Bishop Keith Butler
Apr 29
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. (Proverbs 8:13-18)
Respecting God also means hating certain things. This does not mean hating people, but rather ways of doing things. Someone who truly respects God hates evil by hating four other things.
The first is pride. Pride stands as a barrier between us and the wisdom of God. It blinds us to our own shortcomings and makes us think we are above others.
Next is arrogancy. Being arrogant can lead us to believe that we are above correction and the consequences of our actions.
Third is the evil way. This refers to doing anything out of wrong motives and mindsets. It is accomplishing things from the flesh.
The fourth thing is the froward mouth. It spews forth lies, slander, and deceit, always causing harm to others and even speaks about God because of our attitude and doubt.
Instead of following the evil ways described above, believers are called to follow godly counsel, wisdom, understanding and what we can do with the strength God has given us for kingdom purposes.
God says with His wisdom, durable riches and righteousness can be ours to claim. But we should not seek wisdom merely for the sake of gaining more money. Instead, we need to pursue wisdom out of a genuine love for God and His Word. When our hearts are set on God and His ways, He leads us to prosperity in every area of our lives.
Do you see any of the four evils described in Proverbs 8:13-18 in your behavior or thoughts? That could be what is hindering God’s blessings from showing up in your life. Repent of any words of doubt, arrogance, pride, or hate that you have allowed to come out of your mouth and propose to agree with what God has said.