Day 5 // Avoiding Evil #wiseupchallenge24

Everyone, and welcome back to our day 5 of our Provisional Actions Challenge, the Wise Up Challenge 24, where we are diving into a chapter of Proverbs each day for the next 31 days. Well, we are on day 5, and when I say that each day have brought a great amount of understanding A great amount of instructions. And that's what the, you know, the principal thing is, is wisdom. And so we are really tuning our ears to really hear, but also not just hearing the information, but actually putting it into practice, what we've seen and heard. Um, so as we go through, let's go. The question is, what are you getting? That's still the question. From day 1, the question has been, what are you getting? Um, because it allows us to really locate ourselves and really say, okay, let me really make sure that I am getting something. I am getting wisdom. And that's what, um, the, the Proverbs have told us to do. It says get wisdom and to listen. And for day 1, it was the— so we're crafting a playbook. as we go through and get in the principle thing of wisdom, we're crafting a playbook so that we can actually, you know, use it in our own lives. Like really walking with the being wise and being one that, you know, others can also walk with as we are following Christ and he's leading us. And so day 1 was the fear of the Lord, and we really dived into what that actually means. And for me, my takeaway of fear of the Lord is hating evil. And that, that kind of leads us into day 5. But that was day 1, was the fear of the Lord. Day 2 was seeking wisdom. Day 3 was trusting in the Lord. Day 4 was guarding our hearts. And so day 5, like I said, day 1, the fear of the Lord, um, it leads us into day 5. And today for day 5, it is avoiding Evil, avoiding evil. We have to avoid it. Um, and so the strategy that helps us to run the play of avoiding evil, and it has a purpose. So the purpose is so that we can stay away from temptation that leads to destructive behavior. So that's, that's the— our prayer, you know, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. So we have to avoid evil and stay away from evil, and that's the purpose, because that temptation leads us to destructive behavior. So we have to really align our beliefs with the word, and that's what we're getting today as we dive into Proverbs 5. And the mindset that we have is long-term gain over short-term pleasure. Long-term gain That's why I was like, well, we're getting— we're getting wisdom, which allows us to have long life. And it's not, you know, the temptation gives us short-term pleasure. And so our actions that we want to really, you know, lean into is identifying those triggers, what, what leads us to, you know, temptation. And as we go into Proverbs 5, it's going to outline some things that triggers us, you know, that could possibly trigger us and, you know, change our actions. And, you know, which is our behaviors based off of false belief. Like, we, we identified earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom. So there's earthly wisdom that leads to destruction. And so if our— your behaviors are starting to decline and lead to some destruction in your life, it may be due to some temptation or um, some of those, uh, barriers to harmful behaviors. So we have to stay focused on our goals. And when we stay focused on our goals, we want to be wise. We want to be able to keep the commands of the word of God in our hearts, and we want to continue to remember the teachings that God our Father has graciously given us in the Bible, the blueprint For, um, for our living, on how to live life. And so sometimes we may face some places where we need to throw in some audibles. We, you know, right now we're running the play, we're avoiding evil, but that temptation, you know, can sometimes probably get strong. So if you're tempted, you want to escape by redirecting your attention to, uh, to a productive task. Like, that's why it's like keeping the word in your sight. Like continuing to read and study the word because it's full of information. Even as we go through Proverbs 31, it's the— every scripture is God-breathed and is useful. So it's not just Proverbs, but there's also, uh, you know, biblical wisdom in, you know, other books. You have the entire, uh, wisdom literature, Ecclesiastes. So, you know, when you are tempted, you have other places that you can go within the word of God to help you stay productive. And also praying, like I said, you know, the prayer— when he taught us how to pray, he said, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. So we can pray to our Father who, who sees everything. And so if you are under peer pressure— so, you know, sometimes you might be walking with someone who might be trying to entice you. We identified that in Proverbs 1 where it talks about Um, maybe someone trying to entice you to steal. So it brought, you know, remembering the commandments, um, the law that God gave us, um, through Moses. And so if you do encounter that peer pressure, you want to counter it by finding some support, someone who can guide you based off of the teachings and the instructions of the word of God. And that's why we're going to dive— go ahead and start with Proverbs 5 because it talks about teachers and mentors and why we need it. And as we go into Proverbs 5, the 2 things that I identified that was very, um, explicit, it