Knowing God - God's Guest List is HUGE

Luke 14:23

 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

We read in the scriptures that “.. strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt 7:14).  When we read this we can think that the Lord is very picky and doesn’t really want a lot of people coming into this incredible relationship with Him.  This is not true!  Just because a few people find it does not mean that it is God’s heart for this to happen.  We read in Jesus’ account that the lord wanted his house to be filled.  He wanted people sought out and compelled to come in!  This lord in this parable represents the Lord Himself.  The Lord went to the greatest lengths to make the way for man to be reconciled with Him.  He did all the work and now it is available to whosoever believes.  When considering presenting the Lord’s opportunity to be forgiven and saved, remember that the Lord wants His house filled.  He is seeking those who are lost.  His heart is that no one would perish but that ALL will come to eternal life.  Don’t be discouraged about that one you are praying for.  God wants them to come in.  He wants us to compel people to come in.  As you walk along the highways and roads of your life today, remember that these people are on the guest list.  Give them the invitation and see what happens!

                                                                                        

Proverbs - Consume Wisdom

Proverbs 9:1-6

           Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

           She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine;

she hath also furnished her table.

She hath sent forth her maidens:

she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

           Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither:

 as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

           Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

           Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

                    The wisdom and instruction that the Lord wants to give us has a proven record.  His instructions for our lives build our homes and lives with strong support and sure position.  His wisdom kills those things that want to come into our lives and devour all that He has done for us.  His wisdom is aged, like fine wine, with a quality and depth incomparable to any sort of trendy advice offered by the ‘experts’ our time.  His wisdom has all of the substance and delicacies any one could desire and when followed furnishes us with nourishment and lasting strength for all that this life has to offer.

                    Even when we might entertain foolish pursuits, His voice is there, crying at the high places of the city, beckoning us to forsake foolish living and go in the way of Your Maker.

                    If you find yourself lacking this judgment, if you find yourself at a loss for direction, take a turn towards the Lord and eat of His bread.  Open the Word of God with the hunger to be counseled and directed. Don’t give in to the temptation that your lack of understanding disqualifies you for a life that is blessed, but rather take it as a wonderful opportunity to take your empty cup to the fountain of life and be filled.  Sometimes when we lack wisdom we listen better to the Lord and we are not so tempted to lean on our own understanding.

                    Foolish living depletes of life.  When we stay up too late, are slothful in our work, talk too much, spend money we don’t have, commit to things the Lord never asked us to do, squander our resources, we end up drained and weary.  We must forsake these ‘natural’ choices and choose rather to go ‘supernaturally’ towards an upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  The Lord has saved us to show the world around us what a life surrendered to Christ and His wisdom can be like.  Let us go in the way of understanding and trust that to be like the carpool lane - much faster, less crowed and a more enjoyable ride.

Knowing God - His Throne is Forever

Ps 45:6

Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: …

His Throne is Forever

                                                                     

A throne denotes position, authority and dominion.  God’s position is established forever.  It doesn’t matter if someone is yielded to Him as their king or not, He is king.  His authority is final no matter what cultural trends seem to be popular and accepted.  His dominion is enduring and He will have the final say in the end.  He is God and we are His creation.  Our stability and confidence should be quite sure given the fact that God’s throne is forever and ever.  If you and I have declared Him our king and willingly submitted to His kingdom’s cause, we can rest knowing that His authority is quite sufficient for all matters of our lives.  His throne is forever.  His throne is over our marriages, feelings, health and finances.  The neat thing is, that not only are we under His authority as subjects in His kingdom, but we are His children and live within His tender care and affection.  Thank you for your throne O God.  Rule over my soul my precious King and Father!

