THINK SERIES, PART 15: "ON BEING PRUDENT AND SHREWD"

What does this really mean – ‘The simple believes everything but the prudent gives thoughts to his steps” (Proverbs 14:15).

That is a powerful statement that addresses the gullibility and the discernment of two types of people. We do not really have to look very far to observe this fact. Because most of modern humankind is bereft of Critical Thinking,

Many of us may remember the “Beanie Baby” craze of the 1990s. That five-inch-high stuffed toy created a market that rose up, made countless millions for those who knew how to market the allegedly exclusive ones and get them off their basement shelves to gullible buyers. Twenty years later, you and I can find boxes of them at garage or yard sales for 50 cents a pop. What does this have to do with thinking, by normally conservative and even discerning folks? Well, some of them THOUGHT they could make the big jackpot by selling the “Princess Diana” purple beanie in the plexiglass case.

This is just one simple, fun and harmless example, unless someone spent their entire social security check on $ 100s of dollars of Beanies, thinking they would pull in the bucks, within weeks and months, only to find out that another million people had the same idea. However, the goal of this series is not to go Dr. Phil on folks and pick on them with “what were you thinking”… about any decision where we follow the crowd. The goal is to develop and train, first in ourselves and then our children, grandchildren, and those whom we mentor, the value of prudent (as opposed to positive) thinking, Biblical thinking, and how to think critically.

The original biblical Hebrew word for “prudent” is “Arum”. It is a word which ranges in definition from being “shrewd, subtle, and prudent” to the almost opposite, as in cunning. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:6, as He warned His disciples to be “as shrewd as serpents but as innocent as a dove”.  Two things about this quote from the Greatest Life Coach Who ever lived:

Jesus is NOT saying that we are to be as deceptive as that snake, Satan. This is the sinless Son of God.  What Jesus means is to be extremely discerning. That is, to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, as an old song goes.

Every intention of the word “prudent” in Proverbs 14:15 requires we are supposed to have, not just proper thought, but discernment, grounded in truth – objective truth. Objective truth is black and white. Either you believe or you do not.  The Bible gives a powerful statement regarding atheists, where the good Book says, “the fool says in his heart, there is no God”. It takes more “faith” to NOT believe your eyes, your conscience, and the law of God written in the hearts of every single human ever born, than the faith it takes to be a believer in Jesus, as Lord. That is literally Objective truth.

There are also terms of Logic. When an atheist or an agnostic (i.e., an atheist who is a coward) makes a statement that there is no such thing as Absolute Truth, when we say that we believe in God, that non-believer has violated the terms of Logic by making an absolute statement. Therefore, under the terms of logic, we can, by all rights, dismiss their argument. Period.

To get to this point of Critical Thinking, one must have a strongly and exponentially growing measure of Biblical Wisdom. The first three Chapters of the Book of Proverbs will be a good place to start and read, over and over, until it sinks into your consciousness. I spent two weeks in Proverbs chapter 2  a while back, as I felt the tug of the Lord pulling me back more and more to those pages to embed those words in my soul. What emerged from that period, where I camped on Chapter 2, was a series called - "A Proverbs 2 Man". (CLICK HERE FOR VIDEOS).

We must be led by the Spirit to discern the wiles of this corrupt world, so that we can function, with an unction, in the Righteousness of God - in thought, in word and in deed. The Holy Spirit will guide us into the pathway of ALL Truth.

To be as shrewd as a serpent and innocent as doves, we must know the ways, teachings, and commands of God so that we will never sin.  There is a line in the Lord’s Prayer where Jesus teaches us to pray, in the original language – “do not allow us to fall into temptation”. We have to be buffeted and surrounded by the strength that comes from God and His Word,  so that we can spot a trap a mile off. We have to be in our right mind. We have to think. We have to think critically.

Sadly, too many Christians fall for the wiles of a seductive financial deal, woman (or man) or something that is too good to be true. When we have the ability, capacity, and the FREEDOM to RUN in the opposite direction. The Bible gives us clear direction to think critically so we do not ruin what is most precious to us and Him, our witness, testimony, reputation, and families.  He has given us these beautiful and powerful words to embed in our consciousness that we can live in peace, joy, and contentment, all the days of our lives.

