Recognizing The Fool!

From The Word--NIV Translation--the fool is described mostly in Proverbs.

The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother. Proverbs 10:1 

The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.Whoever winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense. The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.  Proverbs 10:8-14 

Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool. Proverbs 10:17,18

 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense. 10:21

A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom. 10:23

Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips. 14:7 

The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure. 14:16 

The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. 15:2

The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. 15:14

Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler! 17:7

It is to one's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. 20:3

Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. 26:5

“If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth!" 30:32

No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected. Isaiah 32:5 

In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 2 Corinthians 11:17

The fool--as we can see from The Word--is easily identifiable if we are not wearing blinders or have our ears covered.
 
The fool's mouth always identifies him.

The fool's insecurity is evident in their paranoid behavior.

The fool will always boast of himself--self-congratulatory--always patting self on the back.

The fool will always expect others to praise them--seeks opportunity to find those who are gullible and will believe anything they say.

The fool never believes that others can see through their foolishness.

The fool thinks they have a right to dictate to others.

The fool is blinded to truth because their ego is the driving force in their lives.

The fool always needs someone else to clean up the messes they make.

The fool never accepts responsibility for what they do and always blames others when things go wrong.

The fool never listens to those who are wise because they don't believe anyone is wiser than they are.

Do we recognize him, now?

Blinded!

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 NIV

There are so many things that cause blindness--other than physiological reasons--and unfortunately, those who are blinded by the tricks of the enemy--seldom realize their predicament.

Being blinded by the enemy's distortions of truth is nothing new. All we need to do is go back to the garden to see how he blinded Eve with his distortion of truth. And he hasn't changed his MO; he's still distorting God's truth to keep people out of the will of God. The distortions--about truth--are not just used by those who are influenced by the enemy about The Word--they are used to confound and confuse about issues--prevalent in our society--to sway opinions.

We see this on a daily basis in the political arena. Some are using "smidgens" of truth and blowing that out of proportion to make themselves look better than another. Quite frankly, the more people attack others on issues that have no bearing on the competence of someone to run the country, the more disgruntled I get with the entire process. It is amazing to me how political candidates will use every possible avenue to destroy another's character when their own character leaves much to be desired.

But then--the followers of one are so blinded that they only see the truth--distorted as it is--that the candidate wants them to see. I really don't understand how some people are blinded by the lies--but I'm also not frustrated by bias against any who don't agree with. I am capable of discerning truth--aside from the efforts by those attempting to distort it. For any who are filled with Holy Spirit and are willing to heed His guidance--truth should never be distorted for us. We have "insight" that the average person may never understand, but will we use what we are given to make a stand for righteousness or will we cave to popular opinion and leave the door wide open for the nation's destruction?

I'm not promoting one candidate over another--I'm encouraging people to take off the blinders, shed the scales that keep truth distorted, and allow Holy Spirit to show all that needs to be seen. Stop allowing frustrations and personal biases to interfere with ability to see truth. Listen to the candidates--carefully--not the media or their opponents--listen to them and ask Holy Spirit to allow a glimpse of their heart. Are they truly interested in serving the needs of the people--all Americans--or do they have an agenda to serve self? These are not hard questions and the answers are easily seen--when one is not blinded by frustration, confusion and bigotry.

Remember this--a lie is a lie and there is no little lie, no black lies or white lies. God hates all liars and when we speak those things that are not true--we are liars. 

Let's stick with the facts and leave our opinions out of the equation since opinions are like other body exits--everyone has one and whether we agree or not, there is never any justification for disrespecting others for expressing their opinion about anything.

He Knows!

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is in on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. (Psalm 139:1-8 NIV)

The Creator knows who and what He has created; He knows the number of hairs on our heads, the number of brain cells that still function, our thoughts before we think them. There is nothing about us that God does not know and there is nothing we could ever hide from Him.
The eyes of the Lord are in every place--beholding the good and the evil, so why do we think we know more than Him? Though we do things in the dark and out of sight of people, our deeds are never hidden from Him.