was very key, was there was 2 things, um, a disciplined life and an undisciplined life. So So there's just like you had the way of the wicked and you have the path of righteousness. So just like, you know, you have a disciplined life and you have an undisciplined life. And so just like the, the way of the wicked leads to ruin and destruction, a disciplined life leads to long life. So identifying those two. So as I started to read Proverbs 5, I was like, there's some commands. I'm hearing a lot of commands. I hear, you know, get wisdom, get. And so I created a list of different commands, um, like get, know, perceive, receive, give, understand, hear, forsake, consent, walk, refrain, turn, seek, hide, incline, apply, search. There's so many more, but then some of them had you know, incline not, or, you know, um, seek not, or, you know. So, so it gives us the, you know, uh, clarity as far as what to do and what not to do. Um, so in understanding those commands, so if it says do not walk in the way of the wicked, or do not be— or be not wise in your own eyes, it, it's not saying don't be wise, it's saying be not wise in your own eyes. So that means something I need to not do. I need to not be wise in my own eyes. So therefore, I need, you know, wisdom from others that can be able to teach and, you know, train, help instruct, you know, give clarity to the instructions. And by doing that, again, it was continuing to tell us to pay attention, to really tune our ears to wisdom, and to listen. So we really have to be intentional about listening. Like I said, that's a skill. It's something that we have to actually make the choice that I'm going to focus on this one thing and I'm going to listen. And it takes intentionality. And with that, overall, when you do listen to the instructions and the teachings, what happens is that you are now taking the words and regarding the words and saying, okay, that's why he says it. You're able to perceive what you're able to perceive. It helps you to build up on your discretion. So now, okay, if it says do not, you know, be, be not wise in your own, you know, your own eyes, then okay, now I can really be more aware of my actions or the actions that's going on around me. So now how am I perceiving it? And it says that, um, this how God see it. So now when you take into regard his word, now you're able to see how God see it. So now you're— now you're starting to see evil, you know, um, and keeping that understanding of That's not necessarily in alignment with biblical scripture. That's more earthly. Um, and that's why it's like it helps us to bring our, our lives into alignment with the word of God. Um, and, and also see how he sees it by, by actually avoiding evil. It helps us to avoid evil because then you start to really take control of your life. So in the end, it— your life can be just sin and sin and bones. And that's where it's like, okay, am I really living a disciplined life? What is a disciplined life? A disciplined life is where you're really taking, um, the instructions and the teachings of the teach— of your teachers, of God, or Christ, who is our— who's our teacher, our leader, and really taking in the word of God and applying those instructions and really listening and taking regard, hiding the commands in your heart. You're keeping the, you know, the keeping the teachings. And that's a disciplined life, which how God sees it, it's like a taste of good sense. You know, the lips keep knowledge, the words keep you out of trouble. So Okay, some good words. Like, some— someone, if you have a teacher or a mentor, their words, if they're living a disciplined life, their lips will be full of knowledge and they'll help you to stay out of trouble. But without the word of God, it's earthly wisdom, which can lead to destruction because there's— you can get so close to um, seduction. And it's not necessarily just like, uh, I really like how Proverbs 5 really kind of touched on, um, although it used, um, wisdom as a she, but for me it was like kind of like it does— it's not necessarily based off of he or she, it's wisdom. Wisdom is what protects you. Um, it's your— a mind of peace. It's a mind that is Delighting in the word of God, meditating on the word of God. Whether you are a son or a daughter of God, you have the the capability to get wisdom. And so I was like, okay, let me approach this with me getting wisdom. And so when it talks about seduction, it talks that it it it identified as something strange. So you know, so. This is how I— based off of how God sees it, how I see it now as far as hating evil, um, seduction and, and things of that sort. It's, it's strange, it's sweet, and it's smooth. That's the lips and the mouth. So really listening when you hear the word of God. Now I was like, okay, I'm listening to the word of God, but also I'm listening to what others are saying as well, and which helps me to avoid evil. Um, and you know, because their lips are, are smooth, they're, they're strange and sweet, but it's not in alignment with the word of God. So I'm gonna avoid that at all costs, um, because it's bitter. It's bitter. It's not— the word of God is not bitter, but a smooth and seductive lip or mouth is bitter. And the pain— it comes with pain. It comes with pain in your gut. It comes with a wound in your heart. It comes with death. Your feet is going to be led to death. And that's, that's