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Post by Kaye on Sept 5, 2006 9:05:51 GMT -5
I found this on the Bible website I found. (http://www.bible.com)
Proverbs 24:6 (AMP): 6 For by wise counsel you can wage your war, and in an abundance of counselors there is victory and safety.
Thoughts for the Day
This verse in Proverbs states that for the purpose of war,good counsel is a must.In any situation where a person is considering a battle to obtain their objectives, a multitude of wise counselors is a must. A group of wise people will be able to look at the situation from every angle and be better able to strategize. Team work and unity are vital for any large victory to be obtained.With a multitude of many counselors, the goals and purposes will not be frustrated, but will be completed because of good help. Each person who is wise will have good suggestions to add to the over-all plan to win the needed victory, especially when going to war.
The Bible records many wars throughout its pages. In fact, many of these wars document the accuracy of the Bible, as archeology has uncovered artifacts with data that verifies the records of them exactly as recorded in Holy Script. Why has God allowed wars in the earth? What is the role of soldiers and how can one reconcile taking the lives of other humans in that role? When God created the earth and put man upon it, He pronounced that it was all good until men sinned and fell from that estate. Because mankind was given a free will and they could choose to obey God or do evil, we now live in an environment where evil men and good men are at war. God hates war; however, it is necessary to maintain order in the earth and overcome those who would like to destroy good. In fact, the first war ever recorded was the war in heaven where Satan and his evil angels fought against God and his angels. We know this war was won by God through Christ.
Revelation 12:7-11: 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Some Christians have difficulty with the actions of government in the area of war, as the heart of Christianity is to love our enemies, not destroy them. How do we reconcile this as Christians? We must understand that the Bible deals with the role of government differently than that of an individual Christian. Throughout the Bible, the main role of governments was to protect its people from threatening invaders and to maintain law and order within its borders. This was done by maintaining a military force. Those who would argue against a country's military position must also ask what a nation would be like without policemen and prisons.
If we desire to see justice done and see wars end and yes, even the end of all forms of killing, violence, terror and death--we must realize that this can only come about through the kingdom of God coming to this world. God's kingdom can only come about as all men yield to God and His laws. The time is soon coming when Jesus will return to this earth. At His second coming, He will then rule with a rod of iron and the devil will be chained and his followers destroyed. Satan will no longer tempt men with evil, so there will be no more wars, murder and evil in the earth. We shall enter the Millennial Reign of Christ, when the earth shall rest from its tribulations. However, until that time, God has instructed us, as His children, to pray for His Kingdom to be manifested in our individual lives and communities. We can change the world through allowing Christ to rule in our lives and thus affect those around us with His love and grace.
Isaiah 2:4: And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
For those who refuse to allow His reign in their lives, God has set government authorities in the earth to restrain evil by enforcing the laws of the land. Granted, they are imperfect and some are even evil. However, the alternative would be that evil would overcome those that were good, if there were no laws. We can change the bad laws by allowing God to use us in our spheres of influence. We must exercise our right to vote when we have that privilege. We must do our part to pray, witness and become involved in the world to change it for the better. That is the way the kingdom of God will be established in our world, through allowing God to reign in our every day lives in the place we are planted. This is the way we can prevent other acts of terror from destroying more people in our nation and the nations of the world. May the King and His kingdom come quickly!
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Post by shadowrider on Sept 5, 2006 20:43:26 GMT -5
Good one, Kaye and it helps to clarify the difference between God's dealings with individuals and governments. I never thought about that. We all need to pray for our brother, George W. Bush, as he seeks to do God's will in a challenging position of authority!
in Him, mac
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Post by Kaye on Sept 7, 2006 16:17:53 GMT -5
Proverbs 24:10 (AMP): 10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Thoughts for the Day
This verse in Proverbs tells us that we are weak and only have small strength, if we are unable to withstand adversity. No one likes to go through adversity; however, it is a part of this life. The Bible tells us, that in this world, we will have tribulation; however, we are not to lose heart or give up, because Jesus has made a way for us to overcome adversities through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
John 16:33: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
When we accept Christ as our Saviour, it does not exempt us from the trials and difficulties in this life, but we are given the promise that we will come through them victoriously and still standing! There is a great example of this in a parable Jesus shared in His Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 7:24-27: 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
These verses tell us that our protection comes from listening to the Words of Jesus and then acting on them. We must be a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer. The book of John tells us that we deceive ourselves if we are just a hearer and not a doer.
