Knowing God - God Grieves

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 is grieved by the wickedness we may do.  He is not just an impartial judge but a God who loves us and cares for us.  He watches us and when we choose to do things in ways that are contrary to His loving boundaries, it grieves Him in His heart.  This is not a God who, like a police officer, is just monitoring violations and handing out citations in an indifferent and impersonal way.  This is a God whose heart of love is the motivation for every law and commandment He gives.  We might start to confess our sins, not only as legitimate offenses deserving judgment, but also as those things that grieve our God.  Tell Him how sorry you are and that you want your love for Him to motivate you to keep His commandments.  God has a heart for us, let us bring Him delight.

Proverbs - God Has Raised Us

Proverbs 29:21

He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child

shall have him become his son at the length.

The Lord delicately brings us up as his servants from our youth and we end up falling in love with Him.  Many of us used to think of the Lord as a hard driving master but He ever so delicately revealed His love and sacrifice that we might know Him as our Father.  As we cooperate with His parenting we will be better established as His children and less prone to see Him as a driving Master.  Remember all He has taught you and how his training has been delicate and kind, always motivated by love and consistent with His holiness and graciousness.

Knowing God - He is MY Father

Jer 3:4

Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me,

My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

The Lord asks His people will they, from now on, cry unto Him.  Will they not call Him their personal father and their guide in their youth?  The Lord is reminding us that we need a Father at all ages.  He wants us to call Him “MY Father”.  The Lord wants us to remember how He guided us when we were young.  Because He is our Father and has been our guide, we need to cry unto Him as a Father and as our guide.  We can take the time today to address Him in this way and watch ourselves rest as His children.  As we tell Him how He has guided us when we were young, we can be confident that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  The same God who guided us in the past, is the same God who will guide us today.  He is my father and the guide of my youth

Proverbs - Don't Be Quick to Speak!

Proverbs 29:20

Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

This is classic me.  I can just blurt something out and end up complicating things unnecessarily.  I will be the foolish woman who tears down my house if I am hasty with my words.  I will be worse off than a fool if I am a woman who is quick to speak.  That is quite scary!  Let us not be hasty in our words. Let us keep it in until afterwards and present our thoughts before the eyes of God until He leads us to speak.  Even if we have to stop and pray before we say something, let the pause bring a stillness and wisdom to the conversation. 

Knowing God - There Are Treasures in Christ

Col 2:3

In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

God has hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.  This is not a hide-and-seek game.   To those who are in Christ, the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are no longer hidden.  If I were to hide your birthday presents in a room and I told you that ALL of your presents are hidden in a room you haven’t been in, those gifts would be unknown and mysterious.  If I opened the door and you came into that room and had access to that room, the gifts would be plainly available and obvious to you.  If you are in Christ, look around!  There are treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Him.  Enjoy discovering them and having them available to you.  God has put these treasures in Christ and if you are in Christ, you can enjoy wisdom and knowledge for they are found in Him.

Proverbs - Listening and Understanding

Proverbs 29:19

A servant will not be corrected by words:

 for though he understand he will not answer.

Jesus told us that he no longer calls us servants but friends.  He explained that a master does not reveal the whole plan and heart of a matter to his servant but a friend does.  A servant listens to his master and follows the directives.  He usually does not conform to the heart of the master.  A servant is usually hired for a specific task he already performs well.  Correction does not come easily because he is trained in a specific way.  We are the Lord’s friends and we should seek to understand and answer the Lord when he corrects us.  We love Him and we are not only His friends but children of God.  We want to be like Him and we are part of his family.   We are not hired servants but adopted children.  Let us be corrected by His rod and reproof and give Him delight.

Proverbs - Goals and Boundaries

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

People need goals and boundaries.  People need a hope for their future.  If there is an aimless existence, people perish and go towards depression.  Do you have a vision for your life?  Have you spoken a hope for the future to your husband and children?  Do you know that the Lord has a future and a hope for you?  If you find yourself a bit weary and discouraged reevaluate your perspective of the future.  See if you have the Lord’s commands close to your heart, trusting they are lighting a path and your feet to take you somewhere.

