a fool?
Proverbs 23:9 says, “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for they will despise the wisdom of your words.”
Have you ever thought you were speaking in the presence of a Christian friend only to find out years later they were a fool? They take your words and hold them in their evil/twisted thoughts and come back to destroy the wisdom of your words.
How do you recognize a fool?
thedailylily.com 
A fool says in his heart, “there is no God”. And in extension, neither does the “fool” recognize the Word of the Lord, a Word of wisdom, a prophetic utterance or godly counsel. One way you can recognize a fool…when he/she doesn’t or refuses to recognize the TRUTH of GOD.
Stepping into life and the Truth of God – A prayer I read this morning.
Lord God daily may your word (as I read in Beth Moore’s study – Jesus the One and Only – “motivate me to actively engage myself in every message that I hear or read. She goes on to say …The teaching of God’s Word is life-changing and healing!” May we be under the power of God’s activity and not meer observers of hearing a nice story from the bible. May our foolish activities be stopped from the song “All We Need IS LOVE” to “All We Need is Jesus”. Jesus has the light to make your life light shine and Satan offers the FOOL’s stone for your life.
“How do you recognize a fool?”
In my Bible concordance I found some characteristics of a fool.
“Doing wrong is fun for a fool” Prov 10:23
“Fools vent their anger”. Prov 29:11
“But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool.” Prov 6:32
This is how Jesus says we will be wise: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
I guess the key is, “…They take your words and hold them…” maybe if they didn’t hold them they wouldn’t end up evil and twisted, but the longer they are held inactive, the more evil and twisted the mind and judgement becomes.
“…do not speak in the hearing of a fool…” Maybe I should keep my mouth, eyes and ears shut?
Wonder if I can follow this lead?: “But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6:33(CEV)
When you read verses found in the Bible and sit and meditate on them; hum, they sure sound odd, I guess the more appropriate word is peculiar!
Hey, can you find me someone that wants to talk about today? Or, just dream of tomorrow?
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
“When you read verses found in the Bible and sit and meditate on them; hum, they sure sound odd, I guess the more appropriate word is peculiar!” This is a quote from Sara, above. There are verses in the Bible that do sound quite peculiar. Words about the Godly kingdom sound strange compared to the earthly, fleshly kingdom. For example: “The first shall be last and the last shall be first”.(Matt. 19:30) Or how about:
“He who loses his life shall gain it and he who For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. “(Matt. 16:25) And then there’s: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your stuff and give it all to the poor, and you will have TREASURE in heaven. ” (Matt.19:21)
It/s sort of “give to get” or “get to give”; “die to live”; “lose to win”; “be last to be first”. What an amazing God we serve!
The mind and mouth seem to want to run back to yesterday’s memories or forward to a tomorrow that may never come in order to escape the reality of dealing with today. Avoidance. Looking in both of these directions seems lustful…what do we accomplish for the Lord’s kingdom by doing this? I guess we miss what He has for us and for others today.
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” Hebrews 3:7
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,†so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Heb 3:13
MG, you sure have posted some odd teachings, ie die to live, etc. I heard this week from a number of people about what some believe about Bibles, marriage and divorce and remarriage, etc. They all quoted scripture. OK, OK, OK,….
It seems to me Faith is a life time of learning….Law vs. Spirit….Love vs. law, etc. etc. etc. Maybe “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…” a golden rule to live by.
Debi, I think your word “Avoidance..” is a big issue. And, the way you worded it may be a part of an answer to many issues. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life…” Matthew 14:6
Taking all of our comments and going back to my thinking, meditating and understanding; I just need to get on the right road. MSG gives the scripture in Matthew this bent, Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!” John goes on to write, vs. 15-17 “If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!”
Webster’s definition of a fool: “1) “a silly or stupid person” 2) “a jester” 3) “a victim of a trick, etc.; dupe” 1) “to act like a fool” 2) “to joke” 3) “to meddle, to trick; deceive — fool around, to trifle”.
Needles, one of the definitions that you posted above has really hit me like a ton of bricks. # 3) a victim of a trick. I thought, a person may be worldly wise, or even a Christian but still be a “fool” if he/she allows self to be tricked by the “great trickster” the devil. And we are the ones who DO allow it, ourselves.
In Genesis, in the Garden of Eden, Eve was “tricked” by allowing herself to be defrauded of what God had so graciously given them. Satan told them that if they would eat of the forbidden fruit they would be like God. They were already like God because He had made them in His image and likeness. Satan did it with a half-truth. A half-truth is a LIE.
