Proverbs - Parenting a Fool

Proverbs 27:22

Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle,

yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

Fools are not to be handled with anger and force.  It will not drive foolishness from them.  If you are dealing with a foolish child, be cautious of your footing.  Do not be pulled into heated arguments and physical lashes.  When you discern foolishness, listen to the only wise God and seek His counsel on what to say and what not to say.  Foolishness can be driven out by the rod of correction, not the rod of anger.  Correction involves speaking the truth and bringing the foolishness into the light of truth.  Be a mom who can hold her ground because you are standing on the rock.  

Knowing God - God Deals with the Stumbler

Gen 3:14

 And the Lord God said unto the serpent…

The very first person the Lord makes a statement to after the fall of man is the serpent.  Not Adam.  Not Eve.  He questions man.  He confronts the serpent.  He speaks to the voice that spoke to His creation.  He speaks to the influence that suggested reasons for disobedience.  He speaks to the one who challenges God’s voice.  When we are praying for others who are believing a lie and crossing lines that the Lord has clearly drawn, we can be confident that our God will speak to those who influence the ones we love.  Yes, this particular event was between the Lord and the fallen angelic being that crept in and tempted these two, but we learn about God’s heart and His dealing with not only the one who has sinned but those that may have contributed to their demise.  We must be sensitive to the Lord addressing us if we may have tempted someone as well.  Perhaps this would be a great time to quiet your soul and gain confidence for those you are interceding for and humble yourself if you have, in fact, been the tempter.

Proverbs - Praise and Refinement

Proverbs 27:21

As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.

Praise is like a furnace to us.  A furnace and fining pot were meant to soften the silver and gold so that any impurities would go to the top and be skimmed off.  When we are praised it is meant to melt us and bring to the surface any impurities to be skimmed off as well.  Praise will help us see whether the Lord gets the glory or we take credit.  Praise will help us know whether we have pleased the Lord or whether we pleased men.  The next time you are praised allow it melt you and bring anything to surface the Lord wants to skim off. 

Knowing God - God Asks Questions

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 - Eyes and Satisfaction

Proverbs 27:20

Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

This is a great truth to know.  Our eyes are never satisfied.  If we go to any store at any time we will SEE something we like.  God made us this way.  We appreciate beauty and we tend to admire the new.  That is okay if we understand this about ourselves.  This will actually protect us from buying things that the Lord has not given us.  Before you go shopping or look in a magazine or catalogue it would be wise to state this truth before the Lord.  Perhaps you could thank the Lord that your eyes are never satisfied so may your eyes enjoy things without having to own them.  If we understand this about ourselves we won’t be so deceived into thinking an admiring eye must lead to a possession.  It is nice to look and enjoy fabrics, colors, designs and beauty.   We must never praise the gods of gold, silver and apparel.  We can enjoy and then know that our eyes are never satisfied.  They will always see something they like.  We must know that life does not consist of an abundance of possessions and godliness with contentment is great gain. 

Knowing God - He Asks, "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 - The Heart is a Mirror

Proverbs 27:19

As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.

Water serves as a mirror.  When we look into the still water we see a reflection of who we are.  Our heart serves as a mirror as well.  When we have time to sit and still our hearts we will find out who we really are.  Have you ever just taken the time and allowed yourself to realize the motives and intents of your heart?  Have you ever read a scripture and asked the Lord to send it into your heart and show you the deepest roots of anything that might be off or even that which is line with His heart?  Our hearts are at the center of who we are.  As we think in our hearts that is how we are.  When an ugly motive surfaces, take a good look at it and fix it.  Bring it before the Lord and seek Him to cleanse your heart.  Consider what God says about it and think on His truth concerning it.  Let the mirror of your heart give you a good look at yourself and trust Him to perfect that which concerns you.