Tag Archives: Book of Proverbs

City Wall

Proverbs 25:28 New International Version (NIV)
28 Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.

via Proverbs 25:28 NIV – Like a city whose walls are broken – Bible Gateway.

In Ancient Times what happened to a city when its wall was broken through?

That’s right. The city was pillaged.

Let me give you some synonyms for pillage. 

What else happened in Ancient Times to the people, women especially, and even children, in a city when the walls were broken through?  I don’t have to say it, do I? Isn’t that graphic?

And so Father is saying to us when we forsake His power working in us (i.e. for the Christian that is self-control) we have opened ourselves to be pillaged and that graphic word by the Evil One as well as our own marauding flesh.  Just turn on the news and see what happens when Ishmaelites overrun a city – there is a graphic picture of our spiritual lives (which naturally affects our physical lives, since the two are intricately tied) when we fail to maintain our city walls.

So in what condition is your city wall?

Sturdy? Solid? Strong? No breaches?
Or
Crumbling, Dis-repaired, Gaping holes, Breached?

THE WORD of GOD will rebuild our walls, but we have to show up for work detail! 

If we want our city walls up and healthy we have to have the WORD of GOD ALIVE AND ACTIVE IN US AND WORKING OUT THROUGH US. We can start by meditating (same action as worrying – you know how to do that: going over and over the same thing in our minds) on Scriptures that address our issues.

Thank You, Father, for this word picture of ancient city walls and how clearly it speaks to the absolute necessity for self-control to live holy in this world. HOLY SPIRIT, I pray that not one Dear Soul who comes here to read and pray will leave this page without seriously considering Your Word in this to us.

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,

Who Am I?

Passing through the den on my way to the kitchen I heard a line from a pre-approved movie that Baby Girl GRAND was watching.

“And who will I be when this is over?”

Excellent question.

If I give myself to the one goal of mother, as important, as honorable and as good as it is; who will I be when the Babies are grown?

If I give myself to the one goal of wife, as important, as honorable and as good as it is; who will I be if he goes to Heaven before me?

If I give myself to the one goal of my chosen career, as important, as honorable and as good as it is; who will I be when I retire; or heaven forbid I am unable to work anymore?

If I give myself to the one goal of serving in the Church, as important, as honorable and as good as it is; who will I be when someone younger or ????? comes along and takes my place?

See my point? Finding who we are in a function, a title, a career, even the people we love will leave us wondering when the functioning and the people wear old or out.  And we must something!

Goals are a must. If we do not have them, we perish.

Proverbs 29:18 a  21st Century King James Version (KJ21)

18 Where there is no vision, the people perish; . . . via Proverbs 29:17-19 KJ21 – Correct thy son, and he shall give thee – Bible Gateway.

BUT only ONE purpose will last. Only ONE relationship NEVER goes away. Only ONE ministry is forever.

JESUS, The ONE and ONLY

 So how are you doing with this ONE?

Philippians 1:26-28 The Message (MSG)

22-26As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We’ll be praising Christ, enjoying each other. via Philippians 1:26-28 MSG – As long as I’m alive in this body, – Bible Gateway.

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,
Praying (PFT)!

So grateful JESUS that You are the One and Only and that in Your grace You have made Yourself known to us. Thank You for friends who gather here to read and to pray.  I pray for each of us to know who we are in You. Yes because we have that need but foremost because when we are certain that we are in You, when our identity is founded in You then all else is made better. Thank You.  And we bring our sick and afflicted to You as we often do asking that You heal them. And continuing to ask for grace and mercy and space to repent for our wayward ones, our rebellious, and oblivious ones. For Israel we pray for peace and safety, a subduing of Her enemies; for America we pray for mercy and an outpouring of conviction of sin and righteousness for JESUS name sake. Amen and amen.

Haughty Eyes

Perhaps before we get too far into this new year of 2012 we would remind ourselves that we are loved by the Holy God of the Universe.  And that He is in truth holy and in His holiness there are things that He abhors.  Things of which we do not want to partake; things with which we do not want to corrupt and pollute this new year stretching long before us.

Go with me to Proverbs 6:16-19

Proverbs 6:16-19 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
16 There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.
via Proverbs 6:16-19 NASB – There are six things which the LORD – Bible Gateway.

Today, haughty eyes. That’s what caught my ‘eye’ first. :) We can count them down, seven things our God hates. Yea, these seven things are even an abomination to Him.

An abomination. It is what it is. Virtually our English language, even in the Hebrew and Greek languages, we are hard pressed to come up with an understanding of the awfulness of this word abomination.  Let the Greek speak:
Definition (as found at click here)

  1. to render foul, to cause to be abhorred
  2. abominable
  3. to turn one’s self away from on account of the stench
  4. metaph. to abhor, detest

To turn one’s self away from on account of the stench. Do we kind of get the idea here what it means for our Gracious and Loving God to say a thing is an abomination to Him?

Turns Himself away from because the stench of it so repulses Him.
That my, Friend, is what we do not want!
To be sure JESUS knows what that means! Since HE experienced it in our place IF we have chosen to accept His Sacrifice on our behalf. (Matthew 27:46) And souls who have refused His Sacrifice and who continue in that refusal then someday shall experience being an abomination to the God of this Universe. But back to today’s point.

Haughty eyes.

So what are haughty eyes anyway?  The best in research that I could glean is this:

‘Eyes that look and say I have made a good life for myself and I have done it without You, God.’

That’s clear to me. I see it. I understand that it would be better for me to have no eyes than have haughty eyes.
Can a Christian even have haughty eyes anyway? What do you think?

Prayer is breathing to a Christian.

JESUS LOVES YOU,
Kathie