Book Deal

I signed! New Reality is on its way to being a published book!

Have you ever wondered what abundant life looks like in everyday living? Do you doubt ‘the good life’ is even possible given your circumstances? Do you long for a close and intimate relationship with Jesus in which He reveals the secret of eternal life to you personally? In my upcoming book, New Reality, I describe what abundant life looks like and how it may be obtained in everyday life. I hope to enrich you with Biblical insight, inspire you with stories from my own life, and encourage you in your own dynamic relationship with a living, breathing, awesome God!

Time Change

So often I hear, “I just don’t have time.” It is true, our culture demands us to burn both ends of the night. We feel we are being jerked around by the world’s priorities. But there is another way in Christ. When I hear Christians say they don’t have time, I simply hear, “I haven’t made it a priority.” Usually this is just fine, but sometimes it reveals disobedience.

As humans, we bow to the time god and pretend we are victims to the timeline. But as Christians, we live in a spiritual kingdom which is defined by eternity. If we are willing to submit our time, like any other resource, we will find it in abundance. Our true priorities rise to the surface like a bubble in water. It’s really hard to say no to good things, but this is what it takes to say yes to the best, especially in the U.S. where opportunity abounds. When we understand our personal purpose and realize what it is that God intends for us to do for all eternity, our priorities become clear despite the demanding nature of temporal life. We are no longer distracted by the immediate pressing issues. We learn to trust God in an extraordinary way, knowing God will make sure the real need is met. We simply bow to what our Heavenly Father is saying in the moment.

And that is true blessing and freedom.

Faith

“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” (Heb. 11:1 AMP)

Faith becomes reality as we reach into the unseen world, grasp God’s promises, and draw them into this world. It is the basis of our perspective and the way we see this life. It’s not just something we do on Sundays, something we study, or something we blindly follow. It is our entire existence, our being at our very core. It is our work, our play, our home life, and our public life. 

Faith is to perceive things as they truly are. The human heart is proficient at denial, but God opens our soul to light. The Gospel invites us to live in the real reality, even if our natural senses cannot perceive it at first. God opens our eyes, opens our ears, and we taste, feel, and smell His goodness. He heightens our spiritual senses and we attain His promises by faith. Faith becomes tangible as we live out those promises in our everyday life.

By the Holy Spirit, faith seeks to influence our entire being. What starts in our inner spirit works outward, influencing our thoughts, emotions, and desires before spilling out into reality by our actions. Faith seeks to inform our thinking, which changes our feelings, which together remake our desires and we naturally act out God’s will. 

Faith is of the spirit (1 Cor. 12:9) and belief is of the mind. Faith necessarily influences beliefs, but sometimes our mind gets in the way. God puts faith in our spirit, yet our mind may create a barrier so we cannot see the proof of our faith! We know we have faith, but we have a hard time believing, so we never experience confirmation of our faith in this earth. Our heart fails when we cannot see or sense God is pleased with us.

God so lovingly wants to give us proof of our salvation and new life. There is so, so much more to life than fleeting good times. There’s a depth, a richness, a layer of eternity God wants to add. He desires to enhance our existence so that we actually receive a bit of our heavenly inheritance here on earth. We experience God’s promises by being sustained and controlled by faith. We trust naturally because we have experience and assurance through the Holy Spirit. What we do, say, and feel become the proof of our faith. Through faith, God uses our life circumstances to confirm His reality.

Confirmation

One day I was recovering from doing something I knew to be wrong. I confessed to God but was caught somewhere between my sin and forgiveness. I could sense the Holy Spirit was grieved by my disobedience and I was saddened by the seeming separation. Instead of wallowing over my sinfulness, which is so easy to do, I stepped into repentance. What this means is that I turned my mind from my old way of thinking in the flesh, about my sin, to think about that which pleases God. I focused all my energy on being led by the Spirit.

I pulled into a shopping center when an old man on the side of the road caught my attention. He was asking for help. I knew God was prompting me to give, so I prepared my offering as I was leaving the store. I positioned my minivan in front of the man and could sense there was something very different about this situation. He gradually rose from the camping chair where he was seated and steadily walked toward my van. Cars began to reroute as this encounter was already taking extra time.