what we call hell. And so that's, that's, that's pretty much what it is. It's basically, um, hell. And it's, it's movable. It goes— that's why he said do not look you know, keep your focus. Do not look to the left or to the right because that seductive wicked person is moving. And so they're, they're, they're going to take you with them. And you have— just like they have no clue of where they're going, you also don't know where you're going. So you're in the neighborhood of the wicked, um, of seduction, of sin. You're in hell. Um, and so that leads to regret, and that regret is because they hate instruction. So when you see seduction, um, you see more of a mouth that's really not speaking the word of God because they, they don't know that they really hate instruction. We have to really— we have to, we have to not hate instruction. We have to accept it. That was one of the things that as we went through Proverbs, um, 1 through 4, we really identified that we have to accept the teachings. Um, and when you accept it, that's when you accept— you basically are accepting long life. When you accept seduction, you are accepting a short life. That's why it was like, as far as the, um, the mindset is long-term gain over short-term pleasure. And so with living a disciplined life, these are the teachings, these are the instructions that you, you receive when it comes to wisdom, and that's a wonderful life. It's precious in the end. It's a precious life. It's a wonderful life, um, when you keep your distance and avoid evil. Because the end in the midst of the congregation and the assembly is precious when you have a discipline, when you live a disciplined life. When you live an undisciplined life, it, you know, it leads to the, you know, the person that led you down taking advantage, being exploitive. Um, it's a dead end. It's a— it's basically hell only leads to a dead end where you, you live your life in regret because you hated instructions. Um, so if this is what we're receiving, we're receiving the instructions to not hate instructions, and that's how we— you are getting wisdom. And so when you do that, you you making better decisions. So the decisions— your decisions are determined by whether you are living a disciplined life or undisciplined life. And it gave a great example of how, you know, as far as making a foolish decision or a wise decision. It says your own— it's talked about a cistern and a well, and that's your body. Your body is a cistern or a well, and is for drinking water and running water. So, you know, taking something from it, but also, you know, flowing. So if you want a life flowing, you know, like I was talking about, the life, uh, the place like Canaan, it was flowing with milk and honey. And so when you want a life flowing with— think of the word, you know, I like how it says be a fountain. So a fountain is abroad, like your body abroad, but it's full of— it's full of living a disciplined life. And it also talks about rivers, and that's like the street. So you're still on the path. So it's still outlining your body on the path, and it describes it as a cistern or a well. And based off of whether you're living a disciplined life, if you're living a disciplined life, you're you'll be blessed and satisfied. You'll rejoice with your partner, um, in love. You know, you'll love your partner, and that's wise. That's where, you know, as far as a wise person living a disciplined life, and you— because they don't take for granted the partner that they've given, the love that they have, um, and it's beautiful. They delight in that one person, that one thing. Like, for instance, a person can delight in the word of God, you know, Jesus, and that be their delight. And they don't take it for granted that, you know, and that's a good decision. And they, they know that it's their life is their life, their body is theirs, it's yours only. And also then they value the bodies that are, you know, the body— we talk about a wife or a partner or the body that has been given to them. And why it's a disciplined life is because it's your ways. Now we're talking about your, your behaviors and your actions. It's your ways. And based off of your ways, your ways are still in the eyes of the Lord. So the eyes of the Lord are still on you, whether, you know, you're living a disciplined life or you're living an undisciplined life. And so if you start to live an undisciplined life And you take for granted the partner that you've been given, you know. Um, you're— you, you are— so I like how it says no strangers. Um, so no strangers is a— as a disciplined life, it's a— what is wise. Like, you're really not accepting any strangers. But, um, if you accept a stranger, why? You know, and this is where you start to— you're not embracing The— you're not embracing wisdom. That's what it is. Like, if wisdom is your partner and that's the principal thing, then you will love it. You will love wisdom. You will delight in wisdom. You will delight in Christ. You will delight in the word. And if you, um, if you embrace strangers, then that's your ways. God sees that. And it's basically cheap thrills, you know. It's not the joy that the Lord gives. It's not the peace that Jesus gives. So it's false. It's false. False. I'm just gonna say false because I was just thinking about how he said cheap thrills, but it also talks about seduction. So seduction is not