Knowing God - The Lord Hates Coveting

Psalms 10:3

For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire,

and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

The Lord Hates Coveting

The Lord absolutely loathes the covetous.  When the people He has made become not only discontent with what He has given them but looking at what He has given someone else, it repulses Him.  God is a God who loves to see His people enjoy what they have.  He loves us being godly with contentment and being thankful for what we have.  He has said He will never leave us nor forsake us, so if we really believe; our gratefulness will show. If we become people who always want more, we might very well be in bad standing with the Lord.

Proverbs - Don't Answer Quickly

Proverbs 15:28        

 The heart of the righteous studieth to answer:

but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

As women of God we must be women who do not answer a matter quickly.  We study to answer.  Studying involves looking at something with the intent of getting the right answer when tested.  Part of our ability to speak the right things is, “are we studying the right things?”  Our hearts should be pondering the truths of God’s Word in order to have His wisdom and grace upon our lips.  Our feelings, opinions and analysis are often not to be shared in response to a situation.  We can pray about these things and talk them over with the Lord, but to answer a matter we ought to take the time to give the right answer – the answer of the tongue that He desires us to give.  In order to be wise women, our words should be dedicated to His glory and purposes.  Words are very powerful and we want the right power to come forth.  Commit your tongue to the Lord today.  Be slow to speak and study to give the right responses.

Knowing God - He Favors Us

Psalm 5:12

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous;

with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

God Favors Us

God’s favor protects us.  This favor is called grace in the New Testament.  It means that we are his favored ones.  We are His favorites.   Just like the Lord chose the nation of Israel to be a special people to Him and show those who did not know Him that He was real and powerful, those of us who are in Christ are now partakers with Abraham in that favor.  Here we learn that this favor actually surrounds us like a shield.  This shield will protect us from behind, beside and before.  Knowing God loves us and is blessed with us because of the righteousness of Christ being put upon us, will protect us from haunting reminders of who we used to be, help us walk in the joy of acceptance today and will lead us into the lives He has for us tomorrow.  His grace will work mightily through us and protect us from our adversaries.

Proverbs - Greediness Makes Trouble

Proverbs 15:27        

 He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house;

but he that hateth gifts shall live.

This is a great warning these days.  When we are financially strapped or we sense more would help, we can become people who are greedy for gain.  When we see that biggest piece of cake, or the largest cookie, we can begin to want more than what we might really need.  There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of opportunities as the Lord leads, but when there is a “I want more” attitude that is rooted in a lack of contentment and gratefulness we will trouble our own household.  When we take an extra job or try to join some sales team without our husband’s approval or the leading of the Lord, we can invite trouble into our home.  While we are away or distracted with something our children could be great candidates for the enemy’s plans.  While we are finding some sort of worth in employment our marriage could be prone to instability and our husband’s love might not be sufficient for us.  When we want more food than our bodies need, we can develop health problems or depression and our home will be affected by our inability to serve or function as we should.  Let us, as women, walk carefully when pursuing any sort of money making venture or gain.  Let us remember that we are called to be keepers at home and all that we pursue should come under that banner in order to avoid troubling our own homes.

Knowing God - He Defends Those Who Trust Him

Psalm 5:11

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:

 let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

The Lord Defends Those Who Trust Him

God defends those who trust in Him.  When we place our trust in God we will find ourselves in a very safe place.  It is like running into a fortress in the midst of the battle.  Rather than trying to fight everything, run into the Lord and be safe.  His very presence will be your shield and He will surround you.  If someone is coming against you with accusations and judgments, He will defend you.  If situations are presenting themselves to you in an intimidating way, He will defend you.  We need someone to defend us.  That is our God’s nature.  Let us focus on trusting in Him and then we will find ourselves with the best Defense we could ever ask for.

Proverbs - The Thoughts of the Wicked

Proverbs 15:26        

The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD:

but the words of the pure are pleasant words.

The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord.  An abomination is something that is absolutely repulsive and offensive.  Wicked people think up wicked things.  These thoughts are sometimes developed into screenplays, song lyrics, scripts and advertisements.  Pornographic photo shoots are thought out by the wicked.  Burglaries and murders are thought out by the wicked.  These are an abomination to the Lord.   We should guard ourselves from the input of these thoughts, having discretion regarding what we fill our minds with.  We should rather have the words of the pure coming into our minds and filling our lives with pleasant things.  Consider the input in our lives.  Do we have the thoughts of the wicked influencing our perspective or the words of the pure?

