Folly’s Antidote – Ecclesiastes 10

Let us take a look at the word folly, shall we?

Folly-n-the lack of good sense or judgment: a foolish act or idea: foolish behavior; Synonyms: absurdity, asininity, bêtise, craziness, fatuity, foolery, foppery, idiocy, irrationality, imbecility, inanity, insanity, lunacy, stupidity

If we were to be honest with self, can we agree that more than once in our lives we have experienced folly in our personal lives? I know that I have experienced many instances of lacking sense, behaving foolishly and just plain irrational when things didn’t go as I thought they should or just so stressed or angered  that led to making wrong decisions.

WE HAVE ALL HAD WHAT THEY CALL A “KEEPING IT REAL” MOMENT.

Sometimes folly just happens because of inexperience and/or no training of manners and matters. We just say or do things not becoming of our Lord because we lack experience or training in what He expects of us. Have you been there? (NIV Verse 13-14) “At the beginning their words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness— and fools multiply words. No one knows what is coming— who can tell someone else what will happen after them?” I am sure this happens to all, but some of us won’t admit it to self. Since God knows, I don’t see any sense in hiding the truth about self from self. It’s a stage that we all go through. Sometimes when you ask a true friend about your behavior and there is a silence that speaks louder than any words uttered, that’s a good sign that something needs to change about your behavior. And then there are those who feel the need to yap about something until they prove THEIR point, they seem to be using the drug of choice known as folly.

Please read Chapter 10 and let the Holy Spirit show you the importance of wisdom because tis true according to verse 1 that

 “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.” (KJV)

“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.”(NIV)

 

 

Here’s the thing about folly. No matter how glorious or fantastic your life may be going, or how others perceive you as one of good character, one slip on the folly drug and you no longer are looked upon as one of good character by others. Folks have a hard time seeing the true actions of your heart. Even more importantly when you examine self, you have to be conscious of what your heart, not character says to God. Are others to judge? Are you to judge?

We all have experienced and will experience negative behaviors-character flaws in our lives associated with folly for whatever reason. We are to become wise and learn from our mistakes. Sometimes this takes a lot of practice.Verse one in this chapter speaks louder than an atomic bomb.

Once the smallest stench is found among the strongest of pleasant smells, the stench takes over. You will have to work hard to get rid of  a little stench, correct? In verse 10 Solomon agrees with me. He says that “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.” How does one go about obtaining “skill” that “will bring success?” What is the definition of skill?

Skill –n- the ability to do something that comes from training, experience, or practice 

How do we get rid of the dead flies and the stench?  I’m glad you asked. Dearest flowers, we, as the people of God need to focus on becoming more skillful and knowledgeable of what He requires, lack folly, and become less concerned about proving a point to show whose right or wrong. To do this, we must “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

With Him directing your paths you too will find that the ANTIDOTE for FOLLY is WISDOM. Wisdom helps us to get rid of stench and the dead flies just waiting to stink us up. Wisdom helps us to give off a more pleasing aroma to God. 

Courtesy of Pinterest.Com

 

 

“He that reads and grows no wiser-seldom suspects his own deficiency, but complains of hard words and obscure sentences, and asks why books are written which cannot be understood.” ― Samuel Johnson

 

I Love You

Finding Fake In The Church- My Thoughts :-)

Happy June 1 to All!

•  Fake- adj.- Having a false or misleading appearance; fraudulent; v.tr.  To contrive and present as genuine; counterfeit.

The Story.

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Genesis 18:16-33

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way.  Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?  Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”  Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?  Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”  The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”  Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”  Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”  When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

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Don’t leave. Stay with me on this please. Finding Fake in the Church.

How’d she do that?

 

I place no focus on any particularly named church. I’m speaking of the Christian Church as a whole.  I’m sure to make some hot about my thoughts, and that’s cool.  The Christian Church is NOT perfect. The Lord said he wishes the church was one or the other, just not lukewarm. (Revelation 3:15-16-  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.)

I was reading about Sodom and Gomorrah this great evening and the title of this blog flew out from the pages with a few run-ins with the Book of Revelation. So let me get this right. The cities were destroyed anyway, and there were less than ten who were found righteous in the eyes of the Lord.  I wonder why Abraham didn’t ask for the sake of four. That Abraham sure knew how to count by fives and tens. Amazing how the Lord started out with a head count of fifty and the count dwindled.