Knowing God - God Speaks

Luke 5:4

 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Jesus had been teaching the multitudes.  He gave them wonderful instruction about their lives, the Lord and truth.  Then Jesus stopped speaking to the multitudes and spoke a directive to Simon.  The Lord loves His people and has so much to say to us as a flock, as a body and as His children, but He loves to speak to us directly as well.  Our God speaks to us about our individual lives.  He talked to Simon about Simon’s boat, Simon’s net and Simon’s profession.  Do you know that your Lord loves you and wants to speak to you about your possessions, your responsibilities and your day?  Do you ever place yourself as just one of His sheep instead of realizing that you are His individual lamb as well?  How wonderful to know that our Lord loves us and desires for us to hear Him leading our individual decisions and course! 

Knowing God - God Can Ask Us to Do Impossible Things

John 4:16

                              

Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

The Lord Gives Difficult Commands

Jesus tells the Samaritan woman to get her husband and come back.  The woman is unable to do this because she is not currently married to anyone but, rather, living with a man.  Could the Lord have been referring to her first husband because that is the one the Lord would have considered her husband?  Or could He have been giving her a command she was unable to keep to show her the incredible need she had for the One who was truly the companion she had been looking for in the many lovers she had had?  The Lord may, indeed, give us directives we find ourselves unable to meet.  This should not lead us to discouragement or dismay but lead us to Him.  The Lord has the right to pose any sort of question or command to us and He has purposes behind these.  If we are unable to carry out His command, we need to be frank and honest with Him allowing the dialogue to continue and do the work He wants to do in us.  When the Lord gives us a command let us be sensitive to our inadequacies and bring them to Him.  He knows it all.  He has reasons for asking, let us respond with honesty and humility trusting He is wanting to reveal Himself as the answer for all things.

Proverbs - Correction and Rest

Proverbs 29:17

Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Sometimes we feel we need rest so we don’t correct our children.  They will give us rest as we choose to correct them.  It takes a lot of effort up front but in the long run it will give us the rest we need.  The little things we train them in now will protect them from the big mistakes they could make later.  It is like weeding a garden before the weeds take deep root.  Sure, it takes a consistent effort to go out daily and remove the little weeds but we won’t have such a strenuous job later.  The motivation of having rest and having our children give delight to our soul can be the right one in order to correct them.  Note that the word ‘correct’ is used and not ‘punishment’. We ought to remember that the rest and delight from correcting the behavior using the rod and reproof. 

Knowing God - The Lord Loves the Unfaithful

Hos 3:1

 Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel,….”

The Lord Loves the Unfaithful

      

           “According to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel…” is quite the description given to Hosea in telling him how to love this woman.  Our God’s great love is a love that we must measure all our love against.  Time and time again, God’s people would leave Him and run after other gods and other sources of strength and yet, the Lord would pursue them with a jealous love.  Our God’s love is faithful even when we are faithless.  Our God’s love is committed even when we are compromising. Our God’s love is steadfast even when we are distracted.  The love He has for us is rooted in who He is and not in whom we are. He is the loving Lord who pursues us with His love.  Let us learn this love, give this love and enjoy this love.  He is love.

Proverbs - Groups of Wicked People

Proverbs 29:16

When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth:

but the righteous shall see their fall.

A group of people bent on resisting God usually results in sinful choices that injure many people.  When we see gangs or worldly groups at work, we can almost predict some sort of transgression will come out of it.  The chemistry of a group of wicked people will inevitably produce sin and usually more than any of us care to realize.  This can make us discouraged, weary or feel outnumbered.  The righteous will see their fall.  Wickedness cannot endure.  It is like chaff on a piece of wheat.  The wind will drive it away and wickedness is self destructive.  Don’t be discouraged by the momentary release of sin, rather wait on the Lord.  He will strengthen your heart and you will see their fall. 

Knowing God - God Will Save You

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.