Knowing God - The Lord Leads in a Straight Path

Psalm 5:8

Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

The Lord Leads In A Straight Path

The Lord is a righteous God who leads us with righteousness.  This means that we can look to Him and ask Him what the right thing to do is in a situation and trust that doing it will lead us in His will.  He is able to make our way straight.  He can deliver us from the twists and turns we experience when we make decisions based on fears or feelings.  The twisty road that leaves us a bit disoriented with motion sickness doesn’t have to be our path.  When we seek the Lord and His righteousness in a matter He will make our way straight and protect us from the traps of the enemy.  Lead us, O Lord, in Your righteousness today.

Proverbs - Pride and Destruction

Proverbs 15:25        

 The LORD will destroy the house of the proud:

but he will establish the border of the widow.

Pride is a dangerous thing.  It is attributed to Lucifer and his rebellion against the Lord.  It is associated with a woman being contentious and hard to get along with.  It is linked to having God resist someone.   It is connected to destruction.  It is blamed for stubbornness and is one of the things that the Lord hates.  If we run our homes in control mode and consider our ways the way everything should go, we will begin to see an inward corruption that will eventually implode due to our own stubborn ways.  The proud woman knows nothing and her personality is grating.  When she is in relationships, sparks fly and people are worn down.  Our homes should be a place where, if we find ourselves arrogant, we humble ourselves and ask forgiveness from God and those with whom we live.  

Proverbs - Wisdom Comes From Above

Proverbs 15:24        

 The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.

In Colossians chapter three we are instructed to set our affections, our minds, on the things above and not on the earth.  Here the Lord is letting us know that when we do this we will have a way of life.  If we get entangled with this world and the lures it puts before us, it will be hell.  The world lies under the influence of the evil one and we ought to be suspicious of its priorities and value system.   We must look up for instructions, wisdom and judgment.  We must sit before the Lord and seek His judgment on matters in order to have a life that is free from unnecessary conflict and confusion.  If we are to be those wise women who build our homes, we must be women who see our citizenship in heaven and our King as the Lord.  We ask Him for His counsel.  We ask Him for His love.  We ask Him for His ways.  If we ask, we will receive.  He lays up sound wisdom for the upright and He is glorified in a life that is submitted to Him and His ways.  Don’t expect the ‘natural’ responses to lead you into His ways.  Expect the way above to guide you beyond the snares and lead you in the way everlasting.

Knowing God - The Lord Has Emotions

Psalm 5:5

The foolish shall not stand in thy sight:

 thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

The Lord Hates Those Who Work Iniquity

The Lord has tolerance for many things but when we are foolish women who work sin, He is repulsed and clearly rejects this type of living.  The Lord has emotions as we see throughout the scriptures:

Deut 9:20 “And the LORD was very angry with Aaron”

Zeph 3:17 “ The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;”

Gen 6:6 “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”

The Lord hates all the workers of iniquity.  Yes, he loves them in the light that He died for the very sin they commit and offers forgiveness and cleansing but He has a righteous hatred for the ongoing working of iniquity and all the havoc and pain sin produces in people’s lives.  Our God is a holy God and he hated sin so much that He gave His only begotten Son upon whom He laid the iniquity of us all.  He dealt with this hatred with punishment that befell Jesus Christ.  How thankful we ought to be and align ourselves with Him in our hatred of sin and not respect or give honor to those who work iniquity.

Proverbs - Joy and Our Mouths

Proverbs 15:23        

                                                    

 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth:

and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

Here we see one way we can battle depression, at least the lack of joy due to our own words.  Sometimes we can answer things hastily, or give information we ought not, be critical or answer in some way that would create tension and grief in the relationships that surround us.  The Lord is letting us know that if respond verbally in a way that is guided by Him that fits the situation it will be good and we will have joy.  Fruit, eaten in the right season, tastes sweet and perfect.  If it is eaten before it is ripe the texture is often tough and the taste is minimal.  If the fruit is eaten after the season, it is usually mushy and sour.  Our words should come at a timing the Lord directs.  Be slow to speak today and sensitive to Your Heavenly Gardener and what He wants to harvest from your mouth.

Knowing God - He Doesn't Like It!

Psalm 5:4

For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness:

 neither shall evil dwell with thee.

The Lord is Not Pleased With Wickedness

The Lord does not think things that are wicked are pleasant.  We do not please the Lord when we are involved in anything He says is wicked.  As women we have some great explanations in the book of proverbs about what a wicked woman is like.  She is immodest, loud, stubborn, doesn’t like to stay at home, flattering, manipulative, among others.  This sounds like the most respected person on E! News, doesn’t it?  Our God is not pleased with wickedness and evil does not dwell with Him.  Lord, help us discern wickedness and not have any pleasure in it either.

