Patience and Words

 Scripture:

“Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a soft tongue can break a bone.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭25‬:‭15‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

The author here speaks of patience and a soft tongue as powerful weapons in our hands. Sometimes, we fight hard for things that are not necessary and we simply need to patiently wait. A soft word at the right time or and in the right way, can break bones.

Application:

I like things to happen quickly. Patience wins the day, so I need to learn patience better. Patience also deals with trust, when our trust level increases, our patience level increase because we trust that whatever we are waiting for is going to happen. I also want my tongue to speak right words, at the right time, and with the right heart.

Prayer:

Father, You are awesome and I ask You to help me to wait patiently on You. Help me to speak the right words. Let my life be used for Your glory. Teach me Your ways and reveal to me the path You want me to walk. I need You Lord. 

Yours Forever,

Jeff

God Rewards Humility

 Scripture:

“The reward for humility and fearing the LORD is riches and honor and life.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭4‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This Proverb is short and sweet, yet powerful. It says that God honors humility and fearing God with riches, honor, and life. Our job is to walk in humility and fear God. He will then bring His blessing into our lives. 

Application:

As believers, we don’t pursue riches, fame, honor, prestige, etc. We pursue God and fear Him. When He sees our humility and our fear of Him, He rewards us with those things. Our pursuit is God, His rewards are awesome. Jesus said to seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and all these other things would be added to us.  We are to pursue the blesser and not the blessing.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are my everything and I appreciate You. Help me to walk in humility and to honor You with my life. Teach me the fear of the Lord. Show me the paths of righteousness and help me to walk in them. Let my pursuit be of You and not money, riches, or fame. You are my reward. You are the one I pursue.

Yours,

Jeff

My Plans or God’s Plans?

 Scripture:

“There are many plans in a person’s mind, but it is the counsel of the LORD which will stand.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭21‬ ‭NET‬

Observation:

This Proverb is simple, but something powerful to consider. It basically says that we can make all the plans and ideas we want, but it is what the Lord wants that is going to happen. In other words, we should spend our time seeking the Lord for His plans rather than spending all our time developing our plans. His plans always work, ours don’t.

Application:

Planning is good and important in life, but before we plan, we need to know the will of the Lord. If our plans our simply “our plans,” they may or may not happen, but the plans of the Lord will come to pass. I need to seek God more to be on His agenda rather than spending time planning my future. He holds my future, so it is better to simply seek Him.

Prayer:

Father, I seek You this morning. You know the end from the beginning and You know how to get me where I need to be. My life is in Your hands. Help me to seek Your wisdom, guidance, and direction for my life. Help me not to lean on my own understanding, but to acknowledge You, seek Your face, then make our plans.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Purified by Fire

 Scripture:

“The crucible is for refining silver and the furnace is for gold, likewise the LORD tests hearts.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This passage tells us that the crucible and the furnace refine silver and gold. The author then goes on further to say that the Lord tests our hearts in the same way. The righteous will go through the fire sometimes, but it is not a fire of destruction, it is a fire of purifying. We must be open to God’s purifying fire and His blessing. He gives both.

Application:

There are times when God allows us to go through some very difficult situations. There are times when we are tested and tried by fire. These situations don’t feel good, but they produce faith in greater levels. They produce value and make us better people. When God is testing us, we must hold on, because we will come out more pure than before. We can’t give us when the heat goes up.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are awesome and I love You with all my heart. You are my everything. You are my rock and my fortress. You are my strength and deliverer. Help me to know when I am being tested by You and when let me come out as pure gold. Purify my heart and let it be right before You always. Examine me and cleanse me of anything that You want out of my life. I am Yours and Yours alone.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Guard Your Life

 Scripture:

“The one who guards his words guards his life, but whoever is talkative will come to ruin.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭3‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This Proverb is powerful and true. It basically says that when we talk a lot, we will end up in a bad place, but if we guard our words, we guard our lives. Our words will make us or break us.

Application:

Words are super powerful in our lives. We end up becoming what we speak. We must be diligent to guard what comes out of our mouths. I want to know when to talk and when to be quiet. I want to hear the voice of the Spirit telling me when to be quiet and when to speak. I want to be Spirit led and Spirit driven. I want to live by this verse by speaking less, but what I say be more powerful. 

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are incredible and I love You so much. Thanks for sharing Your word with me today. Help me to guard my mouth. Empower me to say less, but speak more authoritatively and powerfully. I want my words to matter. Help me to uplift You and Your kingdom through my speech. Let my mouth be used for Your glory. Show me when to speak and when to stay silent.

Yours,

Jeff

Anxiety or Joy?

 Scripture:

“Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs him down, but an encouraging word brings him joy.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭25‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This proverb is simple, yet powerful. It tells us that anxiety weighs us down, but encouragement brings us joy. Your is true that anxiety has a way of weighing us down and causing us to feel hopeless. They way out of anxiety is into the presence of the Lord. He is not anxious about anything. 

Application:

If anxiety weighs people down, I need to do whatever I can to be an encouragement to those around me. I don’t want to walk around weighed down and I don’t want those around me to live that way either. I want to be an encourager to those around me. I want to lift people up and not weigh them down.

Prayer:

Father, You are incredible and I love serving You. Help me to serve You well in my generation. Help me not to be weighed down with the cares of this life. Teach me to trust You in every area. Let my life bring joy to those around me. Teach me to walk with You in joy and not anxiety. 

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Wisdom Cries Out

 Scripture:

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, it is easy to overlook who is speaking. Sometimes verses like this appear to be God speaking to us, and it is, but these are the words of wisdom. This section starts with “wisdom cries out.” Wisdom says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” 

Application:

When we love wisdom, wisdom loves us. God loves us at all times, wisdom doesn’t chase us down. Wisdom loves those who love wisdom and seek it. We are told that those who seek wisdom will find it. We should always ask God for wisdom. He is the source of all wisdom and we need wisdom to guide our lives. When we love and seek wisdom, we will find it and be blessed for it.

Prayer:

Father, let me be wise. Let me make right decisions and be led by Your Spirit. You are the source of all wisdom and knowledge. Teach me to mine for wisdom and to seek it out before I make any decisions in life. Help me to stay on Your course and fulfill Your plans for my life. Let me find wisdom as I follow You.

Yours,

Jeff