Feast

Prov. 5:10 (NIV)


lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man’s house.



it seems that every week we read of a former star who has fallen prey to the lure of drugs. Dealers live lavishly on the backs of those whom they are able to hook. A life spent chasing after fulfilling the lusts of our flesh will end with strangers feasting on the things that we have worked hard to earn. Today I will think of the future. I will refuse to give my future to the things that will only serve to give my hard earned wealth to strangers.

Drip

Prov. 5:3 (NKJV)
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil

Sweet talk is the tool of deceit. It tells us what we want to hear with no regard for truth or consequences. We need to raise our awareness of seductive words. Today we live in a world where advertisers have made a art of seductive words. In some ways we have developed a sixth sense for seductive words, but on the other hand as soon as think we are immune, then we are at risk. Today, I will be aware of seductive words that play to my flesh, my emotions, and my pride.

mocks

Prov. 3:33 - 34 (NIV)

33 The LORD’S curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.
34 He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.



God mocks proud mockers. I think I like that. (except when I am the proud mocker that is) I remember grade school and the times that the bullys would taunt those with less than perfection. It did not matter what the problem, whether a physical problem or something as simple as a stutter. Mockers always had a keen eye for shortfalls and were happy to exploit them. Now God comes into the picture and sticks up for all of us who are sometimes humbled by mockers. We have it in His word that he frustrates them and when they fail he mocks them. Score one for the little guy! Today, I will choose to be the little guy with the big God rather than the big guy with little chance of escaping the due results of my own pride.

Corrects

Prov. 3:11 - 12 (NKJV)
11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; 12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.


No child, and I mean no child enjoys being corrected. Come to think of it most adults don't either. I hate it when my mistakes are seen by others and corrected. Just yesterday, I sent out an email that still had outdated information on it and as soon as Gabe told me, I naturally became defensive and then mad at myself for being so lax. In the same way it is very easy for us to despise the chastening of God in our lives. When he points out our sin we cringe and do everything that we can to avoid the shame and the guilt that come along with that. If we allow that to continue however, we will find ourselves hiding from Him as Adam did in the garden. We will stop praying, lest we think of our guilt, we will drop out of church so that our toes stay plump and cozy, we will avoid reading the Bible too. However, we must change the way that we see the correction of God in our lives. Because correction is the greatest act of love and care that our heavenly Father can bestow on our daily lives. His correction means that He cares. Let that sink in. When God corrects us, it means that our decisions matter to Him! Wow, let's live today knowing that the correction of God means that we are loved and valued by the God of the universe!

Acknowedge

Prov. 3:6 (NKJV)

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.



J.A. Barnes says of this passage, "Not in acts of solemn worship or great crises only, but "in all thy ways;" and then God will make the "path" straight and even." How often do we only turn to God for direction when things are "out of control." In truth things are always out of our control, and we need to begin to acknowledge that truth in all areas of our life. Even the areas of our lives that we believe to be the most "under control" are the areas where we are tempted to not acknowledge God. So today we must ask ourselves what areas of our life are running smoothly? Is it financial, or family, or maybe our health? Whatever it may be, we must add it to the list of things in which we ask God for direction. Then and only then we can say that we acknowledge Him in all our ways.

Lean

Prov. 3:5 (NKJV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

A wise man once said, "If at first you don't succeed, fail, fail again." Unfortunately in life we often lean ourselves on that cannot bear the weight. All of us have experienced times when we lean against something that we think is steady, but when it fails, we fall. God's word teaches us here that our own understanding is not able to hold our weight. If we continue to live according to our perceptive and our understanding, then we will fail, fail, again.

Trust

Prov. 3:5 (NKJV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

According to Webster "trust is assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. " All of these things come into our conversation when we talk about our Lord. Whether we acknowledge it or not all of our life relies on the Lord. Our very next breath comes by His grace. This verse goes beyond just the mere truth of trust to the acknowledgement of that trust. As believers, we must move beyond the simple head knowledge that God is in control, but to allow that truth to influence our hands and feet. It is only then that we truly are trusting in the Lord with all our heart.

Bind

Prov. 3:3 (NKJV)

Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart

Over the top, gaudy, and most of the time cheap jewelry has come to be known as "bling." Bling is known for its sparkle and size and serves to show the extravagant wealth of the wearer. On the other side of the coin is the what we should put on as wise children. Where bling is often imitation, we are called to put on truth. Where bling is about extravagant self indulgence, we are called to put on mercy. This Christian bling does not shine big here, but in the light of eternity it will shine forever.

Walk

Prov. 2:20 (NKJV)
So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness.

Like it or not, the Christian life is a walk. It is not a sprint, and there is no excuse for us tanding still. We are on a journey with Christ, and if we are not moving forward then we are not walking with Him. I must fight everyday the temptation to sit down and rest spiritually. I have to keep my eyes on the prize and press forward. He will not pace my walk any faster than I am able to keep.

