July 20th – Proverbs 20: A Mouthful of Gravel

“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!

“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!

“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!

“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!

“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!

“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

“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!