Here, the fearful is being addressed.  The fearful are being told that they can be strong and not fear.  Why?  Because God will come.  God will come with two things and come and do something.  He will come with a vengeance.  He will come with recompense.  He will come and save you.  God will come with a passion to protect you and stand up for you.  God will come with those consequences and inevitable outcomes that He has written into His eternal law.  He will come and save you.  God will come into those situations that produce fear in our hearts.  We can be strong and not fear BEFORE this happens knowing He will come and do these things.  Our strength and lack of fear is to be rooted in the strong commitment of our God to us and not in seeing or experiencing the deliverance.  The promise, alone, will give us strength and awaken us to courage and stamina in our fearful circumstances.  He will come.  Be strong and fear not!                                                                                     

Proverbs - The Rod and Reproof

Proverbs 29:15

The rod and reproof give wisdom:

but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

The rod is equated with some sort of painful consequence and reproof is that which corrects and instructs as to why something is wrong and what should be done instead.  When we have little ones we can just be so tired.  This could cause us to leave our children to themselves but we are told this will bring us shame.  When we are tired we might end up only using one of the two tools for wisdom and then we won’t get the desired result.  We may be grouchy and just use the rod or be full of words because we are frustrated.  The next time you discipline your children be aware of the rod and reproof.  Don’t leave one out! Consider the wisdom you desire to see given to your child.  You need some sort of consequence and then a time of verbal instruction.  Do you tend to do one more than the other?  A righteous balance comes from the Lord.   He will help you.

Knowing God - God Give an Inheritance to Those in Unity

Jer 3:18

In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

The Lord is speaking about unity resulting from His people turning from their backsliding ways and acknowledging their sin before Him.  He goes on to explain that, not only will they have unity, but His people will inherit what He had given to their fathers.  God has an inheritance for us.  When we return to Him, to the One who has married us, we obtain the inheritance He has given to generations before us in Christ.  The abundant life we can experience is the life promised to generations before us and available to us as well.  The Lord has given certain blessings for all those who are in Christ and seeking to follow Him.  Return to Him and walk in the inheritance already set apart for you.  He has given this to all those who are His children.  He loves you and He is a good Father.  Come together with all those who call upon Him out of a pure heart.  The inheritance remains.  Return.

                                                             

Proverbs - Justice and the Poor

Proverbs 29:14

The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever.

When we stand up for someone that is unable to defend themselves, our position is established for ever.  There are those who get the brunt of the deal over and over and most people don’t have time to help them get justice.  We need to be women who consider those who cannot stand up for themselves.  Be attentive to injustice whether the person can offer any help to the cause or not.  Don’t be a respecter of persons.  Execute a right call for whoever is before you.  This will show that you are having your life ruled by the King who changes not and the compassion you show will glorify your Father in heaven.

Knowing God - He Removes Burdens

Ps 81:6

                                                                                               

 I removed his shoulder from the burden:

his hands were delivered from the pots.

The Lord is declaring that he removed the burden from His people in Egypt.  They had cried out to the Lord for many years for deliverance and deliverance came.  Our God knows the burdens you and I have on our shoulders and He knows how to remove these from our shoulders.  We are but dust and the weight of certain things can most definitely be felt, but the Lord hears our cries and is able to remove these things from our shoulders.  He may, indeed, remove them from our lives, or He may remove them from our shoulders.  He tells us to cast our burden on Him and He will sustain us.  Perhaps the burden will not leave our lives but will leave our shoulders.  Are you carrying things you were never designed to carry?  Are you being weighed down by burdens only He can sustain?  Ask Him to remove the burden from your shoulders and trust His great love to respond.

Proverbs - All Have Sinned

Proverbs 29:13

The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the Lord lighteneth both their eyes.

The same standard is upon us all.  We have ALL sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Rich man, wise man, poor man and uneducated, we are all guilty and by the Lord’s grace we can see that we are naked in His presence.  There is not a different standard for anyone.  The clothing we need is the righteousness of Christ.  He lightens our eyes that we would have them open and see our nakedness.  This should cause us to draw near to Him and be clothed upon with His righteousness – the righteousness of God given through faith in Christ Jesus.  Sinner, do you not know that you cannot enjoy the bridegroom’s table without the clothing suited for such a noble occasion?  Do you not know that any sort of garment you piece together to cover your shame is insufficient and corrupted?  Oh Lord, thank You that we can come in to the supper of the Lamb.  Thank you that we have been clothed and what you caused us to see in ourselves, you know no longer see.  You see us as the righteousness of God in Christ.

