Proverbs 15 ESV (Select verses)

A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

I am going to enter this subject here with fear and trembling, so please hear me out. First off, I am not against anyone. I am against wickedness, though. I don’t hate anyone, but I do hate evil. The color of people’s skin is not what matters. That is only on the surface. What matters is what is in our hearts and how we treat other people regardless of what color we were born with.

Do I believe prejudice exists? I most certainly do! Have I, a 70 year old white woman faced much prejudice in my life? Sure I have! I have been rejected for being white, for being young, for being old, for being a woman, for being a God-fearing Christian, for being poor, for being middle class, for having a college education, and for not being as smart as others, etc.

Do I understand persecution? Yes! I grew up with an abusive father who abused Christianity and who physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally abused me. Then, I married a man, not knowing he was a sex/lust addict. So, I was cheated on from the get-go (our testimonies are public), I was lied to continually, and I was verbally abused when I confronted him with his sins against me, and when I asked him to please change.

And, I have been abused by pastors who rejected me because they thought I spoke with too much authority for a young woman, or who tried to hit on me, or who rejected me because they thought I didn’t have it all together, or who put me on church discipline because I wouldn’t tell a lie, or who banned me from the church property because I spoke the truth on a serious sin issue going on within the church, or who asked me to leave their churches because I didn’t “fit” with their marketing schemes and goals, etc. etc.

So, although it is true that a harsh word stirs up anger, it is not always true that a soft word or answer turns away wrath. For, the tone of voice, although important, may have no impact on the listener if the listener rejects the message. Many times people reject the message regardless of the tone of voice, no matter how soft your tone of voice may be.

3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

But, here’s the thing. There are many angry voices speaking right now. There are many voices speaking who are inciting hatred and violence. They are stirring up anger and they are promoting civil disobedience. They aren’t all doing this, though. Many people who have been abused want to have a voice. They want to be heard. And, they are doing so peacefully.

But this is what I want to say here, and this is why I gave you my own history, so you know where I am coming from. Not every voice that is speaking right now is telling you the truth. Not everything that is being shown to you is the truth. Anything can be faked or doctored, and there are many liars, deceivers and tricksters out there wishing to do you harm.

There are world powers who are taking advantage of a very volatile situation and who are using it for their advantage in order to advance their goals. They want you to be angry, for it advances their objectives. They want you hating people who are not your enemies. They want us fighting one another because then they can come to the rescue with their preconceived solution.

So, where is all of this headed? I believe with all my heart that the goal here is to bring us all under the subjection of a one world order and a one world religion, so this is also about the persecution and the silencing of Christians and of the gospel. Only they will disguise it as trying to bring peace to the world, and so their solution is for all of us to be unified and not separated by differences in race or religion, etc. So, censorship is on its way.

10 There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;
whoever hates reproof will die.
12 A scoffer does not like to be reproved;
he will not go to the wise.

But, while I still have a voice, and while I can still write and post on the internet whatever the Lord Jesus gives me to say, I will continue, for this is my assignment from the Lord, and has been nearly sixteen years now (fourteen years daily at the end of this month).

So, this is the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our faith in Jesus is not something we do in ourselves. It is a gift from God which we must receive. And, if from God, then it will submit to God. We will honor our Lord for who he is, and we will show him respect by doing what he tells us to do. So, we will die with him to our sins, and in his power, we will live to him and to his righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

But if we do not submit to Jesus as Lord, and if we do not leave our sinful lifestyles behind us, and if we choose to go our own sinful way, instead, heaven is not what awaits us. We will die in our sins, instead, and we will face hells fury (Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8).

16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure and trouble with it.
19 The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns,
but the path of the upright is a level highway.

The USA, which is where I live, is considered to be a wealthy nation, although our dollar has no value behind it, for it is just an I.O.U. So, our nation lives on debt, and we are so in debt that we will never be able to repay it. So, I also believe that this is going to come back to bite us eventually, and that this is also intentional, too, and its purpose is to bankrupt our nation and to bring us to a level of poverty.

But, while our nation has enjoyed financial wealth, the church in our nation, overall, has been on a massive spiritual decline. For, so much of the church has bought into the ways of the world, and so they have diluted the gospel, so that people feel they don’t have to obey God or submit to him. So, although being reduced to poverty is certainly not pleasant, if it revives the church, and causes people to fear the Lord Jesus, then so be it.

29 The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.

Amen! We all need to learn this! We can’t live in sin and still have eternal life with God. Jesus didn’t die that cruel death on a cross just to forgive us our sins. He died to deliver us out of our bondage to sin.

His grace is not free license to continue living in sin without guilt. His grace instructs us to say “No” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14; Eph. 4:17-24).

And, being righteous is not just a status we have. It is about living righteously by faith in Jesus Christ and in his power and strength. It is those who, by faith, live righteously, in obedience to their Lord, who are considered righteous in God’s sight. He listens to us. He hears our cries for mercy, and he will answer (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

Eternal Father, Strong to Save

William Whiting

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm does bind the restless wave,
Who bids the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Savior, whose almighty word
The winds and waves submissive heard,
Who walked upon the foaming deep,
And calm amid the rage did sleep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Holy Spirit, who did brood
Upon the waters dark and rude,
And bid their angry tumult cease,
And give for wild confusion peace;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and pow’r,
Your children shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire, and foe,
Protect them where-so-e’er they go;
Thus, evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

*Caution: This link may contain ads