When he reached my van he was rambling about needing a watch. We exchanged a few words and he asked if he could take my hand. I was surprised by how clean his hand felt. He kissed it and looked me straight in the eye. He delivered the most beautiful word of God that healed my heart in an instant. He said that if I asked God, He would clean my whole body. My eyes were drawn toward the silver cross hanging around his neck. I sincerely thanked him.

As I drove away, God’s love enveloped me. I was grateful for His confirmation and encouraged to believe the truth about my sin and forgiveness. By the blood of Christ, I am clean. I’m honestly not sure if the old man was homeless or an angel. Either way, God used him to deeply touch and heal my heart.

Sometimes we just need to hear we are "good." No amount of likes on social media, bonuses at work, or good deeds can give us the confirmation we truly need. We need to hear with our own ears that we are saved, forgiven, and God is pleased with us despite our sin. Today, when we walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit, this is the confirmation God so lovingly desires to give us personally. When we tune our ears to hear His voice above the rest, we will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." We will know without a shadow of a doubt we are good because of Christ's deed in us.

Let it Go!

In high school, I had the wonderful opportunity to work closely with our youth pastor as a student leader. My male counterpart, John, was a friend I dearly loved and admired. He was incredibly talented and a strong leader. Not only were we part of the planning and organization of our youth group, but we were personally discipled by our pastor and met on a regular basis to discuss reading assignments and life in general. This was a phenomenal opportunity to grow into the leaders God created us to be.

John and I went our separate ways in college. John was so talented he majored in English and then continued on to medical school after graduation. As I was starting my family, John was in his residency. In 2006, my young family and I were in my hometown visiting my parents. A flood of phone calls streamed into my parents’ house with rumors that John committed suicide. Immediately, I rejected the idea and denied my grief; my emotions were channeled into anger.

Indeed, suicide was just a rumor. John died from an anaphylactic reaction to a substance used to cut cocaine. He was a secret addict who struggled to overcome his addiction all throughout college. Having already returned home to Cincinnati, I decided not to travel back for the funeral. I spoke to our youth pastor and thought I would be fine. I wrote John an angry letter and filed it away thinking I had put it all to rest. Little did I know there was a sickness growing inside; I was carrying a seed of bitterness. From time to time I would return to the angry letter and stew over the shame of it all. I would look at the funeral notice and think about what might have been. I didn’t realize I was refusing to forgive John. I should have known something was wrong when I was surprised and slightly annoyed by classmate’s questions at our high school reunion the year after his death.

Just before Easter of 2008, God started to work on my heart. He led me to a website John’s parents created. It was an organization and scholarship program designed to help other parents and children struggling with drug addiction. When I explored the impact John was having on so many people, my heart began to soften. God has been accomplishing all He had in mind through John’s life and death.

On Easter Sunday our church had a call to repentance. When unforgiveness was mentioned, God pierced my heart. “I’ve forgiven John,” He said, “Have you?” Tears flowed freely down my face as I confessed my unbelief and lack of forgiveness. For the first time, I honestly mourned my great friend.

First Things First

If we are to experience an abundant life, we must first turn from our old life and receive the new. The old is temporary, the new is eternal. If we are to experience eternal life, we must turn from all that is temporary within to the life given to us by Christ’s resurrection. How do we know what is temporary unless God reveals it? We must allow the Spirit to search our heart and search our soul. As we consume truth, as we allow His Word to penetrate our heart, as we realize more of God’s character revealed in us- all that opposes becomes clear. When we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s heart. The Spirit’s testimony within our spirit will tell us when we have transgressed. We must step quickly into repentance when the Holy Spirit convicts, lest our flesh and the enemy rise to condemn. There is no need for a Christian to remain in feelings of guilt.

We have an opportunity in Christ to take our shame, our guilt, and condemnation to the throne of God and receive forgiveness. In the world we will be told we are at fault and we will feel the burden of responsibility on our shoulders. But in Christ there is a different way. We have the opportunity to go to God, lay our burdens down, and listen to the truth. Sometimes we will hear God correcting us and showing us a new way. When God corrects, we do not feel condemned but relieved; His way is like a breath of fresh air. Sometimes the worldly guilt and blame will be unjust. Either way, we walk forward in forgiveness. In this way, we let go of our failures and walk in newness of life and are naturally able to extend forgiveness to our accusers because we no longer feel the burden of accusation.

