Proverbs 27:12:
12 A prudent man sees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished [with suffering].
"Prudent" here is the Hebrew word "aruwm", which means: shrewd, sensible, skillful and wise. This person will recognize evil because of their study of the Word of God and turn away from it and avoid it altogether! The "simple" is the Hebrew word "pethiy", which means: silly, foolish. This is the person who doesn't pay enough attention to the Word of God to be able to recognize evil and hide! Verse 22:
22 Even though like grain you should pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
"Fool" here is s different Hebrew word that "simple" above. This word is the Hebrew word "`eviyl", which means: to be foolish, one who despised wisdom; who mocked when guilty; who was quarrelsome. This type of foolishness cannot be beaten out of someone! They must choose to WANT to stop being ignorant of the Word; and THEN dig into it AND KNOW IT! Knowledge and understanding of the Word of God is the ONLY "cure" for ignorance and foolishness!
Ephesians 5:1-2:
1 THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]. 2 And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.
THIS is how believers in Jesus of Nazareth are to appear to the world! Not by using many high-sounding or super-spiritual words but by a life that speaks without talking of love and light and life! Verses 15-17 gives even more insight into what our lives should look like!
15 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), 16 Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.
The more time that we spend meditating on the Word of God and in fellowship with the Lord, the more we will begin to think, speak and act like Jesus did! Then the things of the world will just lose their appeal and the things of Heaven will draw us closer! Then obeying Colossians 3:2 will not be hard at all! Thank You, Jesus!
In Nehemiah 6-7 he and the people had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. now they needed to restore the gates and strengthen the people to withstand enemy attacks. Sometimes the enemies, both natural and spiritual, attack in devious ways that are hard to combat. This began to happen to Nehemiah. I really liked the way this was covered in the Bible Exposition Commentary, so I'm sharing it here. it is a little long, but very enlightening!
Since Sanballat and his friends had failed miserably in their attempts to stop the people from working, they decided to concentrate their attacks on Nehemiah. If they could eliminate him, or even discredit him, they could mobilize their allies living in Jerusalem (Neh 6:17-18) and take over the city.
The average person doesn't realize the tremendous pressures and testings that people experience day after day in places of leadership. Leaders are often blamed for things they didn't do and criticized for things they tried to do. They are misquoted and misunderstood and rarely given the opportunity to set the record straight. If they act quickly, they are reckless; if they bide their time, they are cowardly or unconcerned. Referring to the pressures of leadership, President Harry Truman wrote in Mr. Citizen, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"
People in places of spiritual leadership not only have the pressures that all leaders face, but they must also battle an infernal enemy who is a master deceiver and a murderer. Satan comes either as a serpent who deceives or a lion who devours (2 Cor 11:3; 1 Peter 5:8), and Christian leaders must be alert and spiritually equipped to oppose him. It behooves God's people to pray earnestly, not only for those in civil authority (1 Tim 2:1-3), but also for those in places of spiritual authority. If Satan can defeat a Christian leader, he can cripple a whole ministry and discredit the cause of Christ.
The enemy's main purpose was to generate fear in the heart of Nehemiah and his workers (Neh 6:9,13-14,19), knowing that fear destroys faith and paralyzes life. Adolph Hitler wrote, "Mental confusion, contradiction of feeling, indecisiveness, panic; these are our weapons." Both Jesus (Luke 13:31-37) and Paul (Acts 21:10-14) had to face the specter of fear, and both overcame it by faith.
Nehemiah didn't listen to the enemy's lies. He and the people completed the wall and hung the gates in only fifty-two days, much to the chagrin of their adversaries (Neh 6:15-16).
Here is an older song by Hillsong called "Stepping Out":
Shalom in Him!
