he would help God out a bit by sleeping with his maidservant, Hagar. That effort produced Ishmael, not Isaac. Isaac was the child of promise, Ishmael was the product of Abraham’s fleshly effort.

LIFE LESSON:

Virtually ALL of the conflict in the Middle East today comes from the enmity between Ishmael and Isaac. I wonder how much of the conflict in our lives is due to us “helping” God bless us?

June 9th – Proverbs 9: The Woman Folly

2011-06-14T09:32:00.000-04:00

“The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.” – Proverbs 9:13

Wisdom is a woman (Proverbs 9:1), but so is Folly (Proverbs 9:13). Wisdom cries out (Proverbs 1:20), but so does Folly (Proverbs 9:15). One leads to life, prosperity and honor, the other to ruin. So how do we tell them apart?

The woman Folly is loud… Proverbs 9:13

Some of the loudest voices out there are the ones trying to lead you straight to hell. Volume is no indicator of who is right. It’s amazing, I see it every day on Facebook, people that have NO business instructing others violently, loudly and forcefully hammering their stupid opinion home on the unsuspecting and simple. The simple listen to Folly because she’s the loudest voice in the room. But remember Elijah? The Lord came to Him in a still, small voice. Wisdom many times comes in that still, small voice in the back of your head. Or sometimes she comes and warns you with a small warning in your spirit, you don’t feel right about a particular decision. Wise people listen to those promptings, the simple charge forward over their violated conscience to certain destruction.

She is undisciplined… Proverbs 9:13

The voice that speaks to you about your life, but has no power to change her own is a LIAR. Again, Folly will offer her opinion over the glaringly bad example of her own inability! An undisciplined life is the first sign and signal that what she’s saying is WRONG. Wise people are disciplined people. Foolish people are marked and identified by a LACK of discipline. So, am I saying that we should be offering our opinions until we have a degree of mastery in the area we are offering them? YES! But Folly completely ignores her own personal failure and offers you her advice that has produced the mess she now resides in. The examples are too numerous to mention: the woman with undisciplined kids offering child rearing advice, a fat person offering diet tips or one of my favorite, a broke person with financial advice!

The woman Folly is loud, undisciplined and without knowledge. Biblical knowledge is more than information, it’s the application of information. We think because we have HEARD something that we are DOING it. This is a profound deception! The woman Folly KNOWS information, she just doesn't do them. If she did, she would be quiet and get some discipline in her life.

LIFE LESSON:

“Listen to me, the loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room!” - Frank Lucas

June 8th – Proverbs 8: Finding Favor, Loving Death!

2011-06-14T09:15:00.001-04:00

“For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death." – Proverbs 8:35,36

The person that loves wisdom and finds her (she’s a chick) finds life and receives favor from the Lord. The pursuit of wisdom is not a casual thing; it should be one of our chief life goals, to lay hold of wisdom and understanding. The benefits of knowing and understanding lady Wisdom are manifold and are revealed again in this passage; life and favor! People that find wisdom and possess understanding are truly alive! They aren’t living for themselves, but for the betterment of others. They aren’t selfish and self-centered but outwardly focused and God-centered. They understand the fear of the Lord and this governs their actions. It has been said:

“The glory of God is man fully alive.” - St. Irenaeus

I believe this is true. God is most glorified in us when we thrive in His life. To achieve this kind of life, we must lay hold of wisdom and the fear of the Lord. Favor is the delight of God upon our lives. When we lay hold of wisdom, God smiles upon us. He is blessed when we are blessed! I love that we serve a God that is fully engaged in our prosperity, blessing and glorification!

This proverb tells us that the person that does not find wisdom, loves death and harms himself! That’s harsh! When we don’t lay hold of wisdom and the fear of the Lord, either through passivity or simply ignoring her when she calls, we harm ourselves. I have told people for years that God’s ways are not made for His benefit only, but for ours! Many people seem to think that the Lord is a cosmic kill joy, stopping them from doing fun things they want to do. But that’s not so! When God forbids something, He does so for our benefit! By not laying hold of wisdom we harm ourselves. By simply not pursuing her, we show that we love death instead of life. Now who wants to stay there?