God’s forgiveness is tangible. It’s not some far away dream we know to be true but experience the contrary while we are here. It is not intended we exist in a lake of regret and condemnation for what we did or did not do. The new reality is that we have freedom in Christ. Today, when we step into obedience to the Holy Spirit, God is able to confirm us in our everyday life.

The New Reality

One of the most amazing things about God was the way He redefined reality with words. God looked into chaos and spoke the hopeful words of creation. He looked into the chaos of our sin and declared us righteous in Christ. By speaking those words, coupled with our belief in them, He reconstituted our reality. If He had declared us lost He would have spoken truth, but He spoke a greater truth by recreating us with His words. 

—Martin Luther, Reformer – Sunday Sermon (1500s)

In the Bible, God promises new life in Christ. It’s the kind of life Jesus talks about in John 10:10 (NKJV) when He says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Other versions of the Bible talk about a rich, satisfying life, one filled with reason and fulfillment. This life has an eternal quality. It is a life marked by more. However, we don’t have to look far to realize many are not yet experiencing abundant life. We distance ourselves from the people and testimonies in the Bible, telling ourselves things were different when it was written. We believe the characters were superior, or that they had an unusual connection to God, so He treated them specially. Many believers are not experiencing spiritual riches like love, joy, and peace. Our lives can be just as riddled by restlessness, sin, and anxiety as the rest of the world. We are bothered by what we see on social media, concerned about violence in the news, and uncertain about the future of our nation. 

When we believe God for new life in Christ, the Spirit opens our eyes and ears and awakens us to new realities. We become alive as the Lord stirs our senses to realize things of the spiritual realm. This is meant to enhance our life on earth, giving us awareness of greater purpose and power. As we believe God’s perspective communicated through the Bible and the Holy Spirit, we begin to experience life in a whole new way. Because we see, hear, sense, and recognize God’s work in the earth, following Him becomes natural. We see the enemy’s work, recognize it as a distraction, and are no longer bound by his authority. We walk in the power and authority of Christ causing us to rise above the fallen condition of the world. We begin to recognize God’s supernatural involvement in our life and in this world.

We have the opportunity to come into agreement with God. Our old self has been crucified, we are no longer bound by the sinful nature, and we now have abundant life available in Christ. We have an option, a new way of life that comes from the Holy Spirit’s presence within. Our new reality is in God’s kingdom filled with the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.

One-A-Day

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

Welcome to One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom! Join me by reading one chapter in Proverbs a day and reflecting on Wisdom through daily questions. The questions are designed to open a dialogue between us and God. They are progressive by nature in order to push beyond the surface of practical knowledge to go deeper into the character of God and the insight of the Holy Spirit. Not all answers are concrete, but prompt us to seek wisdom beyond human reasoning. Read the Proverbs in a version which “speaks” to you personally and be patient with the work of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks so much for joining me on this journey through Proverbs. Please feel free to email me through the blog contact form or social media. I would love to connect.

One-A-Day 1

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This is the first post in a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 1
Questions for Reflection:

1. What is the purpose of Proverbs? (1:2-6)
2. Proverbs deals with wisdom on three different levels. Practical knowledge which gives us prudence, discernment (between temporal and eternal) which leads to discretion and understanding, and prophetic insight which reveals the path of righteousness. Soberly assess where you are in your walk with Wisdom.
3. In what way does Wisdom encompass knowledge, discernment, and insight? Where does wisdom come from and how do we personally gain godly wisdom?
4. How does insight (revealed ways and purposes of God- i.e. ‘God’s Will’) affect our daily lives? How do we “get” insight?
5. What does Wisdom promise? (1:33, 2:5-9)

One-A-Day 2

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 2
Questions for Reflection:

1. What is your understanding of reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord? Ask the Lord for fresh insight on Prov. 1:7. 
2. What does fear of the Lord cause us to do?
3. What role does obedience play in gaining wisdom?
4. What role does wisdom play in knowing God?
5. What is eternal life according to John 17:3?

