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Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.
One of the phrases I hear all the time is that I need to trust my heart in order to make a right decision. I know that this is popular - and that it makes for a good wall plaque (you know, Laugh, Love, Trust Your Heart), but it is unwise counsel for us to follow from a Biblical worldview. This is because one of the pillars of a Biblical worldview is the fall of man and the subsequent damage that has done to our ability to reason wisely. Our hearts are not trustworthy - and any decision based on what is in them is going to be an unwise one most likely. Before we move on I want to review the state of the human heart for us. Since we live in a worldview that says that we are basically good, it is wise for us to do such a review. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us, "The heart is deceitful above all else, and is desperately wicked, who can understand it? After the fall of man in the garden the world was plunged into sin. By Genesis 6:5 we read the following summation of the human race. "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." David helps us understand our hearts when he writes in Psalm 51:5, "Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." Our condition - and the state of our hearts - is that of being sinful and rebellious toward God. Just one last Scripture to bring this truth home. Romans 3:10-12 has a very damning indictment toward the human race. We read the following there. ". . . as it is written, There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understand, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one." It doesn't get any worse than this for us - and this is simply a biblical conclusion to what Paul had been teaching for three chapters in Romans. So, to trust our hearts - without conversion - without the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us - without Scripture - is very foolish. The one who does this is called a fool. He is a fool because he walks and thinks with utter self-dependence. He lives apart from input, counsel or wisdom from others - and most importantly independent from God and His Word. As always, the fool here only wants to air what is in his own heart and in his own mind, thinking, and reasoning. He will consistently make decisions that are silly, stupid, and foolish. These kinds of decisions will actually cause great harm if they are followed fully. Solomon warns us that it is the one who walks wisely that will be delivered from the harm that comes from foolish thinking. If you are wondering what we would need to be delivered from - here are a few examples. - Samson trusted in his own heart - and rejected God's counsel on moral purity and sexual sin. In time his foolishness is truly astounding. Each night after a sexual romp with Delilah, she would probe him for information on where his strength was - and each night he would lie to her. He would not get that whatever he told her would happen to him - and he would be awakened by her to find men ready to harm him. Did that deter Samson and bring him to repentance? No - he continued to trust his heart and his romantic (more like lust-starved) feelings. In the end - he was NOT delivered - and it cost him his eyes and a radically different hairdo - which, by the way, cost him his strength. - Saul trusted in his own heart - and therefore let his jealousy run rampant. He distrusted David, thinking that he wanted to overthrow him and take his kingdom. That jealousy so warped his mind that he killed 70 priests and put to death an entire village because he believed a lie. In the end, he was not delivered. He trusted his own heart - which eventually led him to inquire of a witch what to do in battle. That was the last straw for God - who allowed Saul to die in battle the next day. - David trusted in his own heart - which was led astray by his loins when he saw Bathsheba naked as she bathed on a rooftop. His own heart decided to hatch several lame plans to cover his tracks when his adultery led to her pregnancy. The ultimate foolishness was having ordered Joab to act foolishly in battle so that Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, would be killed in battle. David was not delivered from the destruction his adultery would bring to his family. Two sons were killed, a daughter and 10 concubines were raped, and two costly rebellions killed thousands as a result. - Peter trusted his own heart - that he truly did love Jesus more than all the other disciples. That kind of foolish arrogance led him to follow Jesus - but only at a distance. Jesus warned him that denials - three to be exact - would come from him before others. But Peter knew better than the Christ - he trusted his own heart and strength to stand. He was not delivered as he heard a cock crow after his third denial. He was restored later by God's grace - but he never forgot what trusting his own heart cost him. Hopefully these four examples will help seal the deal for us in believing this Proverb. I know that I have far more than four examples of what trusting in my own heart has cost me. It is a foolish thing to do and one that always ends with a disaster. Walking wisely means walking in dependence on The Lord. Walking wisely means first coming to salvation by God's grace. Then it means walking in continued daily fellowship with God as we read His Word and desire the work of His Spirit within us. May God bless you and help you to walk wisely - and never do something so foolish as trust your own heart.
