September 15

PROVERBS 5

My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
    incline your ear to my understanding,
² that you may keep discretion,
    and your lips may guard knowledge.
³ For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,
    and her speechis smoother than oil,
⁴ but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
    sharp as a two-edged sword.
⁵ Her feet go down to death;
    her steps follow the path toSheol;
⁶ she does not ponder the path of life;
    her ways wander, and she does not know it.

                                                                – Proverbs 5:1-6

PROVERBS 5 AVOID THE TEMPTRESS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you serve the Lord your God, avoid the temptress

If you listen to God’s wisdom, you will know her strategies

She is an expert at manipulation, control and seduction

She will use her charms to get you isolated and secluded

Remember that she doesn’t follow the way of the righteous

Her ways always lead you to chaos, destruction and deep darkness.

In this book, Solomon focuses on the temptress or the other woman. It may appear that the gender used is a woman, but I think it also points to anyone who is adulterous, whether male or female.  In these following verses, Solomon wants us to cling to wisdom and the truth that only comes from the word of God. It is in his divine wisdom that we get to decode all the tricks that the enemy uses to lure us into sin. It would be wise for us Christians to follow these warnings. We do not want to be caught off guard when we encounter seductions from anyone, be it a man or a woman. When we are seeking God’s truth, we will be protected from such lures and wiles.

REFLECTION

·       Why should we avoid temptations with all our might?

September 14

                                                                   PROVERBS 4
²⁰ My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹ Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
²² For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
²⁴ Put away from you crooked speech,  and put devious talk far from you.
²⁵ Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

                                                                  – Proverbs 4:20-27

PROVERBS 4 WHERE LIFE AND HEALING ARE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you pay attention to the word of God and his commands

You will find rest and peace and thrive in all of life’s demands

If you treasure the laws of the Lord and keep them hidden in your heart

You will find life and healing to all that ails your body, soul and mind

Keep your mouth from uttering corrupt speech but say only what is true

Do not get involved with the systems of the world and all that is untrue

There is much benefit to those who treasure the will and word of the Lord

But there is much chaos and ruin to those who follow the systems of the world.

Some people rely on their own belief system, culture, philosophy and traditions. They think that what they know and what has been passed down to them by many generations will be enough for them to thrive in this world. I used to be one of those people until I was saved by the truth that only comes from the word of the Lord.

When I began to study the bible deeply, my life changed and all those beliefs and wrong mindsets were replaced by what is true according to God’s word. I also began to heal from many traumas that took me decades to process because I relied on human psychology instead of the truth that is eternal and from the Lord. Because he created us all, he is the only source of wisdom when it comes to living our lives for his own purpose.

REFLECTION

• Share an incident when you got healed from the wisdom from the bible.

September 13

PROVERBS 4

¹⁰ Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.
¹¹ I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
¹² When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.
¹³ Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.
¹⁴ Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil.
¹⁵ Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸ But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
¹⁹ The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know over what they stumble. – Proverbs 4:10-19

PROVERBS 4 DON’T LET GO OF GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you hear God’s instructions, do not turn away from it

By following it, you’ll be protected against evil and all things wicked

Cling to the laws of the Lord and guard your heart against unrighteousness

The way of the wicked is going to make you stumble in so much darkness

When you don’t let go of God’s wisdom, you will have peace and joy

The Lord God protects those who walk in his path and obey his laws.

Many people do not realize that when they do not heed God’s word and his commands, they are truly hurting themselves. God created us for his own purpose: to give him all the glory. When we go against this purpose, we are opening doors for the enemy to instill our natural tendencies, which is our sinfulness. The law of the Lord is a boundary. It protects us from the tactics and wiles of the devil. When we don’t know the truth, it is easy for the devil to ensnare and trap us. As Solomon describes it in verse 19, the way of the wicked is like deep darkness where they do not know what they stumble on. The way of the upright on the other hand leads to many years of life and is like the light of dawn.