Proverbs - Hating Counsel is Loving Death

Proverbs 8:35-36

For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

                  When we determine God’s way of doing things we find life.  We sense the support and intimacy our Father so wants us to have with Him.  If we stiffen our necks and run our own lives we will not only grieve His heart but our own souls will be treated so harshly in this life.  Our emotions, will and intellect will go through unnecessary torment by going against the counsel of the Lord for our lives.  If we are foolish women who don’t want to hearken to His counsel, we are actually loving death.  Our choices against His counsel will drain us of life and soon we will be going through the motions without life numb and calloused.  We need to watch, wait, hear and find what the Lord has to say to us about every area of our lives.  If we find ourselves recklessly choosing without regard to His counsel, we MUST humble ourselves and ask Him to revive the fear of the Lord within us. We must not HATE counsel or we will be invited ‘death’ into our lives.  

Knowing God - He Clothes Us

Gen 3:21

 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God

make coats of skins, and clothed them.

                                                                                                    

Earlier we read in Genesis 3:7, “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”  Adam and Even had a sense of vulnerability, shame and desire to be covered.  They sewed fig leaves together.  Creative? Yes. Enduring? No. What was going to happen as the day to day environment took its tolls on leaves that would lose their softness and become brittle and dry?  It was a temporary fix that would not meet their need to be covered.  The Lord took animal skins and made coats for them.  He made the covering with a material that is durable and only gets more comfortable and suitable as it is worn.  When we find ourselves in a place where we have overstepped the lines, God desires and is prepared to clothe us with enduring material that can weather our day to day lives.  Let us look at a few things He wants to clothe us in:

Isa 61:10 “…. he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness…”

Eph 6:11 “Put on the whole armour of God…”

Col 3:10 “ And have put on the new man….”

Zech 3:4 “… Take away the filthy garments from him….and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”

Rev 7:9 “….stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes….”

Isa 61:3 “…the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;…”

When we find ourselves in a place that we have blown it and realize our shame, remember it is God who has the covering we need.

Proverbs - Slow Down, Listen and Be Blessed!

Proverbs 8:34

         

           Blessed is the man that heareth me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting at the posts of my doors.

                    Wisdom can be heard and wisdom will be predictably given to all who watch daily at the Lord’s gates and wait at the posts of His doors.  Are you continuing to make decisions based upon your own reasoning or without coming before Your God and asking Him for counsel and wisdom?  Are you barreling into your day with your lists of things to do determining priorities without coming before Him in the morning watching, waiting and listening?  The Lord has so much wonderful wisdom to give us as mothers, budgeters, domestic engineers, employees, and every other sort of work He has for us to do. We are promised that we will be blessed if he hear wisdom, keep a look out for the wisest way of handling something and wait for wisdom rather than jump into things impulsively.  Let us be in constant place of knowing that wisdom doesn’t come from within but descends from above.  Let us be people who KNOW where our helps comes from and be willing to wait to hear from him before jumping into things BEFORE wisdom speaks.  Ssshhhhhh…STOP all the reasoning, arguments and voices in your head!  Wisdom WILL speak and as we obey wisdom we will be – BLESSED!

Proverbs - God's Wisdom Creates Order

Proverbs 8:22-33


 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
 When there were no depths, I was brought forth;
 when there were no fountains abounding with water.
 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,
 nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
 When he prepared the heavens, I was there:
 when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
 When he established the clouds above:
when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him:
 and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth;
 and my delights were with the sons of men.
 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children:
 for blessed are they that keep my ways.
 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.



In this section of scripture we see that the wisdom of God is being explained.  His wisdom is forever settled and He knows how to counsel us in life’s matters.  His wisdom creates things within us that we don’t naturally have and can always bring Him glory.


God’s wisdom understands the highs and lows of our lives and whether it is a time we believe we are ‘in the heavens’ or ‘in the depths’, the wisdom of the Lord wants to speak to us about our lives and choices at those times.


The wisdom of the Lord will often give us boundaries just like when the Lord gave His command that the ocean waters can only go so far.  He will tell us with His wisdom our boundaries even of good and beautiful things.


Our very world in which we live in declares the wisdom of God.  The seasons, the continents, climate, position of the sun from the earth, habitations designed for specific creatures, the rotation of the earth around the sun all speak of perfect wisdom and a God who knows how to cause all things to work together for the good.

