Proverbs 2
6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of HIS mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: HE is a buckler (shield) to them that walk uprightly.
(The WORD God gives to us shields us from perversions and wrong ways.)
8 HE keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints.
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Every time we hear a Word from God and think on that Word and do that Word, we are shielded from the way that would harm us and we are taken in a way that blesses us.
As we draw nearer to the return of Jesus, we set our goal to be found by Jesus in peace, without spot, and blameless. (II Peter 3:14)
As we think on those words God gives us and do them, they take us in the ways of God and keep us from the ways of men.
We fight the concepts of men which are opposite to the way of God.
One of the most important things for us to do is to search out the Word from God and meditate on that Word and do that Word.
If we have caught our foot in a harmful net, God has a way of escape for us. As we do that shown us by God, we remove ourselves from that "net" that binds us to the evil of man.
I Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
First we see that there is no trap that is too strong for us. God does not allow that. We are able to get free.
Second, God knows what we need to do to free ourselves.
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Humans stumble about not knowing what causes them to stumble. But we have the power through God to see what it is that is causing us to slip. And when we do see that, God also shows us how to avoid the trap so we can go in a straight way of good and not in evil.
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John 10:10 Jesus says: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
When we go in the way of the flesh or devils, we are harmed. When we go in the way of the scriptures and the concepts brought to our minds by the Spirit of God we move into a more abundant life and avoid the traps.
Psalm 1
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
(We choose not to place ourselves in their paths.)
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
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Proverbs 1
10 If sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
Examples: (Comments by Joan Boney)
During the Coronavirus of 2020, I became interested in following the happenings on television newscasts on CNN.
But I found the commentators trying to stir me up in political ways to cause me to hate the government leaders in USA.
Also I found them trying to make me think it would be good to "follow the science", which can seem to be perfect.
(I knew this was not true for I know scriptures where Paul warned Timothy not to follow science, so called.)
I Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
As I heard various doctors and scientists speak, I could tell they really didn't know what to do. They speculated. But the thing that was so bad is the newscasters and governors of states felt wise by that which these men of science and medicine were saying. And the newscasters were condemning others who questioned this way and they were even scorning those who choose to go in another way. And I could see they considered themselves wise in their own eyes in that which they were promoting. Also I could see them covering themselves by what the data reported, not risking their own opinion before other people. (I knew all these ways were against that which I read in Bible.)
* Bible teaches me to seek my wisdom from God who made heaven and earth and knows all things.
* I know how to seek wisdom from God and how to recognize that wisdom that comes to me from God.
Then I began to see these newscasters as hollow, dead men and dead women. (people without souls)
When I realized I needed to stop listening to them daily as I had been doing, my flesh resisted for it was being "tickled" by these newscasts.
I turned to God for help in escaping.
God did two things to get me loose from them.
* I became more deeply involved in Bible and exhortations and the time I was focusing on Bible ran into that news hour which I had been watching on TV.
* On one day when I finished my Bible and exhortations early, I had extra time on my hands where I could have watched the newscast as I had been doing. So what was I to do with the time? I asked God. And the concept came to me: "Take a shower and wash your hair." I did that and found it ate up the time and I no longer had interest that day in seeing what the world was doing.
(God knows the way of escape that will work for each of us.)
And after I did what God showed me I realized I had entered into doing the scriptures:
Proverbs 1:10, 15-16 If sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
(Their feet do run to evil. They can't wait to tell their enticing stories and shed the blood of other men with their own wisdom. I had avoided walking in the way with them by doing that which God showed me to do.)
I Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
Pam Padgett, member of body of Christ, also said to me that she could tell she was being corrupted by seeing newscasts. She was reminded of this scripture:
I Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
***
Another example of following God into abundance:
The ministry owned a house in Texas where I had lived for almost 20 years. When I was shown to move to Colorado in 2019, I put the house in Texas up for sale. It did not sell and 1 1/2 years passed.
In March, 2020, at the height of the Coronavirus shut down in USA, I turned to God in prayer asking God if there was anything I should do about that house in Texas.
Immediately, the concept was brought to my mind to reduce the price of the house and put it on a "special" sale for one-week.
I took this action and the house sold within 2 days.
But the selling price seemed so low.
However, when the money came to the ministry, it seemed there was so much money even with the low selling price. I was really shocked when we began working with that money. I had loaned the ministry almost all the money left to me by my dad. I was able to repay myself. I was able to repay Pam Padgett for all the extra ministry expenses incurred in the 1 1/2 years that the house did not sell. I was able to give gratuities to 5 people who helped with the house: my contractor, my former housekeeper, a real estate advisor, and 2 former realtors who had shown the house several times. And even after paying all these things, we deposited $190,000 in the ministry bank account from the sale of the house.
The sale price seemed to be so little but it provided so much money when it was divided up.
This is like the story of the loaves and fishes:
(There seemed to be so little but they fed so many and had 12 baskets left over.)
Matthew 14
15 And when it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
It can seem to be so little, but end up being so much!
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