What I found shooting at me is that God told Abraham, “I will know.”  That has never stuck out to me before while reading those verses until now. We forget sometimes that God knows whatever it is we do in and for the church that appears as work in the Lord to others. We forget sometimes that God knows what we say, think, and feel about others in the church, it is no secret to Him, nor a few of its church members, i.e. GOSSIP.  What the church is doing today with its fake members is an outcry that has reached God and He knows.  The signs are upon us. If a head count of fifty were to be done in the church you attend, how many do you think would end up on the “found righteous” list? Would you be on the list?  Are we trying to pass plexiglass off as a diamond in the church? God loves working with things and people that His light can shine through. See the difference below in being like plexiglass (Fake) and being like a diamond.  

***Note (Courtesy of EHow) – Plexiglass is a clear type of acrylic most commonly used in place of glass. It  is considered a “soft acrylic”, meaning it has a higher sensitivity to heat than  harder acrylic materials. Plexiglass is prone to some melting (smearing) and  chipping on the edge that is being cut.

Diamonds are the hardest natural substance known that resists scratching. They  are used for their durability to cut through many solid materials, including  other diamonds. The beauty of how light passes through and shines upon a diamond  has made it the favorite choice for jewelry and most popular gem around the  world.***

Since the beginning of the Christian church through the present,(reference the New Testament), there were/are those committed to the Lord and then there are those who were/are committed to running things their way and putting a fake plexiglass spin on how the church  and its member should be.  Ask self from within your heart… Self what is the reason the Christian Church exist?

What’s shocking to me is that most of us can still Find Fake in certain churches of which we attended as a child. Too many church members are participants of a fake group. It’s like a bad gene that passes from generation to generation within the church. There are children who need discipline in church when it comes to being attentive and respectful during worship service or bible study classes. There are members in our choir stands, behind our pulpits,  in front of the pulpit( the pews), teaching, serving on church boards, and over various programs within the church who have fake-I-tis.  And we wonder why some churches don’t prosper in the name of Jesus. Hmmph! Here’s why…God doesn’t like fake, especially when it comes to His people.

Take a look around…The church is neither hot nor cold, fluctuating here and there, where its members cater to the body called self and to appointed positions within the church while proclaiming to be a child of God. Some church staffers cater to older namesakes of the church they attend, or to those they think have a status in the community or with their job, and that is sad.  There are members who think they own the church they attend.  Has anyone ever asked to look at the deed for your church? 🙂 

The church have always had ministers or other church leaders throughout the ages that were afraid to speak up the truth for fear of losing their place in the church. What about losing your place with God? The church also had and currently have ministers and church leaders who were/are not afraid to speak up the truth , rebuke and discipline certain members within their congregations. Jesus didn’t fake it, he said what was needed to be said, never losing His place, and kept on spreading the truth.  People need to realize that FAKE actions feed division in the church. Division in the church does not allow the church to multiply in the name of Jesus.  I don’t do fake, simply because of  life and death situations I’ve gone through. We all go through things that should stop us from being fake. Time is not a joke.  It is real and it is short.  I repeat, I’m speaking of the Christian Church as a whole.

I’ve seen and heard a lot of fake things going on in the Lord’s house since I was as they say….knee high to a grasshopper.  I too, have specks in my eye, but they are not fake specks. The Holy Spirit can show you a lot of things while sitting in church and anywhere else.  It pays to be very aware of your spiritual surroundings and people around you, no matter where you are. Yes, we all sin. Yes there are those who work towards being more like Christ. Here’s your sign.  Revelation 3:14-22. Read about the Church in Laodicea.  We CANNOT fool God. Those in this type of communion with others every Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday need not only to be in prayer for those who fake it, but give rebuke and discipline out of love, and repentance should follow. 

Here’s our sign again!….Church of Laodicea. Being lukewarm, i.e. being insincere will cause us to be spit out of the mouth of God. Faking it with others is the same as being insincere, i.e. two-faced, that’s my opinion.  I never did like that aphorism…..“Fake it till you make it!” 

