“I don’t understand”…….

   image credit: google images

 

I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the

man void of understanding;

and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had

covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was

broken down.  Proverbs 24:30, 31

 

This is a very familiar passage of scripture. As I read it

something jumped out at me that I didn’t see before. People

who know this scripture talk about it in context of laziness

but there is more.

 

The lazy man was not just lazy but was void of understanding!

Those two things are not the same.

Look at the effects of not having understanding:

 

His vineyard was all grown over with thorns

The nettles had covered the face thereof

The stone wall thereof was broken down!

 

To own a vineyard you had to have some sort of wealth.

This man had wealth. He knew stuff but…..

What happened??

How could he let things just decay like that?

My pastor taught me that

the problem in the world today is not a knowledge problem.

We have a wisdom problem!  And I think that applies here.

In all his “knowing” the man didn’t apply what he knew. He didn’t

pursue understanding! In other words, he didn’t seek to

understand what was going on. He was wealthy but he didn’t seek

to understand how to use it!

 

I was challenged when I read that scripture. Laziness is deadly

but not having understanding is just as deadly. The man’s walls

were broken down!

We need to make it a goal to get understanding. Don’t settle

for knowledge only but seek understanding!

 

As I looked at my life after reading this scripture I saw areas

where I was like the man who was void of understanding.

Laziness crept in because he had no understanding!

I asked myself, do I have understanding?

It’s not enough to just know about something? It’s not enough

to have information, because that is all it will ever be, information.

Understanding comes when you apply what you know.

 

It’s not too late to get understanding. There

is so much going on today. A lot of people don’t have understanding

and it’s destroying them. Their walls are broken down, with thorns

all grown over. We have a chance……

 

Am I void of understanding or

Am I seeking to understand?

 

Where are you at?

 

Rolain

 

 

Praise Him…..How??

I was reading my bible yesterday when I came across the most amazing scripture. God has created us to praise Him and I am sure you all have read a book or have been taught how to. I am qute confident you have the understanding on how to. But what I want to do is just add to that knowledge you have and how I am going to do that is copy what I wrote in my journal yesterday when I read the scripture.I truly believe it’s a significant scripture.

Hallelujah! 

You who serve God, praise God! 

Just to speak His name is praise! 

Just to remember God is a blessing – 

now and tomorrow and always.

Psalm 113: 1-3 (Message)

We were created to praise God. (Isaiah 43:21)

“Just to speak His name is praise”

(When I read this scripture yesterday I realised the power of His name. Just to SPEAK His name is praise! Whatever situation you facing you merely have to speak His name! What a wonderful and powerful thought!!!! Just to speak His name is praise.If you are confused, just speak His name. It doesn’t take 2 seconds to do but is so powerful. Speak His name constantly)!

– I need to speak His name as often as I can……

“Just to remember God is a blessing – now and tomorrow and always.”

– Remember Him and what He has done as much as I can. It is a blessing to me and it is blessing Him!

That is what I wrote in my journal yesterday. Let us praise the Lord. To speak His name is praise and to remember God is a blessing not just now, but tomorrow and ALWAYS…wow!     Amen.

Rolain

Great news for God’s people…..

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

Know this and don’t ever forget it; It’s not because of any good that you’ve done that God is giving you this good land to own. Anything but! Your stubborn as mules. Keep in mind and don’t ever forget how angry you made God, your God, in the wilderness. Deuteronomy  9:6, 7

These were the words spoken to the Israelites by God. And even though they were directed to the Israelites that reminder is for us as well.

There is nothing we can brag about. We have nothing to show that will prove it was because of our own efforts. God has blessed us not because we were the brightest and smartest. He didn’t chose us because we grew up in the right neighborhood. It wasn’t because we had a lot of money. It wasn’t because we were so talented.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing that we can give credit to for where we are and what we have. It is all God! Yes, He uses people but He is the One behind it all…

That’s good news for us because it is not by our works. We don’t have to try and work at it. We don’t have to rely on our knowledge. We don’t need to compete for God’s attention by proving we are better than the next person. We don’t have to sit down and think up ways to stay in God’s “good books”. It was purely grace which means anyone can experience that same favor and grace!!

Let me say this, everything good that is happening in your life and has happened is not because of what you have done but it’s because of God!!! You may think you are inadequate, or unqualified, but that is everyone’s story. No one is and will be ever be adequate enough, and qualified enough in the eyes of God. We are all sinners. We all have fallen short. And because of that everyone has a chance. You have a chance to do great things, I have a chance! That is how good He is. Amen

Rolain

The different faces of Wisdom.

