Proverbs - Walking in the Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 14:2

He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD:

but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

When we fear the Lord our steps will prove it.  Those who fear the Lord are making choices and taking steps that honor Him because His eyes are upon them.  If we are women who conduct ourselves in some sort of hidden manner, we do not fear Him nor consider His presence in our lives.  Our lives must be open and vulnerable to His judgments and evaluation.  We must trust Him to send to us His conclusion of the steps we are taking. If we do certain things in haste and try hard not hear Him, we despise Him and show that we think we know better than Him.  Ladies, do not allow the temptation of secret sin to diminish your perspective of our great and mighty God.  He sees it all and He will deal with us as any good Father would.  He will discipline us and there is nothing hidden from Him.  Trust Him.  Put those things that you are ashamed of in the light of His x-ray vision and allow Him to diagnose and treat the broken fellowship you have with Him.  Walk consistently today knowing He is worthy to be obeyed and feared.  Your life will be so much less complicated and your path so much plainer.

Knowing God - He is Present Help

Ps 46:1

 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

God is a Present Help

When we need help, we need it now.  God is revealing to us that He Himself is our refuge and strength.  He wants us to know that we can hide in Him and draw strength from Him.  He wants us to know that His presence promises help.  He is our helper.  We need help.  God is always ready to provide the help we need because He is present with us at all times.  We can still our anxious hearts and become aware that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith.  We can cease our anxious thoughts because we have the mind of Christ.  We can humble ourselves in those times where we find ourselves overwhelmed knowing He can lead us to a rock that is higher than ourselves.  We can stop looking to money to be our help because God is our provider.  We can stop putting expectations on others to help because our expectation comes from God!  We can stop growing weary in our trials because He has promised to be our strength.  We can hide in Him and gain the much needed protection and peace we may need in the midst of trouble.  The Lord is a very present help in time of trouble.  He is not far.  He is near.

Knowing God - He Weighs Our Actions

1 Sam 2:3

 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

God Weighs Our Actions

This was a part of a prayer that Hannah prayed when she gave Samuel to the Lord’s service in the temple.  She had prayed for this son and now she was giving him back.  She knew her God; and God was more important to her than the gifts He had given her.  We learn here that our God is a God of knowledge and He weighs our actions.  When we are doing something to please the Lord, He is weighing our actions.  The Lord ponders what we are doing and He considers our motives and sincerity of heart.  It is the heart that He desires to be clean and upright when giving anything to Him.  He wants us to prepare our hearts and be in a place where our words or actions are not the measurement but the heart behind those words and actions.  Our God knows why we are doing what we are doing.  Sometimes we don’t even know that there are hidden agendas or fleshly reasons for spiritual actions.  It is a good thing to pray quietly before the Lord, like Hannah, and ask the God of knowledge to weigh our actions and create in us clean hearts.  Ask Him to unite your heart to fear His name.  Ask Him to cause your offerings to be sincere and motivated only by your love for Him.

Proverbs - Building and Dilapidation

Proverbs 14:1

 Every wise woman buildeth her house:

but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

There is a contrast here of what a wise woman is doing with her life and home versus a foolish woman.  The wise woman is building her house and the foolish one is plucking it down with her hands.  A wise woman is not just maintaining her home but building it.  Building implies new- construction, materials brought in from outside, a design or plan that is followed and labor. 

We should always be looking to the Master Architect for what kind of extreme makeover He wants to do.  He sees potential and problems that need repair and upgrades.  Relationships in the home, priorities and attitudes are all things He loves to come in and inspect.  He knows that the day to day living we do will cause our homes to naturally dilapidate and that our home needs His constant care and plan.  The materials we need come from Him.  We seek Him to show us, as women, what He knows needs to be done.  We listen in bible studies, personal times with Him and throughout our days for His suggestions and when He delivers some great truth to build into the structure and layout of our lives and homes.  We cooperate with Him and know that, according to this verse we are His laborers and we build our homes.  He loves us and knows what we have need of.  Are you seeking Him for His ideas and input?  Do you understand that the infrastructure of your home is very much a women’s responsibility?  Do you take this seriously and look to Him for new ways to build up those within your home and keep the climate constantly open to Him?

