Proverbs 14 ESV (Select vv)
2 Whoever walks in uprightness
fears the Lord,
but he who is devious in his ways despises
him.
5 A faithful witness does not
lie,
but a false witness breathes out lies.
25 A truthful witness saves
lives,
but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.
Why is it that so many people
professing the name of Jesus as their Lord are so devious? So many are making
lying their practice, even pastors. And, the most offensive lie of them all is
that we can be saved from our sins, and be bound for heaven, and still walk
(live) in sin, as a matter of life course.
For, it is not the one who
confesses Christ as his Lord who is saved. It is not the one who says he believes
in Jesus, either. It is not the one who is baptized, or who prays a prayer, or
who attends church services, or who tithes, or who does “good deeds” for others,
either.
And, salvation from sin is not a one-time experience in our
lives, either, whereby we “get saved,” and then heaven is guaranteed us no
matter how we live our lives while we are still on the earth.
For, we are saved (past). We are being saved (present). And,
we will be saved (future) when Jesus returns, and our salvation is complete. It
is not complete until then, and we must continue in that faith, too (Rom. 8:24; Rom. 13:11; 1 Co. 1:18; 15:1-2; 2 Tim. 1:8-9; Heb.
9:28; 1 Pet. 1:5).
Thus, those who think they can be saved from
their sins and still live in sin are being lied to, they are accepting the
lies, and many of them are regurgitating the lies to others, too. But if we live
in sin, doing what our flesh dictates, then we despise our Lord. We don’t love
him, know him, or live in him! (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; 1 Jn.
1:5-9).
For, it is those who walk in uprightness who
fear the Lord. It is those who walk according to the Spirit and not according
to the flesh who are saved from their sins and who have eternal life with God.
For, we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin, be changed in heart and
mind of the Spirit of God and turn to our Lord to walk according to his commands
(Eph. 4:17-24).
And, those who tell the truth about this are not
the enemy! They are saving lives by telling people the truth, even if people
despise them, in return.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in
vain,
but knowledge is easy for a man of
understanding.
7 Leave the presence of a fool,
for there you do not meet words of
knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is
to discern his way,
but the folly of fools is deceiving.
If we are living for the Lord,
walking in his ways and in his truth, doing what he says, going where he sends
us, and saying what he wants us to say, we are going to have enemies, no doubt.
We are going to be hated, mocked, criticized, made fun of, and lied about. For,
Satan wants to silence us.
If we speak in the wisdom of God,
and not of man, we will be scoffed, yelled at, falsely accused, discarded, and even
removed from “Christian” gatherings, etc. For, many people don’t want to hear
the truth of what God’s word teaches. They want to hold on to the lies,
instead, because the lies coddle them in their sins. The lies are more
comfortable.
So, if you are writing on the
internet, and especially if you are writing on social media, be wise. Be
discerning. And, don’t give way to anger. Don’t be intimidated by those who
oppose you, either. Don’t respond to comments which are intended to egg you on
to get you to say something you shouldn’t say. It is okay to say nothing. We
don’t have to answer everyone.
10 The heart knows its own
bitterness,
and no stranger shares its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will
be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems
right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
There are many people holding
unforgiveness in their hearts towards others, and that unforgiveness has turned
to bitterness, and bitterness to hatred and hatred to resentment. And, even if
you point this out to them, they may refuse to see it, or if they do see it,
they may do nothing to get rid of it.
And, the way we can see this
bitterness is in our actions and in our attitudes towards others. If what comes
out of our mouths is hate (as God defines it), and if our actions towards
others is of hate and not love (as God defines love), then it reveals that
bitterness. For, if we sin against others willfully, knowingly, habitually and
premeditatively, that is hate, not love.
Please know this. If we walk according
to the flesh, we are going to die in our sins, not have eternal life with God.
If we sin against others habitually and premeditatively, that is hate, not
love. And, if this is what we practice, we are told we will not have eternal
life with God, but we will have a fearful expectation of the fires of hell (Rom.
8:1-17; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8).
15 The simple believes
everything,
but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
16 One who is wise is cautious
and turns away from evil,
but a fool is reckless and careless.
22 Do they not go astray who
devise evil?
Those who devise good meet steadfast love
and faithfulness.
The simple (naïve, gullible) believes everything. But, we
should not believe everything we hear or read or think we see, either. Anything
can be faked, and anything can be a lie except for the truth of God’s word. And,
even that can be twisted to say what it does not say, so we must be discerning
there, as well, so that we are not led astray.
Any person can be fake, too, or a liar and a deceiver. There
are many people who fake Christianity, too. Some of them for the purpose to deceive
others, and some of them for the purpose to try to trap Christians in their
words in hopes to discredit and to destroy them, too.
So, be cautious. Don’t take everything and everyone at face
value and assume they are who they say they are. They may not be. They may be
setting you up for a fall or they may be trying to lead you into sin. So, be
wise and be discerning, and test everything you see, hear, or read. And, follow
the Lord with your lives and not men, who may be out to deceive you.
Jesus Draw Me Ever
Nearer
Lyrics by Margaret
Becker
Music by Keith Getty
“Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
and I’ll follow, though I’m worn.
Jesus guide me through the tempest;
Keep my spirit staid and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more…
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