Archive for the ‘Learning’ Category
Godliness, Holiness, Instant Sanctification, Obedience, Progressive Sanctification, Sanctification
In Biblical Principles, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Godliness, Grace, Holiness, Instant Sanctification, Learning, Lifestyle, Obedience, Progressive Sanctification, Renewal, Repentance, Sanctification, Truth, Wisdom on July 15, 2022 at 5:48 pm
I am going to take a detour here from Proverbs because this has come up a couple of times this week and was just part of a future blog post I was writing from the book of Proverbs.
Sanctification – Instant, Progressive, or Neither?
People make sanctification way too complicated and seem to believe that the idea of instant or progressive sanctification are the only options. They seem to believe that the two (instant sanctification and progressive sanctification) are at odds with one another. Well they are not.
Sanctification is both instant and progressive.
When we accept Christ, we are in that very moment “instantly” sanctified in Him, in the spiritual realm. That instant sanctification is manifest in our daily life, in our lifestyle, in our spiritual maturity, in a “progressive” manner, to varying degrees, at different speeds over the course of our lifetime, as we walk with Christ and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
It truly is that simple, people just make it, like most of the things of God, far too difficult and complicated.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Correction, Guidance, Instruction, Learning, Proverbs, Reproof, Wisdom
In Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Correction, Decision Making, Discernment, Godly Counsel, Guidance, Instruction, Learning, Proverbs, Prudence, Reproof, Righteous Living, Wisdom on May 28, 2021 at 5:49 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Hebrew or Greek definition(s).
17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
Reproof
If a person wishes to thrive in life, to bear fruit, to succeed they will first have to adapt themselves to receiving and learning from both the instruction and the reproof of other people. If a person cannot receive reproof, they will find that they fail much more often in life than they have to fail (v.17).
When a person “erreth” out of refusal to accept instruction or reproof, according to the Hebrew definition of the word, that person can experience any number of results in their life from, “to vacillate, i.e. reel or stray (lit. or fig.); also caus. of both:— (cause to) go astray, deceive, dissemble, (cause to, make to) err, pant, seduce, (make to) stagger, (cause to) wander, be out of the way” with the effects upon their life being significant. Thankfully, the willingness to receive instruction and reproof is a positive and godly choice we can make for our life.
Granted reproof is harder to accept than instruction because of the corrective nature of reproof. According to the Hebrew language reproof is defined as “chastisement; fig. (by words) correction, refutation, proof (even in defence):— argument, × chastened, correction, reasoning, rebuke, reproof, × be (often) reproved.” In those times when someone refutes our beliefs and proves us to be wrong, we must be willing to accept our wrongness and learn from our mistake or correct our mistaken beliefs. If we can do that our life will bear fruit.
A word from a person who has both listen and learned at times, then at time refused to listen and stumbled; listening and learning is a much easier smoother path through life.
Throughout this study, if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Change, Christ, Christian Lifestyle, Coronavirus, Coronavirus/COVID-19, COVID-19, Easter, God, God’s Voice, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Marriage, Parenting, PERSONAL GROWTH, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, RELATIONSHIPS, Renewal, Repentance, Suffering, Truth, Unity
In Adultery, Agape Love, Biblical Principles, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Contentment, Coronavirus, Coronavirus/COVID-19, Couples, COVID-19, Disunity, Divorce, Godliness, Learning, Lifestyle, Love, Marriage, Renewal, Repentance, Revival, Righteous Living, Righteousness, Uncategorized, Unity, Wisdom on April 2, 2021 at 8:33 am
Over the last few posts we have taken a look at the GOD growth in individuals and families during the pandemic. Today we take on the matter of growth in the couple relationship. I use the term GOD growth because God wants to bring about change in people that draws them closer to Him and that causes them to implement His Principles regardless of whether or not they have come to trust in Him for their salvation as of yet or not. God is about seeing His Will and His Principles come about in our society, in our homes, and in us personally before and after we enter that personal relationship with Him.
Questions to ponder. Why do people find it easier to bad mouth their significant other or spouse rather than express openly to other people what they like about the person? Why are their negative traits a more interesting topic of discussion than their positive traits? Society presents the idea that to complain about your spouse is funny and entertaining, but is it really? Why does society want to perpetuate the idea that loving relationships are rare and so hard to come by?
Locked down, locked up, with your spouse during COVID-19; now this will make or break a marriage. When there is only the two of you, no children, no other distractions, you find out really quick whether or not you are just two ships passing in the night or two hovercrafts rotating around each other but never really coming in contact, not true contact. I believe if you went through this last year together primarily in lockdown and you still actually want to be together you might actually have a pretty solid relationship.
When we are alone with someone day in and day out, with them and with no one else, we see everything about them that we perhaps did not notice or that at other times are they were better able to hide. Especially during a crisis like the pandemic, we see their fears emerge, we see their insecurities at large, we see their compassion or lack thereof on display, we see their generosity and love or their selfishness and hatefulness. We talk to them more; we find out more about what makes them tick. We explore with them their hopes and dreams because when you are in a situation like we are in during this pandemic, locked down at home primarily, you cannot endlessly ignore the only other person in your spear, in your world for that matter for the most part, and you cannot talk about nothing nonsense forever. So eventually you dig down to what really matters, and that is when you begin to draw close to one another.
In this time of couple reflection many were able to find out how loved and cared for they made their spouse feel and the ways in which they did that. Also, they might have found out the ways in which they do not make their spouse feel loved and cared for and what they could do about it to change the negative impact on the relationship. For many it was a time of realigning the relationship and finding once again common goals and dreams.
