¹⁰ Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. – Galatians 1:10

Paul just finished writing them about following false teachings…. people who come along and make a false gospel sound good and close enough to the “true” gospel that man fall for it. He goes as far to say that anyone who preaches a false gospel and not the one he taught them that they should be cursed! He said EVEN IF an Angel comes and brings false gospel they should be cursed. This is huge and truth!!

There are so many churches, teachings, books, speakers, teachers that have a gospel that sounds good and even sound right but if it’s not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ it’s not true and worthless. People use the bible to make a point, a “truth”, a doctrine and it’s close enough to sound true and right. BEWARE!!!

So the question is “how do you know if it’s truth or false”?

Let me give you a very simple answer — KNOW HIM — KNOW HIS WORD – KNOW TRUTH — you have to know Him and the ONLY way as I have said over and over again — HIS WORD!! Study, read, study some more and read some more. I’ve been reading the Bible for over 30 years and still today I get fresh new insights and revelations as I read it…. it’s a life long quest. The payoff is: REALATIONSHIP with Jesus… falling in LOVE.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today,

³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ~ Philippians 2:3-4

This is how the body of Christ works. We are friends, family, the church, it is so important that we learn to walk in humility and take care of one another. Spiritually as well as physically. Paul is talking to the CHURCH asking them to be of one mind, to complete HIS joy. Paul is paying a very high price to bring the Gospel to others, to lead others to Christ and to teach the church on how to walk in this life.

The key word in this entire thought is “humility” we find it throughout the Bible…. as long as we think we are a somebody we will always be looking out for ourselves. I believe that the church will be come one with “true-believers” preparing for the return of Christ, in other words denominational walls will fall and true Christ followers will emerge and that will be the church, or body of Christ. This life is NOT about us…it’s about one another ushering in Jesus!! If you look at it from this standpoint we have a long way to go.

Help your brothers and sisters in this life, become a servant and lowest…. it is then the Lord will lift your head….. two words to end this up… LOVE and HUMILITY

Now go out and have an EPIC day today.

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. ~ Philippians 1:28-30

We have to remember that we have an enemy, he wants to KILL you, your family, your church, your marriage…everything you have and are. He uses good people and is able to deceive good people that will affect our lives. DO NOT by intimidated, in other words STAND FIRM in who you are in Christ. Remember this the enemy can only do what you allow him to do. Situation pop up in our lives and the way we react to them is so important.

He says in this scripture “we are in this struggle together” that is ALL brothers and sisters in the Lord, crossing denominations etc… our prayers are meaningful, our words are life and our actions are game changers. How do you respond?

Keep your eye on the goal and support, love and pray for others.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today.

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
    Nor stands in the path of sinners,
    Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
² But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    And in His law he meditates day and night.
³  ~ Psalm 1:1-3

One of my favorite scriptures speaking of the life we have available to us. He is NOT saying stay away from ungodly and sinful people — he is saying do not take advice, counsel from them. Be a light, stay true to the wisdom and life of the Lord. And, look at the promise….

He shall be like a tree
    Planted by the rivers of water,
    That brings forth its fruit in its season,
    Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

This is the sweet spot of life….. KNOW HIM… LOVE HIM… FOLLOW HIM…OBEY HIM and you will NOT BE SHAKEN in this world.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today.

Here is a beautiful song about this…

⁸ Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
    ensure justice for those being crushed.
⁹ Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
    and see that they get justice. ~ Proverbs 31:8-9

I have spent 31 days going through the Proverbs and to me this is a perfect way to close it out. Speak up — Ensure Justice for those being crushed…. see that they get justice!! All of the Proverbs are about wisdom, knowledge, how to live life, treat family and friends and here he ends it to stretch out to ALL of the world.

