Proverbs 2:22--study among sisters in Christ

9/15/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2


Proverbs 2:22
But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.


This commentary tends to be a little harsh/black & white sometimes. I agree that you can't be to harsh when discussing/teaching the truths of the bible. But sometimes I think this commentaries view could be seen as promising to much. "If you just do A then B will happen and C will not." And then they tend to give examples of people or situations that they believe fit into these guidelines. I think we have to be careful when we are judging others because we tend to base it on their outward appearance. I think overall this chapter reinforces chapter 1 by reiterating the need to seek the knowledge God has promised you, apply it to your life daily, and you will be rewarded.

Lord my God, help me keep my focus on Your perfection and NOT on the imperfections of others. Who am I to judge? As my sisters and I close out this 2nd chapter in Proverbs, please convict all of us to continue to seek You and Your perfect wisdom & perfect knowledge and perfect love. Amen

Proverbs 2;21--study among sisters in Christ

9/13/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:21
For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

A happy life with good days is obtained by obeying the Lord, especially by ruling your speech and treating others kindly (Ps 34:12-16; I Pet 3:10-12). Righteousness brings blessings (Is 3:10)! But the greatest reward is future - dwelling forever in the land of heaven (Heb 11:8-16)!

"...and treating others kindly." The King's royal golden rule. "If you can do this, you are doing well." Little snipet from our current lesson in James. Sounds simple enough. (My dad says that's the one (the commandment) he tries to live by. I am quite sure the people he lives with and interacts with on the roadways would feel better about their dealings with him if they new this was his "motto"!) It sounds SO simple that we/me just ignore it. In fact, we are so prejudice to our own ideas about, well, everything, that not only are we not treating others kindly, but we are going out of our way to make sure they know they don't belong. Some how we have forgotten that we don't sit on That Throne, only He does. The Golden Rule, The Royal Rule, The Kings Rule. Thank God for grace and mercy! I dwell here, but I will not remain here.

Lord, help me to seek You out through others that I would normally be inclined to avoid or inclined to judge. Break my heart into pieces that only You can restore so that I have a heart only for You. I want to know You. I want to love You. I want to understand You and what Your will is for me. Guide me, mold me, love me, shape me, break me,, and lift me up! "....especially by ruing your speech..." PLEASE help me in this area above all others right now. Please continue to bless my sisters w/Your love and grace & mercy. Amen

Proverbs 2:20--study among sisters in Christ

9/11/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2


Proverbs 2:20
That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

This chapter has two purposes - to teach you how to get wisdom and understanding (2:1-9) and the great reward of getting them (2:10-22). When a man obtains wisdom, knowledge, discretion, and understanding (2:10-11), he will be saved from dangerous men and women, who walk in the ways and paths of wickedness (2:12-19). It is from this evil lifestyle of worldly men and women that Solomon sought to save his son. Wisdom is the key opening the door to the way of good men and the path of righteous men. It is offered freely in the Scriptures, and especially this book of Proverbs. If it enters your heart and is pleasant to your soul, you will be able to see and follow the lives of the great men and women before us, the Lord Jesus Christ being the greatest example of all.



If I could only say that I strive daily to be like Christ! If I could only begin to see His awesomeness and holiness and glory for what it is. If I could only be as tormented as Sister Theresa and Paul and Martin Luther. Three people who felt that the closer they got to understanding and knowing and loving Him, the further away they got from deserving what He had to offer. If only.....

Lord, please help me to "if only." If only I could learn about You more. If only I could understand You more. If only I could respect Your authority over my life more. If only I could love You so much that it overflowed from me and washed over my husband. Please help me to "if only." Please meet the needs of my sisters another day, Lord. Amen

Proverbs 2:19--study among sisters in Christ

9/9/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:19
None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.one that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

God chose David in Jesus Christ by sovereign election before the world began (Eph 1:3-12). Jesus died for each of David's sins, including his adultery and murder (Is 53:4-12; II Cor 5:21; I Pet 2:24; Rev 1:5). David took enormous confidence in this great salvation by God's free grace in Jesus Christ (II Sam 23:1-5; Ps 32:1-2). Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect, including David? It is God that justifieth (Rom 8:33)!