Leave

Prov. 2:11 -13 (NKJV)

Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;



One of the most difficult things in ministry is to watch people leave. Some will leave with stated objections to doctrine or practice and although they are the most vocal and do the most damage, they are not the ones you miss and hurt for as a pastor. The heartbreak for most pastors and for that matter most parents is to see the ones that they have given themselves to willfully leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness. We call it back sliding but in reality it is a conscious decision that people make. In ministry we must protect our most vulnerable people from those who choose the evil path. We do so by teaching discretion and understanding. As was said in a previous devotional this demands that we go beyond rules and teach principles. We teach our people to distinguish between truth and error in any situation. In response to this passage, we must encourage people to attend small group Bible Study where they are taught to apply God's Word to their daily lives. It is there that they will receive the instruction in spiritual discernment and understanding.

Preserves

Prov. 2:8 (NKJV)

He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints.

I love preserves. I rememer picking black berries at my Grandma Johns' house in GA as a child. She would put a pan of water on the stove and and cook down the berries into preserves. Then she would put wax on the top of the jars and as they cooled they would seal in the preserves for the long months between blackberry season. In the same way, God preserves our way as his children. As we walk the path that he has laid before us, we can count on Him protecting us. Today we must remember that where God guides, He provides!

Apply

Prov. 2:2 (NKJV)
So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;

Inclining our ear to wisdom gives the sense of eavesdropping on the teacher of truth. To have an ear for truth is one thing, but to apply our heart to understanding what we have heard is where the work enters in. I remember a sign that hung in my uncle Bill's stable. It read "We hire people who look for work after they find a job." Finding truth is the easy part, but to put truth to work for us in our lives requires that we know more than just the answer, but why it is right. For instance, I can teach any two year old to say that "2+2=4." This however differs from teaching them to quantify two objects being added in a group to two other object thus leaving us with four objects. If he only learns to parrot the answer, he will not be able to apply the same principles of truth to other situations such as two plus three etc. The same is true with truth, we should not just learn what is right and what is wrong, but why those things are true, and then we will have the wisdom to APPLY the truth to other areas of our lives.

Receive

Prov. 2:1 (NKJV)
My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,

Many of the Proverbs are written using a reflexive poetic style where a phrase is repeated thought for thought but not word for word. Solomon displays for us that sometimes we need to be reminded of truth. This very simple verse is setting the stage for the upcoming promise of 2:5. "Then you will understand the fear of the Lord." This is a conditional promise made on the basis of the previous "if" statements, and the first of those is the one we apply today. To receive my words. The challenge before us today is not just to hear the word of the Lord, but to take it with us. Not to just be hearers, but doers. As a pastor, it is my goal each week to use creativity and story telling to help people carry the truth of God's word home. In some way I believe that Solomon's use of poetry carries the same goal. What good would it be to sit under the greatest teacher of all time, and leave class empty minded as before. Today I will treasure this thought and keep God's word in its rightful place in my life.

Lurk

Prov. 1:18 (NKJV)
But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives.

Isn't it amazing that evil men, in their attempts to rob others really only rob themselves. If they would just learn that making an honest living will leave them happier and even richer than before then the world would be a better place. But to apply it to our lives, we must look a little closer. We must refuse to apply this verse to other people and apply it to ourselves. So here goes... When we cut corners, when we cheat, when we lie and even steal to get a little bit ahead, then we are actually working against ourselves. We must refuse to scheme ways to do it the "easy" way and just do it right.

Don't

Prov. 1:10 (NKJV)
My son, if sinners entice you, don't consent.

There is a lot of truth packed in that little verse. First we see Solomon as a loving father warning his son. There is love built into that relationship that gives power to this phrase. It is not some stranger's warning, it is fatherly advice. Second we see that in the world out there are sinners. People who have given themselves over to sin. Sin is what they do and what they are known for. Third, sinners entice non-sinners to become sinners too. Whether because of guilt, or because of lust, sinners are always trying to drum up more business. Drug abusers begin dealing to support their habit, liars need other liars to support their story, thieves need get-a-way drivers, etc. Sinners will always entice non-sinners to become sinners. Fourth, we see the response "don't consent." Pretty simple, but here is a nugget of truth we find in the Hebrew. The root of this word implies a passive acceptance. You see, our first steps into sin are not usually bold active steps, they are passive acceptance of sinful thoughts and behaviors in others. Let me splain ... It is not so much "don't give in to actively becoming a sinner," it is more "don't passively consent to be enticed." Make sense? So today we must ask ourselves the question, what sin am I passively accepting? What am I allowing to entice me, whether it is in the music I listen to, or the books I read, or the shows I watch? Am consenting to the enticement of sinners?