LIFE LESSON:

I love Wisdom because I love life and enjoy God’s favor. You?

June 7th – Proverbs 7: The Turning Heart

2011-06-09T11:27:00.000-04:00

“Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.” – Proverbs 7:24,25

This proverb is obviously talking about the adulteress. The writer gives us a detailed account of what motivates the adulteress and then also expounds on the mindset of the young lad that falls to her ways. Probably the most gripping part of the Proverb is the end result of falling into adultery:

“Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.” – Proverbs 7:26,27

Truly this is a result we want to avoid! But also interesting to note is what leads to this final end:

“Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.” –Proverbs 7:25

Many times before our ACTIONS change for the worse, our HEART turns to wickedness. Our heart is the epicenter of our spiritual life and the engine of our actions. When our hearts turn to the Lord, our righteous actions reflect that turning. In the same way, before people start DOING crazy, sinful things, their hearts have ALREADY turned to wickedness. I don’t know one guy who got caught in adultery that didn’t have some kind of problem with lust or pornography. The direction of our heart will determine the direction of our walk. That’s why we are encouraged to GUARD our hearts!

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

Before our actions change, our hearts already have! This proverb is telling us that we can control our behavior by directing our hearts affections. People that walk a lifestyle of righteousness have already turned their hearts to righteousness. People that walk in unrighteousness have already turned their hearts in the direction of wickedness. It’s not rocket science!

LIFE LESSON:

Your FEET follow your HEART. To change your WALK, you must first change your HEART.

June 6th – Proverbs 6: Simple Question, Simple Answer

2011-06-08T10:35:00.000-04:00

“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?” – Proverbs 6:27-28

Simple questions demand simple answers. Take this one for example: “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” The answer is of course, NO. Yet so many people live their lives trying to disprove such simple, ironclad logic. We make these elaborate excuses and reasons to explain away our faults and sins. Most all of them will come down to a simple explanation. Get caught in adultery? It’s because you have been playing with fire: Sexual immorality. Sexual immorality has a unique attraction to men and that is the context of the Proverb we’re talking about today:

“So is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.” – Proverbs 6:29

That immoral woman may look nice, she may talk nice and smell nice, but in the end, she’s another man’s wife! Touching her is like playing with fire! If you play with fire you WILL get burned, period. Why is it that we think we can flirt with danger and not get hurt? I’ve known men that feel good about themselves because they withstood a temptation that they should have run from! Many things that we are trying to bear up under simply need to be defeated by abandoning them!

I like what David Hogan said one time, “Things that have eaten my lunch in the past, I don’t let even sit at the table!” That is a wise position, if something has defeated you in the past, why even give it a chance in the future? If you struggle with sexual temptation, either in real life or with something like pornography, don’t try to bear up under the temptation, RUN from it!

“FLEE from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” – I Corinthians 6:18

Many men are frustrated because they can’t get and stay free from the temptation of pornography, largely because they are giving this DEMON too much of their time and energy. They have TONS of unaccountable time and energy and wonder why they fall into the trap? What’s happening is that they are dining with temptation instead of running out the door.

LIFE LESSON:

While playing with fire, you honestly can’t act surprised WHEN you get burned.

June 3rd – Proverbs 3: The Discipline of the Lord

2011-06-04T10:01:00.000-04:00

“My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” – Proverbs 3:11-12

I believe that many Christians think that under the New Covenant there is no such thing as discipline… well, they are WRONG. Discipline isn’t as much about Covenant as it is about a relationship with the Father. God is a good father is disciplines His kids, therefore, GOOD father’s discipline. Some people think that disciplining your kids means you don’t love them, but the opposite is true!