Proverbs - Getting Advice

Proverbs 15:22        

 Without counsel purposes are disappointed:

but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Our society promotes and affirms independence.  A self-made woman who can think alone is extolled as virtuous and deemed successful.  The Lord wants us to be women who are open to ideas, visions and strategies from Him, yet open to good hearty counsel from those He has put in our lives.  We can learn things by experience but we can learn things through other people’s experience as well.  Usually each person has a perspective and thought on how things should be done.  When we listen to a multitude of counsel we can come before the Lord and ask Him which pieces of the input He desires us to take in and utilize in seeing purposes established.  He doesn’t want us disappointed because of lack of counsel.  The Holy Spirit flows in the midst of seekers clothed in humility.  May our purposes be established in the multitude of counselors.

Knowing God - Our Personal King

Psalm 5:2

Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King,

and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

The Lord Is Our Personal King

We realize in this verse that God is not only the King or a King but MY king.  The king of an individual’s life – from the beginning to the end God can be MY king and He can be YOUR king.  A king rules and reigns and determines what’s best for the land he rules.  Our King has resources, wisdom, authority and knowledge we need in the land of our lives.  He is majesty.  He is MY king.  He is MY God.

Proverbs - Walking Uprightly

Proverbs 15:21        

 Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom:

but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.

Finding ourselves enjoying foolish choices reveals a great lack of wisdom.  Hasty decisions are often motivated by impulse and are usually not led by the Holy Spirit.  Our spirits should fear going down the road of foolishness and should desire the peace of the road marked by wisdom.   When we are women who want understanding we will walk uprightly.  Walking uprightly means we can see everything around us.  We see the past, present and future.  Our faces are not stubborn, set in a direction, but we are looking for His leading whether it agrees with our desires or not.  How long will we argue with love?  The Lord loves us and desires to order our steps and show us His path of life.  Lift up your eyes in those areas in which you are seeking His will.  Be open to all of the angles and don’t be afraid of His path.  His paths are the paths of pleasantness. 

Proverbs - Foolish Children and a Mother's Heart

Proverbs 15:20

A wise son maketh a glad father:

but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

When our children are foolish the mother seems to feel the brunt of it.  When they are doing well the father seems so proud.  We, as mothers, should not question the weight we often feel when we see our children choose foolishly.  This weight is appropriate and is to be a motivating force to come before the Lord and cast our burden upon Him.  He will sustain us.  The weight of a child, who is living without the fear of the Lord, is intolerable for the human soul.  We must take the time, if only for 5 minutes at a time, throughout our day, to bow before the Lord in prayer and give this weight and our child to the Lord and His power.  Sister, your child has a free will.  We are made in His image.  Let us live like wise sons today and make our heavenly Father glad.  Let us be women who refuse to carry this burden but rather bless our heavenly Father by casting it continually upon Him.  This is wise.  

Knowing God - He Gives Victory

Psalm 2:9

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;

thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

The Lord Gives Victory

The Lord is giving His king a promise about the victory He will give him.  Are you facing a battle?  Is something around you threatening you?  The Lord wants to give you a promise about success in a certain battle so that our strength will be rooted in Him and the power of His might.  He is involved in the affairs of His people’s lives and is called the Lord of hosts.  This is a military term.  We might say He is the Chief Commander of all the troops.  He has resource, intelligence and access beyond our imagination.  He will fight the battle for you.  Although He might use you and others, truly the battle belongs to the Lord – and He always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs - Slothfulness - OUCH!

Proverbs 15:19

                                                                                        

The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns:

but the way of the righteous is made plain.

When we handle our responsibilities in a lazy way our paths seem to have so many obstacles and become very unpleasant.  A hedge of thorns in our path would mean that we would have to keep track of every movement so that we won’t be poked and hurt by this bush.  When we are half-hearted at work or home our paths become filled with things we are trying to avoid and we are not enjoying our journey.  Here the Lord equates diligence with righteousness.  Did you know that hard work honors the Lord and diligence is to be an attribute of those who follow Him?  When our hand finds something to do we should do it with all of our might.  When we are asked to do something we should do it heartily as unto the Lord.  Ladies, the life of ease and pleasure propagates a life of depression and purposelessness.  We will feel like we are dead while we are living if we become women who sit down to eat and drink and only rise up to play.  Sisters, honor the Lord, remove the hedge and enjoy a plain path as you seek to avoid laziness for His glory.