 Acknowledging and rebuking FAKE-I-TIS works when you do it out of love for Jesus and the person in question.  Jesus said so to this type church “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me. To those who are victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

Each of us, who are Christians that attend a church of our choice, belong to one of the seven types of churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. It is within us individually to use our God-given power to work together to end the act of being fake in our churches. Prayer works. But Jesus said rebuke and discipline works even better for those He loves. So if we claim to love those in our congregations that we KNOW are faking it, should we not rebuke and discipline as well?  There is nothing wrong with a person being called to the side in confidence about their ungodly action(s) or behavior. If most of us were to be called out in front of the church today, there would be some empty pews and pulpits.

Rebuke is just a stronger form of encouragement when done out of love. Most of us get mad when rebuked and disciplined by others, because we lack wisdom and/or we are “set in our ways”.

Side Note:- Proverbs 28:23 (NIV)

 Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.

There is nothing wrong with encouraging others, just don’t put ice in a cup with boiling water, to make it lukewarm. We’ve got to bring fire to get fired up in the Lord so we won’t be put in the ever-burning fire.  We have got to bring fire to overcome the fire that’s a coming per the book of Revelation…. let us prepare ourselves. Being fake will not help us overcome. With that being said, that takes me back to the story above about Sodom and Gomorrah. The cities were destroyed by fire. When Jesus returns for His REAL Body, the Christian Church, make sure you are not one of those amongst the fake lukewarm body of believers.  Those who are still sitting up in the church faking it and not repenting upon His return will be destroyed by the ever-burning fire. Don’t proclaim that you love everybody in the church when your actions show otherwise. There is no way in the world that a fake person can be considered a righteous person. You have to serve the Lord with everything REAL.

Being fake my beloved prohibits the Body of Christ, i.e., the Christian Church, from becoming earnest and repentant. Being fake especially in His house grieves Him and does not glorify Him.  It was obvious to me that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah did not glorify the Lord. Check out this  State of the Cities address the Lord gave to Abraham—- Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”   What state will your church be in before His return? Will the Lord find it filled with FAKE members?

I’ll say it again…. We cannot fool God.  God said, ” I will know.” Beloved ones, there WILL BE NO FAKING IT  TILL WE MAKE IT. 

Now, I do like this aphorism….Keep it Real!   Let’s us all be earnest and repentant ( Keep it Real) so that we may be well-disciplined in Him upon His return. I am speaking to self as well via the Holy Spirit. Let us get our churches on fire and in order for the Lord by being on one REAL accord when we worship Him wholeheartedly together. Let us pray to become a diamond in our lives and in the church. Kudos and blessings to those who are keeping it real in the church. Jesus is the reason for every season, not just the Christmas season.

I am through shooting off my thoughts. Ahem! You may now start firing the darts or water gun.

I LOVE YOU

LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS

Closing Note: Psalm 141:5 (NIV)

 Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it,     for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

An Act of Foolishness Made Out of Fear and Lost Faith

This morning I was reading about Asa in 2 Chronicles:14-16 and in 1 Kings:15. Brief mentions of him can be found in 1 Chronicles 3:10, Jeremiah 41:9; and Matthew 1:7-8. As always, I love to share with you what lesson I learn or am reminded of from these great stories in the bible.  However, your perception and lesson may be of a different meaning to you.

From The Comprehensive Analysis Of The Bible, Montgomery F. Essig, 1922

Asa – a form of Hebrew word meaning “a physician” or “healing”.  The name of the third king of Judah, who reigned forty-one years from 955-914 B.C. He was noted as a very good monarch. He rooted out the various idolatries and placed his kingdom on a first-class military basis.  He waged many successful wars and won the love of his people.  Toward the latter of his reign he met with some reverses.

 

Allow me to share the lineage of Asa beginning in order left to right. Interesting fact, this is also the lineage of which our Messiah came.  Asa is also the great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather of King Hezekiah of whom my other learning  from others post was about.

Abraham	Isaac	Jacob
Judah	Perez	Hezron
Ram	Amminadab	Nahshon
Salmon	Boaz	Obed
Jesse	King David	King Solomon
Rehoboam	Abijah	Asa

As you read about Asa in those books, you will find that he did good and right in the eyes of God. He removed all the idols. He booted his own mother Maachah from her throne. Maachah, however, practiced paganism. How many of us would boot our mother from a high position in any aspect of our lives, regardless of what she practices? How many of us would tear down or get rid of things our father or forefathers constructed in the name of other gods or anything? We are a people who like to keep things in remembrance of others regardless of its meaning to others. For most, historic family items are of great importance to us. Who knows, sometimes we keep things, regardless of what it represents, just waiting on a moment to sell to some antique collector. We believe in keepsakes and have a habit of holding on to THINGS.