Sometimes, I wonder--if people really understand that we will never know more than God--and there are some things that He will never allow us to discover because He knows--once we obtain certain knowledge, we have a tendency to think we are gods and can control our environment and circumstances, when the truth is--we have difficulty controlling our thoughts and tongues.

If we cannot control those things within the scope of our "choices" what makes us think, we can ever be wiser than God? James reminds us that the tongue, "that little member of our bodies that lacks control" ignites anger and starts wars--not knowing how to discern truth from lies. But those thoughts we allow to deceive us into speaking things we don't understand--that is where the confusion begins and ends. When our thoughts are not on things above, but below, we allow the enemy to enter and influence what we think and what we think--governs what we do or say.

I've often told my students that when a person refuses to know how to think for themselves, they will always be controlled by others. One of the reasons our society is in such sad shape is because people are influenced by others rather than drawing their own conclusions after gathering information and analyzing it, logically--not emotionally. Our emotions are fickle and subject to change faster than the wind moves in a storm, and no one should ever make a decision based upon their emotions. For more often than not--when emotional decisions are made--the irrationality of those decisions spring to the forefront and cannot be changed and the domino effect is put into motion, where one bad decision is made after another. God knows!

And because He knows how we react in our emotional states, He has provided us with wise counsel in His Word, but we must seek the wisdom in His Word, before we allow our thoughts to lead us into dangerous territory which could cause our demise or the demise of others. Before He created us, He knew our flaws and shortcomings, our emotional imbalances and rigid irrational thought-processes. He knew and loved us anyway because He also knew He had provided a means of escape from our own destination of destruction. "Trust in the Lord. Don't count on your own understanding, but in all things, acknowledge Him and determine to do things, His way." (Proverbs 3:7,8 paraphrased) So much wisdom found in the Proverbs!

God knew we would need Him and He knew some would never read His Word with understanding, so He came down to earth in the form of a man--Jesus--died, saved us from ourselves and provided us with His spirit to dwell within us--guiding us to His Word. He knew then and He still knows what we need more than we do. So, when are we going to realize--We need Him to guide us in all things and especially in controlling our tongues? We can fool ourselves and think we are all that, but without Him, we are nothing and will accomplish nothing of worth. He already knows--when will we get a clue?

When God Pours Out His Spirit!

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams, Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Acts 2:17,18, 21 NIV)

When Peter was preaching to the crowd--who heard those who were speaking and understanding their languages other than their own culture, he had to tell them the people were not drunk as with wine since it was only nine in the morning, but they were responding to the outpouring of God's Spirit and functioning in His realm. As a reminder, Peter told them what the prophet Joel had already predicted--what would happen in the last days when God poured out His Spirit upon all--men and women--indiscriminately.

There is so much that can be said about this particular passage of scripture that it would take more than one posting, but I'll try to stick with one primary theme--God is not biased and holds no one in greater esteem than another. In spite of continuing conflict within the Body of Christ as to the roles of men and women--particularly women--in ministry, we see a clear picture of God's view of who can speak on His behalf and that would be-anyone upon whom God has poured His Spirit and they have received it.

Since Peter reiterated what Joel had said, we can infer that women were present at the time of the outpouring of God's on the day of Pentecost and we know--there were women in the room from previous accounts as recorded in Acts. If the women were not functioning under the unction of the Holy Spirit--there would have been no need for Peter to remind those listening of what had been said by Joel. But he did and so we can accurately conclude that the women were speaking and ministering to the those in the crowd.

That was then and nothing has changed--in spite of male tendency to think that God will not use women in ministry, God knows who He will use and He doesn't need permission or approval of any man.  I cannot begin to recount the number of times I was told that, "God don't call women to preach." I remember clearly when God woke me to tell me that I was to teach His Word at three o'clock in the morning and I lay in bed, arguing with Him---because I did not see myself worthy or knowledgeable. Later than morning, while in church service, He poured out His Spirit and I received Him with the evidence of speaking in  tongues, with discernment and interpretation. Imagine that! God pouring out His Spirit on me, who knew all the wrongs I had done, but He forgave me and moved me into position to accomplish His plans for my life.