What does justice mean? (taken from the Bible Encyclopedia)

jus’-tis (tsedhaqah; tsedheq; dikaiosune): The original Hebrew and Greek words are the same as those rendered “righteousness.” This is the common rendering, and in about half the cases where we have “just” and “justice” in the King James Version, the American Standard Revised Version has changed to “righteous” and “righteousness.” It must be constantly borne in mind that the two ideas are essentially the same.
See RIGHTEOUSNESS.
1. Human Justice:
Justice had primarily to do with conduct in relation to others, especially with regard to the rights of others. It is applied to business, where just weights and measures are demanded (Lev 19:35,36; Dt 25:13-16; Am 8:5; Prov 11:1; 16:11; Ezek 45:9,10). It is demanded in courts, where the rights of rich and poor, Israelite and sojourner, are equally to be regarded. Neither station nor bribe nor popular clamor shall influence judge or witness. “Justice, justice shalt thou follow” (Dt 16:20 m; compare 16:18-20; Ex 23:1-3,6-9). In general this justice is contrasted with that wickedness which “feared not God, and regarded not man” (Lk 18:2).
In a larger sense justice is not only giving to others their rights, but involves the active duty of establishing their rights. So Israel waits upon God’s justice or cries out: “The justice due to me (literally, “my justice”) is passed away from my God” (Isa 40:27). Yahweh is to show her to be in the right as over against the nations. Justice here becomes mercy. To “seek justice” means to “relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isa 1:17; compare 11:4; Jer 22:15,16; Ps 82:2-4). The same idea appears in Dt 24:12,13; Ps 37:21,26; 112:4-6, where the translation is “righteous” instead of “just.”
In this conception of justice the full meaning of the New Testament is not yet reached. It does not mean sinlessness or moral perfection. Job knows the sin in his heart (Job 13:23,26; 7:21), and yet speaks of himself as a just or righteous man (12:4; 13:18). The Psalmist confidently depends upon the righteousness of God though he knows that no man is righteous in God’s sight (Ps 143:1,2; compare 7:8; 18:20-24). It is not a lack of humility or dependence upon God when the Psalmist asks to be judged according to his righteousness. In relation to God, the just, or righteous, man is the one who holds to God and trusts in Him (Ps 33:18-22). This is not the later Judaistic legalism with its merit and reward, where God’s justice is simply a matter of giving each man what he has earned.
The word “justice” does not occur in the New Testament, and in most cases where we find “just” in the King James Version it is changed to “righteous” in the American Standard Revised Version. The idea of justice or righteousness (remembering that these are essentially the same) becomes more spiritual and ethical in the New Testament. It is a matter of character, and God’s own spirit is the standard (1 Jn 3:7; Mt 5:48). The mere give-and-take justice is not enough. We are to be merciful, and that to all. The ideal is righteousness, not rights. As Holtzmann says, “The keynote of the Sermon on the Mount is justitia and not jus.”

This says it all — help those who are being oppressed, hurt, not able to speak. The list is endless in this world.

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

⁵ Every word of God proves true.
    He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
⁶ Do not add to his words,
    or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar. ~ Proverbs 30:5-6

A great word this morning… EVERY word is true and not only can I say it is true but it PROVES itself true over and over again in our lives. There is great power in His word, there is protection, wisdom, life, truth, and answer to EVERY situation, question, problem in this world. All you have to do is come to him!! But to truly come to Him you have to truly KNOW Him!!! You can’t live just running to him each time you need a “favor” or “help” — it comes from relationship.

The second part of this is saying “DO NOT ADD to His Words…..” In other words His word is complete… all we need… nothing more. Man likes to add to make it fit our situations. Make it fit into the point we are trying to make, make it fit into our lifestyle. God’s word is COMPLETE —

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

²³ Pride ends in humiliation,
    while humility brings honor. ~ Proverbs 29:23

I have said it many times over the years, and I’ve lived it out in my life. If you want to know what pride does to a man, how if affects life around him, how it affects a family, a marriage, friends and a career, come sit down with me for a cup of coffee and I’ll teach you, I will share with you from real life experience.

Pride is the root over ALL SIN, actions and reactions. When you are full of pride you can so far as to believe that you are above the rules of life, the anger of God. Pride is of the devil and it grows and grows until it destroys you and all that is around you. In the end humiliation is the result…. and that is NO fun!!! But that is the very place a man can find truth and redemption……..

