²⁴ Kind words are like honey—
    sweet to the soul and healthy for the body ~ Proverbs 16;24

Such a fantastic and truthful scripture!

A truth that all of us should know and live by…. our words bring LIFE or they bring DEATH.

We interact with more people everyday than we even realize. Many years of my life I worked in retail and I interacted with strangers all day long, some people would just speak down, rude etc… always left me feeling angry, hurt, and low. Then I realized that MY words are the same. How do I speak to strangers? And what about friends, family, our children, grandchildren, our co-workers, our parents, our bosses, our clients, the people you go to church with?

Speak LIFE into people, daily, without thinking, even if they offend you!! LIFE!! LOVE!!

I have written and preached entire sermons on this subject, there have been bible studies, books written and even weekend conferences just on these short words. LIFE!

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

¹¹ Even Death and Destruction^[b] hold no secrets from the Lord.
    How much more does he know the human heart! ~~ Proverbs 15:11

We all say and ready that God sees everything, I am not convinced we really believe that, if we did believe it we would surely live our lives a little different. It’s just kind of the “Christian” thing to say and believe. Truth is we act out what we believe.

Here this one little scripture says “even death and destruction hold no secrets…..”  God sees everything in this world, he sees the wrongs, the injustice, the wars, the crimes, He sees the financial situations in this world, He sees when it seems like all is falling apart. He sees it all and he cares deeply but he did not send his son Jesus to die for the world, he sent him to die for YOU and ME!

If he sees ALL think how much more he sees our heart? And out of our hearts flow the issues of life…. our thinking, our actions, our choices, our love, and our hate. I often say I’m so thankful I’m not God because I judge what I can see…..just as we all do.

People are very quick to say “don’t judge me” Or “Only God can judge me” — I would like to bring some clarity to this mindset. Especially when it comes to brothers and sisters in the Lord.  We can judge you just as you can judge me. We judge the fruit we produce, we judge the actions of ones life. WE DO NOT judge you to heaven or Hell — that is God’s judgment, not man’s.

To keep God’s commands, we must first judge what is right and what is wrong. For example, 1 Cor. 5:11-13 say, “… you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you’“. In these verses, God tells us to judge church members and expel them if necessary. Then we are told in Rom. 12:9, “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good”. How can we do that if we don’t first judge what is good and what is evil? So, we must make judgments about what is right and what is wrong so that we can live according to God’s commands.

Even though people will tell us that we should not judge, the Bible makes it clear that we should. The following examples show where the Apostles exposed error:
a) Paul named and spoke against certain men in 2 Tim. 2:16-17, 2 Tim. 4:14-15 and 1 Tim. 1:19-20.
b) John named a man who was in error in 3 John 1:9-10.
c) Paul publicly corrected Peter, a fellow Apostle, in Galatians 2:11-14.
d) Leaders caught in false teaching or immorality are to be rebuked publicly as 1 Tim. 5:20 says.
e) Christians who won’t repent must be removed from the church –  Matt. 18:15-17.
These examples make it clear that we must judge and publicly expose error and, if necessary, discipline those who are in sin. The salvation of souls and purity of the church depends on this.

There is a lot of peer pressure telling us not to judge and not to speak against false teachings even when it is known that souls are being misled. People will say, “We must not judge” or “Let’s keep the peace and unity”. However, if we don’t show people their error then they may end up in hell. Jesus told us clearly in Matt. 24:10-11 that during the end times “many will turn away from the faith… and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people”.  This is happening right before our eyes and are we silent?

I want to end with this… ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE WALKING WITH THE LORD, FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT CAN STAND IN THESE SHOES. Judgment is so EASY to throw around, walk in humility and most of all in LOVE

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

³⁰ A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;
    jealousy is like cancer in the bones ~ Proverbs 14;30

This is so true and probably deeper than most of us even realize. A man or woman with a heart that is divided, without peace, troubled and broken usually do not take care of their bodies. You can find so many in poor health, overweight, bad hearts, high blood pressure, and a multitude of different medical problems trying to mask the pain.

I have found in my life and in the lives of many others that when your heart is full and healthy, satisfied and has purpose the body falls into follow. What is in your heart dictates what is in your mind and what flows in and out of your body.