Ladies, if we pluck down our home, we are foolish women and when you see all the sorrow a fool has, you don’t want to do this.  Plucking is a term that is not related to major demolition.  It is almost like a termite that is slowly nibbling away at the structure resulting in hidden, yet devastating damage that could make the whole structure unstable and unsafe.  The words we say, the thoughts we think, the choices we make, could, little by little, tear down our homes and before we know it, our families and lives have fallen apart.  Seek to build, repent of the tearing down and rest knowing that your home will withstand the elements because you are actively cooperating with the Master Builder.

Knowing God - He is the Olive Tree

Zech 4:2-3

 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

God Is the Olive Tree

This vision that Zechariah had was speaking the truth found in verse six; not by might, nor by power, but my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. We often stand on this truth to remind us to not put our confidence in any other source than God’s Spirit Himself.  This vision helps us understand this.  The vessels that were burning were burning not because of the gold or the shape of the vessels, but because of the oil within the vessels.  This oil was being continually renewed by living olive trees on either side with pipes coming from them permanently attached to the lamps, supplying oil needed for the lamps to shine and fulfill their purpose.  God is our olive tree and it is abiding in Him we get a constant filling and fuel for all He has designed us to do.  He is right there and without Him we cannot do what He wants in the way He desires it to be done.   When Jesus left this earth He promised to send the Holy Spirit to comfort, lead and show us what to do.  Let’s be those lamps today firmly abiding in the Lord and having His Spirit flow into our lives and supply the fuel that will make us shine in a way that NO one would think it was just us!

Proverbs - Satisfaction

Proverbs 13:25

 The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul:

but the belly of the wicked shall want.

When we are right with God we are settled and content.  We find ourselves able to recognize and enjoy the blessings the Lord has given us.  When we live wickedly our lives become so complicated that we can’t see beyond the mess that we got ourselves in.  The Lord is good and has done so much for us.  Choosing to obey Him and focus on doing what He says is right will enable to us to savor and taste that the Lord is good.  Our adversary is desperately trying to blind us to the goodness of God and create in us a sense of dissatisfaction.  This results in a wrong understanding of God. We can begin to see Him as not thorough, not caring and distant.  No!  The Lord our God is good and good to His children.  Deep inside of us is a hunger that only He can satisfy.  When we wake up in the morning and sit before Him and cry out seeking to honor Him in our lives, everything takes on clarity and beauty and the satisfaction of what we take in becomes a reality.  Ladies, let us seek first His kingdom and His righteousness – His priorities for our lives and families.  We will then be satisfied and not led down the road of thirst rooted in choices He has asked us to avoid.  Lord, may we be women who richly enjoy all good things bringing You the honor as a good Father and Shepherd of our soul.

Knowing God - God Redeems Out of All Our Troubles

Ps 25:22

Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

God Redeems Out of ALL Our Troubles

God is the One who is to be called on in our troubles.  He sees us in our troubles and He is a God who is able, willing and will deliver His people out of ALL his troubles.  It is important for us to realize that our troubles are not to be hidden from the Lord but brought before Him.  He is to be trusted and sought in times of trouble.   It doesn’t matter if it trouble we deserve because of our own poor, foolish or sinful choices or if it is trouble brought on by others’ sin or foolishness.   God is to be called on to redeem and get us through and out of those troubling times.  Our God is a redeemer and our troubles do not intimidate Him.  They are not a challenge to Him.  Nothing is too difficult for God.  NOTHING!  

Proverbs - Parenting

Proverbs 13:24

He that spareth his rod hateth his son:

but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

The rod represents instruction and training.  A rod would be used not only to strike something but as a measurement in building things.  As moms, we can often fall into a terrible pattern of indifference to what our children are doing or are not doing.  We fail to bring them before the Lord and ask Him what we could do to help lift a standard in their lives or bring about consequences that will help them trust the Lord in matters of life.  Whenever we are lazy in these things, we do not love our children.  When we use correction, whether it involve a physical consequence in a controlled, non-angry way, or situational consequence, we are, in fact, loving our children.  We must not grow weary in well doing.   In due season, we shall reap if we don’t give up.  Our rod is a consistent standard rooted in eternal truths and we will conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the calling we have received as moms.  We are not to look at a situation with our children through the eyes of how it will affect us, but how can I train them in the way they should go.  Consistency and attentiveness to their character and choices will result in children who will understand love rooted in truth and commitment. 