To live a life of humility is not easy because most of us try to live this way in our flesh and not in our spirit. Our flesh is weak, our heart is deceitful and the result is walking life in pride after awhile. True humility is from the Lord, it comes from KNOWING him, loving him and resting each and every minute of each day in him. The ONLY way to really know him is through His word… PERSONALLY read it, study it and fall in love with Him…. find the beauty of Jesus….and rest in the place that he speaks about. It is there that you realize who you are, it is there you find security, fulfillment and LOVE that wipes pride off the map in your life. it is there that this scripture comes to LIFE…..

Hebrews 4:12 (ASV) For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.

This is what the word of God does…LIVE IN THIS PLACE and you can get away with nothing… the Holy Spirit will ALWAYS guide you in your thoughts, actions and reactions.

For me I wake daily to this…. “I cannot be trusted with my life, I need you Jesus!!!”

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

People who conceal their sins will not prosper,
    but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. ~ Proverbs 28:13

Great word!! What does it mean to prosper?

• PROSPER (verb)
The verb PROSPER has 2 senses:

1. grow stronger
2. gain in wealth

When you prosper it affects so many aspects of your life. You health, your family, your love, your friendships and relationships, your career, school, your mind, your knowledge, your wisdom and the list goes on. Wealth is only part of it although most of us think of gaining wealth when we think of prosper.

So if you are not prospering in your life, you are doing the opposite! When you have hidden sin in your life it tears you apart from the inside out. First of all your relationship with God is broken and then it trickles down from there…..your health goes bad, little by little, addictions form, friendships become shallow, family becomes distant….. many people die with such great sorrow and guilt. You become angry and bitter and most of the time do not even realize it. It is no way to live a life. It is selfish and unfair to all those around you.

The solution is quite simple… CONFESS your sins and begin healing… there is nothing, I mean NOTHING like a clean heart!! God’s mercy brings HEALTH to all the area’s that hidden sin destroys. The only way to live a life… clean, pure and whole. Full of the LOVE of GOD

Now go out and have an EPIC day today!!

As iron sharpens iron,
    so a friend sharpens a friend ~ Proverbs 27:17

One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible!! I learned about this young in my Christian walk by a pastor who had a gift of building some great ministries. One of the strongest groups we had in our church was the men’s ministry and it was built on this scriptures along with all the different groups we had. The church had incredible growth for many years.

The truth of this scripture is that we need one another in this life. We cannot be a lone ranger when it comes to wisdom, knowledge and growth. For iron to sharpen iron it takes a lot of heat, force, strength, wisdom and knowledge to end up with a perfect tool. Iron work is hard dirty work but the results can be beauty, a sharp tool, security and the list goes on.

When it comes to a man or woman mentoring another human being it is hard dirty work. One of the greatest problems with this is men and woman have a lot of flesh involved in the process, some mentor with purpose and some do and do not even realize it, and some do when they have NO business doing it at all.

To mentor you need to …..

* Be Mature

* Have Wisdom

* Be willing to invest

* Have a clean and pure heart

* Be secure with no agenda to promote yourself

* love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.

People are watching you at all times, at school, work, shopping and HOME!!! Be consistent in who you are resting in Him as a lifestyle. It is then you will be able to sharpen another man or woman.

Now go our and have an EPIC day today

²⁰ Fire goes out without wood,
    and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. ~ Proverbs 26:20

We are all guilty of gossip — and we all know what gossip does to a person. I’ve been on both ends of gossip and it is not pleasant, in fact it is more hurtful than just about anything I can think of. I have gossiped about others and in the quiet of the night I’ve hurt knowing what I’ve done. Bottom line.. GOSSIP KILLS

If you have a circle of friends and there is always drama….. If you have a work place that is always full of drama…. if your classmates are always full of drama….if your family is always full of drama….if your church is always full of drama… YOU HAVE A GOSSIP in the midst of you. Remove the gossip and the drama/fire will go out. Gossip is evil, it is deadly, it’s root is based in pride and there is NOTHING good about it.

Now here is a word for everyone…. IF YOU LISTEN to gossip… YOU ARE A GOSSIP!! So how do you stop gossip in it’s tracks? Shut them up and walk away. ONLY YOU CAN STOP GOSSIP.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today.