Tag Archives: Warnings

November 11, 2012

Two Pursuers

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 13:21

21 Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.

Yesterday, Jason discussed how bad company will make us bad ourselves.

To go a step further, when we live a life of sin, whatever that may look like, we tend to gather like-minded people around us, reinforcing our sinful behaviors. Eventually, we have to deal with our sin.

If all we have around us is our sin and those who promote it, what should we expect? That everything will be alright? That we will never have problems?

This verse tells us that, in fact, the consequences of our sin track us down. The Apostle Peter told us in 1 Peter 5:8 that the Devil is actually seeking us out to destroy us!

Whatever vice or sin we have in our life is a beacon for Satan, calling him after us to pursue us and drag us deeper to our death. Things will only get worse the longer we live in our sin. Eventually, it leads to not only a literal death but eternal destruction.

The Other Pursuer

Those who live a life of righteousness, a life given to God, can expect a different outcome.

While a righteous person may interact with the more sinful, they are not tainted by that sin. Instead, they more closely associate with those who promote righteousness, or at the very least keep God central in their lives.

An interesting thing happens when we pursue God:

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
James 4:7-8

Do you see it?

Not only does God actively pursue those who pursue Him, but the Devil will actually run away!

We must remember, however, that he only runs away because he has been close. The more we walk with God, the more the Devil will want to break us apart.

The great news is that as we pursue God, we have God defending us.

Ultimately, we are repaid with eternal life.

Precious Savior, thank You for rescuing us from our sin and the grip of the Devil. Help us see You pursuing us. Give us the faith to pursue You. Give us the strength to resist the Devil when he comes after us, for by Your power he will flee!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Reward, sin, The Righteous, The Wicked, Warnings

November 7, 2012

Mixed Messages

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 13:17

A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.

Cons and Lies

Have you ever seen the movie “The Princess Bride“?

In the beginning of the movie, a man named Vizzini and his two hired-hands are hired to start war between the lands of Florin and Guilder by kidnapping the Princess Buttercup to kill her and blame Guilder.

There is one problem, the Dread Pirate Roberts finds them before they can finish the plan.

These men were attempting to do something quite wicked: start a war for profit. Instead, the Dread Pirate Roberts defeats Vizzini’s men (who become Roberts’s friends) and kills Vizzini in a game of wits.

These men tried to con two nations, and they ran into big trouble.

Disguises and Love

It turns out the Dread Pirate Roberts is actually Buttercup’s true love. He has essentially “come back from the dead” (twice, actually) to find her.

He helps defeat all of the bad guys and win back his true love with the message that truth and true love always win.

Together they help restore peace and happiness to the land.

The Devil, The Wicked, Jesus, and His Church

Back in the beginning, the Devil came along and started a war. Many people throughout history have fought (whether or not they were aware) on his side, spreading lies and hatred. Then one day God intervened. He came disguised as a Man with the message that truth and love always win, and He defeated His enemy by dying on a cross. He came back to life and will return one day to finish removing all evil.

In the mean time, He has tasked His people, the Church, with spreading the news of truth and love and His return.

He brings healing through His people.

He brings trust through His people.

He brings truth through His people.

We are His messengers in a world full of the Enemy’s messengers. The best way to be His Ambassadors of healing is to regularly study the Bible, seek Him out in prayer and by gathering with others, and actively taking the message of hope and healing to our lost and fallen world. We can encourage each other and lift each other up in prayer and by being there for each other.

Heavenly Father, thank You for setting us free from the Enemy. Strengthen us in our resolve to be Your ambassadors to this world. Increase our faith that we may faithfully spread truth, healing, and love to Your glory.

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Faithfulness, Warnings, Word of the Lord

July 7, 2012

Hating Evil, Not People

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 8:13

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”

 God Hates

This is something most Christians, and most non-Christians, do not like to discuss … at least in the Western culture.

This is not the hatred people like those from Westboro Baptist Church preach. They preach that God wants to send people to Hell, that God hates you because of your choices.

One of my most favorite definitions of evil is “the absence of God.” Therefore, God hates those things that separates God from us.

Pride

You can take pride in something, in that you take joy in something (something most people mean). The pride that is evil is when it elevates us or something to the place of God.

This is the problem with Gay Pride parades. This is the problem with much of the sports world. This is the problem with Hollywood. This is the problem with some patriotism (not just for the USA. The Nazi’s and Russians proved during the 20th Century what patriotism gone crazy can do).