Something that I was reminded of in this study, is that, no one, not even family should come before God. Another thing I am reminded of is that you must do both good and right in the eyes of the Lord when it comes to making decisions and have faith in the Lord. Sometimes we work on doing something good, but it’s not always the right thing to do. Sometimes we act out of fear to do what seems right to us, but it’s not always a good thing to do. Have I confused you? Ruminate on it. I am going to start checking myself before taking action by asking myself 3 questions:  Is it good?  Is it right?  Did I consult with the Lord in faith? If one or either of the answers is no, I will pray to let all answers be a true yes.

We as Christians need to rely on God at ALL times, even during periods of rest from our problems. Our friends, our family, our church members, and even our enemies cannot be relied on at ALL times. Now we all know or should know that Satan can NEVER be relied on to do what is right or good in the eyes of God.

Forty one years? Too reign that long of a period and to rely on God during that reign, surely one had enough time, experience, faith, and knowledge to know what is good and works right to please God? How could one go wrong?  Well folks, we’re about to see how an ACT of FOOLISHNESS MADE OUT OF FEAR and LOST FAITH can take precedence in our lives.

For about a period of ten years there was peace in the land during the beginning of Asa’s reign due to his father’s victories. For a period of fifteen years Asa was the king operating in both a good and right way. The bible tells us in verse 6 – And he built fortified cities in Judah for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest.

Fortified cities? Gated communities are what we call them now. Wow a fort! He built walls around these cities with towers, gates, and bars and prospered because in his mind he was able to do so for one simple reason in verse 7 –“because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him and He has given us rest on every side.”

Asa’s army consisted of “mighty men of valor” from two tribes; 300,000 from Judah and 280,000 from Benjamin. Math time coming up! For some odd reason Zerah the Ethiopian came up against them with a million man army along with 300 chariots in the Valley of Zaphathah. How many more men did Zerah have than Asa? How many more mighty men of valor did Asa have? As we know Asa won the battle for one reason and one reason only. Let’s read.

2 Chronicles 14:11

And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”

I love that, let’s say it together “Lord, it is NOTHING(with emphasis and a smile) for You to help.”  🙂

I gather, after that battle that the Lord felt Asa needed a bit of reforming, so His Spirit was sent to Azariah to give a message to Asa as a reminder. Fighting any battle can take a lot out of you. When you find rest, you just swim in it and forget about the battles. I love it when the Lord sends another in His name to tell you something face to face.  You know that second set of ears, that second pair of lips, and that second set of eyes. He still does that to us today. Amen. Azariah tells Asa  “But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”  During the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign, he and his people entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul;  and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether great or small, whether man or woman-(2Chr 15:12-13) Read 2 Chr 15 for more detail to this great story.  So far, Asa still has faith.

Moving on…..In Chronicles 16, we read about Asa’s thirty-sixth year and issues with King Baasha of Israel. Please read your bible for the full story in case I left out something or am in error. As you read this, do you see the first mistake Asa makes after making the covenant years earlier with the Lord slap you dead on the lips with a gasp? First mistake…..He seems to have forgotten about what the Lord had done.  Asa, out of fear from resting too long(my opinion)seeing King Baasha building up around his fort, takes it upon himself to consult and buys protection assistance from Ben-Hadad(his act of foolishness- bribery), King of Syria, who may I add worshipped a false god. He had to have lost faith, why else would he make a pact(place faith) with one who he knows worships a false god?

Sooooooooooooo….Asa had given Ben-Hadad items he had previously dedicated to the house of God as a sign of a treaty between the two for Ben-Hadad to cut off his alliance with King Baasha. Isn’t this the way the world operates today amongst nations? I do this, you do that, you break this treaty, sign this deal and I’ll give you this. Hit a nail?  In reading this, I believe King Baasha was really not that big of a deal to Asa as the Ethiopian army was.  Baasha was just trying to control who got into Judah and how they got there.  The Ethiopian Army was much larger and was trying to completely eliminate and take rule, if I’m not mistaken. 