“He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” – Proverbs 13:24

If you DON’T discipline your kids, you HATE them, but if you love them, you discipline them. Why is it that so many Christians talk about God’s love, while neglecting the Lord’s discipline? If God loves you as much as you claim (while you go around living a selfish, sinful life), He would be disciplining you!

“And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." – Hebrews 12:5-6

When we discipline our children here on earth, we use the rod of correction. It’s a very simple concept that says, “wrong behavior = PAIN”. All the psychobabble in the world can’t negate the simple logic involved here:

“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.” – Proverbs 22:15

So what is the discipline of the Lord? Obviously, God isn’t reaching down from Heaven with his Cosmic Heavenly Rod and spanking us. No, the Bible tells us:

“Endure hardship as discipline;” – Hebrews 12:7

In the New Testament, this word “hardship” is also called: chastening, education, training, correction. So the Lord is telling us to endure this correction as it is from the Lord. The word “endure” means: stay under, remain in.

Bottom line, DON’T RUN from correction and rebuke, receive it! If we don’t, I’m afraid the outcome is unfavorable:

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.” – Hebrews 12:7-8

LIFE LESSON:

A God that "loves" you SO MUCH that He doesn’t discipline you isn’t the God of the Bible.

June 2nd – Proverbs 2: What’s In Store

2011-06-04T09:33:00.000-04:00

“He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.” – Proverbs 2:7-8

Many believers walk around every day with a sense of dread. Conditioned by previous bad experiences and defeats, they seem to be waiting for “the other shoe to drop”. Even when good things occur, many Christians have the thought, “nothing good lasts forever”. In reality, bad things do sometimes happen and I think it’s generally a good thing to be prepared for the worst. But living in that sense of foreboding and dread is NOT the Lord!

In the book of Luke, we are given a promise concerning the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, the priesthood (those that served the Lord) lived under a continual sense of dread. Make one wrong move in the temple and you were DEAD. But in the New Testament, the High Priest Zechariah prophesied:

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” – Luke 1:68-75

Under this New Covenant of faith in the blood of Jesus, we are empowered to serve the Lord without fear! Fear is NOT our friend! Instead of being convinced of the enemy’s ability to penetrate our defenses and ruin our lives, we should grow in confidence in God and HIS ability to “be a shield to those who are blameless” and “guard the course of the just and protect His faithful ones.” Instead of a sense of foreboding and doom, we should be confident that God has GOOD things stored up for us. In fact, “He holds VICTORY in store for the upright”. What’s coming upon us and what’s in store for us is GOOD!

LIFE LESSON:

Many people are trying to do the New Covenant with an Old Covenant mindset.

June 1st – Proverbs 1: "The View"

2011-06-04T09:17:00.000-04:00

“My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.” – Proverbs 1:10

I remember a sermon I heard in the mid-nineties like I heard it yesterday. It was a sermon by Roberts Liardon and it was called, “The View”. It dealt with the subject of this passage, being enticed or jealous of sinners and what they possess. It would be easy to be enticed by sinners if you didn’t consider the end of their lifestyles or the outcome of their way of life. He used Psalm 73 as a text. It reads:

“A psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” – Psalm 73:1-3

The Psalmist considers the apparent prosperity of the wicked and is tempted to envy them. He notes:

“They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.” – Psalm 73:4-5

He goes on and on noting the condition of sinners and begins to wonder if walking in righteousness was really a good idea at all!

“Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.” – Psalm 73:13-14

But then, the Psalmist gets a perspective that we as believers MUST have. It’s a long term, eternal perspective that considers the end of the matter and not just the beginning:

“When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” – Psalm 73:16-17

He considers the end of their way of life and it’s not pretty:

“Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!” – Psalm 73:18-19

For several verses we see the final end of sinners. The psalm ends with these sobering words:

“Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” – Psalm 73:27-28

LIFE LESSON:

If a wicked lifestyle seems enticing just consider the END RESULT.