Pride elevates and celebrates everything more than it should be, especially if it is something that should not be celebrated. The first thing that comes to mind is being a “player”, or simply being sexually promiscuous. Our society has done an amazing job of promoting sex.

Arrogance

The by-product of pride is arrogance. Why does God hate arrogance?

Arrogance says “I am better than you! I can do this better than everyone! I know what I am doing!”

This might be true, but this is like saying “I am better, and you are worthless.”

Many Christians throughout the centuries have been guilty of this, as well.

These are the Christians who look down on non-Christians for being impure and sinful (Luke 18:9-14).

These are the Christians who have stood outside of abortion clinics calling women sluts and sinners.

These are the Christians who say they believe the only right way to believe.

The Evil Way, The Froward

It is easy to see that it can be quite easy to stray.

The evil way is any way that is against or not with God.

A froward mouth does not have to use “four-letter words”, but can be the one who promotes evil, praises the self, or blasphemes God.

Blasphemy of God includes cursing and swearing, sure; but it also includes denigrating others, false teachings, or even bad teachings.

All of these God hates.

But God never hates you. Period.

Dear Lord, teach us to hate what You hate. Teach us to love all people regardless of their actions and words. Strengthen us to follow the right path – Your path.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fear of the Lord, sin, Warnings

June 24, 2012

Is This You?

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 7:11

“She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:”

Do you know this kind of person?

Solomon is telling us about that wayward woman, the adulteress. But do you know someone like this?

This is the person who seems to struggle with speaking with an “inside voice” and has to be right … even when they know they are wrong.

This is the person who starts the party … and often ruins it.

This is the person who has hundreds and even thousands of friends … and no one who is close to them.

This is the person who has been in numerous relationships … and either something is wrong with the other person or they are “friends with benefits” … or just “good friends”.

Is this person you?

We have all been this person, in one way or another.

No, we have not all been loud, but we have all been stubborn in some way.

No, we have not all been the partier with numerous “friends” and hook-ups.

We all, however, have yelled at God and known we were justified in our argument.

We all have wandered from God by following our own desires in one way or another.

We all have cheated on God by pursuing something or someone we loved more in one way or another.

Thankfully, God pursues us and quietly waits for us.

Thankfully, He came after us in Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming after us and saving us. Help us to pursue You in every moment. Give us the wisdom and guidance to avoid those which can lead us astray, and give us the strength to overcome temptation when we walk into it once again.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Paths of Life, sin, Temptation, Warnings, Wisdom

June 21, 2012

Related to Wisdom

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 7:4-5

“Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.”

Related to Wisdom?

If you are struggling with the point Solomon is trying to make through Proverbs, here it is plain as day:

The Wisdom of God is very, very, very, very, very important!

It is so important, we are told in today’s passage that wisdom should be considered our sister and understanding our close relative.

In almost every family, it is they who know “you” best. Whether it is your parents, your siblings, or your wife, only your best friend might know you better (which is why it is good for your spouse to be your best friend).

What God Says About You

God has several things to say about you:

God created you and knows you better than anyone else in all of Creation. God also has your back:

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.
1 Corinthians 10:13

God’s wisdom and understanding is so great that it can save us from any temptation – whether it is a woman, a man, food, entertainment, drugs, alcohol, etcetera – because God knows what we can handle, what we are unable to handle, and the best way for us to escape when our own stupidity leads us into whatever confronts us.

Heavenly Father, grant us your wisdom and understanding that we may escape temptation. Give us the wisdom to live righteously and the understanding to know when we are tempted. Show us the way out when we become trapped by our own desires. Above all, may we be used to bring glory to Your Name!

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in desire, Temptation, Warnings, Wisdom

June 15, 2012

Reduced to Nothing

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 6:26

“For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.”

I started attending church at the age of 15, and I was given an NIV Bible. The NIV puts this verse this way:

for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

For a while it confused me, because I read it as “the prostitute gradually turns you into a loaf of bread.” Before I saw another translation, I figured it out!

Broke and Worthless

As has been discussed for the past several days, the lure of the prostitute and foolishness leads to bad things. Not only is it dangerous because of diseases you might receive, you can find yourself practically penniless from spending so much on this habit. Not only might you lose all of your money, you may find your health in decline.

Do you know what happens to you when you can barely afford to buy a loaf of bread? You starve and either die or debase yourself publicly to get by.