A marriage is a covenant relationship. When someone badmouths their spouse for fun and the entertainment of people, they are betraying that covenant. What you speak about your spouse affect how you feel about your spouse. Your spoken words have a powerful effect on you and other people. People should rarely if ever hear from you what you believe to be “wrong” with your spouse or so my parents who believed in absolute loyalty taught me, just as the Bible teaching not to speak negative or harsh words (curses) against people. I have never found it entertaining to hear people teardown their spouse, and from what I have heard from other people they too think it terrible to listen to someone else do so, thinking badly of the person who is badmouthing their spouse, even if they themselves have been guilty of likewise at times.
I believe the select few in society who are not willing to do the work needed for a loving caring relationship like to perpetuate the idea that loving caring relationships are so terribly difficult to come by, in order to make themselves feel better about their own lack. Let them live in their isolation and loneliness, do not get sucked in, value the relationship you have and act like you do.
I want to close each of this series of postings with a quote from the original post, “COVID-19 – God and Man at Work.”
“Blessings from God are not just material or financial, more often the greater ones (blessings) are intangible such as growth and change.”
Change, Christ, Christian Lifestyle, Coronavirus, Coronavirus/COVID-19, COVID-19, Easter, God, God’s Voice, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Marriage, Parenting, PERSONAL GROWTH, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, RELATIONSHIPS, Renewal, Repentance, Suffering, Truth, Unity
In Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Contentment, Coronavirus, Coronavirus/COVID-19, COVID-19, Disunity, Divorce, God's Voice, Godliness, Learning, Lifestyle, Love, Marriage, Parenting, Repentance, Revival, Righteous Living, Righteousness, Uncategorized, Unity, Wisdom on March 18, 2021 at 10:30 am
In the last post we took a look at the GOD growth in individuals during the pandemic. Family growth is the topic of this post. I use the term GOD growth because God wants to bring about change in people that draws them closer to Him and that causes them to implement His Principles regardless of whether or not they have come to trust in Him for their salvation as of yet or not. God is about seeing His Will and His Principles come about in our society, in our homes, and in us personally before and after we enter that personal relationship with Him.
Questions to ponder. Why do people find it easier to talk about the dysfunction of their and other people’s families than they are able to find the courage to talk about the positive loving things within their family? Has society’s distorted view of family made people where they feel almost ashamed of loving, caring, normalcy?
Boy has the family dynamic changed over the last year amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns. With children out of school. Some parents unfortunately unemployed, and most of the other parents working from home, family has taken center stage.
We have all seen the news reports, where the anchor is attempting to do a new story via Zoom from home and the child is in the background doing all they can to get that parents attention, making the parents task almost impossible. Sometimes it is so cute you just cannot help but laugh. Other times it seems that the child is driving the parent to distraction. And on any given day it might be a little of both. Nevertheless, during the pandemic families have been forced to be together.
Just as with the private individuals, of course there are incidents where families crammed together had a negative impact for the family members. However in those situations there were most likely deep deep problems prior to the family finding themselves in lockdown together.
For many people, the endless hours of family togetherness have resulted in finding new ways to spend that time together. Finding out more about each other. A realization that all of the busy activities that both the parents and the children were involved in were robbing them of what was precious time together. It no doubt unearthed cracks in the foundation of the family that needed some repair. It helped fathers to realize what they are made out of as a father. It helped mothers to come to terms with just how much nurturing of their children they were doing and willing to do. For the children, it just may have created a new found respect for their mothers and their fathers and a greater understanding of them as real people.
For many families it created a much-needed family reset, which in America we need greatly for the American families to function in a moral and godly manner. God wants us to lift up the wholesomeness of family, not the dysfunction. To find the courage to speak out about the loving manner in which families should function or do function. We cannot allow the distortions of a backwards society make us hide our light under a bushel, when it comes to lifting up the ideal of loving, caring, normalcy in the family unit.
I want to close each of this series of postings with a quote from the original post, “COVID-19 – God and Man at Work.”
“Blessings from God are not just material or financial, more often the greater ones (blessings) are intangible such as growth and change.”
Abominations, Abuse, Adultery, Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Blessing, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Compassion, Confusion, Contentment, Correction, Crime, Curses, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Flattery, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Grace, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Heart, Illness, Information, Insomnia, Jealousy, Justice, King Solomon, Laziness, Learning, Life, Loans, Longevity, Mercy, Money, Neighbors, Oppression, Parents, Peace, Poverty, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Safety, Seven Deadly Sins, Sexual Abuse, Shame, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Stealing, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wickedness, Wisdom
In Advice, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Contentment, Decision Making, Discernment, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Jealousy, Learning, Proverbs, Prudence, Repentance, Stealing, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on July 21, 2019 at 3:06 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Hebrew definition(s).
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
Green-eyed Monster
Jealousy can create all types of evil. It can cause a person to steal, to cheat, to lie, and to kill. Verse thirty-four states that jealousy produces rage in a person. Men have an even tougher time with jealousy than women, but women have greater trouble with envy.
Verse thirty-four also states that it takes away a person’s ability to have empathy or sympathy for another person, it alters a person’s human feelings. The word “spare” in this verse means “to commiserate” with another person. Therefore, by the time jealousy reaches the point of vengeance the person has so nursed their inner rage to the point that it has altered their ability to understanding other people’s feelings, thus the jealousy cannot be appeased as verse thirty-five states.