If you have been following my blog for a while you will know that one of my deepest desires is to walk in true wisdom. You will know how much I love wisdom and you will also know I believe it is the key to real living. If you didn’t know all that now you do.   🙂

But now I want to go deeper. The wisdom of God is deep. There is no argument there but what I would like to do is show you a few more faces of wisdom. We may know them but just ignored them because we didn’t know what they were or who they belonged to.                                 Proverbs 2 (Message) gives us some insight into what these other faces are.

“Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of understanding.                                                                                                                        That’s right – if you make Insight your priority, and won’t take no for an answer, searching for it like                                                                                        a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours;”

With wisdom comes understanding – another face of wisdom. Understanding or in other words Insight. (please note, these two words, understanding and insight have different meanings but still similar in a lot of ways. I would love to hear what you understand about those two words).When you have Understanding, Insight then you are walking in wisdom! Do you have Insight?

“Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God.                                                                                  And here’s why: God gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding.                                                                                                      He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, “

Another face of wisdom is Common Sense. Just because you have the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean you should throw common sense out of the window. Common Sense is a form of wisdom. There will be times when you won’t know which path to take and when that time comes use common sense. Common sense is very practical and it will save you from a whole lot of confusion. Read this,

Lady Wisdom will be your close friend, and Brother Knowledge your pleasant companion. Good sense will scout ahead for danger, Insight will keep an eye out for you. They’ll keep you from making wrong turns, or following the bad directions”

Let’s just recap on the different faces of Wisdom that we have looked at.

– Understanding/Insight

– Common Sense

– Knowledge (I didn’t expound on it because I think it’s self explanatory)

Like I said in the beginning,Wisdom is the key to a successful life but we need to walk in the different facets of wisdom. We need to learn what they are and my hope is this post has helped in that regard.

“It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen. Proverbs 9. (Message)

Rolain

A love that cannot be explained……!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

During my devotional time I read something truly amazing about God’s love. I just had to share it!  🙂

God views Christians the same way He views Christ: sinless and perfect.

Don’t fear He will discover your past. He already has.

Don’t fear disappointing Him in the future. He can show you the chapter in which you will.

With perfect knowledge of the past and perfect vision of the future, He loves you perfectly in spite of both.  Max Lucado

 

Is that amazing or what??!! God sees us the same way He sees Christ!!! That is too much for me to comprehend. All I will say is, walk in that love. My past mistakes and my future mistakes don’t hinder me from receiving His love. He loves me! HE LOVES ME! God’s love is truly amazing…… It cannot be explained. Praise the Lord indeed!!!

Rolain.

The Answer To Life’s Difficult Situations.

If there is one thing you need to know about me, it’s my love for wisdom. In the past few months God has been showing me how important wisdom is in my life. I have seen how I can’t go through life without wisdom. Without wisdom I am dead. We all need wisdom to live, but why? I will show you why.

– The first thing you need to know is, wisdom is calling out to us, calling out to you. Are you in a situation that you can’t solve? Are you in a place where you are stumped at what to do? Answer wisdom’s call. She wants to help you. She knows you need her.

Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice? Proverbs 8:1

The thing we need is wisdom! It is the answer to those tough situations we are facing. It is the answer to the complicated situation you are facing. You are not smart enough on your own. A lot of us make the mistake of thinking we have the answers. We do but only through God. On our own we are nothing. On our own we just a clanging symbol. It’s being said, the best of flesh is still flesh! We really do need God to help us. Left to ourselves we will drown.

For wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth; nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
Proverbs 8:11

There is nothing, I repeat, NOTHING that can come close to wisdom.
Are you clever enough to get yourself out of the fixes you get yourself into, No! God wants you to see that outside of Him we are powerless.

I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity; Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.
Proverbs 8:12

Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics; I am both Insight and Virtue to live it out. Proverbs 8:14

Wisdom is not alone. Wisdom lives with sanity, knowledge and discretion. How can we not desire wisdom?
I realized this some time ago. I knew with wisdom comes knowledge, insight and understanding so I always pray for that. How many times have I been in situations where I didn’t have a clue but I know wisdom is with me. As I cry out to wisdom she comes. I am in a situation right now. I have prayed and I have asked people for counsel. Wisdom appears in various ways. I pray, then seek counsel from people that I trust. After that I take it all back to God and lay it out before Him. He is the One who shows me the right way. I will keep on saying we need wisdom because we really do. Without wisdom we are done for. Be careful if you get to a place where you think you can “handle it”!

