Proverbs - Too Many Words

Proverbs 10:19

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin:

but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

          Given long enough any conversation has a more likely probability to produce sin.  We read here that the more words spoken, the more likely sin will occur. How long are you on the phone and why?  How long are you on the instant messenger and why?  How many statuses really need to be posted and why?  Is it time to leave that conversation in the parking lot or mall because the words are not purposed with love and fellowship?  Limit your human conversation unless you sense the Spirit’s control and leading to continue.  You will definitely cut down on the chances of gossip, slander, judgment, being misunderstood and a countless number of other sins and conflict.  Pour out your heart before Him.  Budget your time in human communication with a great sense of purposed speech.  Approach conversation with a ready mind and knowledge that if there are too many words, especially those spoken in carelessness, sin might very well be produced.

Proverbs - Listening to Lies

Proverbs 17:4

                                                                     

A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips;

and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

When we are doing something that the Lord doesn’t want us to do and consistently doing it, we are giving heed to false lips.  There is some sort of lie that we believe every time we choose to obey that temptation or go beyond the boundaries we know the Lord has for us.  It would be a good thing to ask the Lord to reveal what sort of lies we believe in our hearts that are empowering us to go in the way of wickedness.  The next time we find ourselves in a place where compromise might be approaching, let us listen to what sort of lies are being spoken to us.  Then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we should speak the truth and obey that.  The devil is the father of all lies and it is with a lie he brought down Eve.  We, as women, should learn from her and remember that if lies worked in the past, lies can work in the future.  We should rather hear the truth and obey it!

Proverbs - The Path of the Wicked

Proverbs 4:13-17

 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

 Enter not into the path of the wicked,

 and go not in the way of evil men.

 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

For they sleep not, except they have done mischief;

and their sleep is taken away,

unless they cause some to fall.

For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

                                             Stay Away from the Path of the Wicked         

                        We can tend to let go of basic instructions so we must ask the Lord to weave His truth into the fabric of our lives.

           

                        We should also be careful about getting involved with those who are not seeking the Lord.  The best thing we could do is to avoid any unnecessary dealings with conversations and activities that are contrary to our God.  We all deal with those who are not serving Jesus and their paths inevitably will cross ours.  We can then invite them to switch paths and join us, but we are not to enter their paths hoping we can backtrack and lead them to our own.  We must not be so self-confident as to think we can handle such slippery places.

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.

Knowing God - He Determines What is Evil

Judg 13:1

 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

The Lord determines what is evil and He determines how He will handle us when we, as His people, do what is evil in His sight.  He is not evaluating our choices in the light of our own standards and reasoning.  It is HIS sight that determines whether we are doing evil or not.  Here we see that the Lord allowed His people to be vulnerable and conquered by their enemies because of their evil doings.  When we find ourselves weak in the presence of our enemies it would be wise for us to first ask our Father in heaven if any of our actions are being dealt with.  It may not be due to this but we do see that the Lord has dealt with His people like this in the past.  Sometimes we are blinded to our own wickedness and it is at times of great defeat that we are more teachable and open to learning His ways.  We have a heavenly Father that disciplines us for our own good and from a heart of love.  Stay in a place of humble reverence and be open to His dealings with you.

Proverbs - Pure in Your Own Eyes

Proverbs 30:12

There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

Our heart is deceitfully wicked and we must understand our assessment of ourselves is not to be trusted.  We live in a society that decides what is right by their own understanding and desires.  People think they are clean but in fact are quite dirty.  When we talk to such people we must realize that they are carrying around the stench of their sin and we know that it is the blood of Jesus that can wash them white as snow.  The blessing of a clean conscience is something those who are yet dead in their sins do not know.  The weight of guilt is something they have never been relieved of.  We can tell them what Christ has done on their behalf.  They can enjoy the cleansing and forgiving.  When we see others we should know that regardless of whether they think they are clean, they are not.  We can pray for that Hollywood star.  We can write a letter to that politician or to that professor letting them know what their Maker has done for them.  Don’t be surprised at how people will say that they are clean when the truth is they are in the miry clay of human sin and consequences.

Proverbs - Anger and Sin

Proverbs 29:22

An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.

If you find yourself struggling with anger you probably have some relationship problems and find yourself crossing the line on more than one occasion.  Anger is very powerful and it often gets the best of us.  Sometimes anger comes from guilt.  We are resisting cooperating with the Lord’s prodding and we find ourselves agitated and unsettled.  Sometimes anger comes from a lack of sleep and filling our minds with worthless input.  Sometimes anger comes from pride thinking we deserve more or better than we have.  Anger is the spider of the cobwebs of strife.  Let us cease from wrath.  Let us consider mercy and humble ourselves in a place of consistent gratitude and patience towards others.

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 - 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 - 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 - 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.