Now after seeing this lack of faith, again the Lord sends another prophet to rebuke Asa. His name was Hanani. Let’s have a little fun with name game here.  Can you say hanani, nani, fo fani, fee fi fo fani, HANANI!

 

Hanani On The Soapbox

The main points (some improvised) I want to pull out of this chapter is the conversation between Hanani and Asa are:

• Because you have relied on another and not God, you will lose
• When you relied on the Lord, He delivered
• The Lord show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him, did your heart rest too long in peace?
• Bribing another man for protection is an act of foolishness which causes downfalls. What were you thinking taking things you dedicated to the Lord and giving it to man? Man don’t you know the law of giving of your first fruits to God and what happens to those who take from the house of God?
• Regardless of the problem, if you see the problem being a smaller one than before, you still need to consult the Lord. God does not fret at the size of your problem, big or small.
• Did you forget that you cried out to the Lord before and you told Him “Lord it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power……”
• Asa, why have you behaved foolishly and where was your faith?

Why I ask….did he not consult with the Lord as he had done on previous occasions? Same reason we do at times, we try to handle what we perceive as small problems on our own and we forget what He has done for us in the past. I’ve realized for a while that no matter what the problem may be to us or how different it appears to us than before, God is bigger and better and can handle any problem.

This lesson on Asa was a reminder to me of what I realized in the past because of things He has brought me and mine through. We tend to have a mindset of forgetting what and WHO got us through and over the problem. We have to program in or hearts, pray(consult with the Lord) and have faith when something just pops up or we see or feel trouble coming. Speaking from experience I know that the Lord will send you a reminder via a messenger of where your faith was before and where it needs to be.

Psychosomatically to us, no matter what a problem is, when it comes in a different format or the same as before, we have a weak predisposition of failing to recall how we overcame, we FORGET WHO and what steps it took to overcome. Proof of this evidence- The Israelites and The hamster with its wheel. Need I say more? Yep.  🙂

 We also have the mentality of reacting hastily to a small problem, setting off that alarming need to rely on self or another person. Some of us even pray to God about it, and still try to control the issue.

The other lesson to learn for us all is that no matter what your position is on this earth, be it, a president, a preacher, a deacon, a leader, teacher, just being you, or a follower. If your claim is that you are a Christian, and you hold one of these positions, regardless of what you think, God ALWAYS sends or puts someone in your presence to give you a message, now whether or not you heed it, is up to you. The Lord also gives you the power of discernment, so you will know that it is indeed a message from Him. Not to mention, less we forget it too, we now have the Holy Spirit as a guide and comforter.

You can become angry like Asa when hearing the truth of how you should handle a situation, or ignore the person giving you instruction, and be miserable the rest of your days due to being unrepentant and operate out of fear until you go to your grave. You know this is a bad habit of ours. We hate receiving instruction from others, especially when we see ourselves as overseers of others.

Let’s come back down to planet Humble from behind the pulpit, out from our castles and gated communities, and out of human appointed positions. The holiest and/or the most righteous of the human race among us have/had imperfections…BUT GOD’S GRACE. Not only do we see this in our day to day lives; the stories in the bible give us various examples of the imperfections of the human race, even when one “did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord.” Look at Asa’s story.

The saddest thing I read in this story is that when Asa became ill, it tells us that “yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians….and he died in the forty-first year of his reign.” It leaves me to tears knowing the ways and thoughts of men who do/did “good and right in the eyes of the Lord” that relied on and relies on the Lord today can lose faith, act out of fear and behave foolishly. I suppose if one is of this world, no matter what, one has the mindset to act in a foolish worldly manner. We cannot bribe or make others do right in the name of protection of self and others. It’s not in our control as much as we’d like to believe so.

My papa told me more than once while growing up when I think he felt my raging temper was afloat, “young child in Christ, sometimes a 1 minute action can take a lifetime to correct if you don’t ask God to take care of it before acting. You can’t make people do what is right or what you think is right.” My response to papa was that “God will be alive to correct it when I’m old then and you will be too old to remember what I did.”   🙂   As I have aged, I understand clearly what he meant and I am so grateful to the Lord for my papa’s odd ways of teaching me about the Lord as a child.

Be Blessed and a Blessing to Many Beloved Ones!

Love Covers A Multitude of Sins

I Love You