If wisdom was so foundational for all of creation, how much more do we need to ask for wisdom in the creation of our lives and days?  Let us ask the Lord throughout this day for His boundaries and His priorities.  Let us not go with our own inclinations, but know that His ways are higher than our ways.  Let us be quiet and receptive to His leading trusting that His wisdom creates beautiful things.

Knowing God - God Probes

Gen 3:9-13

 And the Lord God called unto Adam…..Where art thou?...

And he (the Lord God) said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee

that thou shouldest not eat?......

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? ……

The first three recorded times that God spoke after Adam and Eve had listened to the devil, their lusts and reasoning, were all questions directed to them.  It was not an exclamatory rebuke or a reminder of the commandment they had broken.  Where, Who, Have You, and What Have You Done.  The Lord asks His people where we are all the time.  We end up being in a place He never intended us to be in.  He asks His people what relationships or words might have led to our sinful choices.  He knows that conversations with the enemy, other people or words we might hear could have contributed to our rebellion.  He asks us whether we have done something.  The Lord knows whether we have or not.  He is seeking for us to take personal responsibility for our sinful choices and recognize them as disobedience to His commands and not just choices that leave us with bitter consequences.  Finally He asks, “What is this that you have done?”  Now that we have come out from hiding, recognized the social factor in our sin and admitted our own volition, He wants us to take in the greater repercussions we might not readily recognize in the midst of hiding and blaming.  We often think of God as the God of commandments, but often our God is the God of probing questions.

Proverbs - Durable Riches

Proverbs 8:18-21

         

 Riches and honour are with me;

 yea, durable riches and righteousness.

 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;

 and my revenue than choice silver.

 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance;

 and I will fill their treasures.

                    The riches and honor that last are found in Christ.  He gives us those things that are better than anything this world has to offer.  The profit we receive from taking His Word and mixing it with faith can be drawn on throughout our lives never diminishing in worth or value.  The Lord leads us in ways that are right and safe.  He wants our lives to bring Him glory and show this world that He judges righteously.  Our children should see a mother whose decisions are not based on temporal profit but that which her Maker deems as durable riches. 

                    The Lord leads us in ways that are right and judged accurately.  We must listen to His counsel and trust that along His paths are treasures and substance.  Substance can be seen and built upon.  The things of this world lack substance.  They will always evade us and our eyes will never be satisfied. When we choose the way of the Lord and His will for our lives we may think we are lacking some things at first, according to the world, but in the long run we will abide satisfied.  The Lord will cause those of us who love Him to inherit substance.  It will just come to us.  The Lord will fill our treasures.  

Knowing God - Where Are You?

Gen 3:9

And the Lord God called unto Adam,

 and said unto him, Where art thou?

The Lord knew where Adam was, but He still called out and asked Adam, “Where are you?”  The answer was not to inform God but to inform Adam.  Adam needed to see where he was in light of the choice had made to ignore the Lord’s boundaries and participate in something the Lord had forbidden.  When we cross those lines, our God is still calling out and saying, “Where are you?”  Adam was hiding and had made coverings for himself.  The Lord wanted Adam to look at his state, his feeble attempt and covering his tracks and his lack of freedom to walk through the garden freely enjoying all that the Lord HAD given him.  Sometimes we accept where we are and don’t realize how our actions have affected our lives.  We must be sensitive to the first recorded time that God raises a question in His Word.  Where are you?  Are you hiding?  Are you hearing His voice in the distance?  Are you trying to hold the pieces of your life together with things you have ‘sewn’ together?  Are you restricted and bound by the consequences of sin?  Do you hear Him questioning you?  Even if there aren’t obvious conditions speaking to you, allow this question to often search you and perhaps even show that you are in a good place.  Where are you?

Proverbs - Seek and Seek Early

                                   Proverbs 8:14-17       

Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom:

I am understanding; I have strength.

 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

 By me princes rule, and nobles,

 even all the judges of the earth.

I love them that love me;

and those that seek me early shall find me.