Jealousy is dangerous in so many ways; relationally, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Jealousy can cause the death of relationships, other people, and yourself. Beware of and do not nurse jealousy, and never under any circumstances attempt to make another person jealous or give another person cause to be jealous.
Jealousy is a byproduct of a lack of contentment and a lack of trust in God. If one were content, they would not have want for what another person has. If a person trusted God, they would not believe that someone else has something they too should have and long for that which God has chosen for them not to have.
If you wish to defeat jealousy in your life replace it with by actively cultivating the traits of trust in God and contentment. Almost any character issue in life can be solves through the active cultivation of the positive polar opposite of the negative trait. Let the fruit of the Holy Spirit replace the fruit of the sinful carnal nature.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Abominations, Abuse, Adultery, Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Blessing, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Compassion, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Curses, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Flattery, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Grace, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Heart, Illness, Information, Insomnia, Justice, King Solomon, Laziness, Learning, Life, Loans, Longevity, Mercy, Money, Neighbors, Oppression, Parents, Peace, Poverty, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Safety, Seven Deadly Sins, Sexual Abuse, Shame, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Stealing, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wickedness, Wisdom
In Adultery, Advice, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Decision Making, Discernment, Discretion, Divorce, Godly Counsel, Learning, Marriage, Masculinity, Proverbs, Prudence, Repentance, Uncategorized, Wisdom on July 13, 2019 at 10:43 am
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Hebrew definition(s).
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
Man of Shame
It seems this adultery theme is staying with us. It has been covered in many ways in our review and examination of this chapter of Proverbs. God has it covered so much because it is such a destructive force in a marriage, but to be honest I would really like to be done with the topic.
Okay, just when I make my last statement things get interesting. Verse thirty-two states that a man who commits adultery “lacketh understanding” and that by doing so, committing adulty, he “destroyeth his own soul.” When I examined this “understanding” that the man lacks I find something incredible but so powerfully true.
In the Hebrew language this means that the man lacks, “a heart and feelings” the man lacks according to the Hebrew language both proper “will and even intellect” he lacks a proper center to his life, Christ. What is in quotation marks here is right out of the Hebrew language, who would have known that lacking understanding actually encompassed so much.
The soul is where the mind, will, and emotions reside and verse thirty-two say that as a man partakes in any form of adultery, he destroys his own soul. It is something he does to himself. Wow see the connections between the lack of understand and the destruction of the soul; soul equals the mind (the lack of intellect), the will (the lack of willpower), and emotions (the lack of heart and feelings), the connection is incredible.
Let us look closely in the Hebrew language at what this destruction of the soul actually entails.
“destroyeth” in the Hebrew language means:
“to decay, (causatively) to ruin (literally or figuratively) to batter, cast off, corrupt, destroy, lose, mar, perish, utterly waste”
Wow, that is some severe damage.
I have known men who got caught up with women who were not their wives, I have seen what it did to them, their marriages, and their wives; needless to say the destruction done to the marriages and the damage done to the wives is heartbreaking but in some ways it is equally sad when you see it take a man who was once decent at heart and turns him into something barely worth giving a second glance, he becomes so utterly rotten and diminished as a man. I guess what I am describing that I see in this type of man is what is talked about in verse thirty-three.
He becomes a man of no honour any longer. The verse says that he has a wound, which in the Hebrew means he is scared, he has a “figurative infliction” notice it is “infliction” not affliction, infliction means he will suffer due to what he has done. The Hebrew say he becomes “a leprous person” someone treated like they have the “plague” and I am sure there are many wounded wives who can attest to that truth, they did not want the adulterous man touching them for some period of time, if not permanently. Those women who did allow it are incredibly strong women, rare women, though should the man continue or repeat his adultery even very strong women may begin to find it almost impossible to be touched by such a man.
This “reproach” that the man suffers due to his own actions is something verse thirty-three states never goes away. I think many men and women who have gone through this horrible blow to marriage would both agree that even in cases where the marriage survived, which is rarer than one might think, and God brought proper healing to the marriage, the marriage is never quite the same; the man is never view without the stain nor with the honor he was once viewed.
In the Hebrew language this “reproach” is describes as “contumely, disgrace, +the pudenda:— rebuke, reproach (-fully), shame.” “Contumely” being “harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt” – the contempt felt for a man who would do such is great on his wife’s part, his children’s part and in many cases even his friends or co-workers. I almost hate to go here but the Hebrew refers to the disgrace, shame, and contempt that is felt both toward the man and his “pudenda” which is his sexual organ. For a wounded wife the idea of having his sexual organ touch her sexual organ must be a painful concept; something once beautiful is now marred with ugliness.
Oh men, I urge you it is far easier to avoid this trap and save your dignity than it is repair your dignity and recover the look of love and sparkle in your wife’s eyes.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Abuse, Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Blessing, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Curses, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Grace, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Insomnia, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Neighbors, Oppression, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sexual Abuse, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, Godly Counsel, Learning, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Revival, Spirituality, Trust, Truth, Wisdom on September 13, 2018 at 9:00 am
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Wisdom Sustains
Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Hebrew definition.
Verse ten states that the person who consistently uses godly wisdom as a guide for how they live and manage their life will see that life extended by “many” years. In the Hebrew language “many” means both to “increase in respective time” and to “bring in abundance” – that covers quantity of life and quality of life.
Verse twelve makes it clear that the person who consistently applies godly wisdom will have little need for their choices and actions to be corrected by God or man, nor will they find themselves stumbling a great deal in life. It is not possible to live a perfect life, but it is possible to live a godly life ruled by godly wisdom that has little encounter with failure or correction.