May 31st – Proverbs 31: More Than Rubies

2011-05-31T09:15:00.000-04:00

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” – Proverbs 31:10

Lots of single guys I know are looking for a stunning beauty to marry. It seems for some guys that the ONLY requirement for the women they are looking for is that she look great in a bikini. It is true, if a woman does not take care of herself and look her personal best, she may never get noticed by Mr. Right. In our culture, we are conditioned to recognize physical beauty above all things. Now, I am NOT one of those people that say physical beauty is unimportant, that’s just silly. Of course, physical beauty is important, but it being the sole requirement for a relationship is madness! A woman of great beauty is not difficult to find, especially in the south. But according to the scriptures, a woman of noble character is a rare discovery and worth FAR more than precious stones. If we had that kind of respect and admiration for character over looks there would be a lot less divorce and broken hearts.

I always encourage men to look at the heart (after noticing outward, physical beauty). If the chick they are interested in doesn’t love Jesus and isn’t totally committed to the Lord, WALK AWAY. There will be nothing but heartache if you pursue a woman that is worldly and carnal. Sure, she might look great in that miniskirt, but without character, what you gain having her as arm candy you will lose in confidence.

“Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.” – Proverbs 31:11

My wife is beautiful. I have no problem admitting it, it’s the first thing I noticed about her and one of the first things I recognize about her every day. But early on in our relationship, as I got to know her, what really attracted me to her was her hunger and passion for Jesus. Her commitment to the Lord is expressed to me in keeping her covenant. Because she fears the Lord, she’s a wonderful, faithful wife and I have never doubted her integrity for a moment. Now, that is priceless. I have known men married to total stunners without character that wonder every day if their wife will come home pregnant. What torture! Yes she’s beautiful, but without integrity, you aren’t sure she is all yours. YUCK!

Of course, overzealous Christians have all but made a rule saying that a woman who looks good is unfaithful, which is totally ridiculous. I was under this delusion when I first got saved. As I graduated high school I was looking for a wife and wanted to get married. After reading scriptures like this, I overreacted. I thought that the woman the Lord had for me would be a troll, with noble character. I found a young lady with whom I had NO physical attraction to who loved the Lord and determined she MUST be God’s choice for me. How silly. Thankfully, the Lord showed me that the woman He had for me would be drop dead gorgeous AND love Him completely.

LIFE LESSON:

“Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.” – Proverbs 11:22

May 30th – Proverbs 30: The WORD

2011-05-31T08:40:00.000-04:00

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” – Proverbs 30:5

God’s word is absolutely amazing. Only God’s words could have power in them thousands of years after they were spoken. The bible is the most amazing piece of literature ever produced. Consistently, it’s been a bestseller as long as we’ve had the printing press. The lives of countless millions, including some of the wisest and most influential people of our time, have been guided by its message. Critics say that the Bible was written by men and they are right! But the Bible’s origin was not in the heart of men, but directly from the Spirit of God. The word of God says about itself:

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” - II Peter 1:20,21

Even in the church today we have an almost anti-word movement. These folks emphasize a relationship with the Holy Spirit apart from a living connection with the word of God. Many believers think that allegiance to the scriptures is somehow high treason against the Holy Spirit. But what they forget is that the Holy Spirit is the one that wrote the book! Our relationship is guided by the word of God. But even more than that, we must realize that the scriptures are not JUST a book. They are a person.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1

This is why at times the scriptures seem to “jump off the page” and it seems as if the Bible was written just for us. He (the Word) is trying to reveal Himself to us. I am sure; there are many that reject a relationship with the Author of the Word (the Holy Spirit) for knowledge of the Bible. There are also some that reject knowledge of the scriptures for a relationship with the Holy Spirit. But we don’t ever have to make such a choice, we can have both!

If we will take refuge in the Word of God we will experience His protection like a shield. Remember, the Word isn’t just words on a page, it’s a person! We’re not hiding away in a book, but abiding in the shadow of the Almighty!

LIFE LESSON:

The Word is a person, not a book. By rejecting the book, you neglect the person.