James 1:22: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
It is through obedience to the Word of God that we become overcomers. We cannot continue to sin and expect to walk in victory. We are accountable to the Word of God, once we hear it. Before we come to know the Lord, we commit sins out of ignorance to the commands of Jesus. This brings destruction in our lives. However, once we come to God, then we must study the Bible to find out what is required of us. Ignorance of the Word will bring destruction in our lives. Obedience will bring victory!
Hosea 4:6a: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Afflictions, adversity and tribulation may come against us, but the Bible tells us that we do not have to yield to weakness and be overcome by them. We have been given the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit in order to overcome anything that the devil may send our way. The Bible tells us that we are "more than conquerors" and that the "greater one" lives in us!
Romans 8:35-37: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Although in the natural, we may have only a little strength, in Christ we have access to His strength, which can overcome any and all adversities.
1 John 4:4: Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
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Post by Kaye on Sept 8, 2006 8:11:43 GMT -5
Proverbs 24:11-12 (AMP): 11 Deliver those who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter hold them back (from their doom). 12 If you (profess ignorance and) say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it? And He Who guards your life, does not He know it? And shall not He render to (you and) every man according to his works?
Thoughts for the Day
These verses in Proverbs tell us that our Christian duty is to try and rescue those who are in situations that will lead them to death. We cannot turn a deaf ear to those who are crying for help, nor can we shut our eyes to the suffering around us. We live in an hour when television transmits tragic situations into our living rooms and we must take our responsibility to help those whom we can. We must keep our ears open to the Holy Spirit as to what He wants us to do when things are brought to our attention. Obviously, we cannot help the whole world, but we can help that one person or that one situation that God lays upon our heart to help. We must not become callous to the suffering we see in our world. We must always stand ready to reach out to the helpless, the poor, the hurting, the hungry and the sick.
At times, the Lord may have us actually go to someone, or the physical site, and give of our personal assistance. In other cases, we should give of our finances to help those who are there, ready to help, but need our support. We can all help by taking time to pray for those who are going through trials or pain.Prayer changes things.The Lord commissioned us, as His people, to help the poor and needy. He tells us in the scripture below, that when we give to others with needs, it is, as if we are giving directly to Jesus.
Matthew 25:34-46: 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Verse 12 in our study tells us that God knows the hearts of men and if we try to make excuses why we have not reached out to help others, then we will reap what we have sown in the matter. When we do not sow kindness and help toward others when they have a need, we will not receive help when we are faced with our own trials. As God's children, He wants us to have a heart like His own. He is merciful, kind, loving and giving and we should strive to be like Him. One of our promises is that when we are sick, God will heal us and deliver us from trouble because we have given to the poor. What wonderful insurance!
Psalm 41:1-3: 1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. 2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. 3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
To sum up our Christian duty to the needy, I am reminded of a stanza from an old hymn that says, we are to -- "Rescue the perishing; care for the dying."
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Post by Kaye on Oct 1, 2006 11:57:35 GMT -5
Proverbs 25:18 (AMP): A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a heavy sledgehammer and a sword and a sharp arrow.