One-A-Day 3

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 3
Questions for Reflection:

1. What is the purpose of God’s law and commandments? (3:2) Why should we listen to Wisdom? (3:13-26, 35)
2. Hebrews 8:10 (NIV) says, “This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Why is this good news? What does this tell you about the role of the conscience in a child of God?
3. Charles Spurgeon wrote of the new covenant, “I will with my Spirit graciously operate upon their minds and their hearts, and so I will sweetly influence them to serve me, and they love me and they feel it to be their delight to walk in the way of my commandments.” (Sermon, Feb. 28, 1897) How and why do we obey God in this age, under the new covenant of grace?
4. What role does the Holy Spirit play in Christian obedience?
5. In what ways does the Lord discipline us? How might suffering or trials play a role in the Lord’s discipline? Why does the Lord allow suffering? (3:11-12)

One-A-Day 4

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 4
Questions for Reflection:

1. How does Wisdom lead to understanding in your own life?
2. How does understanding enrich your daily life? Think about personal experiences with Wisdom and how that caused you to react differently.
3. Who reveals true wisdom to each of us personally? Do you seek Wisdom every day? How?
4. Proverbs talks about wisdom as comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God. Do you believe you can have this type of supernatural wisdom in your everyday life? How has insight affected your personal life? 
5. Spend a few minutes quieting yourself and practice listening to the Holy Spirit.

One-A-Day 5

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 5
Questions for Reflection:

1. In what way is hedonism (seeking to please and satisfy the flesh) like the way of the adulteress described in Chapter 5? Ask the Lord to increase your discernment to see the difference between flesh and spirit.
2. Since God is Spirit, it is in our spirit (the inner man) where we experience fellowship with Him. Ask the Lord to remove any fear which inhibits our ability to experience His Presence. Practice connecting in spirit to God the Spirit. Relax and allow the Holy Spirit to flood your senses!

One-A-Day 6

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 6
Questions for Reflection:

1. In Proverbs, Wisdom is presented as a person. In what way is this person like the Holy Spirit?
2. What does it mean to live life in the Spirit (Rom. 8) as it relates to Wisdom of Proverbs?
3. How does obeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit bring understanding? Try it and see for yourself! Journal your experience.
4. Proverbs repeatedly says obedience to God’s commands brings life. What life is this referring to? How have you experienced this?
5. A child of God doesn’t follow the law because he has to, he follows because he gets to! Read and consider Rom. 8:1-2.

One-A-Day 7

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 7
Questions for Reflection:

1. If Wisdom is the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is in us and with us all the time, how does this change your perspective about seeking Wisdom?
2. What is your greatest temptation?
3. How do we overcome the persuasive words and justification of the Temptress? (This could be an internal or external voice in your life.)
4. Much like the young man seduced in the night, temptation often comes with a spiritual denseness or darkness. How do we break through to the light?
5. Meditate on Proverbs 7:22-23. In what way does sin cost us our life? In the light of God’s eternal forgiveness, why is repentance so important to our life here and now?

One-A-Day 8

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 8
Questions for Reflection:

1. What is the antidote to temptation? 
2. Ask God for divine wisdom and understanding regarding your personal temptations. Open your heart to His quiet whisper and live by His words.
3. What are the true riches in verse 21 and how do they affect our lives today?
4. Consider that Wisdom may be the Holy Spirit as described in Prov. 8:22-31. Is the Holy Spirit your master, director, and daily delight?
5. What does Wisdom say we will be if we listen to her? (8:34-35) Could this be considered part of our eternal reward?

One-A-Day 9

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 9
Questions for Reflection:

1. Are you open and teachable like the wise man? (9:4-9) Ask the Lord to reveal the condition of your heart.
2. Is there a good kind of fear? (9:10) What is the difference between fear of the Lord and fear of death/punishment?
3. What happens to our fear as we obey the Lord? Follow the progression mentioned in vs. 10 and 11 from fear to eternal life.
4. We work to please those whom we fear. Are you a man-pleaser or a God-pleaser? One leads to death and disappointment and the other leads to true life. Ponder these things and allow the Spirit to reveal the truth about your motivations.
5. If fear prompts obedience, and obedience leads to understanding, what happens to our fear as we gain Wisdom? (See 1 John 4:18)

One-A-Day 10

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 10
Questions for Reflection:

1. The Amplified Version says, “a foolish and self-confident son is the grief of his mother.” (10:1) What does self-confident mean in this verse and how is it foolish? What does this tell us about our relationship with God? Where does our confidence belong?
2. From a spiritual perspective, what does it mean “righteousness delivers from death?” (10:2) What does righteousness look like and how is it accomplished in your life? (1 Cor. 1:30)
3. Do you believe the Lord is correcting you? In what ways can you see the discipline of the Lord in your life?
4. The Message says, “The wage of a good person is exuberant life,” (10:16) and “the road to life is a disciplined life.” (10:17) Let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart. Write down any ideas sparked by these verses.
5. Verse 19 in the NLT says, “Too much talk leads to sin.” How have you seen this in your own life?