If we find ourselves inconsistent and lazy, holding back the ‘rod’, we must cry out to the Lord for the perseverance and consistency that He has with us.  We must not believe our adversary who desires us to back down and seek first our own kingdom.  If the Lord has given you children, He has given you this calling.  We are responsible to hold high the Lord’s standard and implement those measures that will help our children understand consequences before they leave home and experience consequences far beyond the pain of loving discipline.  We are loved by a God who is consistent and His laws hold true.  He is perfecting that which concerns us.  May we know His heart towards our children and seek to reflect the same commitment and love. If you do not have children of your own, pray for those dearest to you who have such a great responsibility.

Knowing God - He Created It All

Ps 104:19

He appointed the moon for seasons:

 the sun knoweth his going down.

He Created It All

The Lord is the Creator.  He has created everything we study about in school.  Many a science class begins by telling everyone that God did NOT create what they are about to discover.  This is SO sad.  Our intelligent God designed and created all we learn about in science.  The geographical, astronomical, biological and psychological sciences are here because our Creator made the earth, universe, life and personalities of all we study.  When we realize He made it all, the study of science becomes one where the awe and reverence of God is heightened because of the absolute incredible interworking of cellular bodies, organs, planets, orbits, systems and various types of life.  When we watch a documentary or consider an angle of creation, we should realize that He has appointed these things and we are indeed under the care of an intelligent and complex Creator.  He designed seasons for reasons.  He appointed things to be where they are supposed to be.  He has put into things design and purpose.  We can be quite secure knowing that the One who now dwells in our hearts by faith, created all we see and has distinct purposes and plans for everything that was created by Him and for Him.

Proverbs - Provision and Diligence

Proverbs 13:23

Much food is in the tillage of the poor:

 but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

The Lord has set up a law concerning diligence and provision.  As a result, the opposite holds true as well – laziness creates lack.  Here we learn that even if we are poor according to the standards we understand, if we ‘till’ or ‘work diligently’ we will have plenty of food.  This word ‘tillage’ means to plow or work the land.  It is a word associated with freshly plowed land.  A poor farmer who doesn’t have much but is careful to faithfully tend to what he does have is promised food.  A freshly plowed land implies it was not done a long time ago and has been left to harden with the weather conditions but tended to daily to prepare the ground and keep it ready for the seed.  We are often tempted with looking at what we don’t have.  A poor farmer could spend his days looking in barns where lack of grain exists or…he could go out in the field and prepare the land with a patience that knows he is dependent upon God and responsible to plow that will eventually produce the grain, the barns can receive. 

            Ladies, we must stop looking beyond the fields the Lord has given us.  The catalogs, the advertisements, friends and family, and take care of what He has already given us.  We must be women who have a sense of judgment concerning what is worth our time and investment and what may, in fact, be wasted concerns resulting in land that is drying in the summer sun and barns that remain empty due to our own laziness and wandering hearts.  If we lack judgment we will be destroyed, but if we take what the Lord has given us and diligently tend to it, we will not lack what we need.  Take inventory of the ‘fields’ the Lord has given you.  Your car, clothing, home, body etc..  Are you tending to these things?  Are they clean and maintained?  Are things in order?  Are they ‘freshly plowed’ or neglected while you spend your time in discontentment and covetousness. Ask the Lord for judgment and discretion.  Ask Him to help you know what fields He has given you and how you might be faithful in plowing them.  He promises to bless your labor.

Knowing God - God Withdraws Himself

Hos 5:6

 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.

God Withdraws Himself

The faithfulness of a God who pursues overwhelms our sense of being loved and cared for, but considering the fact that the Lord might withdraw Himself from us can make us feel unloved.  It is quite the opposite.  Our God will withdraw Himself from His people AFTER relentless pursuits that are ignored or not given due attention.  The withdrawal of the Lord is motivated by love because our God is love and He does all things well.  When God’s people are not seeking after Him and He has more than demonstrated His desire to rule, reign, and redeem; sometimes the Lord will remove His obvious presence and influence to show that truly He is what we need.  We ought not to panic when this happens but rather humble ourselves and admit any sort of deaf ear to His voice or stubborn ways.  We should begin to thirst for Him and desire Him above all else.  Our God is not a God that is to be treated as routine or background filler, but God is the essence of life itself.  His presence is what we need and fellowship with Him is what gives life its color and sense.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Proverbs - What Pursues You?