Knowing God - The Lord Shows Us Our Fragility

Ps 39:4

 Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

Fragile – Handle With Care

The Lord is able to make us see things about ourselves.  He is a judge who judges accurately.  He is able to remind us how short our lives really are.  He can show us how vulnerable we are and how much we need His protection, promises and power.  He can show us the potential of our fallen nature left unguarded and uninstructed.  He can remind us of the lives we used to live apart from Him and His restraining power.  We need Him to do this.  If we don’t know a box contains fragile items we will treat it in a careless manner often resulting in damage and loss.  We need Him to remind us how fragile we are apart from His help and strength.  This will keep us in a place of abiding in Him, depending on Him and hiding in Him.  We are fragile and He can remind us of that avoiding unnecessary loss and damage.

Proverbs - Do Not Rule According to Lies

Proverbs 29:12

If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.

Raising children can be quite the challenge.  We must not hearken to lies from without or lies from within.  When a child gives us his take, we must be sensitive to searching out a matter.  If we make a decision upon lies we will propagate an attitude of deception to gain a desired outcome.  Also, if we are listening to the lies of the enemy we will produce the wrong kind of fruit in our homes.  We might hear the whispers of the liar but we don’t have to hearken to them.  We can look at them, refute them with truth and proceed to rule by God’s truth and the freedom the Holy Spirit brings.  Do not hearken unto lies. Rule your household by hearkening to Your Master’s voice – the voice of truth!

Knowing God - His Voice Divides the Flames

Ps 29:7

 The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.

Trials are likened to fire in the scriptures.  When we face difficult times it is often difficult to navigate through those details.  The Lord’s voice will divide the flames of fire.  If we position ourselves to hear from the Lord, take heed to what we have heard and use these things to navigate, we can make it through the most difficult and heated times.  His voice is mightier than the most intimidating flame.  We must listen and then use His voice to divide those things that seem to be standing in the way of the direction He has called us to.  Do you have a scripture or prophecy that has been delivered to you?  Use it and watch the flames move out of the way as you continue to walk in those things He has for you.

Proverbs - Keeping It In

Proverbs 29:11

A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

When we spill out all of what we think we are foolish women.  As foolish women we will tear down our homes.  There is a time and season for every purpose under heaven.  We don’t have to speak our minds; we can keep it in until the right time presents itself.  Sometimes we have good ideas and valid concerns but spoken at the wrong timing may actually bring about destruction and harm.  When our teenagers begin to speak to us we may have all kinds of things to say but we would be wise to keep it in until afterwards - afterwards when the emotions die down, afterwards when we have more information and afterwards when we have had time to test things against God’s Word.

Knowing God - He Wants to be Intimate

Song 7:10

 I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.

Those of us who have responded to the proposal our God has given to receive the Lord Jesus and be saved, now belong to Him.  He has purchased us with His blood and is fully committed to us. His desire is towards us.  He waits so patiently for us to come into His presence and enjoy fellowship with Him.  The intimacy we all long for is truly only found with Him.  The sense of belonging is fully met in being His beloved.  Have you considered the fact that His desire is toward you?  He doesn’t just forgive and have mercy on you and me but actually desires us!  You are wanted.  You are sought after.  Allow the truth of this to penetrate your identity and make you the woman who is at rest in His love.  Stop putting demands on others.  Enjoy His grace, favor and desire towards you.  Walk in this great truth today and watch how kind you will be towards others.  His great love will meet every need within you, allowing you to focus on enjoying and loving others because you are satisfied with His love.

Proverbs - We Will Be Hated

Proverbs 29:10

The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.

As believers seeking to please the Lord we will end up being hated or loved.  We most likely will be hated by those who don’t want to come to the light.  Those who love the Lord will seek fellowship with us.  Accept the fact that some people will hate you and that it’s okay.  They most likely are bloodthirsty and shouldn’t be a close companion.  Enjoy those who seek to spend time with you and magnify the Lord together.

