August 3rd deliberatePeople. post by Phil and Heather Joel + today's dP reading schedule:
Friday, August 3, 2012 2 Chronicles 33:18-34:33 / Romans 16:8-27 / Psalm 26:1-12 / Proverbs 20:19
Romans 16:19
“For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore, I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.”
Satan loves creating a world of gray confusion. He whispers to us that sin isn’t that big of a big deal, and that it certainly won’t hurt us nearly as much as what God says it will (sounds like his conversation with Eve in the Garden of Eden). He loves it when we question God’s truth, and hopes that with each seed of doubt he can plant, we’ll make choices that are just close enough to the truth to slide under the radar without God noticing. He loves it when he can get us to compromise, believing “all of God’s rules and way too picky and too hard to follow”. Satan lives on the “line” – the wrong side of “boundary line”. He continuously beckons us to leave the safety of the Lord’s truth and join him where the grass appears greener.
Okay, enough about that. HERE’S WHAT GOD SAYS:
“If you want to experience TRUE FREEDOM, TRUE PEACE and become the amazing people I created you to be, you’ve got to GET SMART. You need to KNOW ME, KNOW MY WORD and LEARN THE SOUND OF MY VOICE (This comes by spending TIME with Me). As you do something really cool will happen:
You’ll begin to become wise - knowing what is good and right and SIMPLE concerning evil. Meaning, you’ll be able to EASILY IDENTIFY SIN (and compromise) for what it is (because your mind will be sharp instead of cloudy and confused), UNDERSTAND the destruction it will cause, and MAKE THE ABUNDANTLY CLEAR, COMPLETELY LOGICAL CHOICE to STAY FAR FROM IT! That’s it – cut and dry. SIMPLE, CLEAR, and CONFUSION FREE!
Reader Comments (1)
Prov 20:19 "He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flstters with his lips."
Romans 16:17-20 Avoid Divisive Persons
-note those who cause divisions and offenses
-those who do such do not serve the Lord Jesus but their belly
-by smooth words abd flattering speech, they deceive the hearts of the simple
-be wise in what is good, simple concerning evil.
Here we see two areas of scripture where we can identify a flattering person and what can happen if we hang out with them for too long. What we share will not be safe. And if we are not wise in God's truth, we can be deceived. How a person uses their words will reveal where their hearts are at. It is a humbling experience to walk in love with those around us. You know that except by the grace of God--any one of us can fall into a variety of sin, if we're not careful. We need solid people around us to encourage us and keep us in check.
I like what you said about being simple concerning evil, wise in what is good. I remember a story about how counterfeit money is identified. Apparently, those who inspect the bills spend their time becoming so familiar with how real money looks, that when they run across a counterfeit, they can tell the difference, immediately. So it is with the truth of God's word. We want to know it well so we can be wise :)