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He who walks blamelessly will be delivered, but he who is crooked will fall all at once. Proverbs 28:18
There are some who try to walk simultaneously on two divergent paths. They will find that their hypocrisy and duplicity will betray them in the end. Like a man standing on both sides of a draw bridge that is opening, they will find that sooner or later they will either have to pick a side - or face falling into the water all at once. That is what our proverb is about today. The crooked man is one who is trying to live two ways at one time. The Hebrew word for crooked means to walk twisted in two ways. The idea behind the word is that the two paths are opposite of each other. There is no way that this man can continue in this indefinitely. The paths themselves are mutually exclusive and will end badly. That end is given to us as a warning. He will "fall all at once." This is end for those who try to walk in hypocrisy - they will not slip up a litle - they will fall all at once. The best example of this is in the New Testament. The person who did it - Judas Iscariot. Judas tried to live in two completely different worlds. We learn that he followed Jesus - and was even one who saw the power of God in Christ up close and personal. Yet he also wanted to be in power - and he loved money. He would steal from their money box as the treasurer - and also was angry when the woman with the valuable vial of oil poured it on Jesus rather than sold it for a small fortune. He wanted money - evident by the fact that in the end he sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. But that money would not assuage his guilty conscience. Judas was an example of a man who fell "all at once." Unable to handle the guilt for betraying Jesus to crucifixion, he eventually went out and hung himself. He truly fell quickly and permanently. All hypocrites can know that this end looms before them. They can try to escape all they want - but the fact is either by an exposure here and now or by the judgment in the end - they are going to fall - and fall badly. The one who walks "blamelessly" is the one who will be delivered. This is an encouragement for all men to live a godly life. They reject the lies and deception of those who play games with their relationship with God. By this - and by the grace of God they are delivered from the destruction of sin itself. But this proverb goes even deeper - and presents to us the gospel. Those of us who desire to live for The Lord give it our best shot - but in the end we will not be "blameless" before The Lord. We unfortunately will sin - and that takes us out of the category of the blameless. But there is One who lived His entire time on the earth in a blameless state - never breaking God's Law - never sinning once. That One is Jesus Christ - and He is the One who was delivered first - to death - and then in the resurrection - from death. His deliverance to death was for our sakes - so that He could pay the price for our sin and rebellion required by God's holiness and justice. His deliverance from death in the resurrection reveals to us that God accepted the payment of His blood for our sins. Now, here is the tremendous news of the gospel. Through His blamelessness and His death, burial, and resurrection we can now be granted the same deliverance from the wrath of God against sin. The wise man knows that any attempt he makes on his own to get to God will be dogged by his own sinful duplicity. I cannot tell you how often I tried to clean myself up from my sin and bad character and choices - only to find that I could never finish the job I started. What was the most disappointing was the fact that often I simply chose sin and rebellion to God. I did so just because it felt good - or because my flesh wanted something, and I didn't want to "just say no." The fact is I couldn't "just say no." And a wise man realizes he can't either. We all wind up hypocrites who try it both ways only to find we fall all at once when our sinful selfishness rises up and demands its own way. The comfort to us who are wise enough to see our fallen conditin is that there is One who walked blamelessly before God. His choice was to always do what pleased His Father. Jesus is that One - and He will graciously grant us His deliverance from sin by grace. Thus we are rescued from the twisted way we walk by our very nature. But that rescue is never self-earned. It is received as we receive the grace of God in Jesus Christ proclaimed to us in the gospel. The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10
As we walk through this world there are times when we have to wonder about our safety. We are in a wicked and ungodly world - and in it there are those who would do us harm because we represent Jesus Christ. This is true far more in countries where persecution is tolerated and encouraged by the government and by leaders of false religions. Are we safe in the Lord? Solomon knew that indeed the godly man IS safe! He knew it not just because of a theory that he had heard - but because of true stories shared with him by His father, David. David knew personally that the name of Jehovah was a strong tower because he had faced extremely dangerous situations throughout his life. He had turned to the Lord again and again when things became very dangerous for him. He had faced enemies who laid in wait for him outside his home - planning to kill him. He had faced armies whose desire it was to destroy Israel and enslave its people. He faced personal threats from people - as well as threats that arose from spiritual realms. Yet in all this he knew that the name of the Lord is a strong tower - a place of safety into which the righteous can run. God's name represents more than just something we call Him - it represents Who He is. He is Jehovah - the self-existant One who reveals Himself. But that name is attached to other names - ones that offer promises to us. He is Jehovah-Jireh, the One who sees and provides for us. He is Jeohvah-Nissi, the One who is our banner of victory when we face foes. He is Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the One who is our righteousness when our sins would separate us from God. He is Jeohvah-M'kaddesh, the One who will sanctify us and deliver us from our innermost battles with sin. He is Jehovah-Shammah, the One who is present with us - preparing a table for us in the presence of our enemies. He is Jehovah-Rohi, the One who will be our Shepherd and lead us through our lives. He is Jehovah-Rophe, the One who will heal us from all our diseases and bring us out of sickness and pain. He is finally Jehovah-Shalom, the One who will give us peace no matter what is happening in our lives. Truly His names are a strong tower to which we can run and find shelter in whatever situation we face. May we be wise and run to Him with all that we face in life - trusting Him to deliver us from all our fears and all our trials. The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.