Proverbs 13:21-22

 Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.
 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children:
 and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

Choosing to walk in obedience to God, leads to paths that are less complicated than the path of sin.  When we are doing those things that are good and righteous we not only enjoy our lives more but leave an inheritance to the next generation.  I have attended many funerals and find it quite interesting that a person’s character and lifestyle are remembered more than belongings, achievements or notoriety.  Our example is what will affect our children and our children’s children.  As we seek the Lord to please and honor Him with our lives, the generational impact is far greater than we consider in the present.  Leaving a godly heritage to our family is the most valuable inheritance they could have.  Don’t ever diminish or consider a life lived for Christ as anything less than an investment with great returns.  Our current choices will go into the next generation and the one after that.  To the righteous, good shall be repaid and a good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.

Knowing God - He Beholds Our Giving

Mark 12:41

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

Jesus Beholds Our Giving

Jesus beheld how the people cast money into the treasury of the temple.  The Lord watches how we give to the works of the various institutions He has raised up.  Whether it is your local church, a para-church organization like a pro-life ministry or abused women’s shelter, or a missionary, He is beholding how we give.  There is something about our money and our hearts and Jesus is watching.  Because He is watching it is good for us to seek to give in a way that pleases Him.  He told us that where our treasure is there will our heart be also.  It is always good before we write that check, give that check or give an online offering to humbly bow our heads and ask Him to bless the giving and continue to guide us in how we would financially be used to further His kingdom.  He is beholding, may He be blessed when He considers our role in this part of His kingdom.

Proverbs - Choosing Friends

Proverbs 13:20

 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise:

but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Who we hang out with affects the development of our character.  The Lord is giving us His warning on this matter.  We have the ability to choose who we will invest time in and which relationships we will cultivate.  Each of us is given only twenty-four hours in a day.  This time is a gift from the Lord and we need to seek how He would have us use them.  When we are on the phone or visiting someone or talking with someone on the internet, we should be consciously aware if that person is someone we should walk with or consider as a companion.  Jesus wants us to love and reach out to everyone, but to consider someone as a companion or someone with whom we are walking side by side, should be evaluated in the light of wisdom.  Is this person a wise person? 

·        Do they fear the Lord and are more concerned about pleasing Him than being right or comfortable?

·        Do they seek God’s judgment on matters through His Word and wise counsel?

·        Do they honor their husbands and love their children?

·        Are the content and thankful with the financial situation the Lord has them in?

·        Are they someone who knows it is dangerous to have self-confidence?

·        Are the humble in their thinking and open to correction?

·        Does this person build up her home with their words and attitudes?

This verse tells us that we will be wise if we have wise friends.  One of the best things we can do in becoming wise women is to choose our friends carefully.  A companion of fools will be destroyed.  Is this person a foolish person?

·        Are they busybodies or gossips?

·        Is the person contentious and always in conflict based upon self-interest?

·        Does this person tear down their house in words or choices?

·        Is this person slothful and lazy?

·        Does this person spend a lot of time comparing themselves with others?

·        Is this person immodest and flippant in their choice of clothing and mannerisms?

·        Is this person someone who does things behind their mate’s back in secret?

·        Does this person vent all they feel?

                                                                                                              

These are just a few questions we can ask when choosing a walking companion. If you find yourself already walking with a fool, gently wean yourself from them in love.  Stay committed to the person but not the relationship.  If you do not have anyone in your life that is wise, become that wise woman that someone else will want to walk with.

Knowing God - The Lord Does Not Stay Angry

Ps 103:9

He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

The Lord Does Not Stay Mad

The Lord will not always chide.  He will not always rebuke us and correct us.  We always have something that could be corrected.  We are human and we have such transformation to still undergo.  The Lord will, at times, call us on an area that we need to change.  We must love this.  We must never treat the discipline of our heavenly Father as something light or to be disregard.  He knows why He is working on that area and we must fully cooperate and seek Him when we realize He is contending with us.  We must not grow weary.  The Lord will not always chide.  His anger will not be forever.  He has reasons when his anger is kindled and His is a righteous anger.  There are seasons in our relationship with God and each one is to be received as necessary and helpful.   If we are under the discipline of God, do not be discouraged.  Receive His discipline, knowing you are a legitimate child.  Know that it is a season – a season that proves He is working in your life!

Proverbs - Desires and Prayer

Proverbs 13:19

 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul:

but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.

