Knowing God - He Confirms Our Callings

Josh 3:7

And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

The Lord tells Joshua that He will show His calling on his life through the crossing of the Jordan.  The Lord will confirm His calling on our lives as we lead and carry out those things He has asked us to do.  Sometimes people have a hard time accepting leadership.  We don’t need to defend ourselves or try to convince others that the Lord has called us.  We need to focus on walking in the calling He has for us.  In doing this, the Lord will magnify us in the sight of those that surround us.  It is not our place to commend ourselves.  The Lord will show that He is with us and we need to leave that to Him.  He is the One who calls us and it is His job to confirm our calling in others’ eyes.  Let’s get on with what He asks us to do and leave our reputation in His hands.

Proverbs - Fear the Lord and the King

Proverbs 24:21-22

My son, fear thou the Lord and the king:

and meddle not with them that are given to change:

For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

Our lives should be under the authority of the Lord and those who are in authority over us.  Part of determining the will of God for our lives is to be concerned about pleasing both – the Lord and the king.  These are consistent sources of boundaries, commitments and works.  If we hang out with those who are given to change we risk sudden calamity and perhaps ruin.  There might be a friend who tries to lure us away from commitments we might have in ministry, in our home or job place.  These people want change and they always have a new idea and try to pull us away from the consistent, unchanging disciplines that produce lasting and remaining fruit in our lives.  Meddle not with these people.  Rather, fear the Lord and the king.

Proverbs - Don't Envy the Wicked

Proverbs 24:19-20

Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;

For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

Evil and wicked people can cause us to fret and envy.  It surprises us that their actions can stir us more than our love and passion for the Lord.  When we see wicked people get away with things, or so we think, we feel agitated and frustrated.  This is just a waste of energy.  There will be no reward for the evil man and the candle of the wicked shall be put out.  The Lord has His eyes everywhere and He is not mocked.  Whatever a man plants, he shall reap.  We should keep our eyes on the Lord and wait on Him.  He is Lord over all the earth and He is willing that none should perish but all should have everlasting life.  Fret not and don’t be envious.

Knowing God - The Lord is Near

Deut 4:7

 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

The nation of Israel is declaring how God is so near to them and how He is in all things that they call upon him for.  Those of us who are Gentiles have been made His nation as well through Christ.  He is so near to us and He is in all things that we call upon him for.  What a great comfort to know that our God is in the very things that we call upon Him for.  He is in that situation that brings great pain to your heart.  He is in that health issue that has entered into your life demanding attention and inhibiting the life you desire to live.  He is in that inner struggle that you believe no one else sees.  He is in that confusion that you can’t seem to make sense of.  He is there before we call upon Him.  What a great and faithful friend we have in Him.  He is so near to us.  He is in the things that we call upon Him for.  We will not believe that He is far.  We will believe that He is near.

Knowing God - He Loves Those Who Have Fear

Isa 35:4

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

The Lord loves those who have a fearful heart and wants them to know that He will come with a vengeance and save them.  The comfort we need when we are afraid is linked with a promise of the Lord’s promise to come to our rescue and help us.  The Lord is not ignoring us.  The Lord is not too busy.  The Lord is the only wise God and He knows the timing and perfect way to intervene on our behalf.  Our hearts will stop fearing when we realize that help is on its way.   When there is an emergency and we call 911, the fact that help has been dispatched gives us a bit of peace in the midst of a usually very troublesome situation.  The Lord is more reliable than our emergency response system.  We may not hear the sirens but we have heard His promise.  He will come and save us!

