Increase Your Faith

Anyone who gets Wisdom loves himself. Anyone who values understanding succeeds. Proverbs 19:8 (NIRV-ENG)

Pastor’s Commentary:

We often focus on the love we must have for others, and rightly so. But, we are required to love ourselves as well. In accordance with the Old Testament requirement, Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors AS WE LOVE OURSELVES. The standard in the New Testament is higher, but doesn’t nullify the requirement to treat others the way we want to be treated. We can’t know what true love and appreciation is without the love of God and the love for self (not the flesh; these are two different things). In other words, I can’t love you properly without first loving God and loving myself.

Today’s Wisdom verse says, “Anyone who gets Wisdom loves himself.” In my mind, the acquisition of Wisdom is proof of the love for oneself. Wisdom results in so many awesome things. Clearly, anyone who obeys Proverbs 4:7, loves themselves.

Once we get Wisdom, who is Jesus, we obtain love, for God is Love. Getting Wisdom, therefore, improves my love walk with others. Do you see the connection between Wisdom and Love, and progression of the two? Maybe instead of praying for a greater capacity to love others, we should pursue greater Wisdom and understanding.

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For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her seductive words are smoother than olive oil…” Proverbs 5:3 (NET)

Pastor’s Commentary:

Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. James 4:4 (NET)

Today’s Wisdom verse admonishes us about the inappropriateness of literal adultery, but I believe it is also a metaphor for abstaining from sinful behavior in general. In James 4:4, the Apostle equates embracing the sinful behaviors of the world to both spiritual and moral adultery for the believer. In other words, all sin is, in essence, adulterous.

In light of this, we can say the adulterous woman referred to multiple times in Proverbs is sin itself. The lips of “sin” drip honey, and its seductive words are smoother than olive oil. Sin always attracts its victims with the erroneous application of smooth logic, but never focuses on the consequences of sinful behavior. It focuses on the temporary pleasures of life, not the life long pain and the irrevocable eternal results of sin. For the payoff of sin is death… (Romans 6:23 NET)

Although the words of the tempter may be sweet, consenting to them always produces loss, disappointment, and the pain of death. As those who are holy and set apart from the world, we must focus on the Word of Wisdom and ignore the voice of sin. God has given us the power to do just that. Let’s feed our born-again spirits on the Word of Righteousness and abstain from all that is sinful and worldly.

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You harvest what you plant, whether good or bad. Proverbs 14:14 (CEV)

Pastor’s Commentary:

You cannot fool God, so don’t make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. (Galatians 6:7 CEV)

Many times, the simplest of concepts and principles are the most difficult for people to grasp. Today’s Wisdom verse is one such principle. Far too many people are shocked, amazed, and surprised when the results of their own doing come upon them, particularly when the outcomes are negative. Instead of taking stock of their lives and taking responsibility for change, most human beings operate in the second manifestation of the sin nature called blame. Everything that happens to them is someone else’s fault. This erroneous belief is not only anti-scriptural, it is counter productive.

Although God is a complex and deep being, His concepts, in general, are not. Pay attention to the results you regularly get in life. If you don’t like the harvest you consistently receive, change your seed! It’s that simple and yet so profound and life changing.

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The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that. Proverbs 29:25 (MSG)

Pastor’s Commentary:

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (Matthew 5:11 NKJV)

It’s amazing that so many believers are so horribly affected by human criticism, especially since Jesus told us that such things would happen. He even instructed us on how to react to it. He said, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:12 NKJV) The only way we can rejoice during painful times like that is to have complete trust in God’s ability to shield us from harm.

Today’s Wisdom verse give us the Divine strategy that keeps us from the potentially disabling effects of human opinions. We are to put our trust in God. When we are affected by critics it is because we have trust in the ability of their words to harm us at some level or other. The Word tells us in Jeremiah 17:5, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.’”(NKJV)

In other words, when we put more confidence in the words of our critics than we have in God’s ability to sustain us, it brings the curse into our lives.

Trusting in God and His Word brings us absolute freedom. Jeremiah 17:7 says, ““Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. (NKJV) Keep developing your faith in what the Lord says about you and ignore negative criticism.

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Observe people who are good at their work-skilled workers are always in demand and admired; they don’t take a back seat to anyone. Proverbs 22:29 (MSG)

Pastor’s Commentary:

Today’s Wisdom verse is an excellent confession to get in our hearts, minds, and mouths. Particularly as financial and economic judgement is being meted out in today’s global economy.

Confession:

I am good at my work. As a skilled worker, I am always in demand and admired; I don’t take a back seat to anyone.

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