Embracing Wisdom

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

What exactly does it mean to fear the Lord? It doesn’t mean being afraid of Him. Fearing God means being in awe of Him and respecting Him above everyone and everything else.

Living our lives based on God being first, God being honored, and God being our focus means we will display humility in our daily lives. Those who fear God know God is why we have any wisdom, strength, or ability in our lives to begin with.

Proverbs 8:13 tells us that if we truly fear God, we will equally hate what God hates. Proverbs lists those as evil, pride, arrogance, the evil way and the froward mouth.

Hating evil - this does not mean that we have a lukewarm feeling about things the Bible is against. It means there is a fervent rejection of anything that is outside of God’s will.

Hating pride - The world celebrates self-confidence and self-importance, but the fear of the Lord comes with humility, focusing on the fact that God is the giver of every good thing that we have.

Hating arrogance - Exaggeration of your own importance or exploits is a dangerous way to live life. Someone who constantly must “one-up” others in stories or belongings is not someone who is embracing the “fear of the Lord.” They are arrogant and cannot receive the wisdom God provides.

Hating the evil way - This point is speaking of individuals who have walked away from God’s path and plan and have walked with people and followed societal norms that are against scripture.

Hating the froward mouth - This phrase literally means a mouth that is perverse and twisted. We should resist the desire or idea to say whatever we think or feel. Swearing, complaining, and evil speech are not to be done by someone with a fear of the Lord.

Practical Application

Seek the Lord’s direction in relationships and decision-making. The fear of the Lord should be a compass that guides our choices and our lives.

Job 28:28: Ecclesiastes 12:13

Prayer and Pace with Peace

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10)

Every time God tells you something, the enemy is going to try to get you to question God’s Word. Every time you learn something from the Bible, the enemy is going to try to get you to debate with your spirit if it is true.

But I want you to think about something today. Why would you listen when Satan tries to tell you anything? If God's got a plan, why bother with the enemy's input?

Jesus made it clear when He taught His disciples how to pray by telling the Father, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” This wasn’t supposed to be a simple prayer to be done by rote. It’s not a mantra or way of invoking faith. It’s a roadmap to living life, so we expect and seek for Heaven’s way and Heaven’s culture to be fulfilled in our everyday life.

Prayer is not the last step in faith. Many people pray this prayer and believe that in saying the words there is some type of supernatural phenomena that happens, and God’s will shall be accomplished because of the words they spoke. But prayer needs to precede action. Pray; then act. Your obedience to the Word of God and your obedience to following what the Holy Spirit tells you in your time of prayer will bring about God’s will in your life here on earth as it is in Heaven.

Prayer will not stop what God has already said would happen. Things God said would happen will happen; you cannot pray those things away. There will be wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and famines, as He said in His Word. Your prayers don’t stop what God has already set in His Word.

But you do not need to be in fear about the future. Through prayer and obedience, you can know that despite all the chaos that may happen in the world, you are protected; you are guided, and you have the victory. Prayer, in pace with God’s will, leads to peace!

Practical Application

When you finish praying today and listen to the Holy Spirit, act on your faith as well. How can you live your faith proactively today?

Psalm 40:8; Psalm 103:19

The Thousand-Year Reign

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:1-3)

Revelation 20:1-3 speaks about a thousand-year reign of Jesus on earth when Satan will be bound. This extraordinary time will be one of peace and prosperity. God's divine order will be restored. People will live long, fulfilling lives, reminiscent of the longevity we read about in the early days of the Bible. They will enjoy health and strength. During this time, the survivors of the Tribulation will experience a world separated from Satan’s influence. The absence of sickness, disease, war, and hatred will usher in an era of unparalleled harmony. Human existence will thrive as children are born and civilization continues past the times of the Tribulation.

However, this utopia of sorts won’t last forever. After the thousand-year reign, Satan will once again be released where he will stir up a rebellion and lead an attack against the saints who are in Jerusalem. God's response, swift and decisive, involves heavenly fire ending the rebellion and paving the way for the ultimate act of God's redemptive plan, revealing the New Heaven and New Earth. This earth will be destroyed by fire, along with all the works of the enemy.

So why should we care about this wondrous vision of the future? Because it's a reminder that God's got this. The thousand-year reign is a sneak peek into His unwavering commitment to bring peace and restoration to His creation and the promise of His peace and safety to those who trust in Him.

Practical Application

God's victories are not just promises—they're a part of how God has written history, woven into the very fabric of time. When you are tempted to worry, think about God’s goodness in your past and remember what God has promised about His goodness in the future as well!

2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6