Proverbs - Don't Be Happy When Your Enemy Stumbles

Proverbs 24:17-18

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,

and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

There is a temptation to be happy when an enemy falls into trouble.  This is a sign of our own wickedness.  We should want our enemies to turn to the Lord and be spared the consequences of a life lived in rebellion against their Maker.  We then become more of a judge than a servant.  Let us let the Lord be the judge and do what He thinks needs to be done to bring your enemy to a place of repentance and forgiveness.  Pray for your enemies.  Do good to those who despitefully use you.  Bless those who curse you and don’t rejoice when your enemy falls or stumbles.  It will happen.  It says WHEN your enemy falls and stumbles.  Let your response be like your Lord, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Knowing God - He is Merciful and Gracious

Ps 103:8

The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

God is full of mercy.  The Lord is gracious.  The Lord is slow to anger.  The Lord has plenty of mercy.  Our God is not quickly angered or holding things against us.  He is a God who so desired our forgiveness and cleansing that He gave His only Son to die for us.  His sacrifice shows that He truly is a God who is so willing to forgive that He would give Himself for us to have this mercy.  Our adversary is out to paint our God in a harsh and unreasonable light.  Because our God is so full of mercy we need to come to Him with any and all of our struggles.  We need not fear approaching Him with our sin or requesting His help in overcoming something.  The Lord is full of mercy and loves it when we come to Him for help, cleansing and forgiveness.  This blesses His heart.  He is very slow to anger and has plenty of mercy for us.  What a safe place to be – in His presence!

Proverbs - Lay Not Wait

Proverbs 24:15-16

Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;

spoil not his resting place:

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:

but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

We must be careful to not come against someone when they, in fact, are in the right.  This requires a bit of research and slow conclusions.  We must not jump on band wagons and believe all we hear.   Even if we face this sort of attack we must remember that we may fall.  We may make mistakes.  We may even purposefully rebel at the moment, but we will get up again.  We will repent.  We will learn from our mistakes and seek to learn from them.  There is no need to be defeated.  The wicked will fall and not be able to get up. If we are those righteous ones seeking to do what God wants us to do, we will rise again and again.  Pick yourself up, be filled with His Spirit and go on in His forgiveness and purpose for your life!

Knowing God - He's Our Daddy

Ps 103:13

Like as a father pitieth his children,

so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

The word ‘pitieth’ here means to fondle, love and be compassionate.  The Lord is compassionate and fondles those who fear Him.  If a child really wants to please their father and makes a mistake in the midst of seeking to bless him, the father will have great compassion on that mistake.  If a child was trying to make a Fathers’ Day breakfast for his dad and broke a good plate in the process, his father would have compassion and help the child clean up the broken pieces.  Even if the child was told not to use the plate, that Father might have to give a consequence but would still have great compassion on the child knowing he was seeking to honor the Father.  Our Father in heaven is letting us know that if we are seeking to please Him above all others, we do not have to walk on egg shells.  We can know that He loves us like a Daddy loves his precious child.  The Lord looks on us with great love and understanding.  He created us and He loves us.  We need to focus on seeking to please Him and trust in His unfailing mercies.

Proverbs - There Will Be A Reward

Proverbs 24:13-14

My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb,

which is sweet to thy taste:

So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

The Lord is likening the knowledge of wisdom to honey.  We are to eat it when it is good.  When we sit down and spend some time in the Word of God and it is one of those times that the words are jumping off the book eat it.  Take a longer time than budgeted.  Savor the sweetness.  If you receive a word of wisdom for a matter, take the time to enjoy it.  Write it on a card if you must and mull over it.  Enjoy it like honey from the honeycomb.  There will be a reward.  Your expectation will not be cut off.  

Jesus Fulfills

Luke 24:44

 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Jesus tells His disciples that everything that was written in the Law of Moses, in the prophets and in the psalms was fulfilled in Him.  We learn from this statement about how mighty the Lord Jesus is.  He wasn’t the law.  He wasn’t a prophet.  He wasn’t someone who just brought praise to the Father.  Jesus fulfills everything we read in the Old Testament.  He was the Word made flesh.  In Christ, all that was written before Him, makes sense.  This is why we must be sure to preach Christ to people.  We are not called to preach the law.  We are not called to just have people understand prophecies.   Jesus is the way.  Jesus is the truth.  Jesus is the life.  As we open our mouths to those around us, we must be sure to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ to them.  From the onset of creation, Jesus was the Lord’s answer to all of man’s problems.  In the midst of all our learning, let us never allow ourselves to be removed from the simplicity that is in Christ.  We must continue to cling to Jesus, love Jesus, speak of Jesus and worship Jesus.  All of the law, prophets and psalms speak of Him!

