by David Brenneman
While many in the faith cling to verses 5 and 6, read the rest of Proverbs 3. To help defeat self deception and self importance, Jesus provides examples.
"My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His reproof, For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; For the Lord will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you. Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; But He is intimate with the upright. The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor."
Our world is cursed. From the days of Adam and Eve's so it has been. At every single turn in human history Satan has been at odds with the plans of God for mankind. He has wanted all the glory due only to God. He's wanted the very throne of God.
To achieve his aims he's been master deceiver. Jesus says that he is a liar and the father of lies.
Regardless of your point of view Satan and his minions spend all your waking moments adjusting their strategies towards the ends of thwarting the will of God for every single Believer in Christ Jesus.
"Know your enemy" has been a phrase used for a very very long time. Satan cannot possess the bodies of Believers. Satan cannot read the minds of Believers. Satan cannot remove the seal of God from a Believer. Satan CAN influence your choices and decisions by going to Jesus for permission. Read the opening chapters of the book of Job. Read the underlying truths in the Gospels...the Disciples were protected by the Father while training was happening.
Praying for God's will for you will include dangers toils and snares.
It's good for you, regardless of your feelings on it because it grows you in Christ. Physical training, truthfully, honestly, stinks. But the rewards thereof are unmistakable.
Nobody goes from the recliner to the finish line of a 5k just by getting a mind to do it. It takes an equipped body to do it. One that's been prepared for what is to come.
We read of what the Bible says of Spiritual Warfare. Get used to that idea because it's 100% real. It's not stuff from 2,000 years ago. It's not made up stories. It's not make-believe. I have experienced some seriously heavy Spiritual Warfare in my life. Have met demons who were in places you wouldn't expect. They are as real today as at the dawn of creation when they fell along with Satan.
Satan's plans include you choosing to go it alone by setting traps.
Traps that look simple enough that you get it in your head that you don't need God's help.
My Dear Reader, Satan's minions study you. Read that again. They study your life, your every desire, to see how it could be twisted towards derailing your life in Christ.
Self-deception is a larger cancer in the world than cancer itself is.
We don't even have the capacity that people 2,000 years ago did to recognize demons and demonic behavior! We don't recognize the traps that are set to get us to introduce "harmless" gods in our lives...and that is exactly what they are...gods. We take what is holy and cast the passion, honor, joy, and glory belonging only to Jesus upon Earthly things and people.
We do this and don't even realize we did. We wear symbols of our idolatry. We have a greater depth of knowledge of our gods than we do the Living Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's one HUGE clue.
Our paths are made crooked, quite often, by our own choices...then we get to a point where we have to cry out for God's help. The chains we are bound up in are of our own designs, by way of our own desires.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
Clean House.
It's demo day for your heart.
Scripture says to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus.
Destroyed speculations. Read it.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we." 2 Corinthians 10:3-7.
Pray for yourself that your eyes would be opened. That the scales of deceptive practices would fall off so that you may see, know, experience, the love of God in Christ Jesus that is to be yours through obedience and the love of God for you.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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