Verse thirteen speaks to the fact that godly wisdom applied is “thy life” for all truly real purposes. You may ask how could godly wisdom applied be someone’s life, what does it mean? Take a look at the Hebrew definitions for the phrase “thy life” – examine them one by one as see the “thy life” found within.
· "alive; hence, raw (flesh)” – godly wisdom applied will literally keep us alive.
· “fresh (plant, water, year)” – godly wisdom applied will keep us and our life fresh and renewed each year in personal growth and spiritual thirst.
· “strong” – godly wisdom applied will keep us strong mentally, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, and physically.
· “life (or living thing), whether literal or figurative:— + age, alive, appetite, company, congregation, life (-time), live (-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop. to live” – godly wisdom applied will rightly order every area of our life and relationships.
· “whether literal or figuratively; causatively to revive” – godly wisdom applied will restore us and sustain us through the challenges of life.
· “keep (leave, make) alive, × certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (× God) save (alive, life, lives), × surely, be whole.” – godly wisdom applied will restore our life to God’s Purpose and repair the life damage we have caused and suffered, it will “give promise” to our life.
There is no doubt that the use of godly wisdom on a consistent bases in our life will sustain our life to God’s glory.
What does it mean to “sustain” something or someone? Sustain according to the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary is defined as follows.
Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Merriam-Webster’s definition.
The author’s thoughts follow each definition in [brackets].
1 : “to give support or relief to” – [godly wisdom applied will support the quality and quantity of your life and bring relief in times of distress.]
2 : “to supply with sustenance : NOURISH” – [godly wisdom applied will bring nourishment to your body, mind, spirit, and soul.]
3 : “KEEP UP, PROLONG” – [godly wisdom applied will extend the length of your life and improve the quality of your life.]
4 : “to support the weight of : PROP; also : to carry or withstand (a weight or pressure)” – [godly wisdom applied will makes facing the challenges of life so much easier, and your response to them is less likely to be filled with anxiety.]
5 : “to buoy up £ sustained by hope” – [godly wisdom applied will keep you afloat in life’s rough waters and give you hope.]
6 “a : to bear up under b : SUFFER, UNDERGO £ sustained heavy losses” – [godly wisdom applied will keep you from despair during your darkest days in life.]
7 “a : to support as true, legal, or just b : to allow or admit as valid £ the court sustained the motion” – [godly wisdom applied will anchors your life in something much greater than yourself, it anchors your life in God, in God’s Principles and Truths.]
8 : “to support by adequate proof : CONFIRM £ testimony that sustains our contention” – [godly wisdom applied will end up being self-proving, as you will see the proof of godly wisdom’s worth through its results over time.]
Godly wisdom will be a tool by which God sustains you and your life. Will you let it sustain you? Will you let Him sustain you?
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Abuse, Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Blessing, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Curses, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Insomnia, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Neighbors, Oppression, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sexual Abuse, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Abuse, Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Compassion, Curses, Decision Making, Discretion, Evil, Exhortation, Hate, Hatred, Idolatry, Learning, Peace, Persecution, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Repentance, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on July 31, 2018 at 6:10 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. 32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous. 33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Treatment of People
How we treat other people has a major impact on the quality of our own life. All too often people attempt to improve their own life by diminishing the value of another person’s life through abuse, mistreatment such as oppression or through using those individuals to fulfill their own perverse needs physically, mentally, and emotionally.
An oppressor is not hard to spot. Most people have had to deal with one or more oppressive person in their lifetime through some form of connection or relationship. We are warned in verse thirty-one to make sure we are not the one doing the oppressing.
“oppressor” in the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary is defined as follows:
1 b : to crush or burden by abuse of power or authority
2 : to burden spiritually or mentally : weigh heavily upon
There are so many ways a person can oppress another person, far too many to attempt to list here. Take a moment and think of a couple of ways a person might oppress someone through the ‘abuse of their power or authority,’ through ‘burdening another person mentally,’ through ‘burdening another persona spiritually,’ and by ‘being a heavy weigh upon’ that person’s life through producing stress or distress.
When God’s finds something or someone’s actions an abomination that is about as bad as it gets. Verse thirty-two makes it clear that those who are “froward” are an abomination to Jehovah God, LORD. The Lord finds such people to be morally disgusting and considers them a person who worships idols (see Hebrew definition below), the idols of their own self-will and the desire to live life accord to their own terms instead of living life according to His Ways, His Will, and His Purposes.
“abomination” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
8441. תּוֹעֵבָה tôw˓êbâh, to-ay-baw’; or
תֹּעֵבָה tô˓êbâh, to-ay-baw’; fem. act. part. of 8581; properly something disgusting morally, i.e. (as noun) an abhorrence; espec. idolatry or concretely an idol:— abominable (custom, thing), abomination.
Who are the “froward?” One might think it would have to be someone really horrible, evil, and very sinful. No not at all! The truth of who are they and how easily we can be one of them is scary.
“For the froward” in the Hebrew language is defined as literally to depart from God’s Ways and Wisdom or figuratively to be perverse in one’s actions, thoughts, or behaviors. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “froward” as someone who is “habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition.”
Verse thirty-two also talks about another type of person, those God defines as the righteous. To these righteous persons God grants a secret. Let us look at what that secret is and entails.
“but his secret” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
5475. סוֹד çôwd, sode; from 3245; a session, i.e. company of persons (in close deliberation); by impl. intimacy, consultation, a secret:— assembly, counsel, inward, secret (counsel).