But God's practical mercy for adultery requires full confession and repentance, which David gave freely and fully (II Sam 12:13; Ps 51:1-19). God is faithful to forgive confessed sins, and Elihu described confession well, "He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light" (Job 33:27-28).

Boy, that first paragraph, above, really screams reformation! Not to hard to tell where they are coming from.

Now, again with the whorish woman. I have to believe there is something else I need to be 'seeing" here. Altho I don't believe I literally fit the description, or ever have, I feel like I am missing something. I suppose if I pray about it might be revealed to me....maybe in the form of a dream! :)

Dear Lord, please speak to my heart about the importance of these past few verses that I have been studying. Please impress upon my heart Your knowledge and my ability to understand. Please continue to work in the lives of my sisters. Amen

Proverbs 2:17--study among sisters in Christ

9/7/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:17
Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
The fascinating addiction to sexual sin will pull you down. The blessed God, Whom you rejected for a devilish woman, will only help after repentance, which will be hard to find.

I definitely agree w/the seriousness of these last few verses, and with the straight-forwardness of the commentaries. However, I don't agree w/the last statement above, "...God...will only help after repentance, which will be hard to find." God will only help after repentance, but He is not hard to find. He is everywhere: the bible, the hearts & lives of believers, the beauty of nature, the air we breathe, and many other places to numerous to name. You might not recognize your own lack of sincerity when repenting, but if you are desperate for forgiveness, and call out His name, He will be there. Thank God, You are here, and there, and everywhere!

Dear heavenly Father, I have some repenting to do. Forgive my sinful ways and change my heart. Change my heart, O Lord. Change my life, as only You can. Please work in miraculous ways in my sisters lives. In Your Son's precious and Holy name, Amen

Proverbs 2:17-study among sisters in Christ

9/5/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:17
Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

Again, as in my last post regarding this subject, I would have to say I am pretty confident this is not an area I have trouble with, or that my husband needs to worry about. That said, I do have a couple of funny stories that might make me rethink how "virtuous" I think I really am.

Story #1
I live 1 minute from where I spent most of my school days. My high school boyfriend, Troy, lives on the street I grew up on, maybe 2 minutes away. We probably shop at the same grocery stores and eat at the same places. That is what I dread! I haven't seen him since 2001....maybe. A couple of weeks ago I went to the store at dark, as gross as one could be. And I prayed I wouldn't run into anyone I knew. Well, I am 99% sure that as I was pulling into the parking lot that I took his parking place. Yes, my ex's. Of course I didn't say anything or make a scene. I might have if I was 50 pounds lighter or he looked fat and bald...but since that wasn't the case, I stayed quiet. I went in, did my brief shopping, left the store, and drove by his house a couple of times to see if it was his car that I had seen at the store. Border-line stalker, right? I just HAD to know if that was him. I did not get a confirmation, the car I was trying to see was parked in the alley and their were 2 people unloading what looked like groceries. Hmmmmm By the way, Matt knows all of this.

Story #2
I don't have very many dreams that I know of or remember. However, the other night I had what seemed like a LONG dream about being at work (a chef in a kitchen somewhere). My ex-fiance, Charles, was working there also, and wanted to get back together with me. Through most of the dream's events, I just kept thinking, who do I want to be with more, Charles or Troy? At what seemed to be the end of the dream I finally had a revelation....Heeelllooooo, I'm married!

There was no choosing between those 2 because I already have the one who was chosen for me. A man that I rarely think of or regard as a gift. And yet, that is what he is. He goes to work every day to provide for his family, works physically very hard (he thinks he broke his big toe today), and supports my staying at home with our kids. He is a believer, lover, and follower of God.

Dear heavenly Father, please help me to remember the gift you gave me in Matt nearly 10 years ago. Soften my heart towards him. Help me be his help-mate and not his nagging deterrent. Help me to only have & remember dreams about him and no other man. Help me to not be curious about any other man's situation regardless of how silly I think it is. Help me to only care what I look like for my husbands eyes. Please continue to guide my sisters through this study with me. Amen

Proverbs 2:16--study among sisters in Christ

9/3/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:16
To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

The daughters of God must learn to modestly cover their beauty, limit their eye contact, and limit friendly speech with other men. If you do not, you are kindling a fire that will destroy your own soul and home and those of others as well. Dear reader, may God give you grace and strength to be faithful to Him and your spouse this day; for remember that Jesus Christ used the example of a strange woman with harlot daughters as the picture of the apostate Roman church, who left Him for pagan ritualism.