When we have a desire we are often tempted to make it happen on our terms on our time schedule.  We must realize that desires are often placed in our hearts by the Lord with His intention of fulfilling or accomplishing them.  We sometimes confuse desire with goals.  Goals are often very defined and able to be accomplished, with His help, in a very disciplined and structured manner.  Desires are things that come up in our hearts and are to be brought before the Lord in prayer and He is to be sought concerning any direction He might have for us.  When these desires are of Him and defined by Him, they are accomplished by Him.  The result is a sweet experience as we reflect on their beginnings and their accomplishment.  We must be cautious when we have a desire, not to try to bring it about in our own strength and our own terms.  Sometimes we are tricked by our adversary to use evil means to bring about something that might, in fact, be noble.  We will be foolish women if we are hasty with our feet or words.  We must wait on the Lord concerning our desires and depart from any sort of evil strategies that might present themselves in order to see these desires fulfilled.  Then, the Lord will be glorified and we will be wise women who are not controlled by the desires our heart.

Knowing God - He Has Abolished Death

2 Tim 1:10

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

He Has Abolished Death

Jesus Christ has abolished death.  The word ‘abolish’ in this text means to ‘render idle or useless’.  Jesus Christ has caused death to be non-impactful for the one who has trusted in His work on Calvary.  Death is so final for so many, but the Lord has rendered death idle and not to be feared any longer.  Death is still here because sin is still here but the sting of death has been abolished by Jesus Christ.  He has brought life and immortality through His work on Calvary and His resurrection.  Death is not to be esteemed as something so powerful but useless.  Death is now a defeated foe.  Most of us will have to face this foe, but it is unarmed and unable to take us prisoner.  Although we will face death, if indeed we are in Christ, He has made it idle and a fleeting experience that will pale in the light of life and immortality which awaits us.   Saint, do not fear death!  He has rendered it idle and useless.  Look beyond to all that He has prepared for you so that where He is you may be also.

Proverbs - _Poverty and Shame

Proverbs 13:18

 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction:

but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.

When we regard reproof we will be honored.  To regard reproof means that we want to be shown where we are falling short or where we need to improve.  Anyone that is good at anything got there by finding out what they were doing wrong.  The Lord is so good.  He never shows us where we are wrong without sending the instruction to teach us how to do what is right.  He is a good teacher.  If we want our children to honor us they need to see a mom that is learning, correcting, apologizing and growing.  This creates an environment where the Holy Spirit is welcomed and pride and stubbornness are not.  Our children will honor us if we regard reproof.  When there is humility of mind there is the grace of the Lord.  The presence of the Lord will be obvious to all in our home.  His instruction will flow and our homes will become more and more under His tutorship and leading. 

This verse also deals with our finances.  If we are women who refuse instruction, financial ruin and shame will follow.  This verse lets us know that if we want to be blessed financially we need to be instructed by the Lord through whatever means He sends.  Perhaps we are reaping from impulsive expenditures and accruing exorbitant interest on credit cards.  Are you refusing the instruction of the painful consequences?  Learn from your mistakes.  Don’t refuse instruction.  Be open to His chastening and correction.  He loves us and all of His discipline is rooted in a heart that loved us enough to give every last drop of blood on our behalf.  He is very smart; in fact, He is the wisdom we need to conduct our lives in a way that is safe and blessed.  Embrace the instruction he gives you and don’t refuse instruction.  Shame and poverty awaits those who refuse instruction but she that regards reproof will receive honor.

Knowing God - The Lord Revives

Isa 57:15

I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

The Lord Revives

Revive means to make alive again something that was once alive but died.  When we are arrogant and direct our own lives, we find ourselves in places the Lord never wanted us in.  We may feel like we have gone so far from the Lord that we are basically dead.  The Lord will revive us, bring life to us, as we humble ourselves and admit our error and insufficiency apart from Him.  God gives life.  God resurrects.  He loves to lift up the humble and He loves to put His breath into us.  The Lord can bring to life the deadest situation.  We are to be humble and contrite.  We are to bow down and He will lift us up.

Proverbs - Delivering Messages

Proverbs 13:17

 A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.

Messengers must be careful when delivering the words or intentions of another.  We are warned that if we are not faithful messengers we will find ourselves suddenly in some trouble.  When we repeat something to our children that their father has said, are we accurately representing him?  If we repeat a matter to a friend are we sure that we aren’t slanting things in our favor or with some sort of mischievous intent behind it?  When we don’t deliver a message in its accuracy, both in content and tone, we can end up in all kinds of conflict and trouble.  This verse says that we will fall into it.  Falling implies a sudden loss of footing and becoming entrapped in a place beneath a stable surface.  Ladies, we don’t want this kind of unnecessary entrapment.  We want to be faithful ambassadors - faithful to our managers, husbands, friends and the Lord.  When we deliver some sort of message let us be slow to speak and seek to be as gracious and accurate as possible.  If we are not sure about something, we should go back to the one who sent us and then deliver the message.  Let us never fill in the blanks just to get something done.  This way we can walk steadily and bring health to those who hear us without dealing unnecessarily with mischief caused by our own laziness or wickedness. 