Proverbs 14:10 There are times when a person knows both a bitterness and a joy of soul that cannot be shared among humans. It is not that people do not try to empathize and sympathize with us, they do. It is just that certain experiences and certain things go so deep within us that the only One who can comfort and the only One who can understand is God Himself. The heart knows its own bitterness. There is a pain that we can feel both in our physical realm - but much more - in the spiritual realm that is very deep. It is so deep that we need more than human comfort to deal with it. There are times when we face serious issues (often life threatening issues) that although we are possibly surrounded by human comforters, we need a superhuman comforter. It is in those moments when only God can offer us the comfort that we desperately need. The main reason we know this is because of how God used David to write songs about these moments. Too often we forget that the recording studio that God used to record those songs were times of great suffering, sorrow, and trial. In those moments David expresses a depth of bitterness and sorrow that few have ever touched. He says things to God that make us step back and gasp when we read them. Truly he is in a "bitterness" of soul in the midst of such suffering and trial. And Job reminds us that when a man is suffering his words are like the wind. David is bitter of soul at times in the Psalms, but it is also in those times that he cries out to God with a passion that we may not know either. Remember this, it is those who go the deepest in suffering, sorrow, and struggle - who also know the deepest levels of passion for God. David cries out to God with a bitterness of heart that can only be healed by God Himself. Actually, it is a blessing when God takes us to such depths because often it takes that kind of situation to make us wholly dependent upon Him. We see that, indeed as Jesus has told us in John 15, "without Me you can do nothing." In that moment of complete helplessness we cry out to Him as we've never done before, and we find that He is also, indeed, able to deliver to the uttermost! Thus we come to the second half of this proverb. A stranger does not share its joy. David not only speaks of the bitterness of heart that comes with excruciating trials, he also speaks of the joy of God's deliverance from those trials. After coming through some fairly deep trials and sorrows I've begun to touch the hem of the garment of such joy. Just as I cannot grasp the cries of David in his deepest pain, there is also a tinge of realization as I read the Psalms that I'm not sure I am getting the fullness of His joy either. A stranger to God's deliverance will never share the joy of knowing that God is the One who not only walked in the midst of our firey furnace, but He is the One who kept our clothes from being burned - or even smelling like smoke. Oh, the joy of those who know His working. Oh the joy of those who know when He Who took them into the depths is also the One Who will bring them out again. Oh the joys of the ones who know that He will wound us, but He will also heal us. Oh the delight of soul that comes to the one who knows a depth of pain and bitterness of heart that goes beyond human comfort - but who also knows the only One Who can reach beyond human comprehension - beyond human ability - beyond mere human comfort - and can touch our deepest and most bitter wounds and heal them. May God bring wisdom to you this day, dear saint of God, and may He be your Deliverer and Comforter in your every distress! With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. Proverbs 11:9
When words fly like daggers through the air you can be assured that you are dealing with a godless man. Ours is a day where it seems that the discourse in society is filled with such things. When you consider things like the news, politics, and the current climate for salcious gossip - it is a wonder that anyone in the public eye can survive it all. Many do not survive it - at least not without serious scars and damage to their character. Of course some, by their actions, deserve the things that are said about them, but others are lampooned and skewered mercilessly without cause. What we read here in today's proverb is that this kind of thing is not new to our particular time - but that there is a way that the righteous can be delivered from such things. The godless man is the one who destroys his neighbor with his mouth. The term godless here refers to a man who is impious, filthy, and godless. The root of this word speaks of how he turns away and wants nothing to do with God. As a result we see in Scripture where one who is like this is morally unclean (Job 13:16) and whose character lacks any of the positive aspects of godliness. Consider the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This man has NONE of these qualities. We also read in Scripture that because of this he often clashes and