Why become wise?

Pr. 7:4:  “Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your nearest kin.”

Wisdom is a wonderful thing.  We should always be striving to become more wise.  Wisdom brings with it things like prudence, diligence, discretion, respectfulness, humility, boldness, confidence, intelligence, ability, understanding and reason.  These are definitely qualities that are wonderful for us to have in this life.  Wisdom can help us be successful in our ventures, maintain and cultivate healthy relationships, and keep us from making choices that will endanger our lives.

It’s interesting; however, that Paul told the Corinthians that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  Does that mean we shouldn’t try to become wise?  Does that mean we shouldn’t grow and learn?  Of course not!  God has gifted each of us with different talents and abilities.  Not only that, but He has given us each different capacities for learning and different interests that He has intended for us to use in pursuit of the eternal goal.

We all have something different to offer this world.  Paul reminds us that God did not call many wise or mighty people.  He has chosen the foolish and weak things to bring Him glory.  I for one am weak.  (I didn’t want to admit to being foolish.  ha!)  Truly I am weak, though, and indeed foolish in many ways.  I am not the wisest or mightiest.  Paul himself said to the Corinthians,

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

That’s it.  He didn’t come to them in his own wisdom and power, but in God’s.  And why?  That their faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  That’s exactly what our own weakness and foolishness can show in our lives.  When we think in worldly terms, we think of those things only as pure weakness.  Think of it the way this way, though.  When the weakest person gets up and allows God’s Spirit and power to use them in a mighty way, how much more powerful is that for us to witness?

If you know someone is barely able to walk or speak or move, but, under the power of the Spirit, they begin to shout, jump, or minister to people, is that not an amazing thing to witness?  If you hear someone who is mentally handicapped in any way begin to speak in a way that inspires and encourages and glorifies the Lord, is that not a power thing?  It is.

Our weaknesses are not weaknesses when we use them to glorify the Lord.  Yes, we should still strive for wisdom, but let it be through God’s strength as we rely on Him and His Spirit to guide us.  Let us allow Him to use us as a vessel that brings Him glory!

Foolishly,

jamie

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Godly feet

Pr. 7:11: “She was loud and rebellious, her feet would not stay at home.”. 

Being a stay-at-home mom, I can easily understand what this harlot should have been doing.  (Hang with me, men).  It says her feet would not stay home.

She had responsibilities she should have been home taking care of.  She had a husband that relied on her to be trustworthy while he was away.

She was loud and rebellious, not caring about what she ought to be doing.  No doubt the phrase, “I’m going to do what I want, when I want, and no on is going to stop me” was something she believed.

In Titus 2, Paul writes out some of the qualities of a sound church.  Older men are to be sober, reverent, temperate, and sound in faith, love, and patience.  In other words, men are expected to behave sensibly and respectfully.  They should be able to show restraint because of their faith.

Women are asked to also be reverent, not slanderers, not given to much wine, and to be teachers of good things.  They are also to be a good example for younger women, demonstrating how to love their husbands and children, how to be discreet and chaste, obedient, and how to be good homemakers.

Eeeeek!  This goes against so much that our society teaches right now.  I know.  I get it.  I’m sorry.

The thing is, though, the Word hasn’t changed.  God has not changed.  He still expects us to live lives that are godly and reverent, and that being honor and glory to Him.

The harlot in that verse wasn’t doing any of the things she should have been doing, and was, in fact, doing exactly what she shouldn’t.

When we serve the Lord, we cannot just act any way we want.  No, we aren’t going to be perfect, but that doesn’t give us the excuse to not even try to live a godly life.

When we choose to serve the Lord, we are expected to make some changes.  If our lives are to point others to Him and to glorify Him, we must make every effort to live as examples.

We need to keep our feet at home, which for us means we need to be about our own business and about the business of the Lord.  We also don’t need to be loud or rebellious, but instead we should be discreet, respectful, and submissive to the word of God.

Those things don’t make us weak or mindless, they make us strong, full of integrity, and influential for Christ.  And, contrary to what the world tells us, being influential for Christ is why we are here.  That is the goal.

Let’s be loud in our obedience to Christ, and be faithful in our example.

In charge of my feet,

jamie

Those enticing deceptions

Pr. 7:27:  “Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death.”

This chapter in Proverbs is speaking about the immoral woman and the young youth who yielded to her enticements.

Certainly he was not the first one to whom this has happened.  We have all been seduced by sin.  We must learn by our mistakes; however, and the mistakes of those around us.  We can see clearly that the end result of sin is death and hell.

We don’t want to believe that.  We really want to justify and rationalize.  We are so good at trying to figure out the loopholes.  Sin is attractive.  Just like this harlot, sin is alluring.  It fascinates us with its sensations.  The rationalizations that accompany it tempt us to believe that it can all work out.

However, just as this simple youth was led to the slaughter by this enchantment, we are also led to death when we succumb.