Knowing God - He Gives Understanding

2 Tim 2:7

 Consider what I say; and the Lord

 give thee understanding in all things.

The Lord Gives Understanding

Paul is writing to young Timothy and giving him God’s advice as a new pastor.  There is a lot in both of these letters and a young person may feel quite overwhelmed by warnings and instruction.  This particular verse reminds Timothy to consider what Paul is saying but to remember that the Lord will give Him understanding in all things. We may have mentors.  We may have excellent pastors and teachers.  There may be super anointed books full of wisdom and instruction.  We may feel overwhelmed at times wondering if we can remember or understand it all.  It is so relieving to know that the Lord gives us understanding in all things.  We can cry out to Him in specific situations and trust that He will bring clarity and understanding.  Mentors are helpful but God gives understanding.

Words from people

May strike a chord,

But understanding

Is from the Lord.

Proverbs - Prudence and Knowledge

Proverbs 13:16

 Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.

The book of Proverbs refers to a good wife as a prudent wife.  Any time we see this description we ought to take heed to it and what the Lord considers as prudent.  Here we see that prudence is associated with a person who conducts themselves with knowledge.  This knowledge is that which one knows to be true and not conjecture or feelings.  A prudent woman is one that doesn’t jump to conclusions or fills in the blanks based upon her own mood or reaction to a given situation.  We must be women who are able to deal with our husbands, children, co-workers, finances and other relationships with knowledge.  We know the balance in our accounts and what financial obligations are in the near future.  We know a person’s track record and their general intentions in matters.  We gain understanding about a conflict or a child’s lack of responsibility in order to deal with the situation with knowledge.  We ask questions and hope for the best before labeling someone or handing out consequences to our children that might be too harsh or too lenient depending on the lack of knowledge.  A foolish woman just lays out her folly.  She speaks rashly and all she feels.  She pours out all of her ideas and assumptions without any regard for understanding and knowledge.  A foolish woman tears down her home.  Lord, help us.  Send us knowledge that will help us deal with things in a way that honors you and produces the decisions you want for our lives.

Knowing God - He Gives Understanding

2 Tim 2:7

 Consider what I say; and the Lord

 give thee understanding in all things.

The Lord Gives Understanding

Paul is writing to young Timothy and giving him God’s advice as a new pastor.  There is a lot in both of these letters and a young person may feel quite overwhelmed by warnings and instruction.  This particular verse reminds Timothy to consider what Paul is saying but to remember that the Lord will give Him understanding in all things.

We may have mentors.  We may have excellent pastors and teachers.  There may be super anointed books full of wisdom and instruction.  We may feel overwhelmed at times wondering if we can remember or understand it all.  It is so relieving to know that the Lord gives us understanding in all things.  We can cry out to Him in specific situations and trust that He will bring clarity and understanding.  Mentors are helpful but God gives understanding.

Words from people

May strike a chord,

But understanding

Is from the Lord.

Proverbs - The Law of the Wise

Proverbs 13:13-15

 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed:

but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.

                                                                                           

Our attitude towards God’s Word is the very beginning of wisdom.  Do we esteem Him to be right in all matters of life?  Do we ever allow our own understanding to be esteemed a better source of guidance than the very Words of God?  Despising the Word of God is not just summed up in some sort of hatred or loathing; it is an attitude of indifference and neglect.  If we are given some sort of tremendous financial gift and then turn around and live off of others’ support we are despising this gift.  The same is true for the commandments of God.  The Lord has given us His judgment on matters of our lives.  He has preserved His Word for us to be able to discover our Maker’s intent and law on how we should conduct ourselves and understand our existence.  When we have a high regard for His law, our lives spring forth with times of refreshing and life.  When we despise his word we will end up being destroyed.  Understanding things based upon His Word will grant us favor and bless our relationships and pursuits.  If we violate, disregard or transgress His law our path becomes unnecessarily difficult and hard.  Perhaps it is a good time to stop and ask the Lord to give you a proper fear and respect for His commandments expecting to be rewarded as this reverence becomes part of who you are.

