hurry speak louder...

11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

How often are we quick to give people a piece of our minds? How often do we vent our frustration and anger on others? How often are we quick to give knee reaction advice to others? To often...I'm sure!

Our culture is all about speaking your mind...letting it all hang out. Proverbs says a fool lets it all hang out, but a sage (a wise man) quietly mulls it over.

Living a life centered on wisdom is not built on sharing everything you know, it is centered on quietly listening and exhibiting some self-control.

Proverbs 28...thoughts from Ross

²⁶ He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

What a perfect start to our Proverbs journey! This passage speaks volumes to where we are right now. From the stories we tell each other on Thursday mornings to what we share with each other in everyday life- this passage speaks volumes. We have all been put in a place of dependence and trust as far as money, jobs, family issues, personal struggles, and risks.

Cutting to the chase- without God, we will fail. I know personally, recent steps of faith and huge risks have been extremely difficult. It is so hard to take the first step off of that cliff- for fear of falling or failing. But as Christ-followers, God calls us sometimes to step blindly off of the edge- to have TOTAL dependence in Him. Hard to do- but as you step off of that edge, even if you fall..... God is quick to catch you. If you feel God urging you- step, make the move. God is faithful, God comes quick to those who trust in Him.

Listen, Leave, Trust

Not a day goes by when you don't hear of someone talking about praying or someone (maybe ourselves) asking for or promising to pray. Proverbs 28 has an interesting statement to make about prayer..."9 God has no use for the prayers of the people who won’t listen to him."

So unless our prayers are a conversation that involves us listening to what God says and what he has written down for us our prayers are not much more than an attempt at self-medication.

One of the biggest hindrances to having a two-sided conversation with God, is that we do not want to deal with the brutal honest truth about who we are on a heart level. 13 You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them. You cannot expect your relationship with God to grow or move forward if you have sin in your life that you haven't admitted and left.

What is your whitewashed sin? Find someone you trust...tell them. James says, that we move forward in our journey by confessing our sins one to another. So tell...someone you trust, and be smart about it. Foolishness is blabbering it to the wrong person. Anyway, confess it to a trusted friend / mentor, confess it to God...and move on. Give that someone permission to kick you in the middle (if you're a guy) if needed to keep you moving on.

Until your relationship is moving forward, you are merely grasping for hope and that leads to trouble. You don't need to grasp...you need to a foundation / relationship to trust in. 25 A grasping person stirs up trouble, but trust in God brings a sense of well-being.

(my prayer) Father, still my heart to listen. Bring to my attention the whitewashed fortresses in my heart, and allow me to move from where I am (grasping) to living a life built on consistent trust in you.

Chris -

The Loop

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Chris