Proverbs - Doing What's Right

Proverbs 24:11-12

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

God ponders our responses to information that comes to us.  If we know that innocent babies are being slaughtered or certain people groups are being killed in the name of ethnic cleansing, what are we doing about it?  If we say, we didn’t know about it, is this true?  Should we keep our ears open to world news and local injustice?  Will He not render to every man according to his works?  The Lord is pondering the heart.  He is seeing if we are tender-hear-ted to the affliction of the innocent.  He wants our hearts to ache for injustice and any sort of disregard for the value of human life.  We should remain open and willing to know our part in these great tragedies.  What could you do?  What does He want you to do?  Pause now and ask Him for what work He has for you to do in order to deliver then that are drawn unto death.

Knowing God - He Wants Us to Come to Him

Matt 11:28

 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

The Lord wants us to come to Him.  He is commanding those of us who are weary and burdened to come to Him.  He gives us the solution to those times when we find ourselves discouraged or tired.  He tells us to come to Him.  Come to Jesus.  He then promises to give us rest.  What a great exchange!  I bring Him my burdens and heaviness and then He gives me rest.  What a deal!  Sometimes when we are weary, we go to people, to alcohol, to entertainment or other things.  Jesus tells us to come to Him.  Take that time at your lunch break today.  Go for that walk after dinner and come to Him! 

Proverbs - Adversity and Stamina

Proverbs 24:10

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

When we face adversity we often feel faint and weak.  This is good to know.  It  means that our strength is small in regards to this particular adversity.  We don’t have to panic.  We don’t have to feel like a failure.  Strength is something we can increase in.  We have learned that a man of knowledge increases in strength.  We might need to know more about our adversity.  Is it a trial we have never faced?  Is there something in us that needs to be transformed? Is there a particular promise in the Word of God we have never utilized before?  Is our prayer life challenged to be more fervent and specific?  Just because we faint in the day of adversity and find our strength small is not a reason to be discouraged.  Rather, we can take it as a clue as to how the Lord wants our strength to increase.  He promises us strength. Ps 29:11 shows us that “The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.” The Lord is very generous with this strength and we know He always gives what He says He will give.  Go to Him when you are weary and go to Him when you want to give up.  Ask and you will receive.  He will strengthen His people.

Knowing God - He Became One of Us

Heb 7:26

 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

This verse is describing Jesus.   At first we learn that He became us.  This is an Old English word that is similar to when we say that a certain outfit is ‘becoming’ on a person.  It means it suits us well. He was a high priest that was just what we needed.  He is holy and harmless.  He is undefiled.  He is separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens.   Our Jesus is the high priest with whom all of the other high priests couldn’t compare.  These attributes qualify Jesus to be interceding for us and caused Him to be able to sit down after His sacrifice on that cross.  He WAS the perfect sacrifice.  He IS the perfect high priest.  Everything commanded in the Old Testament to cover our sins was fulfilled in the One who could take away the sins of the world.  We must realize who we are dealing with.  Jesus fits our needs, is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and declared higher than the heavens.  His work on our behalf is backed up by who He is!  Worship Jesus today and may your confidence in Him be increased through the knowledge of these great truths!

Proverbs - Evil Planners Are NOT Heroes

Proverbs 24:8-9

He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.