Being tricked is actually, in reality, allowing ourselves to be hoodwinked, lied to, deceived,defrauded or faked out by dissimulation. Gal 2:12 says, “and the rest of the Jews also played the same dissembling part with him; so that even Barnabas was carried away too by their dissimulation (masking evil).”
Paul says we are not ignorant of the wiles of the devil.
“So that we would not be OUTWITTED by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs”. When we see the lie, the temptation, heading toward us, spouting out of the mouth of one assigned to bring us down, remember your FRIEND, Holy Spirit, Who lives right inside you, as Sara reminded us. He will make a way for you NOT TO MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF, or ALLOW SOMEONE TO DO IT FOR YOU.
Debi, when I read your comment I found a lot of insight in what you have written. I thought about “DAY, TODAY” in several ways. With the holidays season quickly approaching some of us are taken up with relations and relationships, where or with whom we should spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. This generates a lot of confusion, frustration, anxiety concerning families, children, grandchildren. Which DAY should we spend with whom? How MUCH should we spend on whom?….etc. etc.
But according to Debi’s comment, I thought, ‘What about the TODAY?’. The TODAY of Christmas DAY….the day we set aside to honor and worship the coming to earth of the King of kings, Lord of lords. I wonder if any of us devoted Christians think about how we are going to honor and gift Jesus Christ……the One for Whom CHRISTmas is named. What gift are we preparing for Him on that DAY? How will we show our adulation, worship and praise to Jesus Christ on CHRIST-mas DAY?
Putting Christ back in Christmas starts in our hearts. So the Scripture that Debi posted, TODAY, if you hear His Voice…..Place at the top of your Christmas list ………CHRIST.
Thinking about families and holidays….of course, we love them and pray for them but what does light have to do with Belial? Therefore, let us conduct ourselves in a gracious fashion, remembering that the family of God, despite emotions and feelings, is primary in our pilgrim journey on this earth.
A friend asks (and I paraphrase) , ‘if we’re living a godly life why would we want to be chummy with or fraternize with those who detest godliness, reject the part of you that is your life and substance and sustenance (GOD)?’
Gracious, yes. alliance, NO!
“The great trickster- jester” sure works on all of us. Takes our eyes on what God has for us today by causing us to worry and fret so much and waste so many hours of our day and days that we miss most of the precious things God wanted to show us for the day. In Matthew 6:34 (NIV) it reads 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. The great trickster or jester just wants us to focus our day on him and lose focus on what God wanted to show us in scripture, through nature, through others, through HIS Holy Spirit, through His still small but powerful voice.
It seems to be difficult to enjoy the day we are given because of worry, anxiety, stress, depression or just being weary. If I can dream yesterday was so wonderful because my mind forgot the stress, than I can think a few weeks or more away will give me a thrill.
I think their is a reward/crown to be won to spend my day looking and hoping for the return of Christ to be today. A crown of Righteousness. 2 Timothy 4:8
Let’s get another crown by exercising self-control. An incorruptible crown. 1 Cor 9:25
It would seem that when the self is reined in and brought under control so that it can’t cross set boundaries then the Holy Spirit has the right of way. I think we become addicted to looking back or forward.
Hey Debi, what about looking for Jesus to return? Would that be looking forward?
That’s a good question. I think that would be looking forward because it is an event that will happen in the future. But since it could happen today it can help motivate us and keep us stay steady in the present day because if we are not focusing on getting/staying prepared for His return there will be consequences for us.
I think the BIBLE says LOOK UP! ( for your redemption draweth near!) in other words for Jesus’ to return. Looking UP unto the HILLS….that’s up, isn’t it? from whence comes our salvation. He will come for all of us who love and look UP and OUT for His returning.
Oh, And I love the Words from SONG OF SOLOMON where the bride exclaims,
“LISTEN! I hear my beloved’s voice. Look! Here he comes, sprinting over the MOUNTAINS racing over the HILLS.”
I found it sobering when I read Matt 25 and the parable of the wise and foolish virgins that both groups went out to meet the bridegroom (they were looking for Him to come so they could meet Him). They both had lamps with oil in them. But because He didn’t come when expected the foolish ran out of oil…the wise had planned and had extra so could meet Him. The foolish tried to go find some, but that error cost them because while they were out buying, the bridegroom came and they missed Him and got locked out of the weedding feast. The bridegroom even said He didn’t know them.