is in conflict with the righteous. And of course from what we read here, he is cruel to others. This godless man seeks to destroy his neighbor with his mouth. This destruction can be through perverting someone, corrupting them - but the eventual goal is to spoil or ruin or destroy them. I hesitate to use politics as an example, except for the fact that we have watched our political discourse turn so bitterly vicious over the past 10-15 years. I know that some would assert that the political discourse has always been this way. You can read some pretty horrible things that were said about our political leaders in any generation - but - the way in which the two parties want to destroy each other has reached fever pitch in the last couple of decades. The way we speak of our President - whether he is a Republican or Democrat has really reached the level of gutter speech. I was able to vote for the first time in the Reagan election. Since that time I've watch EVERY president treated with greater disdain and with more incidiary rhetoric in the media since then. The goal is no longer to point out bad policy and direction for the country in what is said. The goal now seems to be to utterly destroy the person - and to do so with a scorched earth strategy. We seem oblivious to the fact that regardless of which side of the aisle this person sits - they are still our neighbor. The greater problem that exists here is that what we see carried out in the public eye - is guaranteed to trickle down to the streets of our cities and the homes in which we live. When we tolerate and even participate in the open destruction of our leaders - we will not escape the climate of destructive speech that it creates in our entire society. We should learn from Paul the apostle that we are not to speak evil of a ruler of your people (Acts 23:5). In that situation Paul was being treated wrongly in a trial by none other than the chief priest of Israel. Yet Paul rebuked himself when he responded with words that were not only critical of his actions, but filled with too much vitriol for biblical standards. He caught himself, prompted by the Spirit and the Word, and pulled himself back from the brink of being one who sought to destroy with his mouth. Some might assert that we need to fight fire with fire. When we do this - we only assure that everything will be burnt down in the end. Contrary to the spirit of this world, we fight fire with the gospel. We read here that the rightous will be delivered through knowledge. I believe this deliverance is two-fold. First, we will be delivered from the godless who want to destroy us with their words. Several times in the New Testament we are urged to let our behavior be such that when the wicked seek to destroy us with accusations and lies - our actions and lifestyle will be such that it will answer their lies. The way we live consistently will be a rebuke to them. We will not have to answer or come back with our own attacks, because those around us will laugh them to scorn. They know us - and they will reject such attacks. That deliverance comes through "knowledge." Knowledge here is the word "daath" which means not just a head-knowledge, but one that results in discernment, insight, and wisdom. We get such knowledge from God's Word - and from a life spent seeking Him and walking with Him. The second way I believe we will be delivered is that we will not be led into "the fight." When someone tries to destroy you with their mouth - the natural thing to experience is a strong desire to launch a counter attack. They throw stones - we throw knives. They shoot bullets - we drop bombs. You can imagine where this all leads. The righteous is delivered in part by "killing your opponent with kindness." You do not respond in kind - you respond in kindness! This changes everything. They may continue to attack, and often will(sometimes kindness drives a person who is seeking to destroy you crazy with anger). But as those around us watch the proceedings - they see clearly the one who is acting godly - and the one who is spinning out of control. In the end, we are delivered from our greatest foe - and that is not the one attacking us. We are delivered from ourselves. Something deep within wants to rise up and take control - and by the way - that is our flesh. Instead, we need to have Christ in us respond. He will grant us power to respond with kindness and love - with mercy and forgiveness. Know this - respond like this and two things will happen. First, you will be delivered from your own worst aspects of your flesh. Second, you WILL win in the end. Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter - and as a sheep before His shearers is silent - so He did not open His mouth. That response, dear saints, won in the end. It did at the cross - and it will for everyone who embraces Him responding like that in their lives through His Spirit now. The righteous is delivered from trouble, But the wicked takes his place.