The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

Someone who plans to do what God says we should seek to avoid shall be called a mischievous person.  These are not to be our heroes.  There are some novels and screenplays that involve such a mastermind of wickedness you can wonder if such ideas were never to be thought out and put in print.  The Lord tells us here that even the thought of foolishness is sin.  We can be living our lives and suddenly we get a thought to do something foolish.  If we pay attention to this thought and begin to devise how we would do it, God calls this sin.  When those thoughts come in we must take our thoughts and begin to control them with the help of the Lord Jesus.  We have been given the mind of Christ. Let’s use it.  Forsake foolishness and you will live.  Confess any sort of imaginations or fantasies that involve being a foolish woman.  Think on the things that are pure and devise ways to do good.

Knowing God - He Prays For Us

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Heb 7:25

Wherefore he is able also to save them

to the uttermost that come unto God by him,

seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Jesus lives to make intercession for us.  This means that He is praying for us.  He is standing in the gap to pray for us.  He is able to save to the uttermost those who come unto God through Jesus.  We have a twenty-four hour prayer meeting going on for us by Jesus Christ.  THIS is absolutely incredible.  If you and I ever feel forsaken or lacking the kind of love and support we wish we had from His people, we can rest in the fact that Jesus, Himself, is praying for us – as you read this!  What a glorious and comforting truth.  He is interceding for us according to the will of His Father and we know that the Father hears Him.  We can find great strength and comfort in knowing that Jesus Christ lives forever to pray for us.  Enjoy this truth today and be sensitive to how the Lord may be leading you based on His prayers and intercession.

Proverbs - Sound Counsel

Proverbs 24:5 -7

A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

A woman who is acting on good advice and sound judgment is able to withstand the pressures associated with running her life and home.  She is not easily discouraged by feelings and the judgments of others.  She has brought her situation before the Lord and other older believers.  She knows that in order to make war she needs information and a stockade of effective armaments.  She goes to get it and does not rely upon her own resources.  She senses safety because she has gained insight and perspective from others.  She is not caught off guard by certain elements for she was warned by someone who had been in her battle before.  She is not a fool.  She can give wisdom to others and wants to because she knows how valuable it was for her.  She opens her mouth in the gate.  She hears of some sort of problem someone is having and offers her insight and concern.  This woman is strong and she increases in strength.

Knowing God - He Knows. He Remembers.

Ps 103:14

For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Here we learn that the Lord knows how we are constructed.  He knows what pressures seem to really put a strain on us and He knows that we are mere men in and of ourselves.  This is a great comfort.  We do not have to explain ourselves to the Lord.  He knows we are but dust.  He created us.  We can be at peace knowing the Lord is more familiar with our structure than we ourselves.  He is a God who deals with us as created beings and He loves us.  He is the one who formed man from the earth and gave man his life.  We are being cared for by someone who understands and knows our weaknesses and will NEVER take advantage of those.  Thank You Lord that You know our frame and we are in the hands of a tender and understanding God!

Proverbs - Building Our Homes

Proverbs 24:3 -4

Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

To have a life that is able to stand against so much requires wisdom.  To build our homes and families in such a way that they are established and not easily overturned requires understanding.  To have our lives and homes filled with multi-faceted riches requires knowledge.  In order to have all of these a woman needs to continue to ask for wisdom, pray for understanding and gain knowledge.  A consistent prayer life, bible study and mentors can all contribute to these building supplies for our lives and homes.  Hopefully we won’t grow stagnant in the building of our homes.  Acknowledging the Lord in all our ways helps us make decisions for our families that result in peaceful and quality outcomes.  Knowing what God says about time, finances and relationships causes the day to day relationships within our homes to be precious and rich.  Rather than focusing on new granite countertops or stream lined sinks, we should visit the true ‘Home Depot’ – our Maker  - and gain from Him all of the building supplies that contribute to a comfortable and pleasant home.