God keeps company with the righteous. They sense and know His Presence in their life. They are able to have a “session” with God where He talks to them and they to Him. God guides their actions through a close relationship where He walks with them daily in intimacy. They are able to “consult and counsel” with God “inwardly” and receive direction for their life and answers to their questions. God is present with them, and for the righteous there is a great awareness daily of His Presence.
Verse thirty-three through thirty-five makes it clear what the oppressors and the froward can look forward to in life because the LORD finds these behaviors such an abomination and wicked – their houses will be cured, their life will be cursed, they will not live in the blessings of God. Only the “just” aka lawful and righteous people will live in the blessings of God.
A person is about as blessed as their actions allow them to be. With minimum obedience to God comes minimum blessings. God does make life tough for those who refuse to obey Him, “he scorneth” their life in an attempt to show them that their way is not His Way and that His Way is far better. Shame is the result of foolish behavior.
Grace is found with those who humble themselves before God before His Will and obey Him. Wise people who honor God inherit God’s glory and live in the blessings of God.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Insomnia, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Neighbors, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Compassion, Decision Making, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, Forgiveness, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Godly Counsel, Hatred, Learning, Marriage, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on July 11, 2018 at 12:05 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. 29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
What of Your Neighbor
First, I pose the question, “Who is your neighbor?” It is not just the people who live next door to you, it is also those individuals with which you come into consistent contact on a reasonability normal basis. Your neighbor is not everyone in the world however. A neighbor must be a person within your community or sphere of life. The Hebrew language regarding the word “neighbour” as found in verse twenty-eight defines a neighbour as “an associate (more or less close):— brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, neighbour.”[1] Therefore, once again, a neighbor is a person with which one has some connection either through relationship or a shared area of living, working, recreation, church, etc.
The ”good” represented in verse twenty-seven is good in a wide variety of application in the “widest sense.” However, this good is to be done to “whom it is due” and according to the definition in the Hebrew language that is inclusive of only a spouse or someone individual with whom you are obligated such as an employer or overseer of some sort that has personal authority over your life granted to them through relationship, such as the head of an organization you volunteer for, the head of a committee you sit on, the person[s] in authority over you at work, etc. Verse twenty-seven does not apply to everyone a person would consider a “neighbour” and that is important to remember. Any good it is within your power to do for your spouse or your employer should be done as God prompts and directs. Yes, I know how difficult the last statement I made is to carry out in practical life. Good cannot always be granted to those who have repeated abused the goodness offered to them. A person must pray and allow the Holy Spirit to guide their actions.
Separately verse twenty-eight deals with helping our neighbor in need. If we have what our neighbor needs, and they ask us for what they need, it is not right in God’s eyes to withhold what they need from them. If we can help our neighbor with a true need, a need that is rare and not reoccurring due to our neighbor’s personal mishandling, and we can give said help without neglecting our own household then godly wisdom dictates that we should be willing to give that help without delay.
You and your neighbors should be able to feel they can live in community together without harm being done to each other and without a desire to perpetrate evil upon each other. We should not want to hurt or do harm to anyone, most especially those within our closes associations. That includes taking their lunch or soda from the frig at work, liberating aka stealing office supplies, taking the neighbors newspaper, borrowing from your neighbor with no intent of returning or repaying what you borrowed, etc.
If people have done nothing to us, then we should not seek to be disagreeable with them. We should not seek to argue for argument sake. However, verse thirty clearly reads that we should not seek to strive with another person “without cause” implying that there are times when there is cause to disagree or strive with another person, especially if they are doing us harm or seek to do us harm. We defend ourselves if we are harmed but when we are not harmed we seek to live in peace.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Church Growth, Prophecy, Renewal, Repentance, Revival, Rhema Word
In Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, End Times, Exhortation, God's Voice, Godliness, Learning, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Renewal, Repentance, Revival, Rhema Words, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on May 16, 2018 at 9:15 am
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
What is repentance and how do we as individuals and a Body find our way to its door? The word repentance is found twenty-six times in the King James Bible, twenty-five of which appear in the New Testament and one appearance in the Old Testament.
Geek Language Definition for the word “repentance” as found in 2 Corinthians 7:8-12
3341. metavnoia meátanoáia, met-an´-oy-ah; from 3340; (subj.) compunction (for guilt, incl. reformation); by impl. reversal (of [another’s] decision):— repentance.
3340. metanoevw meátanoáeáoµ, met-an-oá-eh´-o; from 3326 and 3539; to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (mor. feel compunction):— repent.
3539. noievw noáieáoµ, noy-eh´-o; from 3563
noevw noáeáoµ no-eh´-o; to exercise the mind, (observe), i.e. (fig.) to comprehend, heed:— consider, perceive, think, understand.
In the meaning of the word “repentance” as found in the Greek Language, we see the need for a reversal of a previous decision we have made. That reversal of our choices can only come after we have compunction about a choice we have previously made. That second-guessing and reconsideration whether brought about through guilt, fear, shame, regret, or some other less than desirable feeling can be a powerful source for bringing about a needed change. Yet, people flee at the first sign of just such emotions.
Feelings tell us something is wrong in our environment. While we should never be led around by our feelings, we should respect our feelings enough to evaluate their meaning. “Compunction” carries with it a moral sense concerning the feelings one is experiencing. When feelings carry with them a moral overtone, they should be given even more consideration and respect.
We must actually take the time to ponder our potential reversal of a previously committed decision. There is no room for lazy living, in a godly spiritually successful life. We have to use our minds, observe our lives, consider the consequences and effects of our actions, perceive the heart of God on a matter, and thoroughly think it through to understanding. Then we will be in a place where we can apply a true commitment to repentance regarding the matter.