Altho I don't believe I am like the woman described in this verse (and subsequent verses), it still gives me pause to examine my life and my actions. I do not believe my husband has anything to worry about as far as me being the temptress. I just pray that there aren't any other women out there ready to take my husband on as a challenge. I probably couldn't compete in most aspects of a "challenge." And yet the very thing that should be my best virtue, my faith in God that translates into a relationship that glorifies God, isn't. Hmmm, sounds like a good time to pray.....

Dear heavenly Father, not only do I not deserve a faithful, loving, husband (due to my own short-comings and the simple fact that I only DESERVE hell,) I do not deserve You. Because of Your faithfulness, grace, and mercy, I ask that You help me be his only challenge, and worth the challenge. Soften and open my heart, tie my tongue and close my lips, and open my ears and my arms. Please strengthen the marriage relationships in my sisters lives as well. Amen

Proverbs 2:15--study among sisters in Christ

9/1/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:15
Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

Reader, are you as different from the world as you should be? There should not even be a resemblance! How do we do this? By wisdom, knowledge, discretion, and understanding (2:10-11)! Where do we find such precious things? In the Word of God, of course! We esteem God's precepts right on all subjects, and we hate every false way (Ps 119:128). There is no shortcut; and there is no cheating. The only wisdom on earth is in the Bible (Is 8:20)!

The only wisdom on earth is in the Bible! All those wasted years in public school, being made to read lots of books on many subjects to make me wiser! And I only needed 1 book! :) All joking aside, my first statement makes me elated and burdened with sadness. Elated because I know all the Truth I will ever need to know and live by is in 1 Book. And burdened with sadness because I know all the Truth I will ever need to know and live by is in 1 Book. THE Book. His book. His Truth. His Words. Just 1 Book! And yet sometimes I can hardly make time to get through reading 1 chapter and studying 1 verse every other day. Who am I kidding? What am I waiting for? Brokenness? Tragedy? A special engraved invitation? Who am I to presume another day?

Dear Lord God Almighty, who am I? A scared, fearful, sad excuse of a servant? I do not want to be a disappointment. I want to serve, and yet am fearful of what I am saying. Help me not to be fearful of what I can do to glorify You. Help my sisters to look to You for all things. Amen

Proverbs 2:14--study among sisters in Christ

8/31/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:14
Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

Our generation flatters wicked men. Sin is no longer a horrible thing with consequences. It is good material for comedies and jokes. But only fools mock at sin (10:23; 14:9). They love sin! And they love watching others sin, even heinously! Think Hollywood!

We sort of just touched on this idea in Sunday school, that the word "sin" has lost its punch. We have used it and abused it and ignored it for so long, that we no longer fear the consequences. Oh what a wicked way we walk! We had a homework question that had us look up several passages in the bible and write down the words used to describe sin. Then we were to use those words in place of the word sin in a sentence regarding how we pray for forgiveness. For me, it revealed the extent unto which I sin and the how much I need grace and mercy. I am embarrassed that my head knows to choose God but the black desires of my heart all to often make the final decisions. I do not rejoice to do evil, it makes me sick and sad. I do not rejoice in the sin of others, it makes my heart break. And yet, every day I choose to not only act unlovingly towards my husband, but to make sure he acts the same way to me. That doesn't sound like someone who doesn't rejoice in evil or doesn't delight in the evil-doings of others. Hmmmmmm Time to pray?

Dear heavenly Father, please give me a hearts desire for You. So that You can be glorifid in all that I do. So that I can have the biblical relationship with my husband that You desire. I ask You to not only strengthen my marriage, but increase the love in the marriages of my sisters in Christ. Amen

Proverbs 2:13, study among sisters in Christ

8/29/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:13
Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;


Backsliders are a grave danger! Carnal Christians are a threat to your soul! Evil men do not stay in the way of righteousness, even when taught well. They soon compromise what they were taught in order to pursue sin (2:12-15). The purpose of wisdom, knowledge, discretion, and understanding is to save you from such wicked compromisers (2:10-17).