Knowing God - He Forgives ALL

Ps 103:3

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;…

The Lord forgives ALL our sins.  What a glorious truth.  He made sure that He would retain the integrity of His character by demanding just payment for every offense in His Son Jesus Christ’s death.  This opened the way for Him to forgive us or let go of the debt that we justly deserve to pay for our failures.  We don’t have to be intimidated by any sort of memory from the past when we understand He forgives ALL our sins.  We don’t have to be tormented with a recent sin knowing He forgives ALL our sins.  We don’t have to fall under the condemnation so often looming over our lives when we have the truth of this scripture to uphold us in the face of accusation and ridicule.  The Lord is rich in mercy and plenteous in mercy.  Let us enjoy this forgiveness and honor Him by walking as cleansed, forgiven people.

Proverbs - Don't Envy Evil People

Proverbs 24:1-2

Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

We are told not to envy evil men nor should we desire to be with them.  Proverbs was written primarily for the young man in order to give him discretion as he goes on with life’s choices.  Young people often want to hang out with those who are ‘cool’ according to this world’s standards.  Maybe the kids at school that look good and yet talk nasty seem to be popular and confident.  Our children need to know that they should not envy them or desire to be with them.  We are told why we shouldn’t in this verse.  Evil people have hearts that are studying destruction.  They don’t always know that.   They think they are coming up with fun plans and adventurous pursuits.  The end of these things results in destruction.  Relationships can be destroyed.  Trust can be destroyed.  Even lives can be destroyed.  Have you warned your children to stay away from other children who talk of mischief and make plans to do things that the Lord says are wrong?  Do you ever desire to be around other women who speak of things they ought not?  A wise woman is cautious with her admiration and she loves those who fear the Lord.

Knowing God - He Redeems From Destruction

Ps 103:4

 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

One of our Lord’s goals in assuming leadership of our lives is to redeem our lives from destruction.  We must remember this whenever we sense a call from Him to surrender something or repent from some pattern we may find ourselves in.  He has our deliverance in mind and knows where our behavior is leading.  When His conviction comes it is because He wants to redeem our lives from destruction.  We must welcome the opportunity to run in the direction He is leading us towards and away from what He is clearly telling us to flee from.  We must embrace this as the Lord’s desire to spare us from destruction.  This truth will help us resist the enemy’s lies that obedience is a bother and that God is trying to keep us from all of the fun.  We must look at the leading of God as from a God who desires to rescue and take it as love and focused concern.  We must realize that God is good and it is ALWAYS a GOOD thing to heed His voice.  He knows what is ahead and His will is good, perfect and acceptable.

Proverbs - Wisdom and Wine

Proverbs 23:29-35

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

This is a very descriptive text about drinking.  It starts out letting us know what accompanies those who think drinking is fun.  They will have woe, sorrow, contentions, babbling, wounds without cause and redness of eyes.  This accompanies a drinking life style.  We are warned not to look at wine when it is red and seems so grown up and attractive.  Like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, alcohol is presented as delicious, attractive, and promises us confidence, prestige and freedom.  This is not the end of this path.  What starts out as fun, ends up biting like a serpent.  You cannot hear the serpent creep up on you.  Serpents are usually camouflaged whether they are green in the jungle or brown in the dessert.  Alcohol is usually camouflaged as well.  Whether it’s partying when you are young or distressing you when you are older, it will bite like a serpent.  Soon the venom of alcohol will take over your life before you have a chance to react.  You can end up in compromising sexual situations, saying things you regret later and feel like you are on ship being tossed in the ocean.  You can end up being in a fight or getting hurt and you don’t even know what happened.  You wake up the next day having said and done things you can’t even remember.  Yet, you go to that bar again.   You order that margarita one more time.  You open up that wine at dinner again.  Look not at the wine when it is red.  We don’t need alcohol and our children need to be warned about the potential disasters in taking up drinking.  Have you warned them?  Are you patterning a sober lifestyle for them?  You may be able to handle the alcohol but your child may not.  It is always better to avoid alcohol use at all rather than risk exposing your children to a vice they may not be able to handle.