Hebrew Language Definition for the word “repentance” as found in Hosea 13:14
5164. µj’nœ
noÆcham, no’-kham; from 5162; ruefulness, i.e. desistance:— repentance.
Once the matter has been carefully pondered and clearly thought out we must make the leap, we must change our course of action. Repentance cannot just be about the sorrow of sin; it must be about committing to change. Change is the evidence of repentance. God does not bring us to a point of sorrow over sin or poor choices only to leave us making the same choices. He does so that we might find the motivation, grace, and willingness to change.
Encarta ® World English Dictionary Definition and Synonyms for the words “repent” and “repentance”.
re·pent
1. be sorry: to recognize the wrong in something you have done and be sorry about it
2. change ways: to feel regret about a sin or past actions and change your ways or habits
-re·pen·tance, , n
-re·pen·tant, , adj
-re·pent·er, , n
re·pent2
growing on ground: growing or lying along the ground
repentance (n)
regret, sorrow, remorse, penitence, atonement, shame, contrition, penance, contriteness
True repentance should come with a desire to atone or amend for previous actions or behaviors. This is not always possible, nevertheless, whether possible or not the desire should exist. This desire is further evidence of a truly repentant heart. If possible, we should take action to right a wrong or mend a broken relationship, restoring fellowship between Believers whenever possible. This will add to the joy we find in repentance.
Scripture Text – 2 Corinthians 7:8-12 NKJV
“8For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 12Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.”
Our sorrow should lead us somewhere. If it does not lead us to life, it will kill us. That is heart of this book. To bring us, all of us, the Body of Christ to a place of life, a place of repentance, a place of joy.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Humanism, Learning, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on May 9, 2018 at 5:24 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
Wisdom Important to God?
If anyone ever needed to ask themselves if wisdom was important, the answer can be found in these two verses.
When God set about ordaining creation, piecing together the earth and all that was within the earth, establishing it in perfect order, He utilized wisdom in doing so.
When God erected the heavens, He did so by utilizing wisdom.
When God divided the seas or when He pours out His rains upon the earth, He did, and does so, by the use of knowledge grounded in wisdom.
If wisdom was important enough, and is important enough, for The Lord God Almighty to utilize then it is important, vital, for any member of His creation to utilize, that includes you!
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Church Growth, Prophecy, Renewal, Repentance, Revival, Rhema Word
In Apostasy, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christ, Christian Living, Christianity, Encouragement, End Times, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Learning, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Renewal, Repentance, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on May 2, 2018 at 6:12 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
To follow the will of God is to prosper; to rebel against the will of God is to be destroyed. – Mencius
Again, this will be challenging but it is what God wants said, THE CHURCH MUST REPENT, which means individuals must personally repent!
Each day when we arise, we make a choice within our spirits regarding whom we will follow. As the days turn to years the choices are many and the reasons for our choices varies but nevertheless they are our choices. Either we will follow our own will, the Will of God, the will of another person, or we will drift aimlessly through our days with no sense of direction or purpose. Whom we chose to follow, as well as choosing not to follow anyone and just drifting through life, affects and effects both other people affects and effects the Body of Christ as a whole.
Much like ripples on a pond our choices are ripples through life, ripples which begin with our personal choices, then reach out to our spouse and/or family members, from there out to our local congregations, next the Body of Christ, and ultimately to the world as a whole multiplying as they go. One wrong or selfish choice can affect the lives of a dozen people or more. Yet, do we look at each choice that way. Do we consider this truth when we are deciding whom we will follow each morning when we open our eyes to greet the new day? We should, and we can.
Joy has slipped from the lives of individual Christians and from the Church as a whole because for too long we have chosen to do things our way instead of choosing to do things God’s Way. We have awakened morning after morning choosing to do our own will, the will of another, or even the will of Satan himself instead of doing the Will of God. That choice day after day has drained the joy from our lives and that draining of joy has extended much like those ripples on a pond, to the entire Body of Christ to some degree. Where we were once excited about fellowship with Jesus and fellowship with each other now we are lifeless and somewhat empty. That can all change.
We as individuals have an option to repent, repent from self-will and once again make God number one in our lives. Our joy can be restored through our repentance. Once our joy is resorted we can begin to see the ripples on the pond extend to our spouse and family, our local congregation, and then to the overall Body of Christ.
We as a group, the Body of Christ, also need to extend that repentance to our local congregations, in respect to how we have done things, how we have neglected people or even mistreated them at times. Then we will begin to feel the impact of that repentance on the overall Body of Christ. Once that has taken place we will begin to see people once again attracted to the Church and attracted to what God has to offer their lives.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Health, Illness, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Agape Love, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Courage, Decision Making, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fear, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Learning, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on March 18, 2018 at 9:11 am
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Give to God
The word “honour” in the Hebrew language gives the sense of in good times or bad times, during plenty and during lack, when it is a burden or when it is easy we are to honour God with what we have to give, with “thy substance.”
“and with the firstfruits” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
7225. רֵאשִׁית rê˒shı̂yth, ray-sheeth’; from the same as 7218; the first, in place, time, order or rank (spec. a firstfruit):— beginning, chief (-est), first (-fruits, part, time), principal thing.
“of all thine increase” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
8393. תְּבוּאָה tebûw˒âh, teb-oo-aw’; from 935; income, i.e. produce (lit. or fig.):— fruit, gain, increase, revenue.
“with plenty” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
7647. שָׂבָע sâbâ˓, saw-baw’; from 7646; copiousness:— abundance, plenteous (-ness, -ly).