One-A-Day 11

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 11
Questions for Reflection:

1. Consider this definition of humble (Prov. 11:2): Those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiseled by trial, and renounce self.  Again consider your trials, God's discipline, and where your confidence resides.
2. Have you considered that sometimes the Lord frustrates our plans when our desires are not of him? How does this change your perspective of determination? Read Numbers 22:21-39 for additional insight. Ask the Lord for discernment to determine when it is His Spirit standing in your way or the spirit of the world frustrating God's plan.
3. As you read Proverbs 11, turn each bit of advise into your personal prayer. Read it in different versions and let the Lord highlight His message to you.

One-A-Day 12

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 12
Questions for Reflection:

1. A major theme in Proverbs is discipline. How does discipline translate into wisdom and true life?
2. Proverbs 12:28 says the way of righteousness brings (abundant, rich, full) life, and this life is eternal. Remembering that righteousness comes to us by faith alone (Rom 1:7), what is the way (path) of righteousness?
3. Could it be that the path of righteousness is for us, and not something we do for God? What does it mean, “The righteous will live by faith?” Ask the Lord to reveal this to you.
4. What role does the Holy Spirit play in the path of righteousness? Consider obedience to the Holy Spirit as a lifestyle and how that might relate to the path of righteousness in Proverbs.
5. Are you one who listens to wise council? Ask the Lord to reveal this plainly to you.

One-A-Day 13

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 13
Questions for Reflection:

1. When our hope is in the Lord, what is the result according to Proverbs 13:12? Ponder what (true) life, satisfaction, and fulfillment looks like in everyday life in this broken world.
2. How does our preconceptions shape our experience and abundant life? Ask the Lord to filter your thoughts and purify your perceptions. Surrender your mind completely to Christ and ask Him to reveal any error. Write down your thoughts.
3. Prudence avoids the snares of death. (Prov. 13:14) When we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we are able to perceive danger before it manifests (this is insight!). Ask the Lord to increase your sensitivity to His Spirit in everyday life.
4. Ponder the Lords’s discipline in your life. It may be that illness, difficulty, or boundary is actually protecting you from greater evil! (Prov. 13:18) Let the Lord reveal this to you personally.

One-A-Day 14

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 14
Questions for Reflection: (Note: these questions are going deeper and deeper. It is ok to allow the Holy Spirit to work in you through one question instead of trying to tackle all of them!)

1. When Proverbs talks about the foolish, it refers to those who are rebellious in heart and especially those who rebel against God and His law (daily commands). Human nature is rebellious. Let God speak to you about the nature of your heart.
2. Sometimes our attitude blinds and deafens us to Wisdom. Talk to the Lord about something that is bothering you. Let Him minister to your heart. Write down what He reveals.
3. Meditate on Proverbs 14:12-13. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to His spiritual perspective. Ask Him to give you the discernment to see between God’s way and the way that seems right. Open your mind and allow Him to show you a new perspective. Surrender your thoughts and let Him surprise you.
4. Proverbs 14 has a lot to say about understanding (discernment). Jot down the fruit of an understanding person. Consider how these flow naturally from an understanding heart, and not something forced by will in the flesh. (For example, patience which comes from revealed understanding about the situation verses patience by willful suppression of anger.)
5. The external law directs the path (truth). Wisdom seeks to influence from the inside out (spirit). Why is this a great relief? How have you experienced both? (John 4:24)

One-A-Day 15

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 15
Questions for Reflection: (Note: these questions are going deeper and deeper. It is ok to allow the Holy Spirit to work in you through one question instead of trying to tackle all of them!)