Proverbs - Hope Deferred

Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick:

but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

                                                                                        

Our nature is to want and get something immediately.  Something within us tells us that we deserve it and we deserve it now.   When we have a hope or wish for something and it just isn’t coming right when we can taste it, we can feel rather unsettled, agitated or disturbed.  Our culture has developed things like credit to attempt to cure this sickness of the heart not having its desires met in the timing it desires.  The option of stealing is another remedy for this sickness.  Whining and complaining to our husbands or parents might also be another anecdote for this sickness of the heart.  The Lord knows that our fleshly nature wants things and it wants them now.  The problem is that our old man is kind of like a child in the store demanding the candy bar because he wants it and he wants it now.  Just as if we give in to the tantrums of a child, if we give ourselves everything we crave when we want them, we create a self-centered, impatient and even more demanding character.  When we desire something, we can present this before the Lord who satisfies the soul of every living thing.  Our Father can determine when or if this desire is a good thing for us. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly.  We bring these desires before Him, trusting His wisdom and love.  He is a good Father.  We seek Him for wisdom and a plan if the desire is out of our reach financially.  We give Him control to build our lives as He sees best.  We surrender our ‘bratty’ nature to the control of the wisdom and providence of our God.  Then, if that desire is met, we find ourselves closer to Him and glorifying Him more than the desire itself.  Our Father reveals Himself as our Provider and the one who blesses and the desire becomes a tree of life inviting everyone to know the God who so perfectly and graciously provided for us.  Let us delight ourselves in Him and allow Him the opportunity to give us the desires of our hearts.

Knowing God - Power Over the Demonic World

Mark 5:13

 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

He Has Power Over the Demonic World

This man in the story was possessed by many demons.  These demons were tormenting this man and making his life unlivable.  When Jesus confronted these demons, He had a conversation with them.  The demons asked Jesus if they could be sent into the swine.  Jesus gave them leave.  He gave them permission and decided where they would go.  When we pray and ask Jesus for help from the enemy’s tactics and maneuvers, we can be confident that Jesus has the final authority over the hosts of wickedness.  Our prayers are not token prayers meant to appease our fears and silence our anxieties due to some sort of meditative exercise in order to escape a vague evil presence.  Our prayers are directed to the One who decides and commands demons as to where they must go and where they must leave.  All things were created by Him and all things were created for Him.  He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings!

Proverbs - Helium

Proverbs 13:11

 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished:

but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

Vanity is a King James word for emptiness.  Vanity describes things that may take effort and labor but there is nothing to it.  Vanity can be understood by looking at a helium balloon.   It moves around, its presence is obvious but there really is nothing of substance to it.  When we seek after money using empty means, the wealth is like that balloon – fragile and gone in what seems like an instant.  Using credit to gain things to make us feel better lasts no longer than the newness of the item.  When the bills come, the satisfaction of what we acquired diminishes.  There is no money behind it.  Accruing debt to look wealthy is vanity.  The Lord wants us to be a people who look to Him and can wait upon Him to give us the desires of our heart.  We must be hard workers who are willing to save up for things and then we will appreciate them and teach our children the value of things.  Our pursuits of any sort of things should be marked by a willingness to work for it and have the money available to purchase them.   This helps us know God’s will.  He is our provider.  If the money is not there, perhaps He does not think it a good thing at the time.

 Sister, stop getting wealth by emptiness.  Look to the Lord to provide.  Work hard.  Don’t give in to your fallen nature that cries out for immediate gratification.

 Wait on the Lord.  He will renew your strength and you will abide satisfied.

Knowing God - He Determines Approval

2 Tim 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

He Determines Approval

God is the One who decides if we have studied His Word appropriately or not.  It is not the popular Christian opinion, nor the renegade’s original theological stance, but the approval of God that warrants whether we have studied His Word the way He wants it studied.  God is watching.  God is evaluating.  It is the word of GOD.  It belongs to Him and came forth from Him.  How dare we recklessly divide His Word as if we were performing an autopsy of some sort of dead ancient writings!  The Word of God is alive and to be treated with upmost reverence, respect and recognition that it is God alone that determines whether we have handled it well.  The approval we need comes from Him alone.  All other affirmation or rejection is irrelevant when determining our proper handling of His Word!