Seek and Seek Early

          The Lord has counsel.  Counsel is His.  This means that it is His to give.  Let us go to Him first for advice.  Our prayer life is not one of religious duty but rather a time where we get to come to the One who has counsel and He gives us this sound counsel. He can show us how to love, manage money, parent, and manage time and all other matters related to our existence.  Prayer is a wonderful time to come to the One who is understanding, who has strength and counsel. 

          We need to seek the Lord early.  This is not necessarily early in the day, although that is a great time to check in but also early in the processes of life.  We need to pray for our husbands before we even meet them.  We need to seek Him about our children’s future before it happens.  We need to seek Him about growing older before we do.  We need to seek Him about handling matters before they even show up.  He is the God who is the “...Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev 1:8) He is outside of this element of time and we can approach Him about the future trusting Him to order our steps now to bring us to His desired end.  Sister in Christ, come before Him rather than be anxious about tomorrow.  Pray about tomorrow trusting Him to equip you today.

Knowing God - He Brings Down the Lofty

Isa 26:5

For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground;

 he bringeth it even to the dust.

No matter how well known or respected a person is in society, they are still humans that were created by God for His purposes and they will give account.  Every celebrity faces death and no matter how beautiful the flesh is, it will still decay and corrupt after the life of the person departs.  All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust (Job 34:15). The glory and fame of man pale in comparison to the fame and glory of our God.  Are we more star struck with those whose faces appear on a screen than we are of our God who inhabits eternity?  When we enter into worship do we realize that the Lord is over all and we are privileged to know Him, talk with Him, be provided by Him and that He is waiting and made a way for us to dwell with Him in person forever? Let us not be so easily impressed with those who dwell on high.  Let us not look at the homes on the hill with some sort of inordinate reverence.  If we see someone we admire that is highly esteemed by man, let us not stop with a glance of admiration but lift that person in prayer because they will inevitably be dust.  Let us ask the Lord seeking Him to touch their lives and soul.  Let us look up to the One who treats all men the same and is willing that none should perish but all should have everlasting life through faith in Christ.

Proverbs - To Fear Him We Must Hate Some Things

Proverbs 8:12-17

 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride,

and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

                    When we hate evil we are choosing to esteem the Lord’s judgment on matters over our own or the world’s in which we live.  Sometimes we can hear something funny on a show or movie and we chuckle.  We must evaluate whether this response is appropriate.  Is the joke dealing with things that the Lord says are sinful?  Does the story line exalt folly and mock at righteousness?  If we find pleasure in those things and allow ourselves to enjoy them we are not walking in the fear of the Lord.  We are taught to hate evil not be entertained by it.

          After we determine to hate whatever the Lord calls evil we see here a list of some of the things that He hates.  We must hate pride, arrogancy, the evil way and the froward mouth.  The first place to hate these is within our own lives.  Whenever we speak or think out of pride or speak in any sort of deceptive manner we must confess this as sin and hate it enough to cry out to the Lord for deliverance and determine to reject these responses as acceptable.  Another good place to start is asking the Lord to give us a hatred for these things.  If we want to be like Him, we should love the things He loves and hate the things He hates.  

Knowing God - He Wants to Touch Our Mouths

Jeremiah 1:9

Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

                                                                     

Jeremiah was having a dialogue with the Lord.  God was calling him and Jeremiah was working through his own doubts and concerns.  As they continued interacting, the Lord put forth his hand and touched Jeremiah’s mouth.  He touched his mouth, not to heal it, but to place His Words in Jeremiah’s mouth.  Oh, how we need to have His Words for wherever He has placed us!  This came by Jeremiah positioning himself in a place where he could sense the hand of God touching his mouth and the voice of God could be heard explaining what had been done.  It is often difficult to have this kind of interaction in our busy days but vital to be effective in all that the Lord has called us to do.  I remember when I had small babies the best time for this was nap time.  When I single, it was at lunch time off to the side at work.  Then, it was first thing in the morning after the kids go off to school. Now, it’s early in the morning before anyone wakes up. No matter what time you meet, make the time.  We need the touch of God and to hear His voice explaining a bit of what He is doing.  God wants to touch us and God wants to talk with us.  Be in a place to be touched and hear. 

