King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Sunday, June 04, 2023
Chapters: PROVERBS 4-6
Study: Ponder Your Path
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
I have a heavy heart this morning, I feel like a vagabond. The reason I feel that way is because I am not at the church that I was a member of for two years and that makes me sad because my family is there. On the one hand I feel like I have abandoned them on the other hand I feel like I have been abandoned by my church and yet they have no idea why. One misunderstanding is what escalated into my being stripped of my ministry and told that I can only listen and learn from the pew if I want to remain a member there. When you have pride getting in the way of being used of God, that is when the fall is not too far behind. And I am not talking about falling away from God, I am talking about God putting an end to that pride by humbling us. I tell you what, it is much better that we humble ourselves first to God before He does it for us.
[1 Peter 5:6-9 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.]
I have been praying about this all night long and this morning as well, in fact, I have been praying about it for the past month. I am attending the church that I am getting married at which feels like home, but my family will not be happy with that. I have also been attending a bigger church, which is nice, but I do not quite get that homey feel yet. Because of the way things ended at the other church I feel like I do not belong to any church right now and that makes me feel as though I have let God down. As we continue in the reading of Proverbs, we are reminded that knowledge from God is power, and the key to that knowledge is getting the wisdom and understanding from it that we need so that we can know the right path that He would have for us.
[Proverbs 4:1-7 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.]
[Wisdom is the principal thing;] [Wisdom; The right use or exercise of knowledge;] Wisdom, is the faculty of discerning or judging what is most just, proper and useful. It is the knowledge and use of what is most just, most proper, and most useful that leads us to the path that God has for us. In other words, God, gives us the knowledge we need to be of use for Him. Who are we to question God’s use of us? He will take us where we will be most useful, [2 Timothy 1:7-9 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,]
[and with all thy getting get understanding.] [Understanding; Comprehending; apprehending the ideas or sense of another, or of a writing;] Understanding, is the faculty of the human mind by which it apprehends the real state of things presented to it, or by which it receives or comprehends the ideas which others express and intend to communicate. In other words, the wisdom that we acquire from both exercising the knowledge that we receive from Gods Word as well as likeminded Christian godly men and women is used for giving us understanding, [2 Timothy 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.]
I just love the old Webster’s dictionaries, they just have a way of explaining things that today’s dictionaries omit. Did you know that the Webster’s dictionary was actually produced with God’s Word in mind? In fact, Webster designed the dictionary with the King James Bible in mind.
[Proverbs 4:11-18 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. 14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. 16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.]
[thy steps shall not be straitened;] Did you know that the Christian life is not one straight path? It is actually pretty crooked and up and down some hills and valleys. The gate to get in may be straight, and the path narrow, but the road definitely is crooked, for it is the crooked paths that lead us to the best in life, [Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.]
[Take fast hold of instruction;] [Instruction; Direction; information; order; command; mandate.] Instruction, is the act of teaching or informing the understanding in that of which it was before ignorant. In other words, ignorance may have gotten us away with some things before we knew the truth, but once we learn of the truth we are to apply it. Ignorance, has never saved anyone and proclaiming it is still not an excuse for doing what is right, [James 4:15-17 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.]
You see, the wicked, while they may seem like they know what they are doing, are actually fools. They hide their faces, do everything in the dark, and are oblivious to the fact that the life they are living will send them to hell if they do not repent. Those who are really smart find faith in the Word of God, and those words are not only convicting, they are life giving.
[Proverbs 4:20-26 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.]
[Ponder the path of thy feet,] [Ponder; To weigh in the mind; to consider and compare the circumstances or consequences of an event, or the importance of the reasons for or against a decision.] There is nothing more livelier to the soul than hearing the Gospel of Christ. Let me tell you, there is not one person who believes in God that has not received knowledge of the Gospel, but that is where it ends for many. We must weigh out both the circumstances and consequences here, we all know that we are sinners, where our soul ends up is determined by our faith, but it will end up somewhere, [Matthew 25:33-34,41 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:]
Look at Satan, he definitely knows the Gospel, yet his pride is going to take him straight to hell too, and do not think that Satan is not scared, he is very scared. Every step we take needs to be thought out, and by far, taken with the Word of God upon our heart, especially when we are pondering our steps. What happens when we ponder our path without God’s Word? Pondering Life. Trust me, all it takes is one bad decision to destroy not only our testimony, but our lives as well. Through the illustration of an adulterous woman, we find that pondering life is what actually leads to death.