I can see how "backsliders" could be more of a danger to "soft" christians than your average every day unbeliever. As a christian, "soft" or well-versed, an unbeliever is usually easy to spot and easy to avoid or engage in religious conversations. However, a "backslider" may only be easy to spot because you know them personally and they aren't usually receptive to any religious anythings! Sadly, my husband is experiencing this first hand with his brother, who he credits for helping to plant the seeds of knowledge and truth in his life. Since those seeds were planted and took root in my husbands life, his brother (who used to teach Sunday school in a baptist church), has gone through adultery, divorce, leaving the church, partying, marriage to an unbeliever, more adultery, and facing another divorce. We tried to have a very candid conversation with him before his first divorce, and it fell on deaf ears. Matt takes every opportunity to talk with him about his "backsliding," but those are few and far between. We don't pray for him enough!

Altho this passage brought the above incident to mind immediately, it isn't the only thing that came to mind. I also thought about people like me who are professing believer's, go to church regularly, who are involved in church, who are very hungry to hear the word of God preached every Sunday (by a fantastic pastor and man of God), who know their transgressions like the back of their hand, and who still choose sin over God regularly. AND THEN there are the same types of professing believer's who fit all of the same above mentioned descriptions, but DON"T know their transgressions quite so intimately. Whether its because they aren't being convicted by them or because they have excuses for them, either way, its still sin. So, my point is this...we are all going to be judged for the sin in our lives. The bible makes it clear that there are those that will be judged more harshly: "backsliders" and shepherds who lead their flocks astray, to name a couple. How harshly am I going to be judged for knowing the truth and rejecting it daily? I don't know, and I can't even begin to imagine. But I know this, I will face Him, I will fall on my face in front of Him, and I will be with Him forever. Whatever I have to face will be worth the gift He has promised me. So, knowing that, I need to pray every day for the strength to choose Him first in my life, and only in my life. For there is no room for any other choice, and He won't share the spotlight. Thank God!!!

Dear heavenly Father, please help me to allow Your rule over my life. Please do the same for my sisters. Amen.

Proverbs 2:12--study among sisters in Christ

8/27/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:12
To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

Wisdom, knowledge, discretion, and understanding provide the precious ability to identify evil men and avoid them. Knowing the way of truth clearly and the danger of friendship with fools, a wise man is saved from their destructive lifestyle and efforts at seduction. These evil men often expose themselves by a froward, or perverse, mouth.

I am torn on how to respond to this. I want to say that I do pray, and will continue to pray, for the wisdom and knowledge that will bring me understanding and discretion so as to avoid evil men. However, I feel like a hypocrite because I often feel like the evil man others should be avoiding. Tonight at church I joked with a couple about not looking so lovey-dovey in front of those of us who don't get along so well. Altho it was a joke, it certainly wasn't very uplifting or edifying or appropriate. So, to the couple I made the joke to, to a friend of mine who heard it, and to my husband...I am sorry and I will try to work on my attitude.

Dear Lord, deliver me! Deliver me from sin, deliver me from myself, deliver me from the evil ways of men, deliver me into Your grace-filled hands...as only You can. Humble me, break me, use me. Help me to help others. I do not want to sound like a hypocrite, or live like one. Please give me the desire and the ability to change my sinful ways. Please give my sisters in Christ the time they need to spend with You. Amen

Proverbs 2:11--study among sisters in Christ

8/25/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:11
Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Discretion and understanding will preserve and keep your soul and life. They are aspects of godly wisdom that will protect you from foolish errors, wicked persons, and sin. They will keep you out of all sorts of trouble, spiritual and physical. Life without them is hard and difficult (13:15; 22:5). You need to be in a church where the Word of God is taught faithfully and frequently, and you need to apply yourself in personal reading, meditation, prayer, and study. Then you must apply your learning to the life situations that God will bring your way (Heb 5:12-14).