And the second part of this is “Jealousy is like a cancer in the bones” Oh man that’s so true — jealousy stems out of an unhealthy heart, Matthew 15:18
 – But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ It will drive a man or women to extreme’s in life. A very sad way to live a life that is usually troublesome till death….. BUT you DO NOT have to live this way!!!!

John 14:27 – 
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Philippians 4:7
 – Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today!!!!

²⁰ Walk with the wise and become wise;
    associate with fools and get in trouble ~ Proverbs 13:-20

The old saying “you are who you hang around with” is true. There is also another saying I’ve always told my children along with many other people “It’s always easier to pull a person into a hole than it is to pull them out”

I know for a fact (because of my own life) that if one is not planted firmly and deeply with the Lord it’s not very smart or wise to hang out with the wrong people. You will ALWAYS end up looking/acting just like them. I know many (as well as my own experiences) Christians, especially new Christians who say they want to be a witness or minister to the people in the bars, clubs etc… they want to hang out and show their old friends Jesus. And I also know that many have a pure heart when starting out on this journey and really do want to but I can tell you that 99% of them end up falling down pretty hard.

This ONE LITTLE SCRIPTURE tells the entire story.

Be planted like a tree in the Lord before you go into the wild!!!

Here is a GREAT song that I just love that speaks of this…. Now go out and have an EPIC day today

¹⁹ Truthful words stand the test of time,
    but lies are soon exposed. ~ Proverbs 12-19

Most of my life I’ve always tried to tell people what they wanted to hear. Not to try and lie to them but to try and not hurt them or upset them. Bottom line it made me a LIAR. And more times than not it always ended up bad anyways and hurt more in the end.

My wife on the other hand would be able to look at you and tell you the truth no matter what — always speak the truth to someone. There were many times that people would get offended by it, or think she was not a nice person and would avoid her.

So which way is the correct way to approach people when they come to you for advice, counsel, or just a situation that needs to be addressed be it as a parent, friend, boss, or co-worker.

The answer is really quite simple — always be truthful, even if it hurts, it’s still better than a lie! BUT…BUT if you are going to live this way it comes with a great responsibility. When it came to my wife, she had the ability to always speak truth, but lacked salt, love and most importantly wisdom. I do not know many who has spent so much time in the Word as she does, I mean all of her life her face has been planted in the Bible and with that comes LOVE, KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM and a deep relationship with the Lord. IT changes a person and as she has grown over the years today she speaks with people with such love, compassion and WISDOM that they come to her asking for truth. It has been amazing transformation to watch over the years.

I must confess I have learned SO SO SO much from just watching her, that today I would always speak truth rather than lying trying to make someone feel better.

So far in this book of Proverbs every single chapter has been about gaining WISDOM in life. The book of Proverbs was written by wisest man that ever walked this earth…….

So for this single scripture to come to life for you in your life, takes hard work, building your life, gaining relationship, finding truth, wisdom and knowledge. READ YOUR WORD daily — it’s LIFE to your soul.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

²⁰ The Lord detests people with crooked hearts,
    but he delights in those with integrity ~ Proverbs 11:20

A very good scripture for today! To me this is the reality of all of life, our private life, our family life, friendship life, work life, school life, and church life. This speaks of who we are!

Some say we are born with crooked hearts and I am one that believes this…. most of us learn to hide our hearts, our flaws, our crooked plans but like all things the truth always comes out and sooner or later all is revealed. But the deeper truth to this is that God see’s the heart of man, He knows us, I mean He knows EVERY part of us, all of our crookedness and hiding.

There are great people who do not know God, they love, they give and they have total integrity. You do not have to know and follow God to be a good person. But the truth of the matter still remains HE KNOWS YOU! And the truth still remains “God detest a crooked heart and delights in those with integrity”

You and I can chose to live anyway we like, be whatever we want but the truth is the truth in the end He is the one we will all stand before………If you believe in Him or not.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

We have happy memories of the godly,
    but the name of a wicked person rots away. ~ Proverbs 10:7

As we go through life we build families, careers, friends and our world at the work place. People know what they see. When we have hidden things in our lives, secrets, things that nobody knows about it can be devastating to the world around you. Hidden lies, sins, habits, addictions ALWAYS come to light sooner or later and when they do it’s a life changer for you and for the ones around you.