necessarily— although it ties it to a person, but it's really not to a person. It's Wisdom is it. It's the teaching and instruction. It's the word. So if if someone says something to entice you, and what they're saying, it could it could really lead you down the way of the wicked, which is seduction. And that's what seduction is. So this basically kind of like just words. Okay, there we go. Earthly wisdom. Seduction for me is earthly. Wisdom, um, because it produces cheap thrills, um, and it also leads to sin, iniquities. It's, it's basically a cord that basically just wraps around you, and there's no understanding. You have— there's no understanding. That's why it's like, get wisdom, gain understanding. That's the— what— that's the— that's wisdom. But if you don't have no understanding, you You don't. You hate instructions. You're going to stumble. That's darkness. That's why it's like what we talked about in Proverbs three and four. You know the way of the wicked. There's no sleep. It's it's deep darkness. They don't know why they stumble. So therefore, you're going into the way of the wicked when you embrace outside. You know anything other than heavenly wisdom, and because it, it could cause others to stumble, um, and because, you know, we dwell in the secret place of the Most High God and abide in the shadow of the Almighty. In this, it talks about the shadow of darkness, and that's what it is— the dark shadow of sin. It talks about that. And so you, in earthly wisdom, you're abiding in the shadow of the wicked. In the heavenly wisdom, you're abiding in the shadow of the Almighty, like delighting in the word, being a tree, meditating on the word day and night. Um, it is going to produce heavenly wisdom and lead to a disciplined life. This is a disciplined life because you have the teachings and you have the instructions, you have understanding, you're growing in the knowledge of who Christ is, who our God is, who our You know who who who's the great counselor, the great physician? You're you're learn the teacher. He is the teacher. Jesus is teaching us, you know, and leading us into righteousness as we follow him. That's why he's like if if anyone will come after me, they must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me. So it's that's a disciplined life, taking up our cross daily, denying ourselves. Following Christ, following the instructions on when we ask, how do you, you know, inherit eternal life? Going, selling everything that we have, giving it over to the poor. Then we'll have treasure stored up in our hearts. And then following Christ. Oh, it ends in following Christ. Even when he say go make disciples, he also say instruct them in the way that he has taught us. So you start to get the instructions and be able to put them into your, into your life. And thus to the commands, and we got a lot of commands that so we we need our hearts to be good. So we need to remove all of that you know earthly earthly wisdom and replace it with some heavenly wisdom, and it will change the way that we're walking. So that we talked about how turning repentance it leads. To the path of righteousness. So we, we have that capability to turn, um, and gain understanding. So shift our— shift our mind, um, and really doing that, because an undisciplined life leads to death and it leads to foolish decisions. And that's where all evil and wickedness lies. And the reason why— the reason why is because you hate instructions, or there's no instructions. So it's like trying to cook a meal and you have all the ingredients, but you do not have the instructions. You're going to try to make it up as you go, and that's going to turn out to be some earthly wisdom, and that leads to destruction. So it might taste good, but it, you know, it still might come out to be good, but it's not right. And we want to, um, live Right, and to live right, to live better, we need to get the instructions. We need to gain understanding. We need to get wisdom in all our getting. We need to get wisdom. And that was Proverbs five, y'all. I'm telling y'all, Proverbs one through five has been so enlightening. It has been. It's just it's just been. I give all glory to God for it. It's a peace of mind. I'm really going to meditate on the word, really identify where I may need to throw in some audibles or need to run a play. You know, today, really, I really, I could have used this play. Avoid evil. You kind of, but that was another word, you know, whoever You know, puts their foot to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God. So that that's one of the things about you know really getting the word of God. It really starts to work on the inside of you, and you start to put it into practice. You start to see what everyone call like the earthly wisdom of paradise shift. But I'm talking about understanding. You start to see. I I didn't you know uh. Lean to my own understanding. But where did I get that understanding? I didn't get it from the Bible. So you like, oh, I'm going to turn and I'm going to get this from the Bible. I'm going to put it through the filter, get out all those impurities, and you know, continue to mature in Christ. So thank you guys for joining the Wise Up Challenge 24, our Provisional Actions Challenge, where we are diving deep into Proverbs. I pray that if you are getting wiser, you're getting understanding. And see you guys on tomorrow.