This is going to sound silly, and it might not be as big of a surprise to some as it seems to be to me (it isn't really a surprise to me, just very interesting and comforting), but....as I continue to study the bible, listen to sermons at church, and study in Sunday school, it all ties together very nicely. There seems to be "connective' themes. I am currently studying in Proverbs with 2 of my sisters in Christ. It has been mostly about wisdom and knowledge and asking God for it and the consequences of not asking for it. In church the past few weeks we have been studying in James. Quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. All things you must have control over in order to ask for and receive knowledge and wisdom from God. Then there's the book we are studying in Sunday school, R.C. Sproul's The Holiness of God.We have discussed God's divine justice and mercy, both of which we get, or want, and are a result of how much wisdom and knowledge we have.

So, its either a divine Being that made it so, OR, that same divine Being is trying to tell me something without putting a baseball bat to my head. My guess is it's a little of both. :)

Dear heavenly Father, please open my eyes and mind and heart and ears to Your Word, Your Truth, and Your Wisdom. Help me apply Your truths to my life. Help me be discreet, which is NOT one of my strong suits. I want to know You and love You and understand You and glorify You more every day. But I know, more than anyone, that I need Your strength to get through each day to be in reverence of You. Please help me. Please continue to help my family through our immediate needs and uncertainties. Please be with my sisters in Christ as they look to You to be the center of their lives and homes. Amen

Proverbs 2:10--study among sisters in Christ

8/23/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Proverbs 2:10
When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

Do you desire success and safety in life? Here are the conditions for them! If you choose to love the wisdom of God, and if you choose to appreciate knowledge as a precious gift, then certain and substantial blessings will surely follow. But if you are not willing to meet these conditions, your life will be a dysfunctional and painful experience.

My husband and I were just talking about this sort of thing tonight. Why our life is so different from our siblings. Neither one of us is worldly book-knowledge smart, especially compared to one or more of our siblings. He and I have made many of the same mistakes our siblings have made, some not as bad, some worse. However, we have wisdom from God, which makes all the difference in this world and the next.

Dear heavenly Father, please give Matt and I hearts for You. Please give us the desire to hear and receive Your divine wisdom. help us to get to know You better, love You more, grow to love each other as we should, and raise our boys to fear and revere You. Please give my sisters in Christ the time necessary to study Your word and continue to keep each other accountable. Amen

Proverbs 2:9--study among sisters in Christ

8/21/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2


Consider a very small sample of the righteousness, judgment, and equity of the Bible. It protects mother and baby birds (Deut 22:6-7), teaches that all races have the same blood (Acts 17:26), provides for working oxen (Deut 25:4), puts the burden of marriage and family on the father (Eph 5:25-29; 6:4), provides for the poor (Lev 19:9-10), teaches that mercy is more important than sacrifice (Matt 12:7), allows one church member to bring any matter to the church (Matt 18:15-17), financially rewards virginity (Ex 22:17), requires churches to take care of widows (I Tim 5:3-16), and teaches that the true love of God can only be shown by loving others (I John 5:1-2). No other book compares!

Compare a small sample of the righteousness, judgment, and equity of the world. It kills over ten million unborn children annually by the most violent means imaginable and yet demands funds to protect animals and birds on seven continents! It prohibits corporal punishment of children but incarcerates the resulting criminals like animals in cages for years! It subsidizes debt and slothfulness and penalizes credit and diligence by income tax laws. It "protects and honors" women by advertising lascivious fashions, promoting casual sex, protecting pornography and prostitution, and allowing divorce for any cause.

But these three things are not all that is offered to the man seeking wisdom! The proverb also offers, "Every good path"! What is every good path? It is every other virtue and grace not in the list of three! Glory! Reader, is there a better sentence in any language? If every good path is offered, then the means for your perfection is being offered!

Righteousness, judgement, equity, and every good path. Is there anything left to be said? Why can the bible scream promises from every page, and yet we are conveniently deaf? In Proverbs 1 I was pretty sure I had a hearing problem, now I am certain that I do.