You could also get caught doing something illegal (which prostitution is in most areas), and then you find you are in jail/prison.

Broken and Lost

On a purely spiritual level, beware of false preachers and teachers; beware of twisted and false teachings.

Prosperity gospel-, “Name-It-and-Claim-It”-, and Personality-centered messages/churches generally convince you to spend all of your money and/or give all of your money to the one speaking.

There are churches, denominations, and other organizations with teachings that sound great and biblical; yet, if you pay attention, you would find they are taken out of context (biblically and/or spiritually … there can be a difference) or, worse, twisted to serve an ungodly purpose.

If you do not end up broke and worthless in this life, the ultimate result may very well be that you have lost everlasting life.

Do not give your soul – your life – to another. Steer clear of the prostitutes, on the streets or in religion, by knowing the dangers they pose. Seek God and His path in all things.

Dear Lord, help us to stay away from the allure of the prostitute and adulteress. Help us keep our hearts, minds, and souls safe and pure. Reveal your love and grace to us all the more, that anything and anyone else is not as desirable.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in desire, Paths of Life, Temptation, Warnings

June 13, 2012

Light the Lamp

By Jason Sneed

Proverbs 6:23-24

“For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.”

The Pledge

Growing up in a christian home, I went to a christian school all my life. One of the things we did every morning was to say our pledges to the American Flag, the Christian Flag and to the Bible.

The Pledge to the Bible goes like this:

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

This pledge was written directly from the verse in Psalm 119:105 which says,

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Being in God’s Word is the only way we are going to be able to see things clearly around us as we live this life! Without the true “light” we would be forever in darkness. (John 1:1-10)

In The Word

As it has been noted the last several days –Proverbs 6:20 | Proverbs 6:21-22 – we MUST be in God’s Word! When we read God’s Word it gets into our minds and into our hearts and it guides us along a safe path and protects us from the “fiery darts of the wicked”. (Ephesians 6:16 KJV)

The Warning

Solomon is trying to warn his son (and us) against the “evil woman”. She is on the prowl and knows what to say so that men will be drawn to her. The words that are formed on her tongue are as smooth as silk and as the old saying goes – “she knows how to use them”. She is as cunning as they come!

Even though Solomon was the wisest man to have ever lived on the earth (besides Jesus), he was also a man, and he knew the mesmerizing affect that women can have on men. That is why Solomon starts out this chapter by telling his son to make sure that he stays in God’s Word, so that when the temptation of the “evil woman” comes his way, he will be able to stand.

There is temptation all around us in this world and the only way for us to stand is to be in “The Light”! Let’s get back to the words of the pledge to the Bible and hide it in our hearts so that it will be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path!

Lord, please help me to stay in your Word. To keep my eyes fixed on You and to continue to live my life in the Light and not in the darkness. Help us to commit ourselves to your Word and the power that it holds over sin and the devil.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Temptation, The Wicked, Warnings, Wisdom

June 7, 2012

A Wicked Heart

By Daniel M. Klem

 

Proverbs 6:18a

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations…”

Personal Wickedness

When I was younger, way back in high school and before going to church, I heard stories of fantastic crimes, near-perfect crimes, and comic book villians. It inspired me to devise all manner of crimes (sneaking a candy bar from the store, sneaking small amounts of change from my mom’s purse, sneaking a can or two of soda pop from my teacher’s stash under his desk, etcetera) to test my mettle and intelligence.

Hollywood Wickedness

Movies seem to have caught that itch, as well. War movies to come out of Hollywood used to hide much of the true horror of battles. In the past few decades war movies have gotten progressively more gory, and now we also have movies such as the Saw series, the Hostel series, and all manner of violently gory horror and action films.

There is also a rise in movies in which the villain is the “hero” of the movie. They are written in such a way that we, the audience, sympathize with and even cheer for people committing crimes and being all-around bad (though sometimes with endearing moments).

We were warned … a lot …

Paul warned Timothy, and therefore us, that this would happen:

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds,who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.
2 Timothy 3:1-8, NIV

In other words, society will decide to do their own thing and call good things bad and bad things good, and we will glorify sin and desire all things ungodly (sound at all familiar to anyone?).

And we were warned in Isaiah:

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20

Lord, give us the wisdom to see past deception and a desire for truth and goodness. Help us to not focus on our own desires, selfishness, and violence. Help us to focus on Your will, Your love, Your grace, and You. Be our light and our life.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in desire, Temptation, The Wicked, Warnings

June 1, 2012

Don’t Be Lazy!