[Proverbs 5:1-8 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: 2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. 3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: 4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. 6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. 7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:]
[Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life,] Pondering your life is not the same as pondering your path, when we start pondering life that is when temptations that you never thought were possible start coming to you mind. Lawful marriage is a means that God has appointed to keep one from destroying their own body through lust. Everything else we do with our flesh works the same way, those who are foolish to choose the way of sin are movable, and justly left of God to themselves, [Romans 1:24-25 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.]
We think that we are strong enough to handle temptation or that we can turn anyone to follow God’s Word, but the truth is, while it is not impossible as long as God is in the picture, most likely the one who changes is you. It is God who actually ponders the paths of all mankind, and knows exactly what path those who really care less about keeping His Word in their mouths would take us. And no one exempt from the temptations of the devil.
[Proverbs 5:15-23 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. 16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. 17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. 18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. 20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. 22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. 23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.]
[and he pondereth all his goings.] Do you think that God does not ponder the things that we do? We can rest assure that God’s path for us is well thought out and not something He that takes lightly either. All it takes is one foot in the door to get ourselves caught up in a trap that would lead to death. There are plenty of saved, born again Christians who have gotten caught up in these chains of sin that literally destroyed them and some have even died in their sin. There is not one of us strong enough to go down the path of sin in our own strength, and that is why we need Jesus every step we take, [Psalms 142:3-5 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. 4 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 5 I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.]
As we consider the path that God leads us on, we must think about who we are walking with, and if they have the knowledge that we have or are going to be trouble for us. Now, we all learn at different levels, so do not think that just because someone is not aware of something in God’s Word that they are wicked. However, we must ponder their path as well, if they in any way want to lead you away from God’s World, run. Nevertheless, we have all be deceived a time or two by those who were not on the strait path, some caught on sooner rather than later, others are still caught up in a trap, but there is always a way to escape, and that escape is to humble ourselves before God.
[Proverbs 6:1-4 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. 3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. 4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.]
[go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.] It does not matter how far behind we have gotten or even gotten off the strait path, all we need to do to get back on is to humble ourselves and get to our true friend, Jesus, [James 4:7-10 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. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.]
There is not one person who has not taken a look at their lives and ponders what they have done or missed in life once in a while, I call them the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s, but we cannot dwell on the past. If there are things that we want, then we need to get up, dust ourselves off in confession to God, and press forward. The more one dwells on what was or could have been the more complacent they become.
[Proverbs 6:10-14 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. 12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.]
[Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly;] [Froward; Perverse, that is, turning from, with aversion or reluctance; not willing to yield or comply with what is required.] Faithful Christians, may fall into temptation sometimes, but they bounce back. Sadly some will turn on God completely living in the sins of their flesh and suffer until the day they die. Those who are of the world never see the hand of God in anything, especially Him trying to get them to repent of the way they are living and return to Him. There are six things that God hates whether we are saved or not, in fact, seven are an abomination to Him.
[Proverbs 6:16-23 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. 20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:]
[Bind them continually upon thine heart] As we consider the path that God leads us on, we must think about who we are walking with, and if they have the knowledge that we have or are going to be trouble for us, and that includes Christians who are not walking the same faith, [2 Corinthians 6:14,17-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.]
Today’s Prayer: God, You tell us time and time again that if we want a blessed and prosperous life then we need to follow Your commands. While we are saved by grace, You still want us to follow Your commands and live in a way that pleases You and not our flesh. And it is really the only way that we can truly enjoy the gifts that You give us. Lord, lead me and guide me on the strait path that You have for me, search my heart, try me, and see if there be any wicked way in me. Let me ponder all the paths I take and if they are not led by You, turn me around and get back in the right direction. Fill me with Your wisdom, understanding, mercy, grace, and let me never become forward in my actions. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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