Proverbs 3:5-7 “: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil". Amen

WHY PRAY? Part 6 - UNDER JUDGMENT?

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit....James 5:17-18

If there ever was a time - if you are called by His Name (a real live born-again authentic Christian) to pray - now is that time. James, the Lord's half-brother, did not just insert the Name of the Great Prophet Elijah here for academic reasons. Elijah was ministering unto the Lord, and prophesying against the pagan Northern Kingdom of Israel when this incident happened. Because of the evil idolatrous conduct and their worship of pagan "gods" for over two hundred years, God brought His Judgment down on what was the country ruled by the corrupt Ahab and Jezebel. It was in this context that Elijah "a man with a nature like ours" called out to the Lord, Who, recognizing His faithful servant - responded.

Now, "a nature like ours" simply means the great prophet who never died, had the same feelings of insecurities, fear and even passion for Godly living, as most Christians possess.  This man was literally scared for his life as Jezebel promised to kill him, and ran...and literally ran and hid in a cave. "Prayed earnestly" implies that he was devoted, in life and ministry, to prayer. 

We are not prophets, as defined by Scripture, but in once sense we are to do what they did magnificently - proclaim the Word of the Lord...such as "thus sayeth the Lord". There have been men with prophetic-like gifts like David Wilkerson, who could read the signs of the times and proclaim "such and such" will occur to America and world, if we do not repent. This remains true. America and the West are completely under the Judgment of God right now, and not even the religious leaders are seeing it or if they did, even worse - they refuse to acknowledge the times!

There are a couple noteworthy things about Elijah and his prayers both to stop the rain, and then to restart it. The lesson therein for us, is that here was a man who is just like you and I in physical person-hood. However, in the spiritual realm, he was completely sold out, committed and obedient to the Lord.  Even when he feared for his life, he always did the right thing. His prayer, unlike the faithful Jew in the Southern Kingdom of Judah who had to go to the Temple, had to be made on the fly! He had no God-honoring synagogue or temple to worship in, where he was sent to minister unto the Lord.

So the following lessons are for us from these two verses:
- Even if our churches, church leaders and others are not devoting themselves to prayer in these troubled and evil times - YOU AND I SHOULD.  Elijah was a forerunner of one who was indwelled by the Holy Spirit therefore making himself a living temple of the Lord. He was thus, empowered to pray anywhere he was at the time and the Lord (Yahweh, Jesus) would listen.

- Earnest prayer and devotion to the Lord are required of one who is sent out to the home first, and then the community, such as we are. The faith of a mustard seed which can say to this mountain, be thou removed from here to there, is the same faith which each Christian and true believer in Christ possesses. We do have the authority (John 1:12) to approach the Throne of Grace and seek His intervention in the affairs of man.  How He responds may not be the way we expect. He may not stop the heavy snowfall in Niagara Falls or Boston, but He will give you and I the capacity to survive it with grace and good humor and good health, because we cannot see the purpose of His plans. We cannot also see the purpose of His thinking. His Ways are NOT our ways. There is currently a group of so-called clergy in the north east who said they are getting together to pray for God to stop the snow. They are from the liberal protestant, liberal reform Jewish community and some muslims - all 13 of them. They all got together to "pray" for God to stop the snow. Sure there has been over 107 inches of snow so far this year in Boston, but can you imagine Elijah praying with the "prophets of Baal" for the rain to either stop or go away? This can never happen....and brings us to the third and final point.

- Elijah prayed AGAIN (after earnestly praying for the rain to stop) and the Lord answered and sent the rain back. First, if we belong to a prayer group, or pray chain or call into one of those increasingly popular prayer conference calls, you and I have to be careful with whom we pray. Since before we had the destruction of 9/11, there has been a growing interfaith movement which is completely lacking in spiritual discernment. A few misinformed Christians as well as those who profess to be, have been promoting the idea that all religions believe in the same "God", just "by a different name". If this were so, God would have to apologize to Himself and rewrite the Scriptures because this is the exact opposite of what His Pure and Precious Word says. There are an host of Bible verses who teach us that God does not hear the prayer of the unrighteous and for this church age, the unrighteous are those who do not believe or, or have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives.