Dear heavenly Father, please heal my deaf ears. Please direct my eyes unto a path of righteousness. Please forgive me for choosing sin over You again and again. Please bless me with another day to do Your will. Please continue to give my sisters in Christ the time they need to spend with You each and every day. Amen

Proverbs 2:8-study among sisters in Christ

8/19/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Not only is the true and living God the source of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding (2:6), He is the Benefactor and Defender of those who seek Him and His wisdom (2:7-8). And it is this glorious combination of blessings and rewards that completely supplies the righteous with all they need and desire (2:9). He will keep them and preserve them (2:8).

First thing I should say is, i need to go back to doing this every night. When I was doing it every night, my husband didn't see any change in me, but since I have gone to every other night, he says I am worse. Hmmmmm

I want to be protected by God. Who wouldn't? What do I need to do to insure that I am being protected by the ultimate Shield? Seek after His wisdom daily. Reject the wisdom of the world daily. Prostrate myself before Him in humble adoration. Pray endlessly and meaningfully.

Dear Lord, I want to be protected by You for eternity. Please help me to be humble and submissive and quiet this week. Please protect my sisters in Christ as they seek Your wisdom. Amen

Proverbs 2:7--study among sisters in Christ

8/17/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

The great God has blessings for your obedience - wisdom and protection. He provides true and valid wisdom in abundance for righteous men. God has all the wisdom in the universe, but He has made much available for good men. And He will also be a buckler to them as well, which shows strong protection by using the metaphor of a battle shield.

I have to admit that I am curious about just how much wisdom does he have 'allotted" for me? And I really REALLY wish I could remember regularly that He is the best protector I have. I feel like I worry to much about the safety of my home, my belongings, me, my husband, my immediate family, and mostly my children. Is the alarm on? Are the doors locked (house and vehicle)? Are the windows closed (house and vehicle)? Would the kids be safe in their room at night w/o alarms on the windows? I could go on forever! Truly! And then, I usually remember to take a breath and say a prayer, and ask Him to do it all since I can't.

Now, having said all that, there is an entirely other side to my issues with safety which sound more like deadly & unlawful. Talking on the phone while driving (hello, there are babies in the car!). Taking the baby out of the car seat, while someone else is driving, to pacify. Reaching for toys and sippy cups and snacks for the kids while driving. Today, Justin was having a melt down on the way back from the zoo so I took both hands off the wheel, and my seat belt, to get a football he had been playing with that was WAY out of my reach! Are you kidding?! I have often thought, and said allowed to some, that there is no excuse for the things I have done, especially if it ever involved hurting or killing one or more of my kids, or anyone else's. I can only pray, and I do often, that those fearful thoughts will not become a reality as a way to teach me a lesson. Does anyone else see psychotic here? "Lord, please don't let anyone one get hurt while I knowingly and willingly choose to ignore all laws of safety and man." Really? Duh!!! Is anyone else ready to slap me yet?

Lord, Lord, Lord I BEG YOU to give me wisdom where my thinking starts, processes, and follows through. I feel like there is a disconnect (my black heart maybe?) and I would really appreciate a reconnect. Please help me make these changes before I have to live with anymore bad choices. Please help my sisters in Christ to make better choices than I, Godly choices! Amen

Proverbs 2:6-study among sisters in Christ

8/15/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Reader, where have you been looking for wisdom? What have you been trusting for knowledge and understanding? Solomon would say, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (3:5-6). Confidence in your own opinions and thinking is folly.

I do not look often enough in the right place for wisdom. (The right place would be the bible, of course!) I look to other people, I look to the t.v., I look to the newspaper (not very often, but still to often), and I look to myself. I either have the right answer or I am confident in my wrong answer. And, yes, I do have to have to have an answer. Don't you? If I don't have one, then someone might think I am not informed, or smart, or wise. Being born into a family of VERY smart people means I have to do anything I can to hold my own. If I can't do it on the IQ scale, I will do it on the accomplishment scale. I'll go to college and get a degree, or 2. I will achieve nearly the highest level possible in my trade. I will be prettier and thinner (don't anyone show me a mirror yet, let me finish!). I will have more money and more things. I will have a lot of problems! Without looking to God and wanting Him to be at the center of my life, I might as well have had the high IQ that I always wanted, because it would have gotten me just as far in my walk with Christ, NO WHERE! It is very difficult for me to put myself on the same "smart" level with people w/o a high IQ, but, I only need to remember 1 thing, I know where my life is going to end...in heaven. I am sure there a people I know who have a higher IQ than I do who can't say the same thing.

