"Senseless people learn their lessons the hard way, but the wise are teachable."
(Proverbs 21:11 MSG) In order to be teachable, you have to be humble; otherwise, you will think you know all there is to know. No matter how long you've been walking with the Lord, you still need Him and the wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Aren't you glad that we aren't here to do life apart from Him? What a tragedy that would be! However, when Jesus returns and the Holy Spirit is removed from the earth, it's going to get rough! If you're like me, you want people to avoid having to suffer the consequences of their actions. I've always been a rescuer; however, I learned that trying to rescue people who don't want to be rescued, or learn, was only stealing my joy. STOP letting the bad actions of other people become YOUR burden! It's NOT being heartless when you make that choice. If you don't, you WILL breakdown from the loads of stress. Another thing I chose to stop doing was taking on a false sense of responsibility! Wisdom is free! All we have to do is ask! Are you asking (refer to James 1:5)?! You're NOT going to get it from your social media. I've been really concerned lately about how many people are turning to Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and other things to keep them "up and running", but it's not going to work. God is NOT going to allow other sources provide for you what only He can give. Don't be senseless and foolish. Take what I'm saying to heart and put it into action. Take it one day at a time. YOU have to start making the time. I didn't say to find the time. I say this a lot, but it's so true: When we try to find time, we only find excuses. Always learning the hard way is NOT self-care. You have only one life. Make it count. I love you.
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"It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop [on the flat oriental roof, exposed to all kinds of weather] than in a house shared with a nagging, quarrelsome, and faultfinding woman."
(Proverbs 21:9 AMPC) No one likes to be in the presence of someone who constantly nags, finds fault, is petty, critical, and judgmental. Man, woman, teacher, coworker, boss, anyone. It doesn't matter who you are or what position you hold, it's easy to become someone who turns people off. Our words are powerful. Our thoughts are powerful. The two combined affect our actions. I always say to never attach the words "you always" and "you never" to something negative because it's usually a sign of over exaggeration. "You NEVER compliment me." "You NEVER clean up after yourself." "You NEVER notice anything good I do." "You ALWAYS act like you're mad." "You ALWAYS wear that shirt." "You ALWAYS make me feel like I'm worthless." You may say, "Well, it's true! He/she ALWAYS (or NEVER) does ___." Let me ask you this. Do you really believe that the more you announce it over and over and over and over again that it's going to change? If something is not working, HELLO, wake up and try another method. People who I've known to be naggers usually: 1. Don't say "please", "thank you", or "I'm sorry". 2. Are selfish. 3. Wants everyone to think like them, dress like this, talk like them, etc. In other words, they're a controller. 4. Negative. 5. Always bringing up past mistakes and hurts committed by the other person. 6. Overly suspicious and assuming the worst of someone, including their motives. 7. A perfectionist. 8. Always feeling sorry for themselves and telling people how no one appreciates them. 9. Not good listeners. You see, it's hard for people to admit their faults. It kills their pride, but that's a good thing. I tell people all the time that it's impossible to go through life and never be in the wrong. You may THINK you're right, but you could be wrong in some cases. Let me put it this way: You may be right, but you have the wrong attitude. If you're right, don't be proud and obnoxious. Remember, the Lord will humble those who refuse to humble themselves. If He has to humble you publicly in order to "wake you up", He will. "Violent rebels don't have a chance, for their rejection of truth and their love of evil will drag them deeper into darkness."
