Prov 2: 5
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. NIV
Well I want to understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God! It tells me in the previous 4 verses just how to do that.
Prov 2:1-4
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands with in you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding and if you look for it as for silver and search as for hidden treasure,
So how do I do those things? Well verse 6 says God gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. So, if I read God’s word and accept it for truth, store up His words from the Bible by memorizing scripture, listen for wisdom from the scriptures and from the pastors I listen to at church those should help me. Come on knowledge of God! That is what I need!
Prov 3:7-8
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. NIV
It can be so easy to see myself as wise. God help me to learn from others that are wiser than me and to always be obedient to you.
Fearing the Lord is something that I have had to learn how to do properly. We are not supposed be afraid of God but we are supposed to view Him as holy and treat Him with respect.
Shunning evil seemed to be a pretty simple command yet figuring out what that looks like became complex. If I am to shun evil, then I should run from temptation, be careful of what I am thinking about, and stay away from people who are happily living in sin but calling themselves Christians.
Amos 7:2-3
2 When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out,” Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
3 So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen.” The Lord said.
Whoa! Talk about the power of prayer! Amos prayed (which means he spoke to God) for the nation of Israel and God not only heard his cry but changed things to honor his prayer.
God help me to remember the importance of talking to you and please help me stay sensitive to be able to hear your voice. I pray for our nation, that You will forgive our sins and that You would draw this nation to You and give us all a hunger and thirst for You and for Your word.
Prov 9:8-9
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. 9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
This scripture says that if we want to be wise we have to learn to accept correction and rebuke. That can be a hard thing to endure. God please help me to be wise and to learn from others.
Thoughts from AVK
Prov 14:16 A wise man fears the lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.
This scrip tells us to actually SHUN evil…what does shun mean???
The dictionary definition of shun: to avoid somebody or something intentionally. That does not mean to avoid everyone who does something wrong because we are all sinners(Rom 3:23). But if someone is saying they serve God but is refusing to live it we are told to AVOID them.
Hosea 14:1
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! NIV
Throughout the book of Hosea it describes I how many sins Israel has committed and how evil they have become. Yet, even in the midst of the evil God is still calling them to come back to Him. God cries out in this verse, He says RETURN, your SINS have been your downfall. He just wants them to stop sinning and come back to Him so that He can care for them and help them.
God I pray for my friends that don’t know You or have simply forgotten You, please draw them back to you and help them to understand that if they will just turn to you and stop living in sin that you will welcome them back with open arms.
Help me to always go back to you when I make a mistake and to seek forgiveness right away so that I can have relationship with you again. Just because I sin once does not mean I need to keep going.
Thoughts from AVK
Hosea 13:6
When I fed them, they were satisfied, when they were satisfied, they became proud, then they forgot me. NIV
Hosea 13:9
You are destroyed, O Israel because you are against Me, against your helper. NIV
Forgot…such a seemingly simple thing…to forget…yet it can hold disaster depending on what we forget. Opps, I forgot my keys, cant go far without those. Opps, I forgot to call my friend back, hope I didn’t hurt her feelings. Opps, I forgot God, now that can bring some serious issues.
Hosea 13 talks about how God cared for and protected Israel, but in verse 6 it says Israel became proud and forgot God. The simple act of forgetting caused them to live for themselves in sin without caring what God had to say. They forgot all the wonderful things God had done for them and how God had rescued them from their enemies. Israel’s forgetting led to what verse 9 describes as them being against God and says they are destroyed.
God I never want to get to the point where I forget you and turn my back on you. I never want to be known as someone who is against you. Help me to remember how amazing you are and to always honor you.
Thoughts from AV
2 Kings 6:5-7
5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”
6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
NKJV
God cares about us and even the little things in our lives. We need to get to a place where we can make requests of God and see miracles take place.
There is no problem too small or too big for God to handle or care about.
God today prepare our hearts and help us to see how much you like us and want to be a part of every aspect of our life (prov 3:6).
Amanda VK
Joshua had done so good about seeking God up until the below story. God had told Israel to wipe out all the inhabitants in the promise land and people showed up pretending to be from far away out of the promise land when really they lived close. God would have told Josh had he asked, but instead he was fooled by lies. It seemed locical in his analytical brain that they were from far away due to the way their food looked so he didn’t think he needed to ask God.
Even if something makes logical sense, you still MUST seek God’s counsel so that you are not deceived. Just because something is a good idea does not mean it is a God idea.
Josh 9:12-15
12 This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy. 13 And these wineskins which we filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.”
14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the LORD. 15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.
NKJV
…Josh 9:22-23
22 Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying,’We are very far from you,’ when you dwell near us? 23 Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves — woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
NKJV
Amanda Vander Klok
This is a story about Elijah, who was a prophet of God and performed amazing miracles!
1 Kings 19:4-8
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
ESV
- Have you ever felt like there was so much going on in your life that you just could’t handle it? Elijah did even though he was a prophet and performed amazing miracles. In the above verses Elijah is being real with God and tells Him that he doesn’t want to go on anymore. He explains his feelings and how he wants to give up and die. God is so faithful though! He sends an angel to come take care of him. We are are open and honest with God He will come to our rescue and give us strength to do what needs to be done. *Thank you God that you hear our prayers and are faithful to answer. Help me to always be open and honest with you and to fully trust you with my life.
Amanda Vander Klok