Thoughts for the Day This verse from Proverbs describes how a person who is a false witness affects another -- it is like a sharp and heavy blow against them. God commanded us not to bear false witness against anyone, and it is the ninth commandment in the list of the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. Exodus 20:16: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. The definition of a "false witness" is someone who lies about his neighbor or anyone else. Bearing false witness is telling a lie or witnessing with a false report. But this commandment has a deeper meaning than just lying. The Bible makes some very strong statements about how we speak and how we "witness" with our mouths - both positive and negative. Now, bearing false witness would include gossiping, slander, lying, deceitfulness and cheating. When we gossip about anybody, we are lying about them and bearing false witness about them. This is a very serious thing before God. According to this verse in Proverbs, it is like beating someone with a heavy sledgehammer or hitting them with a sword or an arrow. We may not think gossiping is a very serious offense, but with God, it is a very serious because it is distorting the truth against our neighbor or someone else, and God will not hold us guiltless for this. I remember years and years ago when I made a commitment to God and totally surrendered to Him, the very first thing the Lord dealt with me about was the sin of gossiping. The Lord revealed to me that my mouth was causing destruction in my own life, as well as the lives of others by my critical words. When the Holy Spirit comes in, it is His responsibility to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and remove those things in us that do not look like Jesus, so God began to deal with my tongue right away. He started convicting me about the things that I was saying that did not agree with the Word of God and the things that were sinful that I was speaking. There is a lot in Scripture that refers to the tongue. We are to guard our tongue, the fruit we produce out of our mouth will either make us or break us, will either give us victory or destroy us, because there is life and death in the power of the tongue according to the Word of God. Proverbs 18:20-21: 20 A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. When we lie or gossip we are using our tongue against our neighbor in the wrong way. God wants us to watch this little member of our body, as it can be very destructive. David cried out to God to come and save him from men who were like lions with teeth that were as spears and arrows, and their tongues were like a sharp sword. Psalm 57:3-4: 3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. 4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. There is an old saying that says: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." After studying the Bible, I see this old adage is not true. Using unkind names or words against people is harmful. It is harmful to the one who uses them, as well as to the one it is being spoken against. Words are very powerful. Think about this, lawyers use words to build their cases. Our nation's laws are made up of volumes of words. Our national treaties are words written on documents. Words announce the daily news. Words are tools that are used to communicate with one another. In the beginning God used words to create the earth by speaking everything into existence. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself, is referred to as the living Word. The Bible is also known as the Word of God. Words are powerful - both good and evil words. That is why when someone bears false witness against another, it is very painful to them. While on the positive side when we pray, our mouth is forming words in the spirit dimension that go out and they produce good things. And so we have to guard our mouth and watch that we do not let the wrong things come out, because on the negative side our words also produce things in the spirit realm that can be damaging and bring wounds to others.
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Post by shadowrider on Oct 9, 2006 10:28:40 GMT -5
Kaye, these are great!! Where can I find these, I'd love to study one each day! They really are practical lessons in daily living. Thanks, dear sister!
love, mac
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Post by Kaye on Oct 9, 2006 10:58:09 GMT -5
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Post by Kaye on Oct 9, 2006 11:10:14 GMT -5
Proverbs 26:1 (AMP): Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a (self confident) fool.
Thoughts for the Day
This verse from Proverbs tells us that honor bestowed upon a self-confident fool is not fitting. The reason this is true is because when attention and honor are given to a person who is already prideful, it only causes them to be more prideful and haughty. Just as snow is out of season in summer and not a good thing because the cold will damage the plants, so praise and honor cause a prideful person to cause damage to others.Rain in harvest-time is also unfitting, as it prevents the farmer from being able to harvest his crops. In the book of Isaiah we find a scripture that describes how a fool acts:
Isaiah 32:6: (AMP): For the fool speaks folly and his mind plans iniquity: practicing profane ungodliness and speaking error concerning the Lord, leaving the craving of the hungry unsatisfied and causing the drink of the thirsty to fail.
Someone who is prideful and a fool, is a person who is very selfish, as they only think of themselves. Not only do they practice sin, but they never reach out to the hungry and thirsty. They also will speak against the Lord because they are deceived by their own pride. Pride is the root of many sins.
Psalm 10:2-4: 2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. 3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. 4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
People who are proud and self-confident have no time for God. In fact, God is not even in their thoughts. They are too busy with accomplishing their own desires, even at the expense of the poor. However, the Bible says that a wicked man will eventually be taken in their own devices. The scripture tells us that we all shall reap what we sow.
Galatians 6:7-8: 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
If we sow evil things, we shall also reap those things; however, we have a choice, and we can sow good things. If we reach out to the poor and we help others, then in our hour of need, God will send people to help us. If we are merciful to people who are unkind to us and sin against us, then God will be merciful to us when we fail Him and sin. If we give to others and the work of the Lord, then the Lord will cause our finances to be blessed. If we encourage others, when we need encouragement, others will encourage us. If we humble ourselves, then the Lord will lift us up. However, if we brag and exalt our own selves, then we shall fall. We should ask God to help us remain humble and pray for those who are walking in pride.
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