Proverbs - Instruction is Better Than Financial Gain

Proverbs 8:10-11

                                            Receive my instruction, and not silver;

and knowledge rather than choice gold.

 For wisdom is better than rubies;

and all the things that may be desired

are not to be compared to it.

 Here we are given a choice.  We should receive instruction - not silver and knowledge rather than gold.  What does this say to the believer who chooses to earn time-and-a-half on a Sunday that results in not being able to sit under his pastor’s bible teaching?  What does this say to the one who chooses to ignore the gathering together with believers giving his or her employment the consistent priority?  Receiving instruction is of higher value than receiving a paycheck.

                    Another lesson to learn from these verses is that choosing to take on employment which conflicts with wisdom for your family or the wisdom God has shown you for your day to day life,  cheapens the quality of life the Lord would have for you.  A woman may think that her husband taking a second job, or she, herself, committing to that outside source of income will solve their problems but, in fact, could very well be foolish and result in the devastation of their marriage or family.  We do not measure our choices only by their financial success.  We measure our choices by the leading of the Holy Spirit and God’s priorities 

Proverbs - His MOUTH Speaks Truth

Proverbs 8:7-9

 For my mouth shall speak truth;

 and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;

there is nothing froward or perverse in them.

 They are all plain to him that understandeth,

and right to them that find knowledge.

                    Isn’t it just the most wonderful discovery that ALL that our God has to say to us in His Word is in righteousness and that there is nothing twisted or deceptive in it?  All other sources are open game for the opinions of man, demonic inspiration or misguided conclusions. When we sit in His presence and take in His written Word that is truly HIS voice in written format, we are in a place where we have trusted counsel, advice and perspective.  All other sources, even Christian books and commentaries, are tainted with human opinion and assessment.  HIS Word is pure and promises to enlighten our eyes.  They are just so pure we have to take our fill and be refreshed! 

Knowing God - Pulling Away May Enable Us to Pour Out

Matt 5:1

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

Jesus saw the multitudes at this time and went up into a mountain.  After he settled himself his disciples came to him.   We can learn about life from Jesus’ example.  He moved up and away from the multitudes at times and gathered with some of his closest, like-minded friends.  Sometimes we can see the multitudes of people, tasks, trials, responsibilities and burdens and choose to immerse ourselves in them even more.  There is a time to go up and away from the multitude and see what really follows us.  There is a time to get together with people who are committed to us and the things the Lord is doing through us.   To isolate ourselves in order to avoid responsibility may be a very bad thing but to isolate ourselves to face responsibility may not only be good but necessary.

Proverbs - Wisdom is Crying Out to Us

Proverbs 8:1-6

 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

 She standeth in the top of high places,

by the way in the places of the paths.

 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.  Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.  Hear; for I will speak of excellent things;

 and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

                    Wisdom - God’s way of handling things - is speaking to us in every situation.  If we are quiet enough and slow to react, we should hear wisdom call us to an understanding heart. 

                    Wisdom speaks of excellent things - things that excel the average way of handling things.  Jesus has been made unto us “...the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1:24) God has given to us the mind of Christ.  We can operate from this mind as we yield our own understanding to the understanding we lift our voice to get.  When He opens His mouth He speaks right things.  It is good to know we can hear things that are right.

                    Even if we lack understanding we can become wise.  If we listen and hear we will understand wisdom as well as have an understanding heart.  The Lord loves to give us wisdom and in turn we give Him the credit for our well-built lives.

Knowing God - He Meets Us Where We Are

Matt 4:23

 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Jesus traveled.  Jesus went to the meeting places, the hills, people’s houses and public places.  Jesus taught those who had come to learn, proclaimed good news to those who were discouraged and healed those who were sick and hurting.  Jesus didn’t stay in one place and ask people to come to him.  Many of the sick were most likely so ill it would have been difficult for them to connect with Him if Jesus had chosen this way of touching those He came to reach.   Jesus loves us and He meets us where we are.   He is in the learning institution, public places and painful situations we find ourselves in.  He is a God who did not stay in the heavens but left His glorious home to dwell with us in human flesh.  How then shall we doubt His accompaniment with us throughout our various seasons and mindsets?