Hebrews 3:13 reminds us to “exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

Sin is deceitful.  The rationalizations and justifications that accompany sin are deceitful.  The bewitching package of sin is deceitful.  It is all a ploy.  Satan wants us to give in to sin.  He wants us to allow our flesh to win the war against the Spirit.

When faced with this seducing bait, we must remember that the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit are contrary to one another.  We cannot live in intentional sin and still be walking in the Spirit.  That is a lie.  If we find ourselves believing this, we have been hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

We must be vigilant to guard ourselves from giving into temptation.  We must continue to feed on the Word of God and allow His Spirit to be our guide.  Temptations will still be presented, but when we are walking in the Spirit, His wisdom will keep us from stepping where we should not.

Jesus is still on the throne where He is able to aid those who are tempted.  (Heb. 2:18)  We have the ultimate ally, who will literally supply us with every single provision we need to stay true to His desires.  Let’s take advantage of all we’ve been given through Him.

With Jesus, there is life, and the victory of death has already been won!  Instead of allowing sin to lead us to the slaughter, we can allow Jesus to lead us to eternal life.  Praise God for this amazing blessing!!

It’s still Today!

jamie

Resisting til the end

Pr. 7:12:  “At times she was outside, at times in the open square, lurking at every corner.”

This is why Peter told us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.”

Just as this crafty woman, dressed as a harlot, was lurking at every corner, and sometimes even in the open square; so the devil seeks us out.  He lurks around the corner, trying to devour us with his enticements.

It may be a seductive woman or man, or it could be any number of things that are tempting to us as individuals.  We all have something that allures us.

Peter says, “Resist him.”  Steadfast in our faith, we have the power to resist.

Spoiler alert!!  I’ve read the end of the book.  The devil does not win.  So resist him, standing strong in your faith that God has already won the victory!

Rejoicing!

jamie

Freedom from sin’s diligence

Pr. 7:15:  “So I came out to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have found you.”

Do not be deceived.  Satan will diligently send sin our way.  That is why Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

We have a personal adversary that comes at us with our specific problems and weaknesses so that we may be distracted and won’t be sober and vigilant.  He wants to preoccupy us with sin, and cause us to become engrossed in it.  If he can do that, he knows our hearts will become hardened and callous, no longer caring whether sin rules our hearts or not.  Once sin takes us captive, only an act of God can free us from the bondage.

In contrast, God wishes to perfect, support, strengthen, comfort, and establish us.  He sent His very own Son to bring freedom from sin and eternal death.  The Lord welcomes us to come to Him in time of need, and there find mercy and grace to help.  God does not try to bind or entrap us, but sent Jesus the Christ to set us free from all bondage with true liberty.

We must remain sober, seriously considering God’s word and will throughout our day.  We must remain vigilant, carefully watching for danger, and allowing the Holy Spirit’s alerts to avert us from oncoming temptations and traps.

When Satan sends sin out to find and meet you, and to diligently seek your face, remember that you have a Helper who will show you the way of escape.  The Lord promises us in 1 Cor. 10:13, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Therefore, my beloved, flee!!  There is always a way out.  If you must run, then run.  If you can pray, then pray.  If you are able to hear the Holy Spirit’s directions for escape, listen.  No matter what you think or feel, there IS a way out.  Just because the sin eagerly and intentionally came for you, does not mean you must acquiesce.

Jesus has already defeated satan.  Don’t let that liar tell you otherwise.  So, during those times when we allow the way out to pass us by and we sin, we must remember that mercy, grace, and forgiveness were already poured out for us on the cross.  Jesus sets us free with the forgiveness He made possible.  We never have to be devoured, entangled, or bound again!  The final answer in our lives is never sin; it is always Jesus!

Praise God!

jamie

 

Sin’s brazen embrace

Pr. 7:13:  “So she caught him and kissed him; with a brazen face she said to him…”

Isn’t this just like sin?  The fact is, you don’t always have to be looking for sin.  You can be minding your own business and it will catch you, kiss you right in the face, and boldly and shamelessly speak to you.  I have experienced this in the most godly and reverent settings before.  Satan is relentless.

What do you do in the face of brazen sinful thoughts that seize you unexpectedly?  You speak the name of Jesus Christ, the name above all names.  You don’t try to fight the sin in your own strength.  Call upon the name of the Lord.  Hebrews 2:18 tells us that Jesus is able to aid those who are tempted.

Also worth remembering is 1 Cor. 10:13:  “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

There is a way of escape from every temptation.  So, understanding that we have a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses, we can go boldly to the throne of grace, and obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.  (Heb. 4:15-16)

Don’t give in to sin, but also don’t try to fight it in your own strength.  Greater is He who is in you [God] than he who is in the world [satan].  You have a mighty Defender and adversary, who will come to your defense.  There is power in the name of the Lord that is able to deliver you from the most brazen of sins.  Call upon Him.

Be bold,

jamie

Sin meets us with a crafty heart

Pr. 7:10:  “And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.” 

Wow!  Yesterday I wrote about not being allured by the eyelids of a seductress.  Today’s verse goes even further.  Now the temptation is intentionally dressed as a harlot and has a crafty heart.