1. Stay on this thought until you understand the personal nature of this message as revealed by the Holy Spirit: “All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances].” (Prov. 15:15 AMP) Practice giving thanks, out loud!
2. Are you one who likes to skim the surface with fast-food and get-rich-quick schemes? Are you satisfied with spoon-fed knowledge without understanding? What does Proverbs 15 say about the steps of the wise? Make Hebrews 5:14 your prayer.
3. Is it worth it to seek the depth of Wisdom and meaning in life? What does chapter 15 say about earthly riches vs. God’s gift of love and joy? Do your priorities reflect this belief?
4. The scoffer, scorner, and foolish all have a proud, “know-it-all” attitude. Practice daily surrender in the area of humility, asking the Lord to give you an open, teachable heart.

One-A-Day 16

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 16
Questions for Reflection: 

1. Why doesn’t the Lord force us to do His will? What is the Lord most interested in regarding our heart?
2. If Wisdom seeks to influence our thoughts and purposes, what happens to our will and actions as a result?
3. Proverbs 16:4 in the Message Version says, “God made everything with a place and purpose.” What does this say about you?
4. Do you believe God’s will is good? If His will is unclear to you, pray and seek the Lord.
5. How is daily obedience to the Holy Spirit connected God’s will?
6. With this understanding, what does the path of righteousness look like in everyday life? Is God most concerned about our acts, or our relationship to Him through the Spirit? Allow God to cleanse your perspective of “doing” His will.

One-A-Day 17

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 17
Questions for Reflection: 

1. A contentious spirit creates a household of strife. Allow the Lord to test your heart and reveal if a contentious spirit is breaking your home.
2. What choice does Prov. 17:9 say we have regarding offenses? What choice does verse 14 say we have regarding quarrels? Are you one to let things go in order to avoid a fight, even when you think you are right?
3. Today we use phrases like “high horse”, “soap box”, or “rant” to describe someone who stands in judgement of those around him. How is that like the “high gate” described in verse 19? What does Proverbs say about such a person?
4. Which is better according to Proverbs, to seek peace by holding your tongue, or to set the record straight and (possibly) start a fight? Is this a popular viewpoint?
5. Let verse 28 sink deep into your soul. 

One-A-Day 18

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 18
Questions for Reflection: 

1. Prov. 18:2 (NIV) says, “Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.” What would our culture look like if we sought to understand one another? How does this verse speak to you personally? Jot down what the Lord is saying to you.
2. Contempt is the feeling that a person or thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn. Consider verse 3 and 12. Let the Lord minister to and correct your heart. Embrace His love and allow Him to heal you with His Word.
3. If the power of life and death are in the tongue (vs. 21), what do your words say about you? Consider Prov. 14:1. Do your words build up others, or tear them down? (Especially when you are angry or offended) Remember our words are an overflow of what is in our heart. Continue to open your heart to the healing touch of the Lord.

One-A-Day 19

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 19
Questions for Reflection: 

1. The world tells us to make our dreams happen, to make our own luck. In essence, it is a plea to make good things happen in the flesh, in our own power. The Amplified Version of Prov. 19:2 says, “Desire without knowledge is not good, and to be overhasty is to sin and miss the mark.” What does this tell you about God’s way?
2. What does verse 21 say about our endeavors? Is it our job to “make” what we believe to be God’s will happen in life? Knowing verse 21, what does that say about our daily worries?
3. Reread Prov. 18:10. Consider Prov. 19:23. Reflect on the awesome reality: Fear of the Lord banishes all fear. What would your life look like if you were to walk in perfect peace?
4. Ask the Lord to teach you how to live daily in Christ, according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Let this truth become a reality in your life.

One-A-Day 20

One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom

This post is part of a series called One-A-Day: A Daily Dose of Wisdom.

*Read Proverbs 20
Questions for Reflection: 

1. When the Lord judges us, it is for the purpose of winnowing (Prov. 20:8), or removal of evil. Why is this such good news? Consider what happens to gold in the refiner’s fire. (Malachi 3:3)
2. What is the purpose of God’s judgement? (Prov. 20:9) Who makes us pure? (1 John 1:9)  Why?
3. How do you respond when someone corrects you? Is there any condemnation when the Lord is correcting you? (Rom. 8:1)
4. A popular saying is that (only) God knows the motives in people’s heart. Consider Prov. 20:27 and 1 Cor. 2:16. Allow the Holy Spirit to search your soul and shed light on your inmost being. Let His loving-kindness bathe you in forgiveness and love. Allow His gentle touch to purify your motives.
5. Verse 24 asks a question. Allow the Holy Spirit to answer and jot down your ideas.