Knowing God - He Wants You to Ask

Psalm 2:8

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

The Lord Wants Us To Ask

The Lord wants us to ask for things.  Sometimes we don’t have certain things in our lives because we haven’t asked.   In this text, the heathen were threatening God’s people and trying to take them over.  They were encroaching and threatening with armies and pagan practices, God’s own people.  The Lord was instructing this king to ask Him for those very people as an inheritance rather than a threat.  Have you ever asked the Lord to take those situations, people and problems that seem to be threatening you and cause them to be a valuable inheritance for you?  Have you placed those problems before Him, asking Him to touch them in such a way that you will inherit incredible blessings out of them?  Ask of Him, that He may give you the heathen for your inheritance.

Proverbs - Anger May Be Rooted in Guilt

Proverbs 15:18

 A wrathful man stirreth up strife:

but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

If we find ourselves in constant conflict with anyone we might be in a state of being a wrathful woman.  A wrathful woman is pent up with some sort of anger related to judgment.  The interesting thing about this anger is that it may be even related to us.  It is important that we come before the Lord and confess and forsake behavior that He has told us to forsake.  This will result in finding mercy and our inner man will rest in His grace.  If we are either not confessing or not forsaking our sin, we will sense the inner conflict with our Lord.  This often manifests itself as impatience, a critical spirit or snappy tongue with those who are around us.  Is there something the Lord has shown you to confess AND forsake? 

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:

but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.“

            (Proverbs 28:13)

Knowing God - He Decrees

Psalm 2:7

I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me,

Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

The Lord Declares Decrees

It is a good thing that the Lord will speak to us about our position and calling.  He reminds us about who we are and what His plans are for our lives.  Are we still enough to listen?  Do we come before Him in the beginning of our day to reestablish ourselves as His children and His servants?  Do we take time to know what He has declared in His Word about us so that when others label us, our identity is clearly defined by His mouth?  The Lord declares decrees.  He speaks that which is law.  He is the King!  His Word is final.  You are His child, if indeed you are in Christ, and it is by His Holy Spirit you have been begotten of God.

Proverbs - Better is a Little

Prov 15:16-17

Better is little with the fear of the LORD

than great treasure and trouble therewith.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,

than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

In our desire to accumulate more or better things we might be tempted to do things in haste and not consult the Lord for His plan concerning such ventures.  We must move carefully when considering that source of income, putting something on credit or asking our husband to take on side jobs.  We can end up with a treasure of trouble.  We should seek the Lord regarding financial decisions moving with the fear of Him.  This means that our own desires and plans are laid before His feet and we seek His final confirmation or denial of our pursuits.  Considering the last part of this verse, we can relate to making dinner.  If we strive to produce the ‘perfect meal’ out of a pride or strife, we can end up snapping at our children and husbands and the food doesn’t even taste good.  Perhaps a simple dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup with a happy mom served with love would be much more impressive than the homemade lasagna accompanied with complaints.  Let us be women who move carefully in the accumulation of things and presentation of our meals.  

Proverbs - A Merry Heart

Prov 15:13-15

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:

but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge:

but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.

All the days of the afflicted are evil:

but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

Again we see the Lord addressing our inner man – our heart. There will be times, when our inner man is touched by the inevitable pain of some sort of tragedy.  Our spirits go through times of heaviness and brokenness.  This is healthy and a time to draw near to the God of all comfort.  This is a time to seek knowledge and grow in understanding.  There truly is a time and a season for every purpose under heaven.  There is a time of famine and a time to cry.  We grow through these times in empathy, compassion and the ability to give others the very comfort we have received.  The Lord does comfort those who mourn and will bring us back to a place where the joy of His salvation is restored and we find our hearts merry again.  Our countenance is revived and we begin to taste and see that the Lord is good.  Be careful, dear sister, when you have sorrow of heart.  Do not feed on foolishness but cry out to the Lord for knowledge and understanding.  You will come through this time and once again feast continually.  The joy of the Lord is your strength and the merriness of your heart will return through His healing and comfort.

Knowing God - He Sits

Psalm 2:4

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh:

the Lord shall have them in derision.

He Sits In the Heavens

The Lord sits in the heavens.  It is good to know that the Lord is above all.  He is not limited to the perspective we have here on this earth.  He is above it all and is not shaken by men’s efforts to fight against him or determine truth by their own councils and reason.  He is absolutely higher than these waves of self rule and He scoffs at the attempt of his creation to subvert what is eternally settled and mandated.  So, what does that tell us?  For one thing we are awakened out of a minority status in our world and drawn to a place of security and confidence.  Our God is seated in the heavens. He isn’t pacing the throne room.   He isn’t standing in panic.  He is seated and if we are in Christ, we are seated with Him in heavenly places too!