TODAY’S DEVOTION (MONDAY 7TH NOVEMBER 2022)
“For the commandment is a lamp, and the whole teaching [of the law] is light, and reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a loose woman. Lust not after her beauty in your heart, neither let her capture you with her eyelids.
For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread, and the adulteress stalks and snares [as with a hook] the precious life [of a man].
Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” Proverbs 6:23-27 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 311TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
This is the day the LORD has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. Our Faithful GOD has given us another day. We do not take it for granted.
We have been looking at the Cry of the Holy Spirit on practical wisdom. Today is the 7th day of the 30-day journey. It has been fruitful so far.
We have been looking at things that will never happen to us if we are not walking in practical wisdom. We have spent two days looking at honor, a major necessity of life.
The Bible made it clear that honor will never be one of our blessings if we do not walk in practical wisdom.
There is the honor that brings financial turn around and blesses our economic lives. The very honor that Joseph enjoyed in Egypt. That was what we have seen so far.
Before Joseph came into that honor, he had walked in practical wisdom for 13 years. One of it was the wisdom of following the word of the LORD on sexual purity by keeping himself pure. Yes, it is practical wisdom to keep ourselves pure.
The Bible says;
“So Joseph pleased [Potiphar] and found favor in his sight, and he served him. And [his master] made him supervisor over his house and he put all that he had in his charge.
From the time that he made him supervisor in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the Lord’s blessing was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
And [Potiphar] left all that he had in Joseph’s charge and paid no attention to anything he had except the food he ate. Now Joseph was an attractive person and fine-looking. Then after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, Lie with me.
But he refused and said to his master’s wife, See here, with me in the house my master has concern about nothing; he has put all that he has in my care.
He is not greater in this house than I am; nor has he kept anything from me except you, for you are his wife. How then can I do this great evil and sin against God? Genesis 39:4-9 AMPC
Practical wisdom had previously made him so honorable in the sight of Potiphar that he was elevated to become the manger of all the man owned except his wife. Honor makes one attractive so it made him attractive as well. That was when the wife of the house became obsessed with having sex with him.
BUT HE APPLIED PRACTICAL WISDOM AND REFUSED TO DEFILED HIMSELF.
It is not wise to be engaged in things that defiles. The character of a man or woman, they say, is tested with sex becomes free and easily accessible to him or her. It is practical wisdom to keep oneself pure especially when the opportunity to defile ourselves presents itself. Life has taught many that our entire honor can be wiped away by one moment of not being sexually discipline.
Great honor has been eroded by stories of illicit sexual affair that honorable men and women engaged themselves in. They were pure when honor had not come. But when it increases they decreased in moral discipline.
Understand that Honor creates opportunities for a man or woman to become corrupt. In most cases, it makes sex easily accessible as we can see in the life of Joseph. But what we do with the opportunity is what tells if we are men and women of character or not.
There are some of us who are sexually pure not because of godly character, but because free sex is not yet available to us. In other words, the opportunity has not pursued and offered itself freely to you especially with attractive people.
In simple terms, there is no one who is attractive enough, who is looking forward to sleeping with them, around their lives especially in close quarters. Hence they are pure. This breed have not been tested. We can only know if we are sexually discipline when we have been tested with beautiful opportunities to sleep with someone who is attractive. It is not when the opportunity is not there.
Joseph was tested and came out victorious, though it sent him unjustly to prison, but his honor remained intact. If he was foolish like some of us, he would have lost it.
Sexual discipline is one major practical wisdom that can save one a whole lot of headache in life. It protects our honor and make sure we do not lose it to the gateways of carnal pleasure.
THE WORD REMAINS “HONOR IS NOT FITTING FOR A FOOL.”
Our devotional text says;
“For the commandment is a lamp, and the whole teaching [of the law] is light, and reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a loose woman. Lust not after her beauty in your heart, neither let her capture you with her eyelids.
For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread, and the adulteress stalks and snares [as with a hook] the precious life [of a man].
Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” Proverbs 6:23-27 AMPC
This scripture made it clear that sexual indiscipline can erode someone’s honor completely and reduce him or her to the value of a piece of bread. It warns that to escape the snare, we must learn how not to walk in lust.
It admonished us to develop toughness against flattery lips or stay away from them completely. It made it clear that sexual impurity will erode our honor or hinder it by reducing us to the value of pieces of bread. The scripture is a strong call for sexual purity, one of the beautiful ways we protect our honor.
Apart from the practical wisdom of saying no to free sex (a major key of unending honor), there is also the practical wisdom of behaving yourself wisely before royalty, which also brings the honor of economic prosperity. That was what David had as a 17 to 19-year-Old teenager.
The Bible says;
“And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.” 1 Samuel 18:14-16 KJV
TO BEHAVE WISELY MEANS TO APPLY PRACTICAL WISDOM IN PILOTING YOUR LIFE.
It means to act circumspectly or prudently. It involves being watchful and prudent with what you say with your mouth, especially to people God may have placed you under, made a channel of sustenance for you or those you are serving.
When God placed you under someone be careful what you say to them like David was.
I have come to discover that so many are very uncultured in their choice of words, they talk back in arrogance, use vulgar, disrespectful and very demeaning words when talking to people God has placed them under. They lack the ability to sow seeds of honor with their lips, especially under pressure.
They say things that calls for blows and see nothing wrong with what they have said, thereby becoming surprised when they begin to get justifiable reactions to what they have said. One way to walk in practical wisdom is to be prudent with what you say.
Learn how to sow seeds of honor with your lips, especially to those who honor is due. The Bible says;
“A [self-confident] fool’s lips bring contention, and his mouth invites a beating.
A [self-confident] fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to himself. Proverbs 18:6-7 AMPC
If you are not watchful or prudent in the use of your tongue, especially when dealing with those God placed you under, relating with those blessing your life, or those you are serving, you will bring beatings to your life. Your own mouth will bring ruin and ensnare you. But in foolishness you will be blaming those who may be responding to your wrong choice of words.
I remember having a session with a dear daughter in the faith. She came sharing with me what she was going through in the hands of someone who have been of a great benefit to her life. I listened intently and discovered that though she was blaming the person, she was the problem.
HER CHOICE OF WORDS TO THE PERSON WAS VERY BAD.
She said things you should not say to someone God is using to bless your life, though she did not even see it as a blessing, neither did she see what she said as wrong. Which itself is a problem to many today. Their pride does not let them see the wrong in their wrong doings. But this woman would later humble herself after receiving rebukes from me, and go back to the person to apologize.
Few weeks later, she came back sharing the great miracles that broke out by the hand of the same person, thereafter. That is how practical wisdom in the use of our tongue helps us in life. If you lack it, you will be using your words to ruin yourself and be blaming others for your troubles.
Words are seeds, you should know. If you plant them carelessly by saying what should not be said, especially to those GOD may has placed you under, or may be using to oil your life with some help, you will reap them one day. The law of seed, time and harvest still rules our planet.
When David behaved himself wisely, he increased in honor. He moved from smallness to greatness, he kept on growing in greatness until his enemies and those who wanted him dead became very small in size. If you behave yourself wisely, you will increase in greatness, making all who want you out very small in size.
I believe enough have been shared for the day. We may still touch a bit about honor if possible, but if not, when we return tomorrow, we will see the next thing that will never happen to us if we do not walk in practical wisdom.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
Either make the tree sound (healthy and good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good), or make the tree rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit.
You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.
The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things.
But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.
For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.” Matthew 12:33-37 AMPC