Proverbs - Women As God Desires

Proverbs 7:22-27

 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter,

or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare,

and knoweth not that it is for his life.

 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

 For she hath cast down many wounded:

 yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

                                                          The world’s esteem of the provocative, seductive woman is the antithesis of God’s view of her.  People are wounded from sexual sin and strong men are actually slain by such encounters.  Sexual promiscuity is the way to hell.  May we as Christian women reject all such suggestions to model ourselves after this world.  “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. (1 Tim 2:9‑10)

Knowing God - The Lord is With Us to Deliver Us

Jer 1:19

And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.

The Lord is speaking to His servant Jeremiah and warning him ahead of time of the opposition he will face.  He assures His servant that those who fight against him will not prevail.  Why?  Because the Lord will be with him.  We are seeing that God’s promised presence will enable us to not be overcome by the things that come against us.  He is with us to deliver us.  He is not with us just to be a friend with whom we hang out, but He is a deliverer who is with us in times of trouble.  He is not with us just to help us not feel alone in trouble, but with us to deliver us from the enemy’s plans.  This is why it is so important for us to cultivate and consider the relationship we have with God.  This companionship is vital for support, strength, and deliverance.  We must take the time, often, to connect with Him so we are assured of this truth.  If you are facing a strong opposition, now is the time to draw away and become acutely aware of the fact that He is with you.  This will protect you from fighting in your own strength or deciding to give up to the pressure and onslaught.  He is with you to deliver you!

Proverbs - The Woman We Don't Want to Be

Proverbs 7:13-21

 So she caught him, and kissed him,

and with an impudent face said unto him,

I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

 Therefore came I forth to meet thee,

diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry,

with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning:

let us solace ourselves with loves.

 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

 He hath taken a bag of money with him,

 and will come home at the day appointed.

 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield,

with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

                    This woman is the initiator and with her bait catches the man.  The woman of God is not so.  She waits upon the Lord and surrenders her desires to her God and looks to Him for her steps to be ordered.

                    We see that this woman lies to the man and says she diligently sought him.  We know from the context that she was just in the street and that this fellow happened by.  Our speech needs to be seasoned with grace and always in truth.  If we gain attention through flattery or deceit we have partnered with the father of lies and aided him in destroying our lives.  We, as women, have tremendous influence with our speech.  May our lips speak wisdom and give encouragement to others.  May our lips never cause people to yield to sin or compromise.

Knowing God - God Positions Us

Ps 46:5

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

Here we learn that the promised presence of God results in promised positioning.  The Lord was in the midst of His people in the Old Testament and the Lord is in the midst of His people now.  At one time the Lord dwelt in the tabernacle and then the temple.  Now He dwells within those who are His adopted children by His Holy Spirit. Because He is in the midst of us, we shall not be moved.  We shall not be displaced or uprooted.  God will help us and He will help us early; early in the trials, early in our battles and early in our weariness.  It is His very promise of His presence that assures us of our positioning and His promised assistance.  We must remember that when Jesus said that He would never leave us nor forsake us, it was not a conditional promise.   It was a promise of His presence.  Do you realize that if you are in Christ, Christ is in you?  Do you realize that if you feel lost, He knows where you are?  Do you realize that if you are disoriented, He has your position?  God is in the midst of you dear saint.  You shall not be moved.  He will help you speedily!