Proverbs - Sexual Sin Warnings from a Father

Proverbs 23:26 -28

My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

A father is asking for his son to trust him with his heart.  A father is asking his son to observe the ways that his father is going.  This subject is important to the father.  It involves his son’s sexuality.  He lets his son know that a woman who considers herself entertainment for men is a deep ditch.  She is not just a ditch, but a deep ditch.  This implies that if men go into this ditch it is a deeper fall than they had expected it to be.  He warns his son that if he goes this way he will end up deeper into things than he could ever imagine.  Pornography, prostitution and recreational sex is laying wait for him as for a prey.  The intention is to devour and consume.  Our sons must be warned.  Hopefully our husbands can sit down with our sons and not just explain the ‘birds and bees’ but also the ditches and pits.  Hopefully our husbands will have lives that our sons can observe and follow in this manner.  Even if they don’t we must warn them as well.  We should pray that they will never look at women as objects but human being created in God’s image with eternal souls.  We should pray that they will consider sexual sin as dangerous and that they will believe God to help them keep themselves for their wives.  They should see us showing them modest dress and wholesome conduct.  Oh Lord, protect our sons from these pits and give them a good life rich in all you want it to be.  Be ours sons’ shield and may they marry the women you pick out for them.

Knowing God - He Allows Us to Feel Emotions

Isa 41:13

 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

The Lord understands that we face things that make us afraid.  When the Lord tells us that we are not to fear, He doesn’t mean that we aren’t allowed to experience fear in response to something.  The Lord is letting us know that the fear is not to determine our decisions or keep us back from what He is asking us to do in response to the fearful situation.  Here, the Lord is letting us know that He will hold our right hand.  The right hand often represents authority and decisions.  It represents the choices and direction we will take.  He wants to hold our right hand and give us the help we need to not be led by fear in a fearful situation.  He wants to order our steps and He wants to be what we sense present stronger than that which has elicited fear within us.  Our Lord knows our frame.  We will fear, but when that fear comes we must consciously yield our instinct to His leading and trust Him to lead us.  Our fearful condition makes us vulnerable to the enemy’s suggestions.  Remember, when you are afraid, the Lord your God will hold your right hand and He will help you.

Proverbs - Wisdom by Example

Proverbs 23:24-25

The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

For our children to have wisdom that brings us joy, we must teach them what is wise.  We also should see to be those wise women they can learn from in our own lives.  By being in the book of Proverbs we should be growing in wisdom that they can pattern their lives by.  Do you seek to be wise?   How are your sleep patterns?  Do your children see you go to bed at a reasonable time and wake up at an appropriate time?  How about your eating habits?  Do you make wise choices that are healthy and appropriate?  Are you guarding your mouth against gossip and complaints?  Do you do your work around the house with diligence and order your days with responsibility in mind?  Do you go and do what you want to do instead of what you need to do?  Let us be wise women so that our children will be wise children.  Our husbands’ hearts will greatly rejoice and we will be glad when they are wise children.  Let us make sure we have done all we can to influence them in the way of wisdom.

Knowing God - He Brings Freedom

2 Cor 3:17

 Now the Lord is that Spirit:

and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The Lord is the Holy Spirit.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.  Liberty means freedom.  The Lord’s leading and the Lord’s presence results in freedom.  A believer can walk without fear of unseen obstacles when he is being led by the Holy Spirit.  The Lord is bigger than anything that wants to entangle us or cause us to feel constrained and bound.  Our God is Spirit and He is not bound by anything either.  If some sort of religious rules or expectations come into our lives resulting in our believing that the Lord is keeping us down and holding us back it may not be from the Holy Spirit.  If something comes in that allows us to freely obey the Lord regardless of other’s opinions and agrees with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is there.  If you find yourself rather bound within Christianity or feeling like the Lord is keeping you back, open up to the Holy Spirit.  Ask Him to fill you.  Ask Him to lead you.  Ask for the Spirit of the Lord to fill your life, your plans and your day.  Walk in the liberty His Spirit promises you!