Knowing God - He Shall Give What is Good!

Ps 85:12

 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good;

 and our land shall yield her increase.

The Lord will give that which is good.  Ask Him for what you desire.  Trust Him to give you that which is good.  Ask Him for all the good things He has in His heart to give you.  He loves you.  He wants us to believe in His goodness and generosity.  We honor Him when we believe in His goodness.  We need not just believe that He is able to give us good things but that He SHALL give that which is good.  Come before Him today and thank Him for His generosity and His willingness to bless you.  Yes, the Lord shall give that which is good! 

Proverbs - Dealing With Foolish People

Proverbs 29:9

If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man,

 whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.

Recognizing foolishness will help us avoid unnecessary contention.  We are taught in the word to contend for the faith but a foolish person can get us contending for all kinds of meaningless things.  When this happens we end up exhausted and drained.  Knowing when to let a fool go on and not enter in to his foolishness is a mark of maturity.  A wise woman will know when to be quiet and avoid such a trap to work her up over nothing.  We need rest.  Let us not slip into these things but rather let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.  

Knowing God - God Judges the Earth

Ps 58:11

 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

Most of us are well aware that God will judge in the heavens.  We consider the Great White Throne Judgment as well as the Bema Seat where our God has every right to judge those outside of Christ and those in Him.  He will judge those who stand in their own righteousness and unfit to enter into His kingdom and those who are clothed in Christ’s righteousness, judgment will be given based on faithfulness resulting in placement within His kingdom.  This verse reminds us that our God not only will judge then, but currently judges here, on this earth.  This means that His law is in place and He will uphold His law and deal with those who disregard or refuse to obey.  God is not mocked.  When any of us, believer or non-believer acts in contrast to His law, judgment will be experienced in one way or another because He is the judge of the earth.  We may escape an eternal judgment.  We may experience His mercy within that judgment here, but He is actively involved in the matters of our day to day lives here on this earth.  If you believe you have been wronged, the Lord will judge.  You forgive.  Let Him do the legal end of things.  If you have done wrong, apologize to the person and approach the judge, knowing He judges righteously and with mercy!

Proverbs - Turning Wrath Away

Proverbs 29:8

Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.

Wrath is rather intimidating at times.  We can get sucked into an attitude before we even know what has happened.  To be wise women we need to turn away wrath.  We shouldn’t mock someone in their anger nor should we trivialize a person’s feelings when they are exhibiting such anger.  When our children begin to vent, we must take them seriously and seek to turn the wrath away and get to the issue at hand.  Sure, the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God, but going past the wrath to the issue will help extinguish the wrath and bring about a solution.  Let us not be those scornful women who get pulled into a heated rage.  Let us have soft answers and tender hearts whenever wrath is evident.

Knowing God - God Takes Inventory

Rom 4:8

 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

The word ‘impute’ means ‘to take inventory’.  The Lord is the One who searches our lives and hearts and weighs us.  He is the One who decides what is sin and what is not sin.  The Lord is able to look into lives and when He sees sin, He decides if that sin is on the books.  When we place our faith in Christ and what He did on that cross, we draw upon His resources to cover the debt we have incurred before the Lord.  When the Lord sees our sin, He can also see the other ‘column’.  The column that declares that debt ‘paid in full’.  Our sin is still just as ugly and just as deserving of judgment as any person’s sin, but in Christ, judgment and payment was given and made available to all who would believe on the Lord Jesus and be saved.  When dealing with our God, it would be wise for us, who are covered by Jesus’ obedience, to consider what a blessing it is to not have our sins imputed to us.  It would be great also to consider others who have not had this experience yet.  Lord, thank You that we are blessed indeed to be considered cleansed and forgiven!  

Proverbs - Poverty Should Evoke Compassion

Proverbs 29:7

The righteous considereth the cause of the poor:

 but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

It is quite easy to focus only on our needs.  As we develop more and more into the likeness of Christ, we should find ourselves concerned and investigative into the needs of the poor.  Whether it is their own fault or not, human need is meant to trigger in us compassion.  The Lord is full of compassion and rich in mercy.  He pities us in our affliction and sends His help.  He has chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith.  Lord, help us be sensitive to the needs of others and if they lack something that we can fill, show us.