By Jason Sneed

Proverbs 6:9-11

“How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.”

Lazy Quotes:

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired. ~Jules Renard

Benjamin Franklin put is this way:

“Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him.”

Eleanor Roosevelt said this about being lazy:

“So much attention is paid to the aggressive sins, such as violence and cruelty and greed with all their tragic effects, that too little attention is paid to the passive sins, such as apathy and laziness, which in the long run can have a more devastating effect.”

Enemies that Destroy:

Eleanor Roosevelt must have read the words of Solomon in chapter 6 of Proverbs when she wrote those words. In this chapter, Solomon is addressing three enemies that can have a devastating effect on a person financially, physically, morally, or spiritually:

  1. Unwise Financial Commitments (Proverbial Thought – Proverbs 6: 1-5)
  2. Laziness – Proverbs 6-11 (Proverbial Thought – Proverbs 6:6-8)
  3. Lust – Proverbs 20-35

When You Least Expect It

Verses 9 and 10 describe exactly who the lazy person is (a sluggard), while verse 11 explains what is going to happen to that person. While the sluggard is busy doing nothing – they become poor (thy poverty) and do not even realize it. I like the way verse 11 reads in the ESV – “and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

A robber is not going to call you up and tell you that he is about ready to invade your home and take everything from you. No, he is going to sneak into your house at a time that you least expect. Solomon is basically warning those people who are lazy and love their sleep that before you know it, you are going to lose everything.

A Cause of Poverty

There are a lot of people that are poor simply because they won’t work. There is work available, but they prefer or choose not to know about it. This is what the Bible says about those people:

  • “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Proverbs 10:4 NIV).
  • “Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty” (Proverbs 20:13 NKJV)
One Final Thought – They’re Looking
Regarding being lazy – if you are a Christ follower – don’t ever forget that the world is watching! They are watching to see how we act. They are watching to see how we play. They are watching to see how we live our lives and THEY ARE WATCHING TO SEE HOW WE WORK – DON’T BE LAZY!

Lord, please help your people not to be lazy. Help us to be worth our hire – to our employers and to You. Help us to strive to fulfill Ecclesiastes 9:10 – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…”

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Warnings, Wisdom

May 26, 2012

Reason for the Warning

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 5:10-14

“[10] Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; [11] And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, [12] And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; [13] And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! [14] I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.”

Another’s Spouse

How many times have we heard about a man or a woman pursuing a married person saying “We are so in love, and he/she is going to leave his/her wife/husband”? Most of the time, we later hear that, no, they did not leave their spouses. The adulterous spouse received gifts and favors, and now those gifts and the fruit of the jilted lovers’ labors are enjoyed by the one who was supposed to be out the door.

In other words, strangers are filled with your wealth, and your work helps another household. You feel betrayed and hurt … even though you were the one causing betrayal and hurt.

Everyone said it was a bad idea. Everyone told you that what you were doing was wrong. Now you wonder “Why wouldn’t I listen? I feel like I have wasted my life!”

Working Hard for the Money

Imagine for a moment (or think for a moment, if this is true for you) that you are a woman with a husband and three children. You go to work five or six days a week, eight to ten hours a day to get a decent pay check. Then your husband announces one morning he is leaving and going to live with another woman. All of a sudden, your world comes crashing down as you realize that this person will no longer be there to help with the kids, and will your paycheck be enough, anymore?

(For the record, this happened to a co-worker of mine just this week. Please pray for her, her children, her husband, and anyone else who may be involved!)

This is the effect adultery has. It does not just affect two or three people. It hits families, friends, and coworkers, too. It is just like looking at your family and God and saying “You are dead to me.” It is like putting all of your money on black and having it come up red.

You end up with no one and nothing.

God does not tell us to avoid adultery and to listen to advice to toy with us. God cares enough about us to want to keep us from going through this living hell I just described.

Cheating on God

We do the same thing with God when we call on His name and then yell at the cashier. We do the same thing with God when say, “Lord, I love you,” and then never pick up the Bible or pay attention during a church service. We do the same thing with God when we say, “He is my Savior,” and live exactly the same way as everyone else in the world who denies God.

Gracious God, forgive us when we forget You; grant us Your grace and mercy when You use Your name in vain by living contrary to Your word and nature. Protect us from the adulterous people who will lead us astray. Give us the wisdom to turn to You in all things.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in desire, Temptation, Warnings