Proverbs - Truth is Valuable

Proverbs 23:23

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Truth is something we must buy.  We don’t buy it with money.  We consider the cost of choosing the truth.  Perhaps it will cost us the time we would have watched a television program but spent some time in prayer about a matter of concern.  Perhaps it will cost us convenience when we know doing the right thing will take time and effort.  Maybe it will cost us a friendship when we have to speak the truth.  Maybe it will cost us some money by telling the waitress she forgot to charge us for our soda.  We are told here that we must not sell it.  We must not sell out once we know something to be true and of the Lord.  We must hold on to it and never let it go. This goes for wisdom, instruction and understanding too. Once we get it, we need to keep it.  These are things worth keeping forever.

Knowing God - He Wants Us to Understand

Matt 15:16

 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

Peter was asking Jesus about the meaning of a parable.  Jesus asks him this question before Jesus explains it to him.  It almost sounds like Jesus is a little disappointed that Peter wasn’t able to grasp what the Lord was saying.  The Lord is asking many of us if we still lack the understanding He wants us to have.  He desires for us to grow up in all things and will question where we are with the intent of seeing us mature and gain understanding of whom He is and what He means.  The Lord went on to explain these things to Peter but was hoping Peter was beginning to move beyond the cold, clear, letter of law and into a place where he could pick up on the warm, permeating, heart of God through the Word.  The Word tells us to lift up our voices for understanding.  If we don’t understand things, we can go to the Lord and He will explain them.  As we do, we will begin to know His heart and be quicker to understand His ways.  He wants us to handle His Word skillfully. 

Proverbs - A Parent's Instruction

Proverbs 23:22

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

Our children need to know that a parent’s instruction is to be valued far after the parents are gone.  One way for them to know this is to see and hear us hearken unto our parents’ instruction in our adult years.  We can quote our parents to our children bringing in much needed influence from generations before us.  If our parents are still living we can call them and ask them for their advice and counsel on matters.  We can take this before the Lord and with our husbands, determine if there is wisdom in their counsel.  We should not despise our mothers when they are old.  They may be a bit needy or even out of touch with some of the challenges we face in our generation, but there is so much we can glean from their years of experience and their older perspective.  Even if we learn from the bad choices they have made, they do instruct us one way or another.  This will help our children learn how to treat us when we are older as well.

Knowing God - He HAS Blessed Us

Eph 1:3

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

This verse is stated in past tense.  When we are in Christ, all spiritual blessings have already been given to us.  The Lord has given us EVERYTHING pertaining to life and godliness in Christ.  I love the phrase ‘in Christ’.  “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ…”  “If any man is in Christ he is a new creation…”  Here we see that when we believe and find ourselves in Christ, our God and Father has blessed us with all spiritual blessings.  Our God is generous and when we became His children we suddenly became privileged to all that is part of His inheritance.  Thank You, Father, for having blessed us.  Oh Lord, let us be a people who expectantly look for whatever we need from You.  You are generous.  You are kind.  We have so much more than we have drawn from.  Open our eyes to these spiritual blessings.  

Proverbs - Who Are Our Friends?

Proverbs 23:19-21

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

The first verse in this section of text gives us good instructions as parents.  We need to speak the right counsel to our children and then instruct them in guiding their hearts.  They must know that we cannot make them choose the right thing.  We can tell them the right thing but they must guide their hearts in the right way.  This right way includes staying away from people who drink alcohol and focus on food.  We should exemplify this to them.  Who do we hang around with?  Most alcoholics did not start out abusing alcohol.  It started with a casual drink.  Many alcoholics end up in poverty because they are unable to be responsible employees due to their abuse of alcohol.  Many gluttons end up being tired and clothed in rags because their health goes down and oversized clothing hangs upon them to hide and mask the consequences of overeating.  Choosing the right friends and being the right friend can really make or break the direction in which we journey.  Warn your children about who they choose to hang out with and exemplify to them healthy friendships.  Have people in your life that are wise.  He who walks with the wise grows wise but a companion of fools suffers harm.