Proverbs 11:8 God's ability to deliver out of trouble is nothing short of amazing. If we only knew all the times that God has delivered us from situations and problems - we would fall and worship at His feet. As it is we will have to wait for that day when we see Him and know as fully as we are known. But thankfully the Lord has put some of His glorious history in the Bible from which we can glean the wonders of His power to arrange providence according to His will. We read here that the righteous is delivered from trouble, but that the wicked takes his place. The first thing we need to state here is that God does not promise to deliver the righteous from ALL trouble. There are times when God's purpose is served by the death of His martyrs. But for every martyr it seems that there are also those times when God does glorious deliverances among His people. There are two that are amazing because they mirror exactly what is said here in this passage - that the wicked take the place of the one who was delivered. We read of Mordecai who would not give worship to the wicked Haman. Haman decided to do more than just kill Mordecai. He got authorization from the king to kill the entire people of Mordecai - going after the entire Jewish nation. As the Jews prayed earnestly for deliverance, God was engineering a wonderful array of providence to provide deliverance for them. Esther was queen so she had access to the king - and was willing to go even though she was not requested - thus risking her own life. As Haman proceeded to build a gallows like none other upon which to hang Mordecai - God was having the king experience a sleepless night in which he had court records read to him. He learned of Mordecai speaking of a plot to kill him - and desired to honor him. That event led to a glorious change of circumstances - in which Mordecai was delivered from the gallows - yet Haman was hung on them instead. Instead of Mordecai's family being killed - the family of Haman was hung along with him upon the gallows he built for Mordecai. Ah, the glories of my God and King - Who can work miracles of providence to accomplish His own will in history. The second piece of Bible history involves Daniel and a lion's den. A group of wicked advisors to the king were jealous of Daniel - and thus sought a reason to accuse him before the king. Darius the King was a vain man so he fell for the trap laid for Daniel. The advisors had him sign a law that no man could pray to anyone except him for a day - with the penalty being death by lion's den if they disobeyed. Once signed - these wicked advisors awaited Daniel's godly choice to pray to God three times a day. When he bowed to pray to Jehovah, they were ready to pounce. They dragged him before the king and had him pass sentence even though he was loathe to do so. Thus Daniel found himself being lowered into a den of ravenous lions - a trouble that seemed destined to have him consumed as soon as he reached the floor of the den in which the lions awaited his arrival with salivating mouths. But God shut those mouths and delivered Daniel until morning. As he was raised out of the den - the lions did not have to worry about going hungry. The king, furious with their deceitfulness, had the wicked advisors thrown into the pit with the lions who more than obliged his offer of a second meal - crushing them as soon as they hit the ground. God is able to deliver to the uttermost. We need to know that and trust Him to deliver us when we face trouble because we confess His name. We also need to know that He is also able to bring the wicked to a most horrific end as well - even having them take our place as He delivers us. Trust Him at all times, dear saints of God. He is good and will do what is good in our lives. Whether He offers an earthly deliverance or not - remember this one thing. The most glorious deliverance that He offers is that which is bought and paid for with the blood of His own Son at Calvary's cross. There He delivered us from His own wrath and judgment - not at the cost of the wicked - but at the cost of His own beloved Son. May that ultimate deliverance from trouble drop us to our knees daily in worship, adoration, and praise! The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, But the mouth of the upright will deliver them. Proverbs 12:6
The person who said, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," never read this proverb. We have before us here the full destructive power of someone's words - or at least the intent with which they speak them. But thankfully, we also have the truth that the words of a godly man are also powerful. Those described as "wicked" in this passage are those who are guilty. The word means someone in the wrong - who is guilty of an criminal offense. In the context of Scripture this word most often refers to one guilty of breaking God's Law - and thus one who has no desire to obey Him or submit to His ways. We read that the words of such a man "lie in wait for blood." A wicked and sinful man's words are harmful to others. It is so important to remember context here because just one verse earlier we were told that the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. They are filled with lies. The wicked seek to destroy people with their words. And their counsel will be harmful if followed, since it is driven by the fallen nature of man. For just a moment I want to equate the words of the wicked with some more modern things. It is one thing to see a wicked man whose words are like a scorching fire as they