Sometimes there are people or sinful situations that are intentionally set in our paths.  In this verse, she met him.  She sought him out with very specific intentions in play.  Sometimes, even though we may take a different path, sin meets us where we are.  It still doesn’t mean we have to give in.

The Lord always provides a way out of our temptations.  I would venture to say that when the temptation is as strong as this one, it can almost feel as if there is no way out.  We can feel so trapped that we truly think there is no way out besides just giving in a repenting later.  This is a trick of the crafty heart, however.

Crafty is defined as, “clever at achieving one’s aims by indirect or deceitful methods.”

This temptation knows exactly what she’s doing.  She has a very skillfully devised an evil plan to get exactly what she wants.  Satan knows exactly what he is doing and will stop at nothing to cause you to sin.

Sinning and repenting later is not the answer.  This is a trick of the deceitful, crafty heart that is after your soul.  Satan is once again using the word of God in a twisted way when he convinces you that this is the solution.  Knowing the word yourself will help you to not be deceived.

Hold tight to your faith.  Cry out to Jesus…literally if you must.  Call upon the Lord who is able to offer aid in times of need.  Whatever you have to do…do not give in!  This temptation is dressed for ultimate seduction; however, vs. 27 tells us the truth, “Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death.”

Walk on the narrow path…it ascends to a heavenly home, with light and life for all eternity!  God help us all.

Don’t give in,

jamie

 

What’s ahead on that path?

Pr. 7:8-9:  “…Passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.”

The youth in this verse headed straight towards the harlot’s house.  Sometimes we sin simply because we are walking on a path straight towards it.  Are there people, places, situations, or events that you know are your weakness?  Do not set your course towards them.

He took the path to her house “in the black and dark night.”  I am sure he had somewhere else that was more appropriate or more important to be in the dark night, yet he was out seeking his fleshly desires.  He walked right into sin.

Paul encourages us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.  He said that this is our “reasonable service.”  Considering the amazing love and selfless sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, I think we can agree that it is reasonable that we sacrifice our own flesh for His kingdom.

Maybe there are desires of the flesh that you still really enjoy and don’t want to give up, even though you serve Christ.  Perhaps you don’t yet abhor all evil.  Likely you also find yourself desiring to present yourself to the Lord as a living sacrifice.  Remember the sacrifice of Jesus and then make the decision that you will no longer participate in those things.  Don’t wrestle with it any longer.  Declare your loyalty and follow through.

If you make this decision, God will honor your step of faith and will prove to you that He is sufficient and willing to supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Truly, if he finds your heart loyal to him, He will be able to show Himself strong for you.  You will not be left alone.

You may have to literally walk or drive down a different path each day.  You might lose some belongings.  Your reputation may change.  You may even lose a friend or a lover.  However, when you stand before the Lord on the day of judgment, know that God will see the sacrifices you have made and will weigh your choices.  You will be rewarded for your courage.  You will be rewarded for your faith.  You will gain eternal life by losing to your flesh.

Not only will your new path have different scenery, but the final destination will be the most glorious place you can imagine.  Heaven is waiting for us!  Let’s not give up our eternal home for a tourist stop.

Traveling music attached.  🙂

Sacrificing daily,

jamie

 

Must we be seduced?

Pr. 7:21:  “With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him.”

Proverbs 7 is a lesson about a crafty harlot that entices, and about keeping wisdom at all costs, so as not to yield to her flattery.  We are faced with flattering, enticing temptations every day of our lives.  Our temptations are all different…they may be the harlot, lying to succeed or look good, stealing to have our desires, idolizing something that is not God, talking about our brothers and sisters to make ourselves look witty, indulging in drugs or alcohol to mimic feelings of joy and happiness.  Whatever our temptation, we see in verse 21 that we are enticed and flattered by them…and then we yield.

Praise God, however, that does not have to be the case.  We don’t walk around like Lemmings with no choice in our actions.  God created us with free will and we do have a choice.  Hebrews 2:18 tells us that Jesus, Himself, was tempted and “He is able to aid those who are tempted.”  Hebrews 3:15-16 tells us, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in ALL points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

1 John 4:4 says, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them [the spirits of this world], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”  When faced with temptation it is difficult not to yield.  Satan piles it on thick, causing us to believe that God will never be enough…that we must have our temptation to be complete.  He is enticing us and flattering us with his lies.

Paul testified that God’s grace was sufficient.  Joseph testified that although his brothers meant evil against him, God meant it for His good to bring about good plans and a future.  Abraham left all he had to follow the Lord and was blessed with descendents as numerous as the stars.  Noah ignored the enticement of men and sin and, with godly fear, built an ark with which God saved his family and him.

Testimonies could be written in countless books of the ways that people have found God to be enough.  Satan entices, flatters, seduces, but the Word of God is the only truth.  We must stock-pile the Word into our hearts and minds and boldly call upon Jesus when we need aid.  He will give us all we need, and it is impossible for Him to lie.  We must dare to trust Him with it all.

Feeling adventurous today?

jamie