Proverbs 6 - Honesty and Truth Over All

S- Scripture -   
 ¹⁶ These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 
 ¹⁷ A proud look, A lying tongue,  Hands that shed innocent blood, 
 ¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans,  Feet that are swift in running to evil, 
 ¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies,  And one who sows discord among brethren.


O- Observation -
 It seems that He found Lying worthy of a second mention -
 "lying tongue & false witness who speaks lies" both scream to me "liar liar" -
God HATES it - strong word!

A- Application - 
Avoid lying at all cost. I am someone who values loyalty. To me,
 heart loyalty encompasses "truth telling" - In order to love others
for Him, we need to be Honest - if you are up front and honest in
 your dealings with people, it is showing loyalty - to others, to Him,
and to the truth.
I believe that the rest of this passage is speaking to being truthful as
well - in order to sow discord among brethren, you would need to
 "mix up the truth"- running to evil, would involve dishonesty on many
 levels along with shedding of innocent blood and devising wicked plans.
 Be truthful in all aspects!

P- Prayer -
 "Lord, help me to remember, even in the little things, that it matters
 to You how honest we are. Please continue working in me, that my
 heart may be an open book- honest and loyal to You above all. I desire
to stand for truth.
Thank you for providing a way through Your son Jesus, for my wicked,
 lying heart to be washed clean and to be filled with truth. Help me to
 honor it each day." Amen

 

Proverbs Chapter 4- Prioritize Wisdom

S. O. A. P. :

S- Scripture: ⁷Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.


O- Observation: The common theme is again repeated- God puts a high priority on wisdom! 


A- Application: Wisdom is gained by staying in the Word, continuing to do what is right - staying on the right path - Wisdom begets Wisdom! I do that by walking with Jesus daily - He will be my guide! 


P- Prayer: Lord God, I pray that You will help me  to "²³Keep thy (my) heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." I know that I will not turn to the right or to the left (away from You and Your ways) I know that I will NOT stray from the path IF I only keep my heart and my eyes on You. Thank you Lord Jesus for Your guidance - thank you for Your wisdom. Not my will Lord, but Yours. Amen 

You will make Your path clear to me! 

Proverbs Chapter 2- It's The Seeking That Counts Most

format for this online journal through Proverbs:

S- Scripture
O- Observation
A-Application
P- Prayer

1. Scripture- ⁵Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

               God is promising us that if we seek to gain His wisdom- He will give it

2.Observation-  He loves us so much He really takes the time to spell everything out for us. Verses 1-4 are telling us to listen up, to hide His Word in our hearts, to care about what He wants for us and ask Him for guidance- that it is available for us. If we want to choose righteousness, He will lead us through it-  

3. Application - So many times the obvious is right in front of me. I need to specifically ask for His wisdom and He says clearly that He'll provide it! Repeatedly throughout scripture I'm reminded of this- "Ask and you shall receive" God loved Solomon so much simply because his main request from the Lord was wisdom- God actually respects it - He rewarded Solomon for it - and here, we are reminded again that it is available to us if we simply ask. 

4. Prayer- Lord, I pray that You will grant me wisdom in my day to day life. So many times I think to ask for wisdom during times of making the big decisions- yet, I need to be applying Your wisdom to my everyday life. This is the way (the only way) I can possibly walk in righteousness- and lead my children on the path of knowledge and understanding. Thank You God for Your faithfulness, Your loving grace, and Your wisdom!

 

An Oasis! A thought for today:

It's been a long hot sticky summer.

We are an outdoor kind of family, but living in Southwest Florida

can be extreme as far as heat goes!

Especially during the midday hours,

you are likely to find us safely out of the sun

and sitting in our nice air conditioned home.

There's no need for makeup. By the time you make it

from the front door to the blazing hot mini-van

it's all running down your face anyway!

I often think about the people who came to this

place before us.

Long before us. The pioneers to Florida were a hardy bunch.

The Calusa indians who roamed the area and fished

these waters long before them were a hardy bunch.

We love camping.

We had an opportunity to explore and camp

in a part of Florida that we hadn't spent much time in

about this time last year.

It was hot.

But, we did have electricity,

and we did have our fans.

We walked in the woods and explored the area.

We talked about the people who lived there before.

We discussed the life of the early settlers and of the true

Florida natives before them.

The heat was sweltering.

And then we came upon an oasis!

It was one of the most beautiful natural springs I have ever

laid my eyes on.

The water was perfectly clear and the sky reflected

in it was bright blue.

And, it was cool.

Just sticking your feet in the crystal clear

cool waters of the spring can

cool off your whole body.

God's Word is like that spring.

It is one of His gifts to us and it is a

life giving oasis where we can

rest and replentish ourselves.

It's an amazing thing -

how just dipping into the Word

can refresh us and make us

whole again!

He is our Living Water

have you been renewed today?

He is my oasis!