How many times have you been shocked when something is exposed about somebody. Or when someone passes away and while going through their things you find things that just rip your heart out, they have had secrets for years. How about the current situation with Bill Cosby? In my life I have experienced it and when I saw the damage (some that can never be repaired) it changed my heart forever!! One of my greatest fears is how I will be remembered, or what kind of legacy I leave for my loved ones. Do I want them to remember me for my mistakes, lies and hidden life or as a man who LOVED, CARED and GAVE?

This scripture is a POWERFUL scripture take it to heart. There is another Scripture that says “I would rather you be HOT or COLD rather than LUKE-WARM” (God speaking) He goes as far to say he will vomit you out of his mouth if you are lukewarm. This applies to ALL of life not just your relationship with the Father …. but with that said I believe that all of life is based on your relationship with the Father. (not saying you can’t be a good person without God)

Now go out and have an EPIC day today!!!

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
    Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
⁸ So don’t bother correcting mockers;
    they will only hate you.
But correct the wise,
    and they will love you.
⁹ Instruct the wise,
    and they will be even wiser. ~ Proverbs 9:7-9

Everyone has an opinion, everyone has their thoughts when it comes to politics, religion, moral issues etc…and some are just downright crazy. There are mockers and haters on every corner, you work with them, you go to school with them, you live with them, and some are even in your family. As human beings our first instant is to correct them, say something to show them and arguments begin, anger riser is up, name calling, and it can escalate into full blown hate. Here in this word the writer of Proverbs says to gain wisdom, that wisdom is a key to life, happy life, satisfying life, and most of all a very peaceful life.

He tells us NOT to EVER try to correct a mocker or the wicked, it will always come back to bite you!!!  Take a moment to think about this, think about people in your life that get defensive and very offended when you try to correct them….. and now think about when you go to a person that has wisdom, is a solid person…. most of the time they will receive it … in fact it says they will LOVE YOU and they will even become wiser.

So for us to apply this word to our lives….. when someone comes to you and brings correction how do you respond? Who are you trying to correct and the bigger question is what is your motive for correcting them?

Now go out and have an EPIC day today!!!
Teach the righteous,
    and they will learn even more

¹² “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment.
    I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.
¹³ All who fear the Lord will hate evil.
    Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
    corruption and perverse speech.
¹⁴ Common sense and success belong to me.
    Insight and strength are mine.
¹⁵ Because of me, kings reign,
    and rulers make just decrees.
¹⁶ Rulers lead with my help,
    and nobles make righteous judgments. ~ Proverbs 8:12-16

Wisdom!!!!!!! Wisdom in life, in every step we make, every choice we make, everything we do. True wisdom is from the Father, in chapter 8 it says that wisdom was before ALL things and is one with the Father.

For me today verse 13 hit me the hardest. “All who FEAR the Lord will hate Evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech”  The pride I struggle with, the arrogance I struggle with, the corruption I struggle with and the perverse speech I struggle with all are linked to my LACK of FEAR of the Lord. SO……….what it is to fear the Lord?

It’s exactly that FEAR knowing who He is and what He can do with just a word. Fear of the Lord is also AWE of Him. Many Christians think of him as a gentle grandfather rather that a father that loves his child and will discipline him to help him grow into a good, loving, honest, giving human being. There are some that teach we not be afraid of God, there are some that teach we should be afraid of God…. and then there is a perfect balance. How do you find that place? It’s all about RELATIONSHIP with Him. It is IMPOSSIBLE did you hear me? IMPOSSIBLE to know anything about the Father except what you hear from other (and boy that is dangerous) if you do not know Him. You know Him through his WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REST IN THE LORD DAILY — it’s a lifestyle!!!

Now go out and have an EPIC day today
    

²¹ So she seduced him with her pretty speech
    and enticed him with her flattery.
²² He followed her at once,
    like an ox going to the slaughter.
He was like a stag caught in a trap,^[c]
23     awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart.
He was like a bird flying into a snare,
    little knowing it would cost him his life. ~ Proverbs 7:21-23

Coming off the heals of yesterday’s sermon this is perfect. Caught in a trap and not even realizing it. So far the first 7 chapters of this book has been all about this… WISDOM!!!! Wisdom to know when you are stepping into a trap, a snare… the enemy will hit you at your weakest point so it only makes sense to have a fortress around EVERY point.

I would recommend going to http://www.tracymission.org and listening to the message from July 12, 2015 by Pastor Doug.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today