This is the most important thing you need to know about wisdom.

I love those who love me; those who look for me find me. Proverbs 8:17

That is a promise. If you seek for wisdom you will find it. God is not hiding wisdom from you. He wants you to have wisdom. If you seek for wisdom you will find it. I was so encouraged when I read that and I hope that brings comfort to you. God will answer us when we call to Him.

You can find me on Righteous Road – that’s where I walk – at the intersection of Justice Avenue, Handing life to those who love me, filling their arms with life – armloads of life! Proverbs 8:21

Wisdom brings life. I have been worrying about a certain situation, which has not been helping. At times I struggle with fear then doubt and so on. There is this weight on my shoulders because I have being relying on my own strength but God is very clear to us. When we get wisdom we get life. I don’t need to worry because God is in control. He is the One who fills my arms with life – armloads of life! Wisdom will do that.

Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work. When you find me, you find life, real life to say nothing of God’s good pleasure. Proverbs 8:34,35

We need wisdom every single day of our lives. Ask God for it every morning and every single moment of your life. Fall in love with wisdom. Let it be the thing you value higher than anything else in your life.
I like the way Proverbs 7:4 says it,

Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion.

Wisdom is the key. It is the answer to everything in your life.
Cry out to God because He is the source of wisdom! He loves you so much……

Rolain

 

What You Need To Build A Life.

What do we need in this life that will help us reach our full potential? Is it money, clothes, a new car, a new house, what is it? Proverbs 24:3, 4 helps us with that:

Through skilful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],
and by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

I have shared this verse in one of my earlier posts. This is one of my favourite verses if you didn’t know. We need wisdom desperately if we are going to be established.
Young people, if you want to build a life you need wisdom. It is the principle thing. To build a home and a family you need wisdom. It is the principle thing! How desperate are you for wisdom?

We need to get hungry for the wisdom of God.

The chapter carries on by saying:
A wise man is strong and is better than a strong man and a man of knowledge increases and strengthens his power. Proverbs 24:5

Wisdom is the key to strength. Our strength is not enough to get us to the place God has planned for us but the wisdom of God will get us there.
With wisdom you can wage war. No war in your life will be won without the wisdom of God. Don’t fight if you don’t have wisdom. Get wisdom first then fight.

My son, eat honey, because it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
So shall you know skilful and godly wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.  Proverbs 24:13, 14.

Your destiny and future are connected to the wisdom you acquire. If you have wisdom or as the word puts it, if you find wisdom then there shall be a future and a reward for you! Those lacking the desire to get wisdom will not be able to accomplish all God has for them. Do you want to accomplish God’s call on your life, then walk in wisdom!

I was so excited when God showed me this verse. I realize without wisdom I am lost. I cannot be effective if I don’t have the wisdom of God guiding me! WE cannot be effective without the wisdom of God. The last part of that verse says, your hope and expectation shall not be cut off!! With wisdom your hope is not misplaced. It is in the right place but without wisdom your hope will be cut off. How many times have we seen people who have pursued the wrong thing because they were naive? Wisdom brings clarity into what we are supposed to be putting our hope in. It will protect us from hoping for the wrong things.

Wow!!! I hope you are starting to see just how important wisdom is in your life. It is not the only important thing but it is ONE of the important things in life. Let us get hungry for wisdom. Let us get desperate for wisdom.

I understand I am limited in my own understanding and there are a lot of things I don’t see but with wisdom I can see them. God loves us so much that He tells us to simply ask Him for wisdom. (James 1:5, 6)

I ask God for wisdom in my relationship with Him. I need Him to show me what pleases Him. I need Him to also show me how to get deeper into Him.

I need wisdom in my relationships with people. I know I am stronger when my relationships are right and I also know I cannot be effective if my relationships are broken! How I need wisdom in this area….

I need wisdom in my business. I need His direction. I need His knowledge so I can do the right thing. I need His wisdom to bring honour to Him in the way I do business!

I need wisdom when I minister. I can’t and won’t minister without God’s help. The reason I do the things I do is because of God’s wisdom. He has opened so many doors for me, He has taught me so much, and He has shown me so much. How can I stop relying on his wisdom now?

I need wisdom in my life. God has given me a race to run and I need His wisdom to run it. I will have my own family one day but only wisdom will help me be the man I am supposed to be to them. Only wisdom will help me be the man I need to be now!!!!

As I end this post I would like to leave you with another verse that really challenges me to the core. It is Proverbs 1:7 and I am going to use the Message. It says;

 

Start with God – the first step in learning is bowing down to God;

Only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

 

Rolain