(Proverbs 21:7 TPT) Some translations say that the violence of the wicked shall sweep them away. The thing to remember, and I say this often, is that no one gets away with anything. It's easy to look at the world around us and shake our heads, thinking, "When is God going to do something?! All these evil people are getting away with everything!". It's easy to spit out such things when emotions are high and out of control, but do we ever remind ourselves of what God says in His Word about such things? God is love; therefore, He does not tolerate evil. He is merciful. Just as He was with you and I, He is giving people a chance to turn from their ways. Evil brings torment. One thing evil people do not have is peace. Day after day, night after night, they are restless and weary because of their evil ways. That's not a life I want to live. Do you? There's no gray area with God. We feel okay when we're in the gray, but gray is NOT okay! Your sins are not excusable and justified because you read the Bible every day and go to church every Sunday. If you think so, you have a pride issue that needs to be dealt with. Not to mention, you might be a (what I call) modern-day Pharisee! No one can tell you anything, but you love to tell everyone something! We all need Jesus. I make mistakes and sin just like everyone else. I want to do better, but I can't do it alone. God has to remind me a lot to fix my own problems rather than focusing on what everyone else is doing wrong. I'm no one's standard, Jesus is! Stay humble. I love you. "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty." (Proverbs 21:5 NLT)
How many of you have a difficult time waiting? I do. When I have an idea, I want it to come to completion quickly. I remember when I began writing my first devotional, Think Right Live Right. I was so excited to start that I didn't do any careful planning. All I wanted to do was write and publish it as soon as possible. In case you're wondering, writing a book is costly; therefore, it's important to make sure everything is exactly how you want it before you send it to production. I paid someone over $200 to make sure there were no typos or grammatical errors. Because I wanted it done quickly, I gave the person a week to read it and make any corrections. Not a month, but a week! The book ended up being over 260 pages, so imagine how quick the person had to read. Long story short, when I received my final copy, I was so excited... until I found a typo. It wasn't long until I found another one, then another one. Needless to say, I was sick to my stomach. Today's verse (in many translations) it mentions poverty as an end result of making hasty decisions due to poor planning. The word poverty does scare people; however, many of us really don't know what it is to truly be without our needs. We think because we don't have all of our WANTS that we're poverty stricken. When I went to Guatemala in 2015 for a mission trip, I seen true poverty. It's very sad indeed. I cried many tears because I was so heartbroken, as well as convicted. Many Americans are not poor, they're SPOILED! Entitlement issues, selfishness, credit card debts, uncontrolled spending, and many other bad habits lead to poverty, not just in money, but in our joy! There are people who have committed suicide because of the burden of financial debts. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit helps us and guides us to make wiser decisions. We can no longer use the excuse, "I can't help it", because one of the fruits of the Spirit is SELF-CONTROL, not others control. I remember getting myself into serious debt many years ago because I charged whatever I wanted. We can't make stupid decisions and then beg God to give us overnight miracles! If He always rescues us from our foolish behaviors, we never learn. We'll end up repeating it. If there are some bad decisions that you've made, pray for the wisdom to help you do things right. Don't waste your time and energy feeling bad about it and living with loads of guilt. Focus on what you can do NOW rather than what you can't do, which is changing what's already been done in the past. New days mean new beginnings. It's time to make better decisions so we can live a better life. I love you. "Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin."
(Proverbs 21:4 NLT) Whenever we are full of ourselves, it is difficult, if not impossible, to walk in love. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is not haughty. The scary thing about being proud and haughty is that we're often too proud to admit we are. We deceive ourselves thinking that we aren't something, when in reality we are. God will not tolerate us mistreating other people. I always say that we need to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand, or His mighty hand will humble us. Regardless of where you live, what you own, where you live, how much money you make, the brand of clothes you wear, you are never above anyone else. Material things and wealth may make us seem superior to human eyes, but not in God's eyes. God gives, but He also takes away. If what we own changes us for the worst, He will gladly take it all away from us, allowing us to hit rock bottom. Pray for God to reveal any haughty thoughts you have. If there are any, thank Him for revealing those to you rather than condemning yourself. God loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He knows that in and of ourselves we are nothing, but with Him we can do what He's called us to do. "A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart." - Proverbs 21:2 (NIV)
Other translations say that the Lord examines our heart (or motives). God sees the WHY behind the WHAT. For example, if the only reason I posted these daily proverbs was to get a lot of likes and shares, I would be posting them for the wrong reason. Do I want people to like them? Of course! Do I want them shared? Yes! Why? Because I know the Word of God works. I have applied a lot of it to my life over the years and I have changed a lot. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm not where I was. I have made progress with God's help. How many things are you doing for show and recognition rather than doing them because you want to? Are there things you once did but stopped doing because you didn't get the amount of views, likes, and shares that you wanted? If so, you were doing it for the wrong reason! The good news is you can begin again with a different goal in mind. Your goal can be something like this: even if I never get a "Thank you", a compliment, likes, shares, views, or an award, I'm going to continue doing what I know God has gifted me to do. If you're not doing things to glorify God, chances are, you're trying to glorify yourself. In Isaiah 42:8, God made it clear by saying, "I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols (ESV)." God loves you. Stop trying to do things to get noticed or loved by people. Knowing that God loves YOU and sent His only Son to die for YOUR sins should be enough! Some of you are so obsessed with getting attention from the people who care about you. That time and energy that you're wasting on those idols could be invested into the Lord. I've been guilty of the same thing, so I'm not trying to point a blaming finger. We all need Jesus because WE ALL ARE A WORK IN PROGRESS. Amen. I love you! Enjoy this day and make the best of it. "The glory of youths is their strength, but the beauty of the aged is their gray hair." - Proverbs 20:29