Dear Lord, please help me desire and ask for the wisdom You have promised. Help me to have an open mind and an open heart and open ears. Again this week I ask that You help me have a mouse-sized mouth. Please continue to help my sisters in Christ w/the needs and desires of their hearts. Amen

Proverbs 2:5--study among sisters in Christ

8/13/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Too proud to listen? Too lazy to review? To stubborn to submit? Too carnal to desire it fervently? Too busy to pray? Too distracted with pleasure to seek it? Then die foolish! Wisdom will not be mocked; your calamities are coming; and there will be no mercy from heaven (1:20-31). He will even remove what you think you have (Luke 8:18).

Yes. Yes. Very yes. Yes. I didn't think so, but I must be since I don't do it often enough or thorough enough. Yes. Oh boy! It makes me sick to my stomach and very very sad, and apparently not scared enough, to even begin to think about what He might take from me that I think I have. If I answered the way I did to all of those questions and I have the aforementioned fears, then WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS WRONG WITH ME? Literally! Why does the writing on the wall seem so plain and obvious and clear cut and understandable, AND YET I/we continue down the same destructive sinful paths? Damn that itsy bitsy black thing in our chests called a heart that is engulfed in sin.

With all of that said, I want to tell you that I have agreed to be a prayer partner for Answers in Genesis for 1 year. I have agreed to pray at least once a week for them and fast 1x per month. I hesitated before signing up, to afraid I couldn't keep the commitment. And that's exactly why I did sign up, so that hopefully I will approach it as a duty, a good duty, a righteous duty, a sinless duty. I was afraid to take on the Proverbs study with my sisters in Christ over a month ago because I was afraid I would fail at keeping my word. I was afraid I would let them down. However, I have discovered that is no longer the driving force behind why I do it. i do it because I enjoy it! Almost every night (when we were doing a verse per night--and now every other night) I can't wait to re-read the chapter and study the next verse. I hope I am being of some help to my sisters, but more importantly I am helping myself. (Somebody PLEASE tell my husband! I know I know, if I or someone else has to tell him, I still have a long way to go!)

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the time I get to spend with you every day. Please help me realize I have more time to give to You. Not only are You worth every second, You have demanded more of me. Help me glorify You in all that I do. Please continue to comfort my sisters in Christ. Love them, heal their bodies as only You can, wrap Your heavenly arms around them, and continue to bless them. Amen

Proverbs 2:4--study among sisters in Christ

8/11/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

Dear friend, do you read the Word of God? Do you read it with passion and effort? Do you study it? Do you crave to hear it taught? Do you meditate upon it day and night? Do you speak of it others? Do you give up pleasure for it? Do you buy tools to help?

I certainly do not do any of these as much as I should. But the one that grabbed me the most was 'Do you give up pleasure for it?' Not only do I not do that often enough, if at all, but I should consider It the pleasure. And I certainly fall short there. I wish I could say that I sought after Him they way I would for any other worldly treasure. Sometimes I embarrass myself as I type out my confessions.

Dear good and glorious Father in heaven, thank You for being faithful when I am not, for being diligent when I am not, for being loving when I am not, and for having abounding grace when I do not. Please correct me, reprove me, and reposition me on the road to You. Please continue to comfort and love and protect my sisters in Christ. Amen

Proverbs 2:3--study among sisters in Christ

8/9/08
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/proverbs.php?chapter=2

When did you last pray for wisdom, dear reader? When did you last pray passionately for it? Study may make a scholar, but only prayer will make a saint. Much reading may increase your learning, but only the revelation of the Spirit can give you wisdom. If you crave wisdom, crave it from your knees; and from your knees beg the God of Solomon.

I would love to revere and love and worship and fear God SO much that the only way I could, and would want to, spend prayer and worship time with Him was on my knees with my head bowed.

Dear God in heaven, bring me to my knees. Bring me to my knees in humbleness, in repentance, and in awe-ness of You. Break me, heal me, deliver me. Mold me and make me into a vessel worthy of saving. Amen