Proverbs - How NOT To Be

Proverbs 7:10-12

 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

                    Once again we can take a look at how we, as Christian women, should not present ourselves in this world.  This woman was not necessarily a harlot but certainly her dress was similar.  When I was a young single Christian I was frustrated because it seemed that all of the godly guys were never interested in me and only those guys in my church who wanted one thing would approach me.  I came before the Lord and asked Him about this matter.  He led me to a book by my pastor at the time and through the book told me that you catch whatever fish you bait your hook for.  I was reminded that if I looked like I was carnal, others would perceive me as this.  Although the Lord does truly look on the heart, we must realize that “...man looketh on the outward appearance.” (1 Sam 16:7)

                    Modesty is an issue always in vogue among Christian ladies, single and married. A Christian guy friend of mine in college once told me to use John the Baptist’s motto as a guideline. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30 ) When we are at the beach on a hot August day and we wear a long-sleeved turtleneck and sweats we will draw attention to our bodies.  If we show up in even modest shorts and a t-shirt at a wedding we will increase in presence and get people’s eyes upon us.  One thing we can do is to take a portion of time and seek the Lord on His standards for our clothing based on our shape, culture and frame.  Take some time to sit in your room and ask Jesus to be the final authority on all in your life.  Ask Him for a humble mind and open heart for His instruction in righteousness.  Go to your closet and dresser and lay each item of clothing out and ask Him what He says about it.  He will guide you continually and truly if we acknowledge Him in all our ways, even clothing, He will direct our paths.

                    Another attribute we see in this woman is that she is loud and stubborn.  This word ‘loud’ tells us that she draws attention to herself in word and action.  Her presence intrudes on those who approach her.  This is very desired by the world we live in.  We must resist the temptation to make a name for ourselves, to speak all of our mind, to demand our own way and be the center of attention.  This is not the way of a woman who wants to please her Lord.  This loudness has to do with clamor, rage and moaning.  Do we complain and seek our own interests above others?  Do we have to be heard or we will make others listen to us?  Let us stop and in the quietness of our heart receive the Lord’s steadfast love allowing ourselves to take back seat to His presence and others’ interests.

She is also described as stubborn. The same Hebrew word used in this proverb is also used in Psalm 78:8: “And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.”  We see that stubbornness is associated with a heart that is not right as well as a spirit who is not steadfast with God.  As women of Christ we must be sure to have our hearts open and searched by His Spirit and Word.  When we do this and encounter His correction we find ourselves much more ready to admit when we are wrong and yield to better ways.  When our spirit is not set to receive from our God and we have interrupted fellowship with the Lord we will be tempted to lean on our own understanding.  This will result in having a higher opinion of ourselves and creating a stubborn self-willed attitude.

                    This woman is found out in the streets.  Our culture tries in every way to get us away from the home.  We must know why we are leaving our home and that the Lord has sent us there.  This woman was wandering without purpose and because of that she entered into a dangerous place of flirting with sin.  We don’t need to ‘hang out’ at the mall or ‘hang out’ at church.  Go there with a reason.  Whether it is to purchase a specific item or spend time with your children, do it with a purpose and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in reaching your world for Christ.

Knowing God - God Gives Shame

Ps 83:16

Fill their faces with shame;

that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

This is a prayer that the psalmist is praying about his enemies.  We get a glimpse of the heart that the Lord has for His enemies.  The shame that is desired is shame that produces a seeking.  The Lord will use shame in people’s lives to bring them to a place where regrets lead to repentance, embarrassment leads to embracing and consequences lead to commitment.  The shame that the Lord allows is good for us.  It speaks of a conscience touched by a holy God and when we begin to sense shame we begin to sense surrender.  Shame can be our friend when it produces this sort of looking up and purposed pursuit of God.  Whether it is our enemies or we ourselves, may the shame associated with evil actions produce the response of seeking God and His ways.  Oh Lord, it is You that mankind needs and no matter how evil others have been to us or we, towards you, let shame work a work of humility and dependence upon You. 

                                         

Proverbs - Don't Get Close to the Enemy's Traps

Proverbs 7:6-9

 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths,

a young man void of understanding,

 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

                    The word ‘simple’ in the Word of God means void of understanding.  We must not be ‘simple’ women.  We must be women who desire to understand the heart of God on matters.  The Lord would have us be prudent - able to assess a situation and make choices led by the Lord’s wisdom for our lives and others.  If we remain simple and not grow in wisdom we might, like this young man, walk too close to compromise and the traps our adversary has set for us.