In today's society, people are admiring the wrong people. Some of the most vulgar celebrities have millions of followers, as well as views on their videos. They're often seen as gods, and that's really scary. What a lot of people don't realize is all celebrities WILL stand before God on Judgment Day. Sadly, many of them won't pass through the gate into the Kingdom. Is there a god that you seek after more than God? It could be a basketball or football player. It can be a singer, your position at work, money, fame. Do you know more about a certain celebrity, whom you may never meet, than God, who created you with His own hand (read Psalm 139)? If so, you're worshipping the wrong person. It's a painful reality to face, but it's something that needs to be dealt with because God is a jealous God. One of the Ten Commandments is to have no other gods before you. We need to MAKE time (not find it) to listen to those who have been through the hard times, yet they kept going. You can be young and attractive yet lack common sense. You can be strong yet be heartless and selfish. Are you making time to learn from those who can steer you in the right direction, or are you too busy trying to fit in with the world? Jesus talks about a narrow path that leads to life and the broad path that leads to destruction. The world is on the broad path. Which one are you currently on, or have you got 1 foot on each path? "The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart." - Proverbs 20:27 (NKJV)
There are many translations that I like of this verse: - The New Living Translation (NLT) says, "the Lord's light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive." - The Passion Translation (TPT) says, "The spirit God breathed into man is like a living lamp, a shining light searching into the innermost chamber of our being." - The Good News Bible (GNB) says, "The Lord gave us mind and conscience; we cannot hide from ourselves." The important thing to take away from today's verse is nothing, absolutely nothing, is hidden from God. The words you haven't spoken, but are in your mind, your thoughts, motives, everything... all can be seen, heard, and understood by God. You can hide a lot from people, but not from God. It's impossible to convince God that we're not feeling a certain way when, in reality, we are. He knows who you're mad at. He knows how you feel about your boss, kids, coworkers, and family members. He knows the why behind the what. I encourage you to read Psalm 139 for yourself. Here's a few verses from it that I want to include on this post: "Lord, you have tested me, so you know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts from far away. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. Your Spirit is everywhere I go. I cannot escape your presence (verses 1-3, 7)." Whatever is bothering you, go to God with it. That's what it is there for. No appointment needed. Be grateful that we serve a God who is available whenever, wherever. I love you. Make the most of today. "It is the Lord who directs your life, for each step you take is ordained by God to bring you closer to your destiny. So much of your life, then, remains a mystery!" - Proverbs 20:24 (TPT)
It's easy to say, "Guide me, Lord! I will follow you", until we encounter trials, rejection, and criticism, right? We have to get over thinking that the Christian walk is free from hard times, even death. God NEVER promised us that we wouldn't encounter those things while on this earth, but He has promised us to be free from those things in heaven. Our time here is SHORT and TEMPORARY! Do you REALLY understand how long eternity is? If you do, then stop worrying and whining so much about your time here. We can't tell the Lord that He doesn't understand how we feel. Remember, He sent His ONLY Son to live as an example for us to follow. Jesus said that apart from Him, we cannot do anything, and that is so true. We need Him! We are to follow Him, not the other way around. We cannot get into heaven by our good works. We won't be sitting on the throne on Judgment Day, so what makes us think we can do life apart from Him? Sure, you may be successful at some things, but whatever you do apart from Him, you will have to maintain in YOUR strength. There is so much we can handle for so long. I am not God. You are not God. God is God. He is I AM. He knows the end from the beginning. He is the Alpha and the Omega. God is so good to us. Let Him guide your steps. I love you. "Don't ever say, 'I'm going to get even with them if it's the last thing I do!' Wrap God's grace around your heart and He will be the one to vindicate you." - Proverbs 20:22 (TPT)
I love how this translation says that we need to wrap God's grace around our heart. I believe the #1 thing that Christians have a hard time doing is forgiving. I really do. There's no telling how many people are walking around like a pressure cooker. They've been holding unforgiveness towards people for years and can't seem to let it go. Some of the people are no longer alive, yet the memories of what they done torment them. A lot of people say, "I can't forgive that person for what they done." Is it because they can't forgive, or they don't want to forgive? That's the question. If we were not able to forgive, then God wouldn't ask us to do it. God will never ask us to do anything without giving us the grace to do it. Jesus said that if we don't forgive other people then He won't forgive us (refer to Mark 11:25-26 - not all translations include verse 26). What about the Lord's prayer? "... Forgive us the wrong we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wrong us (see Matthew 6:12)." Why quote the verse if you're not going to do what it says? Even James says that if we know what to do and we don't do it, we are sinning (4:17). Romans 12:21 says we overcome evil with good. Paul said that love keeps no account of wrongs doing to it and is not easily offended (refer to 1 Corinthians 13). So you see, the topic of forgiving and loving the unlovable is all over the Bible. Joseph, Jesus, Stephen, and many others in the Bible CHOSE to forgive even when they didn't feel like it, I'm sure. You can't wait until you feel like forgiving to forgive. The longer you put it off, the longer you remain miserable. I love you. We all have been hurt. Let's stop walking around wounded and bitter. God will help you forgive, but He won't help you get revenge. |
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