are spoken. But it is another to consider the words of the wicked in other forms. Ever consider the words of the wicked that are written down for a book or a script? Far too many do not consider reading and going to see the words of the wicked portrayed on a big screen. They are unaware of the worldview that is being portrayed for them. They are unaware of the danger of this medium and how it lulls us to sleep when we should be alert and awake. Here the words of the wicked do lie in wait for blood. They come upon people unawwares because they do not ever consider how the ungodly seek to influence us through their various mediums of communication. To be perfectly honest, these forms of getting their "words" out are more effective than just speaking because of how ignorant the church is to their real agenda. A movie maker trying to go to a church and tell the people to be sexually immoral would be escorted out of the building quickly, but when he puts those ideas into a romantic comedy starring two unmarried people, the saints pay to go see it. Either way he gets his message out - but how more effective it is when dressed in the garb of modern entertainment. A man or woman would never think of going to a random house to peek through their bedroom window at their sex life, yet they think nothing of watching a love scene through the window of the local movie theater. The second part of this proverb tells us that the mouth of the upright will deliver them. This could be taken one of two ways. First it can mean that the righteous man - by speaking godly words - by speaking the Word of God - is delivered from the designs of the wicked. It can also refer to others to whom the righteous man speaks. He declares God's Word, and by doing so delivers those who are too easily duped by the words of the wicked. This reminds us of how vital it is for us to "hear God's words" every day. I say this not to encourage us to try to hear God's audible voice - but to remember that He has given us the Word of God - which are His words. If we will take the time to get into the presence of the Lord each and every day - with the purpose of hearing God speak His Word to us as we read the Bible - we will find great deliverance through this. Note here that we read that this is the mouth of the "upright." This word is the Hebrew word "yashar" and it means to be straight, just, and right. It refers to an ethical standard - and that standard is found in God's Word. When we learn to speak the truth to ourselves and to others, we will also see that deliverance is provided as God works in us to remind us of the truth - to warn us of danger - and to call us to holiness of life. An interesting dichotomy is presented here for us. The wicked want our blood - God our deliverance. The godless have a plot against our lives by their decietful counsel and wicked words. The upright speak what will deliver us. May God give us wisdom to see these things for what they are - a warning to us to hear God's Word - not just once a week, but every day as we meet with the Lord. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered. Proverbs 28:26
"Just trust your heart," is a phrase that we hear often in our world. Yet this counsel runs absolutely counter to what God tells us in Proverbs - and honestly - everywhere else in Scripture. How could there be such a wide discrepancy between the common wisdom of the world and that which God gives us in the Word? To trust in your own heart is to be confident in it. The word means to feel safe and secure - to feel that you can rely on it in every situation. God calls the man or woman who lives this way a fool. But there is a reason God says this - a good reason. The world in all its philosophies usually does not want to take into account the fall of man into sin and rebellion against God. Those stories of a garden and a tree of good and evil are just that - stories. So they write off the rebellion of man - and choose instead to trust their own rebellious hearts. But the one who does not take into account the fall of man is a fool. He does not realize the corruption of his own heart. It is like trusting a watch that has been set incorrectly. No matter how accurate you think it is - it is fundamentally flawed. So is the man who trusts himself and does not see his sin. The one who walks wisely is promised deliverance. We've seen these words before in Proverbs. Walk speaks of our lifestyle - the way we walk about the world. The walk of this man is according to wisdom - which is "chokmah" and means a wisdom - but one used with skill - meaning a practical wisdom that is lived out in a myriad of decisions every day. The one who walks this way will be delivered. Delivered? From what are we to be delivered? What are we escaping? When we walk wisely according to God's ways - we will be delivered from our sinful ways and tendencies. We are declifered . . . from ourselves and from a fallen world that walks contrary to God's wisdom. Believe it or not, that is the primary trap set for us every day - to turn to ourselves rather than to turn to God. Only the wisdom of God's Word will deliver us from such a fate - such a natural fate that it seems like the height of normalcy to live that way. Yet, to fall into those normal patterns of the flesh - trusting ourselves rather than living in a conscious dependence upon God - well - that is a fate which we all need to be delivered from every day. |
 Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. 
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