REFLECTION

• Why do you think some people think God’s laws are hard to follow?

September 12

PROVERBS 4

Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight,
² for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching.
³ When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
⁴ he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words;
  keep my commandments, and live.⁵ Get wisdom; get insight;
  do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶ Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.
⁸ Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;  she will honor you if you embrace her.
⁹ She will place on your head a graceful garland;

 she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” – Proverbs 4:1-9

PROVERBS 4 HOLD FAST TO GOD’S WORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The Lord gives his wisdom to his people through his teachings

He gave his beloved children good insights and precepts

He gave him his commands so that they can be protected

Hold fast to his laws and truth so you can overcome evil

When you cling to his word, you will begin to have wisdom

Wisdom will be a garland on your head and also be a crown.

Solomon continues to crusade for wisdom in these following verses. He enumerates the benefits when we hold fast to God’s word because it is the only and absolute source of wisdom. He wants God’s people to treasure it like a valuable possession that will enhance the life of those who believe in God.

The bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16 that ¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. So, you can imagine if someone does not know God and doesn’t know his word. They don’t have wisdom. They do not know how to navigate in this corrupt world system. The only thing they know is what the world has given them, which is not for their own good.

REFLECTION

• Share an experience in your life when you held fast to God’s word.

September 11

PROVERBS 3

²⁷ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
    tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
²⁹ Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.
³⁰ Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm.
³¹ Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways,
³² for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
    but the upright are in his confidence.
³³ The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
³⁴ Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
³⁵ The wise will inherit honor, but fools getdisgrace.

                                                                – Proverbs 3:27-35

PROVERBS 3 HELP OR GIVE WITHOUT DELAY  

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When someone you know is in need of help, do not delay

If it is within your power to extend assistance, do it quickly

If we procrastinate to give help to those in need, we are indifferent

When God gives us opportunities to show love, let’s respond promptly

If we delay giving at those times that our neighbors need it badly

We are caving in to the devil’s plot to make us more unloving and selfish.

Have you ever experienced someone asking your help and you didn’t give it at once? We all have done that at one or more occasions in our lives. One of the reasons we do so is because of our sinful nature. We are all selfish by nature and we always think of ourselves first and our comforts. We do not want to be uncomfortable or inconvenienced, so we don’t respond soon enough. We justify and analyze and then we don’t do anything. Solomon gives us wisdom when to extend help or give assistance to others. He advises us to do it without delay if it is in our power to do so. Procrastinating giving that help is not heeding the Holy Spirit’s invitation to show love to others.

REFLECTION

• How can we develop the mindset to extend help to others without delay?

September 5

PROVERBS 2

Then you will understand righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
¹⁰ for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹ discretion will watch over you,
    understanding will guard you,
¹² delivering you from the way of evil,
    from men of perverted speech,
¹³ who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴ who rejoice in doing evil
    and delight in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵ men whose paths are crooked,
    and who are devious in their ways. – Proverbs 2:9-15

PROVERBS 2 WISDOM PROTECTS US FROM EVIL

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Whenever we seek wisdom from God’s truth

It leads us to discern and understand what is true

The absolute source of wisdom is the Lord God himself

He gives us his word so we can embrace light and forsake darkness

When we seek God’s word, we begin to see the lures of the devil

It protects us from being ensnared and helps us see the enemy’s tactics.

Many people sin because they have not pursued wisdom. By nature, we are sinful and corrupt. We cannot change our tendencies to sin by relying on our own understanding. In the past, when I didn’t truly know the Lord, I used to think that I could pursue human knowledge and solve all my problems myself. I didn’t understand that the source of knowledge was God himself. I got entangled with the darkness of this world and believed all the lies that the systems of this world offered. Culture, traditions and generational beliefs became my go to. It wasn’t until the Lord gave me that desire to hunger for his word, that all the lies I was born into got exposed through his truth. I was freed.

REFLECTION

• Share an incident where wisdom saved you from sin.