7646. שָׂבַע sâba˓, saw-bah’; or
שָׂבֵעַ sâbêa˓, saw-bay’-ah; a prim. root; to sate, i.e. fill to satisfaction (lit. or fig.): — have enough, fill (full, self, with), be (to the) full (of), have plenty of, be satiate, satisfy (with), suffice, be weary of.
If you are giving to truly honor God you will be fully satisfied with what you have, you will not crave and want things beyond God’s plan for you. If you are giving to get from God, then you hunger and crave for more and more without finding lasting contentment or satisfaction.
Prosperity, copiousness, is not just about money, it is about quality of life and satisfaction of life.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Health, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christ, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Courage, Decision Making, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fear, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Learning, Peace, Renewal, Revival, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on February 2, 2018 at 10:29 am
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Deep Waters of Trust
Books could and have been written on these two verses. There is so much that I could share about what it means to fully trust God and allow Him to direct your life with His Wisdom and grace. However, I will constrain myself a bit. This will be a long section, but manageable.
First, let us spend a few minutes examining what it really means for God to direct our paths in life. Then we will look at how to obtain that direction from God through trust in Him and acknowledgement of Him. My comments will follow the Hebrew definitions.
If we look into the Hebrew language shall direct, trust, and acknowledge are defined as follows:
“shall direct” =
3474. rv’y: yaÆshar, yaw-shar’; a prim. root; to be straight or even; figuratively to be (cause to make) right, pleasant, prosperous: —) bring (look, make, take the) straight (way), be upright (-ly)
God Himself will make the road we travel in life “straight or even” and we can be assured that we are headed in the right direction in life if He is at the helm of guiding our path. We will know that what we are doing is “right” for us and/or God will “cause to make” our situation right for us. By following God’s Will we can expect both “pleasant” and “prosperous” things in life, but not only pleasant and prosperous things. In following God’s Will we will be living in an “upright” manner and “be upright” in God’s eyes. Most importantly we can know that our purpose in life is being fulfilled by following God’s directions for “the straight way” is the only way in which a Holy God would lead a person.
“Trust” =
982. בָּטַח bâṭach, baw-takh’; a prim. root; prop. to hide for refuge [but not so precipitately as 2620]; fig. to trust, be confident or sure:— be bold (confident, secure, sure), put confidence, (make to) hope, (put, make to) trust.
In order to allow ourselves to be directed in the manner that I described above we must have “trust” in God. Trust in God grows as we mature spiritually. Therefore, do not expect ot trust God today the way you will a decade from now. When we trust God, we are willing “to hide for refuge” in Him when things go wrong or when we are mistreated knowing that He will take care of the situation. To trust God means that we are “confident or sure” that He loves us and that He is directing our paths in the way that is best for us regardless of what we might see at the moment in our circumstances. There is a sense of walking with God that exemplifies that we are “bold, confident, sure, and secure” in what we are doing and the choices we are making because in truth God is making the choices for us, we are just following. Walking like this instills a profound sense of “hope” for life that nothing else can give us.
“acknowledge” =
3045. יָדַע yâda˓, yaw-dah’; a prim. root; to know (prop. to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, fig., lit., euphem. and infer. (incl. observation, care, recognition; and caus. instruction, designation, punishment, etc.) [as follow]:— acknowledge, acquaintance (-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, comprehend, consider
In order to walk with God directing our paths this way our trust must be willing to submit aka to “acknowledge” God in everything. People quickly find imbalance and an uneven road before them when they half-heartedly acknowledge God, meaning they acknowledge Him in some areas and follow His directions yet in other areas of their life they do things their way – hence, their life is unbalanced and lacks stability and order. Acknowledgement of God runs deep into every area of our lives and being. We are to “observe” how God works. We are to “care” about what matters to Him, and “recognize” His authority in our lives. We are to submit to His “instructions, designation, punishment” aka authority and correction, where necessary. We are to be “acquainted” with God’s character and ways so that we can recognize when something is not of God but perhaps instead the influence of another or of our own desires. We are to allow God to “advise” us, providing us with the “answer” we need when we have question. We are to allow Him to “appoint” our task and assignments in life, directing all that we are doing. We are to “comprehend and consider” His Will, His desire, and His Purpose for us specifically, as well as for mankind, as we make each choice and decision life.
Acknowledging God in all our ways so He can direct our paths is huge undertaking, but it makes life so restful and fulfilling when we have the wisdom to make this practice a habitual part of our life.
In 2003 God spoke to a congregation, including myself, where I was ministering regarding trust and love. The following is what The Spirit said to the congregation.
“To trust Me is to love Me. No person will trust Me who does not first love Me. Through that love, they come to understand the depth of My trustworthiness. For I am not man – man who is without integrity and honor, I am the Lord your God and I am forever trustworthy. My love for you and your love for Me will seal the leaking areas of insecurity that lead to your lack of trust in Me. Live your life as a life given to Me and My purposes, as well as being walked out in righteous living, and I will take care of you. So, you can put your trust in My faithfulness to you as you live before Me righteously. People suffer at times from lack of righteous living and that causes them harm; then they wonder where I was and why I did not protect them. I cannot protect those who will not listen to Me and follow My counsel. Trust requires, at times, that you do not always get to understand everything; if you did, it would not require trust. To walk with Me in power and mighty requires forsaking some of your human understanding and reasoning, then choosing to trust Me at times when things appear to make no sense. They will all come together in the end and you will see the glory of your Lord. When you are walking with Me in righteousness and trust there is no room in your life for fear. Fear is useless because I will be there to deliver you from the snares; I will be and am your salvation in all things.”