Knowing God - Creator Whose Works Are Beyond Our Grasp

Eccl 11:5

 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.

God makes all.  He is a Creator.  He is the Creator.  He created all we see and He has created all we cannot see.  He has made the microscopic particles that make up an individual cell.  He has made the mighty Mount Everest men long to conquer.  He has made black and white skunks and He has made tiny fleas.  He has made cotton plants that allow us to have clothing.  He has made chemical truths that allow us to have plastic and synthetic materials.  He has created hormones and veins.  He has made the sun.  He has made ALL of the stars.  He has made the toenail on your baby toe and every single hair follicle in your nostrils.  This is the God we serve.  Do you not believe that the God, who has these incredible creative abilities, does not know what He is doing in creating the things in your life?  Our high-mindedness often results in unnecessary doubts and fears.  When we realize that God made everything, we realize we don’t know the works of God.  

Proverbs - Snares and Sin

Proverbs 29:6

In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare:

 but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.

We will always get snared by making evil choices.  It is not worth it!  Praise the Lord that He can get people untangled even if they make such choices.  We will sing and rejoice when we make the right choices.  Sometimes it is difficult at first to make the right decision but afterwards we can enjoy our lives without so many entanglements and snares.  Because we believe God is right and His ways are good, choosing them ends up rejoicing our hearts.  The way of sin results in so many things having to be worked through.  If you know someone who is entangled by their sin, take the time to let them know that Jesus Christ can forgive them and help them get untangled. 

Knowing God - HE performs all things for You!

Ps 57:2

 I will cry unto…God that performeth all things for me. 

God performs all things for us.  He is a God who cares about you. He wants us to cry out to Him and He wants to answer our prayers.  He is a kind and good God who will act on our behalf.  He loves us and is actively involved in the lives of His people – His individual people.  This is quite the concept.  If we really begin to grasp the personal involvement of God in our lives, we would walk so securely in His love.  God is acting on your behalf.  God is acting on my behalf.  We can thank the Lord for His involvement in our lives and enjoy the truth that He performs all things for us.  What a wonderful God we have! Have you sensed that God is involved and wants to be involved in all things in your life?  Approach your day today thanking and praising Him that He is a God who performs all things for you!

Proverbs - Flattery is Foolish

Proverbs 29:5

A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.

Flattery in the scriptures is not referring to genuine encouragement or praise.  Flattery is referring to a slanted word for hidden agendas.  If we say things to people with a motivation for gain we spread a net for our feet.  We must consider our words and seek to genuinely build up someone rather than puff them up.  We could be trying to gain a friend or someone’s respect.  This is dangerous business.  When we do this it is like setting ourselves up to be tangled in our words and relationships.  Let us rather seek to have words that are aimed by the Lord to bring life to those we speak.  Let us have clear paths by seeking to speak words that are rooted in truth and are separate from any individual gain.

Knowing God - He is the Most High

Ps 57:2  I will cry unto God most high;…

God is the One who is most high.   There is no one higher.  He is higher than all other authority.  We need to cry out to the One who is the most high.  There are things that come down in our lives from those who are high and they affect our lives.  We need to cry out to God knowing that He is over all.  All things were made by Him and for Him.  He can see everything from being the most high.  He can move authority as He desires, because of being the most high.  He has access to all provisions because He is the most high.  He has all strength to give us, because He is the most high.  What do you need?  Cry out unto God, the Most High!

Proverbs - Judgment Without Self Interest

Proverbs 29:4

The king by judgment establisheth the land:

 but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

Judgment is to be done without considering how the judgment will benefit us.  We must judge things in an objective manner as the Lord has determined.  It is important for us to look at things with a heart to want to understand how God sees things.  Sometimes our evaluation of a matter will cost us something.  It might cost us a friendship, time or labor.  We must not allow this to persuade us in one direction or another.   Our land will be established as we seek to evaluate by God’s standards and please Him alone.