Fear

Prov. 1:7 (NKJV)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

There are many things in life that we can choose to fear. Some choose to fear spiders, others fear germs. Some may fear change and some may even fear failure. On top of our list of things to fear should be God Himself. What greater to fear than the One who holds the Universe in His hands. One of my pet peves is when people show God disrespect by misusing His name. Today I will look for ways to display a healthy fear of God. Maybe the next time someone uses his name in vain I will gasp and tell them how stupid it is to mock God like that because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

Spirit

Eph. 6:17 (NKJV)

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

There are two natural instincts when one is under attack, fight and flight. When we are in a dangerous situation our body produces adrenalin to give us the strength to take either of those options. In a spiritual sense, God has placed in us His Spirit to bring to mind verses of scripture to be used as a weapon against Satan. It is most vividly seen in Matthew 4, as Jesus quotes scripture to fight off temptation in the wilderness. So what should we do? We should memorize scripture. Hide God's Word in our hearts so that we might not sin against Him. The more we know of God's Word, the better equipped we will be for spiritual warfare. Bible memorization is not for kids anymore!

Salvation

Ephesians 6:17 (NKJV)

And take the helmet of salvation,

My favorite position in football is the linebacker. This is the guy who stands in the middle of the field and is tasked with knocking the daylights out of anything with a ball. Linebackers are probably the toughest guys on the field and they have the ability to put their head down and put their everything into the tackle. Why? Well I am glad you asked. You see, they wear a helmet, and this helmet helps them know that no matter how hard the hit, their head will stay safe. They have learned this over many years and many tackles. I am sure that the first hits were apprehensive, but the helmet saved their head enough where now they are virtually fearless. In the same way we are able to charge into spiritual battles with the knowledge that our salvation is secure. Today let us live as if the greatest spiritual battle has already been won, and now we can fight with abandon.

Faith

Eph. 6:16 (NKJV)

above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Not above all in importance, no this carries more the idea that a shield is an additional piece of armor that even covers the already protected parts. An extra layer of protection if you will. This is possible because the shield was something you wield, a versatile and strategic piece of armor that can be placed between you and the fiery darts of the wicked one. So the question is before us today, how do you wield your faith? How are you using your faith to protect you from attacks. Are you just setting it in place and hoping that all attacks will come from that direction or are you alert to attacks and strategically putting faith where it is needed. Let me give an example. Right now our military is retrofitting its Humvees for roadside explosives. Originally the canvas sides were able to provide airflow for the desert heat, but now as they move to patrol streets, the canvas is a weakness. Knowing the enemy's strategy, they are placing shields on the sides of the humvees before they go on patrol. Today, let's look for our weaknesses and things our enemy may use to attack and lets put up a shield of faith to quench his fiery darts.

Peace

Eph. 6:15 (NKJV)

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

It is said that the Greek soldiers would install nails in the soles of their shoes in the same way that our modern day athletes do. A firm footing would definitely give the upper hand in this form of battle. But what I love about this verse is the idea of preparation. Too often in our spiritual battles we wait until the battle is on before we feel the urgency to prepare. However most of the time it is too late. That is why Bible Study is so key to the Christian life. We must do our basic training before the battles come. Today, I will prepare for future battles by knowing the gospel and thus achieve peace.

Righteousness

Eph. 6:14 (NKJV)

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

The coat of mail was a vital piece of armor. Its primary function was to protect the heart from the spears and arrows of the enemy. A blow to the heart is nearly impossible for any soldier to overcome. Our enemy knows this and often this is the "heart" of his strategy. Job of the Old Testament understood this battle. In just a few days, Satan was allowed to take away everything that he loved, everything that is except his wife. His children were killed, his servants, his wealth and even his health. I believe Satan was fine with leaving Job's wife as she would become his greatest ally. However Job also retained his righteousness. Job's armor of righteousness would keep his heart and perspective pure throughout his suffering. The first half of the word righteousness is the word "right." I don't want to trivialize the thought, but righteousness is the ability to remain right. When Satan attacks our hearts we need to retain a right view of who God is, a right view of eternity, a right view of reality. Today, may we be able to remain right when our heart is attacked. To be protected from his attacks by our own breastplate of righteousness.

Truth

Ephesians 6:14 (NKJV)

Stand therefore, having girded your waits with truth...

Batman was on TV last night. The one from 1989 where Jack Nicholson played the joker. we watched it for a few minutes so that Andrew (6) and Abby (9) would relish in the super heroes of our day. Batman was his usual self with all the gadgets and typical hero fare. As any fan knows, Batman has no real super powers, all of his ability is natural, but aided by his incredible belt. The belt has been used by heroes throughout history as the holster for their weaponry. Always at ones side and near the hand has made the belt the obvious choice for where to keep your most vital wartime necessities. As we go into spiritual battle today, may we remember that the truth is on our side and it that it is readily available to us. May we remember that through prayer we can call on Him who is THE TRUTH, and he will be by our side to help us fight the spiritual warfare.

Armor

Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV)

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

In 1965 Dupont created a synthetic fiber that was used in ropes and hopefully would replace steel belting in tires. However thefact that kevlar was pound for pound 5 times stronger than steel soon made it ideal fabric for modern body armor. Armor was developed very early in human history as a way to protect our most vital organs from the enemy's attack. It should go without saying that the only good armor is the one that is worn. For a soldier to go into battle owning armor does not do him any good unless he puts it on. As believers we know that we are in a constant battle for our minds with the devil and that our greatest defense is to put on the whole armor of God. This week we will focus on that armor as we prepare for this Sunday's message on the armor.