Shalom,
Proverbs 6 begins by warning against taking on responsibility for another person's debts. Verse 2 warns us about making promises and getting entangled in commitments of this kind. Verse 3 instructs that IF we have gotten involved in this, go QUICKLY to the person involved and get this situation resolved! Today I want to look at verses 4-11:
4 Give not [unnecessary sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids; 5 Deliver yourself, as a roe or gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. 6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise! -- 7 Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provides her food in the summer and gathers her supplies in the harvest. 9 How long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down and sleep -- 11 So will your poverty come like a robber or one who travels [with slowly but surely approaching steps] and your want like an armed man [making you helpless].
These verses can, and should, be applied to getting out of the situations described in the first 3 verses. But they can, and should, also be applied to ANY and EVERY situation we find ourselves facing! DON'T be lax in acting on the Word of God, whether it be for healing in your body, prosperity for your finances, restoration of your relationships, or any other area! Listen to the Spirit of God and obey the Word of God - NOW! Don't keep putting off something that you KNOW you should be doing NOW! Deliverance for every area of life has ALREADY been provided by the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible, through the death,burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth! Now the responsibility for making it real in OUR lives falls on US! Make the wise choice and DON'T delay! When do YOU want to be delivered of the "frogs"? I hope it's today!
John 6:12-15:
12 I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. 14 He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.
The disciples were not able to receive all of the things that Jesus wanted to tell them at that time. Why is that? 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us why.
14 But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The disciples did not yet have the Holy Spirit living in them. At the New Birth, the Holy Spirit comes to INDWELL the believer. HE is the One Who teaches us the Word of God! Receiving the INFILLING of the Holy Spirit, and STAYING filled, causes us to be more sensitive to His voice and understand the Word of God even better. The Amplified Bible makes this verse even clearer:
14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.
The believer, especially the Spirit-filled believer, has full control over how much of the Word of God we know and can act on! Isaiah 55:9 says that His ways and His thoughts are higher than ours, and they are. BUT, we CAN know them, IF we want to! What is YOUR choice? Here is "I'm Not Ashamed" by Hillsong:
1 Chronicles 8-10 lists more of the genealogies of the Tribes of Israel. These differ from some of the others. Sometimes "sons" refers to sons AND "grandsons". I have never been led to do an in-depth study on this. I take my cue from 1 Timothy 2:4, and will continue to do so unless the Holy Spirit directs me otherwise. But one thing I make sure to do, even though it can be time-consuming, is to read EVERY name. I may never know who they are, but GOD does, and each and every one is important to Him! Having just watched the movie "Schindler's List" again, this is more real to me than ever! Every single name on THAT list was VERY important to the people ON it! I am so glad that MY name is written FOREVER in the Lamb's Book of Life! That is the most important list of all! Amen!
Shalom in Him!