Knowing God - God Wants us to Understand

Dan 8:16

 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.                                                             

Daniel had a vision and then sought the meaning of the vision.  The Lord sent Gabriel to make Daniel understand the vision.  This means that the Lord hears when we seek to understand a vision.  This verse also reveals that the Lord sends angels to help us understand visions.  The neat thing about the Lord is that He wants us to understand.  Proverbs 14:6b tells us; “…knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.”  When we understand something it becomes knowledge we can use and share with others.  Our God wants us to not just be able to repeat what He says to us but be in a place where we understand and know it.  He will send His angel, His Holy Spirit, His teachers, His messengers, make us to understand.  Don’t be frustrated if you don’t understand, anticipate understanding being given to you.

Proverbs - Loving Wisdom Brings Joy to a Father

Proverbs 29:3

Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.

Lord, we pray that our children will love wisdom.  We pray that the sexual identities of our children will be established by You and Your boundaries.  We pray that our children will want to do what’s right and trust Your judgment on matters.  We ask that we would show our children a great love for wisdom in our own lives and that we wouldn’t be women who dress like harlots.  Lord, preserve the next generation for Your glory and show them the paths of life. Let the riches they have in You be spent on that which lasts.  Protect them from wicked and unreasonable people.

Knowing God - The Lord Speaks Through People

2 Sam 23:2

 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

This was part of the last things that David wrote before he died.  He proclaimed that the Spirit of the Lord spoke through him and that the Lord’s word was on his tongue.  God spoke through David.  He spoke through David in the book of Psalms.  Most of these psalms were penned by David.  As David began to commune with the Lord in song, the Lord spoke through him and we have wonderful truths as a result of having this great book.  The Holy Spirit spoke through David and David knew it.  The Lord may be done moving through men of old to write down the scriptures as we know it, but He is not done with speaking through His people today.  Oh that the Spirit of the Lord would speak through us and that His Word would be on our tongues.  We, like David, could enjoy knowing we have been used by Him to speak to others.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

Proverbs - When the Righteous Rule

Proverbs 29:2

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

If you have a difficult husband, manager or landlord, don’t be surprised if you just feel down.  This is a truth spoken of here by the Lord.  If you have a righteous husband, pastor or manager and you wonder why you seem to enjoy working for them, this proverb addresses this as well.  Whenever there is a wicked person with influence over us, we must draw upon the joy of the Lord and seek Him to comfort us in our affliction.  We should remember that Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  Although we may have to deal an unreasonable person, we can trust that Jesus is Lord over all and He will even use this time of mourning to keep us focused on pleasing Him and knowing His great love and care.  We will be serving Him and not the person over us. 

Knowing God - God Sees the Good

Gen 1:4

 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

After God made the light, he looked at it.  Then He took in the fact that the light was good.  Our Creator took the time to enjoy and behold what He had made.  Our God is not just about checking off completed tasks, but taking in the beauty and wisdom of all He does.  Do we stop and behold the things that He has created?  How about light?  Have you ever stopped and just noticed that everything around you is lit up by this fireball in the sky?  No one is paying the electric bill on this and the light is just perfect for our lives.  Our God makes good things and stops to enjoy their goodness.  Let’s take some time today and see things that He has made and enjoy their goodness as well.  This will make us more like Him!

Proverbs - Be Open to Correction

Proverbs 29:1

He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

When we are reproved by a person or the Holy Spirit we should consider this and seek to be open to correction and change.  If we harden our necks, or resist the correction we can suddenly be destroyed without remedy.  Today if we hear His voice we must not harden our hearts.  If a topic keeps coming up at bible study or in our devotions we should consider this as reproof from the Lord.  He is getting our attention because He wants to transform us in that area of our lives.  If we turn a deaf ear or respond in a lazy way, He may stop speaking and allow us to reap from our choices in a way that will really awaken us with unnecessary troubles brought about by our own stubbornness.  Is there an area of your life that you sense the Lord correcting you?  Respond today with a tender heart and actions that show cooperation with His instruction.