When it comes to trust, you know that you have come to a place of complete trust in an Almighty God when you can pray a prayer like the following from your heart and truly mean it not just say the words.
Heavenly Father,
Take my heart and remake it into what You want it to be. Remove from me each and every desire, idea, motive, plan and longing that is not in line with Your will. I want what You want for me, no matter what that might be. Give me a love for Your desires, ideas, plans and will for me and remove love for anything that does not fit into Your plan. For I know Your plan is far better for my life than anything I could ever understand. Make Your passions for me my passions, make them burn within my heart until that is all I want in life. Make my Spirit agree with your Spirit in all matters. I freely give You my heart now and ask You to begin to purify it and turn it so that I am as excited about Your plan for me as You are. I love You and I trust You with my life, my happiness, my fulfillment and yes, my heart.
I ask it all in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen and Amen!
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Health, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, Exhortation, Godly Counsel, Learning, Mercy, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on January 25, 2018 at 7:00 am
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Mercy and Truth Equal Favor
Once again in this verse as in other verses from the Book of Proverbs, we see the characteristics that govern a person who finds favor in the sight of God and mankind. In these two verses they are the characteristics of mercy and truth.
What is mercy? What is truth, as reflected in this verse? How do we bind them to ourselves? What does it mean to write them on the tablets of our hearts? What exactly is this “good understanding” we will find with God and mankind? All these are questions we will explore.
Most people understand what it is to have favor with people. To our society it generally means to be accepted, liked, to have one’s ideas embraced, etc. However, the type of favor God is talking about here goes just a bit deeper.
*“favour” in the Hebrew language means the following:
2580. חֵן chên, khane; from 2603; graciousness, i.e. subj. (kindness, favor) or obj. (beauty):— favour, grace (-ious), pleasant, precious, [well-] favoured.
2603. חָנַן chânan, khaw-nan’; a prim. root [comp. 2583]; prop. to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow
*Many words may appear to be misspelled in the King James Version of the Bible, much of the grammar may appear to be incorrect, but these are not misspellings based upon the British language where it was written, neither are the grammatical differences mistakes in the British language.
When we find favor with God and man, favor based upon God’s Principles we are treated graciously by those whom we know, whom we do not know, those we would be considered inferior to, along with those who might view themselves as inferior to us. People treat us with kindness beyond what we deserve, as does God. God opens doors for us beyond what we could imagine. God bestows good things on us beyond what we can conceive. People desire to give to us and do for us. With all of that, the most beautiful picture of what it means to have favor we can derive from the Hebrew definition of the word “favour” – that God, Our Creator, the Almighty, will “bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior” to us in order to show us His love and His blessing because we are showing mercy and walking in truth.
When it comes to having “good understanding” with God and mankind, we see another aspect of favor. According to the Hebrew language (definition to follow) that “understanding” will take on the shape of us coming across with an intelligence beyond our human ability, we will find success in our godly pursuits, because we will be believed to hold discretion, knowledge, prudence, wisdom, etc. in our dealings and policies beyond what seems typical among people in the society in which we live.
“understanding” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
7922. שֶׂכֶל sekel, seh’-kel; or
שֵׂכֶל sêkel, say’-kel; from 7919; intelligence; by impl. success: — discretion, knowledge, policy, prudence, sense, understanding, wisdom, wise.
We must not forget however that to find such favor and good understanding requires that we walk in mercy and truth. In order to walk in mercy and truth we must first understand what both are. Next, we must have a willingness and fervent desire to walk in mercy and truth, for this is what it means to write them on the tablets of our hearts. Finally, we must make a determined choice, followed by a daily effort, to live our daily life showing mercy at all times and living a life characterized by telling the truth, representing the Truth as found in God’s Word, and being truthful in our dealings, which is to have integrity, for when we have done these things we have met the requirement to bind them to ourselves?
As we reflect on what it means to walk in mercy we find the need for kindness to be shown to people, for us to be known by our good deeds toward people. We can determine this Truth from the Hebrew definition of “let not mercy” in verse three.
“let not mercy” in the Hebrew language is defined as:
2617. חֶסֶד cheçed, kheh’-sed; from 2616; kindness; by impl. (toward God) piety; rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subj.) beauty:— favour, good deed (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing.
Beyond that we also find from the definition that to walk in mercy also means that we are committed to piety toward God to such a degree that God rarely has to correct (reproof) us. It means that we are dedicated to Truth as found in God’s Word and we reproach (criticize, rebuke, censure) anything wicked or evil. In order to do that we must have and walk in truth, hence why truth and mercy must go together.
Walking in Truth means that we know what we believe, that what we believe lines up with God’s Principles as found in God’s Word, and that we are doing our best to live out those Principles.
“and truth” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
571. אֶמֶת ˒emeth, eh’-meth; contr. from 539; stability; fig. certainty, truth, trustworthiness:— assured (-ly), establishment, faithful, right, sure, true (-ly, -th), verity.
When we are bound to Truth there is a stability about us, a certainty in our belief system, we are assured in who we are and what we believe. Our ideas and answers to things fall on the side of right most of the time. Verity (sincerity and principles) guide our life.
People know they can trust us when we are dedicated to truth. People know we will be where we say we will be, when we say we will be there, they know we will do what we say we will do. We are faithful and trustworthy.
May we all be established by the Lord Jesus in Truth and Mercy, finding His favor with both Him and our fellowman.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
God's Truth in Love 