Here are some of them:
John 9:31 - Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
Proverbs 28:9 - He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination.
Proverbs 15:29 - The LORD [is] far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Psalms 66:18 - If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me]:
1 Peter 3:12 - For the eyes of the Lord [are] over the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil.
Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.

None of these Bible verses give Christians permission to pray with other religions with expectation that the Real God of Heaven will even pay attention. The introduction of Elijah by James the Just (or "Old Camel Knees") at the end of his epistle accomplishes much. It shows both the power of a praying man, as well as the power of THAT praying man, who is exclusively a committed, submitted and faithful servant of the Holy One of Israel, our Father, Who rules the Heavens.

VLAD THE INVADER & THE AMERICAN SOUL (New Poll Reveal Decline in Beliefs)

Back in 2001, a famous American leader said he looked into the eyes of Russian President Vlad "The Invader" Putin. Then that American politician declared that he "found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country.” This is what happens when people look at spiritual things with completely humanistic eyes.

Putting aside the spiritual and theological folly of that, the question remains - can you look into a person's eyes and see their soul? Yes and no...as an evangelist who has encountered maybe thousands of people in the past two decades, from witnessing about the Gospel to handing out gospel tracts in massive parades, I can state for a fact that a spirit-led Christian CAN discern the lost nature of a person. 

If you first set your mind on God and pray as King Solomon prayed in the beginning (1 Kings 3:11b -  but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right), God WILL grant you that extra dispensation to see things the average person constantly passes over.  It is absolutely scary to look into the dead eyes of scores of wasted twenty and thirty somethings in front of bars at 11 in the morning of a St Patrick's Day Parade...or a stinky tavern during the three mile long State Fair Twilight Parade or witnessing to this current lost generation. It should scare the daylights out of people like you and I, because we do something more about it, these people are all going straight to hell as more and more people do not seem to care. It is almost a reflection of the American soul! 

What is really the true state of the American soul? Can a nation have a soul, in the first place...or....a continent...and western civilization? The answer is yes. However, when taken as a whole, facts are starting to show that we have lost our way. Briefly, here are the latest relevant numbers from the Harris Poll on what America believes: 

--68 percent believe in heaven, down from 75 percent;

--68 percent believe that Jesus is God or the Son of God, down from 72 percent;

--65 percent believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, down from 70 percent;

--64 percent believe in the survival of the soul after death, down from 69 percent;

--58 percent believe in the devil and hell, down from 62 percent

There are a lot more numbers, but these are just a sample from just two months ago and every single important category is down from an already declining number in 2005. (Read the rest of the Harris Poll here)

The main draw from this is to examine the Spiritual Condition of the Country. The diagnosis is CRITICAL. Second and third opinions have confirmed this. Instead of wondering about wondering about Vlad the Invader (of Ukraine etc) and his soul; we had better wake up from the self-induced soul sleep which the powers of darkness have successfully lulled this country into!

While we are losing scores of unsaved people to eternity daily, the corrupt leftist culture of sleaze from music, film and social media is extending its tentacles into formerly safe homes and churches. We are losing the very future - our precious millennials and our grandchildren to the world, and no one seems to have a clue or a passion to do anything about it! Citizens of the wealthiest and most blessed nation in the world care more about using their electronic gadgets and temporal self-aggrandizement than eternal things.

To combat that, the western church (England, Europe, North America etc) in a sign of their theological background gone soft, has been discovering more and more that they're now part of the cultural landscape. Sunday morning in too many of our top churches in most of the major population centers of the west (and that includes Australia) have become entertainment centers with rock star preachers...some with multi-campuses on the jumbo-tron TV screen and everything else that goes with their multi-media industry. 

As a result, they spend so much time trying to maintain that level of whatever-they-call-that kind of ministry, they have almost no time for the real work of the true church - raising up disciples; outreach and true service. The upshot of all of this is - the church is now mirroring the culture! Divorce, pornography addiction, alcohol and drug abuse and all the junk of society are playing out inside the walls of the church building. Is it any wonder we get the poll numbers of the rapid Decline of the Faith in the God (and therefore Christianity) we just saw being released by Harris and other polling outfits?

It is so bad now that the sign over the door of the church of our fathers that used to read "YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE MISSION FIELD" is now inside the church sanctuary. So what is the condition of the American soul? - SICK!

NEXT: WHAT SHOULD WE DO?