The Receiver

"The wise of heart will receive commands, but a babbling fool will be ruined." PR 10:8

The sign of a great leader is not in their intelligence or their eloquence, but in their reverence for God's Word. Proverbs reminds us that The Wise will listen to His instruction, while The Fool will always fall in love with the sound of his own voice.

Jesus reserved his greatest praise for a Roman centurion who recognized that power comes from being under authority not in authority. Those who chase a position of authority without positioning themselves under God's authority are potential tyrants. They may present themselves as reasonable and electable, but in God's eyes they are rebels.

Not all rebellion is expressed in flaming rhetoric or riotous behavior. Some people blast through life politely ignoring God. On the surface they appear calm and collected, but in their hearts God's commands are completely rejected. Don't be fooled by them.

Leaders receive God's commands. Liars reject them, babbling about their new and improved alternative to the challenges of the 21st Century. They rarely say the words, "God is dead." They just act as if God is irrelevant. Actions speak louder than words.

Receiving instruction from God is more than listening to His commands. It involves immediate obedience, with the right heart attitude. The wise of heart are receivers. The fool is a deceiver. Self-deception is always the first step towards a disastrous choice.

Note to Self: Prayer prepares your heart to receive God's commands, and to yield your will to His authority. When you fail to pray, you prepare to stray. When you won't receive His Word, you fall in love with the sound of your own voice, and take the advice of a fool.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Heart

"Do not let your heart turn aside..." Proverbs 7:25

The heart of the problem in the heart of any unfaithful man is not his wandering eyes, but his poisoned heart. Proverbs warns men repeatedly to guard their hearts by binding them to God's wisdom. The heart is more than a blood-pumping organ or the seat of human emotions. It is the reservoir of God's truth. Straying from His truth in order to satisfy the desires of your heart reveals you have been infusing into your heart a poisonous venom supplied by an ancient enemy who seeks to destroy you. Before the act of adultery becomes a roaring lion of infidelity, it was embraced as a thought that climbed up in your lap, appearing as harmless as a kitten. Don't be a fool. Before you have to fight the lion in the street, kill the kitten in your heart.

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The Eyes

"Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, & hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, & one who spreads strife among brothers." Proverbs 6:17-19

Bullying those who don't agree with you to be on the right side of history, while ignoring the The Author of history, lands you on the wrong side of God. Removing His Word from the public square, and elevating your personal opinion as the highest authority in the land is not a sign of intelligence. It is arrogance.

Proverbs mentions seven things God hates so much that he calls them an abomination. The first one on His hit list is described as "haughty eyes." They reveal the soul of a fool who has the capacity to brag without speaking and the audacity to strut sitting down.

When a nation continues to choose leaders who refuse to look up to God they can expect their leaders to look down on them. The God of history chooses to write HIS story through the lives of broken men & women who will humble themselves before Him, and call on Him to heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Broken people look to God first, to fix what is broken in their lives. God still heals a nation one heart at at a time. Refuse to trust arrogant people who make promises to you they don't intend to keep. God warns you to look at their eyes. They speak volumes and reveal the contents of an arrogant heart. Look to God. Look for leaders who will do the same.

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The Night

"But the path of the righteous is like the light of the dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like the darkness; they do not know over what they stumble." PR 4:18-19

Cockroaches rule the night and run from the light. While living in Houston, Texas I discovered they can become so large and so bold that they can develop an attitude. When I would turn on the lights in a room, they would not run. They would just look at me and at the light with an arrogant disdain. I accepted the challenge and stomped on them.

The Senators in Washington, D.C. who voted against ending tax payer support for Planned Parenthood ran from the light of the truth. With the stark evidence staring them in the face, they stumbled over it. Accustomed to the darkness, they are no longer able to see the difference between light and the night.Their decision reveals that they have morphed into cockroaches void of moral courage and character. Their arrogant disdain for the bodies of living children being torn apart and sold for parts must not be ignored or allowed to pass as politics as usual. This is a watershed moment for you and your nation.

Pray for those in the Senate chamber who had the courage to turn the lights on. Pray for them to have the stamina to keep the lights on until the eyes of this nation can see this betrayal of the rights of the innocent. The soul of a nation is at stake.