Looking back on where I was and where I am today--I understand that God's plans--those He purposed to accomplish great things to His glory--will come to pass; even if He has to wait on us to acknowledge Him. His plans never change, but He will not force us to do anything and will always honor our choices--to receive or reject, believe or not believe."For I know the plans I have for You," declares The Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29.11).

God's plans for my life are continually unfolding and even though I don't know what all of them entail, I am willing to trust Him and know that He only wants the best for me--as He does with all of His Children. For all who call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved and adopted into the family! Hallelujah!

Expecting My New Thing!

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland" (Isaiah 43:19 NIV).

It is not that God has not always provided for me and my family, but I am expecting to see even greater "new things" as we journey through this new year.

Am I the only person for whom The Lord has remained a continuous fountain of provision and trust?

Has He not provided for you and made ways of escape when you thought all was lost?

His promise to us is that even in the midst of chaos and confusion, economic drought and emotionally instability, He will be with us through it all and He will bring us through it--strengthening us, building character and encouraging others by what they see happen to us, to have faith in Him.

When God does "the new thing"--make sure you recognize it and move forward in His grace and mercy. Do not provoke His anger by being ungrateful for all the small things He does because it is the small things that are part of the great foundation He's building to give you the big things! Think about the foundation of your house! If it is concrete--it was formed with grains of sand (the small things). When we cannot appreciate the small things, we never see the big things that He can do for us.

Move in wisdom--discernment--always listening and seeking understanding--thanking Him for all He does.

What I Have Learned!

"He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you" (John 16:14 NIV).

When Jesus was speaking to His disciples, just before He returned to His Father, He was reminding them of the role of the Holy Spirit (His Spirit) who would remain in the earth realm to guide, reveal, remind, and instruct.

The Holy Spirit will guide us through tumultuous times--economic downturns, chaos and confusion across the land, and in the midst of a disturbance of our peace, He reminds us that God's peace surpasses all understanding. I've learned that if I rest in His peace, what is happening all around me, won't disturb me, but gives me purpose in prayer.

By His spirit, we will receive insight to things to come and when we are totally submitted and committed, He will create in us the spirit of "a watchman", warning the people.  If we warn them and they do not heed the warning, their blood is on their own hands.  If we do not warn them of impending danger, their blood when disaster strikes will be on our hands.  I've learned some people will never listen because they think they know everything.

Perhaps, more importantly, the role of the Holy Spirit is to remind us of The Word when we need it in a moment, and to instruct us in our behavior towards others--exercising discernment and wisdom. I've learned that no matter what I do or say, I'll never please everyone, so I concentrate on pleasing God.  If I please Him and others are pleased as a by-product--amen.  If they are not pleased as I please Him--oh well!

I've learned how to live holy, maintaining my relationship with God, seeking always to please Him and expecting to see fulfillment of His promises towards me. Some may think I'm being arrogant in my faith in God's promises, but I am simply being confident in Him, who cannot lie and will bring to pass every promise, and complete everything He ignites in us to do. I've learned to love--even those who appear to not care at all, but I love any way.  Again, their disdain gives my prayer purpose.  In fact, everything that I know I cannot control, gives my prayer purpose.

And when I pray, my communication with God is a two-way conversation.  While I talk, He listens and when He speaks, I listen. I pray with confidence, knowing He will respond. I always thank God for the desired result and because I pray in alignment with His Word, He will respond favorably.

Looking back over my life, I realize I have learned a great deal and still have much more to learn. What have you learned?

Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for keeping my heart and spirit tuned-in to You so I may know how to proceed on a daily basis and for loving me enough to keep teaching me! Amen!