There are six things the Lord hates—
    no, seven things he detests:
¹⁷ haughty eyes,
    a lying tongue,
    hands that kill the innocent,
¹⁸ a heart that plots evil,
    feet that race to do wrong,
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies,
    a person who sows discord in a family – Proverbs 6:16-19

There are certain things that the Lord just does not like, in fact it says here He HATES these things. Most of us would read these and just pass over them thinking “I’m not like this at all, I’m a good person” but really take some time on each one and ask the Lord to search your heart, bring to your memory how you are in each area. I did this and I am even ashamed to write any of these out in my personal life. Most are just little things we do daily and do not even think about. By the way the last one that says “sows discord in a family” applies to work, school, circle of friends etc….

For me personally I’m going to begin my day asking the Lord to help me in each one of these area’s – at this moment I feel ashamed thinking I’m all that, I am living a “sin-free” life and all of my actions are pleasing to the Lord!!!

The WORD is good….. it has the power to change a man.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

²¹ For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,
    examining every path he takes.
²² An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
    they are ropes that catch and hold him.
²³ He will die for lack of self-control;
    he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

This is such a powerful chapter and these last 3 verses sum up the entire chapter. The writer is talking about a man’s sexual life… about a man’s wife and about keeping yourself to your wife and wife ONLY throughout your life. He is teaching his sons about what happens when a man follows and goes to the home of an immoral woman. It KILLS the man, it KILLS a marriage, it KILLS relationships in the family unit and it KILLS a relationship with the not to mention what it does at the work place, school and every other area of life. This is true for men and women.

The world has changed, even though sex outside of marriage has always been a problem in this world today it’s accepted and even deemed OK and part of life. The culture would say “don’t allow “religion” to put your in bondage” when the truth is boundaries bring FREEDOM. It is very hard to watch a movie or tv show without someone stepping out on someone….. and today every show/movie has to have homosexual sex in them to stay relevant with the time/culture.

Listen to me… I have lived on both sides of this fence and it is DEATH.

These last 3 verses say it all… and for me it’s the ONLY way to live.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today.

Look straight ahead,
    and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet;
    stay on the safe path.
²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked;
    keep your feet from following evil. ~ Proverbs 4:25-27

This section of Scripture spoke to me in some very deep ways. It is so easy for me to take my eyes off of the path that I’m on, the road the Lord is leading me down, “the highway of holiness” – It is so easy to be distracted by so many things and trip up in my life.

For me these days I have to make it a daily thing to find my resting place in Him. I have to remind myself daily that I cannot be trusted with my life. I have proven over and over again when it comes to this. I need Him every minute of every day. He is my refuge, my hiding place, my safety, my place of rest. It is there that I can hear truth, it is there where my spirit and my flesh separate, it is there that my heart is full and I’m content.

So very thankful for these words of wisdom

Now go out and have an EPIC day today!!

21My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.
    Hang on to them,
²² for they will refresh your soul.
    They are like jewels on a necklace.
²³ They keep you safe on your way,
    and your feet will not stumble.
²⁴ You can go to bed without fear;
    you will lie down and sleep soundly. ~ Proverbs 3:21-24

This entire chapter is so powerful and speaks so deeply into my heart, but this one section is the “one” that jumped out to me this morning.

The word says “do not lose sight of……..” it is so easy to lose sight of the things we know, love, believe and live by. The situations we end up in sometimes takes our eyes off the reality of life. But the writer says that common sense and discernment will REFRESH your soul, keep you safe and keep your feet from stumbling and probably the best one of all and I know everyone will agree with me if we do not lose sight of common sense and discernment “you will lie down and sleep soundly”

So what is common sense? —

Common sense is a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things, which is shared by (“common to”) nearly all people, and can be reasonably expected of nearly all people without any need for debate.

What the writer is talking about is so much deeper than just “common sense” through the eyes of the world for that is ever changing — but through the Spirit and the POWER of the living God. It’s born our of a relationship with the Father. Remember chapter 1 — GOD BREATHED wisdom etc.

Oh God how I need you in every aspect of my life!!! I need your wisdom, common sense, discernment in all things, as a man, a father, a grandfather, a worker, a minister, with my finances, in my marriage —

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

Proverbs 2:7011: He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
    He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
⁸ He guards the paths of the just
    and protects those who are faithful to him.

Last Sunday my pastor threw out a challenge to the church. He asked us to pick a book of the Bible and read a chapter a day, then journal what the Lord is speaking through that chapter, maybe just one verse and how it affects our lives. I read the Word daily but I do not always journal so I accept the challenge.

As I was praying on what to read/study in the Bible I heard a small voice, I’m thinking is this your God…..? But no it was my brother, Cary Nethaway. A few months ago we had a conversation and he was speaking to me about the book of Proverbs, Now I’ve read this book I can’t even count how many times, but Cary was telling me how if we just lived our lives by the wisdom found in proverbs life would be GOOD. He was telling me how he applies it to his life and he sends his children scriptures to use when they need to make a decision or they need wisdom in a situation. SO, Proverbs it is!!! Today chapter one….

There were 2 chunks of Scripture that hit me this morning…. right out of the gate  Proverbs 1:1-4

Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
    to help them understand the insights of the wise.
³ Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
    to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
⁴ These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
    knowledge and discernment to the young.