Turn to The Light, and invite Jesus to shine into the darkest parts of your heart, and into the highest offices of the land. Jesus is The Light of the world. Run to Him and let your light shine. When you walk in The Light of His Presence you need not fear the dawn. The next Great Awakening is only a prayer away. Are you straying from it or praying for it?

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Confidence

"Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught." PR. 3:26

There is nothing like the feeling that can be ignited by a sharp word or a painful thought, when it penetrates the thin skin of your man-made firewall. When your very soul is torched with the searing sensation of sudden fear, it is always too early to panic. It is never too late to pray. Don't place your confidence in your eloquence or your endurance. Place it where it belongs, "for the LORD will be your confidence."

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The Shield

"For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way for His godly ones." PR. 2: 6-8

Character is built by knowing the right thing to do and having the courage to do it at the right time. A life of wisdom is not filled with the regrets of "wouldah, couldah shouldah." Sound wisdom comes from listening to the sound of the Lord's voice. Standing upright, next to The Champion, provides courage because it provides cover. "He is a shield" reminds us to walk in step with Him, and never rush in where even angels fear to tread. Justice is a matter of giving God enough elbow room to make things right even when everything is going wrong. Fools take matters into their own hands. The Wise place every crisis, large and small, into God's hands. As they yield to His pace, and His will, they become shielded by His Presence.

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The Reverence

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom & instruction." PR. 1:7

The mission statement of an independent fool is, "I did it my way." The Wise are not self-righteous "know it alls." They simply never get over their daily dependence upon God for His direction, protection and correction. They approach Him with wonder-filled, bold, humility relying on His Word, not their prejudices, and preferences to guide them. Prayer is the posture of a humble heart. Prayerless people are prideful fools. Despising wisdom and instruction begins by refusing to bend weak knees before Almighty God. It leads to ignoring His Word. The power of prayer is not found in your eloquence, but in your reverence for His Presence.

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The Prophet

"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy." PR. 31:8-9

Proverbs is filled with a father's advice to his sons. It served kings as a training manual for their next generation of leaders. Perhaps Proverbs has no greater words of wisdom than these shared by a mother with her son. They contain a timeless challenge for those given a platform to speak truth in the public square and for those who exercise influence within the halls of justice. Those who cannot speak for themselves have the right to be heard. Those who are afflicted and needy have the right to be judged without prejudice. These words not only voice the heart of a mother, but they reveal the mind of God. Many pulpits remain silent to the cries of infants being ripped apart from their mothers' wombs. In a fearful attempt to protect the non-profit status of the church, these self-muzzled preachers create a non-prophet institution. Don't be one of them.

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The Unbridled

"Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law." Prov. 19:18

God's Word describes vision as divine revelation, your source for His prophetic sense of direction needed in a world filled with foolish advice. Those who say you cannot legislate morality have never read God's Word. Happy and blessed are synonyms. You are blessed by living within the bounds of God's commands. You are cursed by choosing to ignore them.

Disobedience is driven by the false hope in your own right to choose wisely without any guidance from God. Fools choose unbridled lawlessness as their road to happiness. They court disaster by crashing through God's warning signs at every cliff they see. The Wise seek God's counsel and take His advice. Are you happy?

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The Compass

"An arrogant man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered." Prov. 28:25-26

There are few words that can drain the soul like, "There is nothing else we can do." When the doctor left the hospital room, I turned to my 93 year old father, and tried to express what he was facing. With a calm voice, and a peaceful countenance, he said, "I sensed things were different this time. We can still trust God. Will you pray for me?" I did my best, but I can't tell you what I said. My heart was all over the map, and tears were all over my face.

Dad's compass was pointed in the right direction. Over a life-time of faith he always turned to the immovable, Presence of God, and put his trust in Him. One of Dad's favorite sayings was, "The best is yet to come." He often said it while seated in his prayer arbor swing, facing the rising sun. He would smile, and whisper, "Someday Someone wonderful is going to come from that direction. I want to meet Him. On April 22nd of this year, Dad did.

It is so foolish to believe, there is nothing else we can do. We can always trust God.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!