WINNING THE BATTLE

Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12

Buy the truth, and do no sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding. Proverbs 23:23

These two lines from the Wisdom Writer go together. Verse twenty-three tells us to buy; verse twelve tells us to apply what we buy. Freedom Fighters who want to “live life skillfully,” will practice the two disciplines of “buy and apply.”

Notice from these lines that gaining the wisdom we need to fight for freedom requires initiative. This dual pursuit of wisdom and freedom demands ongoing engagement and discipline. We must engage our minds in the pursuit of wisdom. We must exercise regular discipline in applying wisdom to our daily lives.

Too many of us want to live by the old adage “let go and let God.” While there is a kernel of truth in that adage, it allows people to live far too passively. We know God has to be at work in our lives if we’re to achieve true victory. No one argues against that. He never, however, gives us liberty to sit back and let Him do all the work. When we see words like flee, resist, put on the whole armor, apply, etc., we understand that God expects initiative from us.

The Wisdom Writer tells us to “buy the truth.” I believe that means that we’re to pursue truth along with wisdom, instruction and understanding. Go back to Proverbs 1, and you’ll see those four qualities provide the foundation upon which we build our lives. It’s also a lifelong pursuit because we all need regular reminders of the truth.

Buying isn’t enough, however. We must apply what we’ve bought. If we want to keep the “buy” metaphor, think about it this way. You come into some big money. You go buy the car of your dreams. You have it delivered to your house, put it in the garage and never use it. You don’t even learn how to use all the controls. It just sits there. So it is with instruction, truth and words of knowledge. Without application they’re just like your dream car. They do you know good unless you figure out how they should work into your life and change you.

Choose initiative and engagement. Buy and apply. Discover true freedom as you do.

Don’t forget: Sitting around waiting isn’t how you win the battle! (Pastor John Strain — First Baptist of Toms River)

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A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on
and are punished.

Proverbs 22:3

Freedom Fighters desperately need this instruction. We need to know
when to run and when to fight. Sometimes wisdom dictates what great
football coaches have known for years. The best offense is often a good
defense.

This line from the Wisdom Writers occurs again in chapter 27. A line
from Proverbs 14:16 reinforces it. Men who fight for freedom should
become familiar with all three instructions. We need to get this
clearly. At times in our lives when evil assaults us, hiding from it is
a positive alternative. Fighting or flirting with evil will do us more
damage than good.

Some who read this may think that hiding is comparable to cowardice.
Not so according to God’s Word! We may not know the word “prudent.” It
describes the man who acts with care and thought for the future. In
military terms, the prudent man knows when to retreat so he can live to
fight another day. Prudent men know when to fight and when to hide.
They don’t hide because they’re cowards. They hide because they’ve
thought carefully and wisely about the evil that confronts them.

Each of us can choose to prudence or simple foolishness. We can
exercise foresight and discernment, or we can walk right into evil and
pay the price. The Wisdom Writer makes the choice and the results clear
for us. He helps us understand the options and provides simple wisdom
that protects us.

I wonder why this is so hard for us. What makes us think we must always
fight? What makes us consider playing with or flirting with evil?
Maybe we don’t understand the “evilness” of evil. “Oh, it’s not all
that bad,” may describe our thinking. Buying that line of thinking
means we’re gullible for anything Satan wants to throw at us. We’ve
truly become “the simple” of Proverbs 22:3!

So, here’s the deal. Are we prudent or simple? Do we choose to live
wisely or foolishly? This instruction is really clear. When we see the
tornado of evil coming our way, we head for the basement! We don’t try
to outrun it or resist it. We stay out of its way.

Don’t forget: The best offense against evil is knowing when to hide!

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than
sacrifice.

Proverbs 21:3

Have you ever done something wrong and then tried to make it right? You
gave a larger offering at church, or you worked harder at some project.
Maybe you went out of your way to do something at home to please your
wife or children. We often think that we can make up for sin or failure
by “doing” something that will make God or our families happy with us.

The Wisdom Writer lets us know that doesn’t work. Instead of trying to
make up for our wrongs, God just wants us to do right. The Outback
Steakhouse slogan impresses me. “No rules, just right.” The owners and
managers of their franchises train the employees just to do the right
thing. They’re not loaded down with rules.

So it is with God with one very positive exception. We have a Book and
the Holy Spirit to help us discern right from wrong. We’re not left in
the dark to figure out the “right” thing. We who follow Jesus and
pursue freedom need not quibble over right and wrong. We definitely
shouldn’t try to fool God, family and friends, by making some incredible
sacrifice after choosing wrong over right.

I believe this line from Proverbs holds a major key to winning the fight
for freedom. We simply need to commit ourselves to righteousness. We
need to choose righteousness. We need to pursue righteousness. We need
to hunger for righteousness. (Matthew 5:6) Once we’ve made those
commitments, we must reject anything that is unrighteous. These
decisions happen in two ways. We make an initial consecration of our
lives to righteousness. Then, with God’s grace, we renew the
consecration each day for the rest of our lives.

Freedom Fighters want what God wants. We pursue what God wants. We
reject what God dislikes. We do that every day. We do it every hour.
We do it every minute if necessary. We just do it.

God’s Word will strengthen our resolve to choose righteousness. God’s
people will help us continue to pursuit. God’s Spirit resides in us to
empower us toward right choices. We CAN pursue righteousness and
justice. It’s a choice we make. We can pursue successfully, too.

As we live righteously, we can learn the joy of sacrifice to God for all
the right reasons!

Don’t forget: You can’t buy your way out of the consequences of sin with
sacrifices.

TRUTH AND WISDOM’S PROTECTION

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. Proverbs 20:1

Initially, I thought this verse was too obvious to use for today’s Freedom Fighter. I had an inclination to go a different direction, but after reflection decided this was the place for all of us today.

Depending upon the life-dominating sin that attacks your life, you may think this verse doesn’t apply to you. Do me a favor. Drop in pornography, drugs, food, money or any other sin that dominates your life in this verse and then apply it to your life.

We’ve talked already this month about Satan’s treacherous and deceptive tricks. The nature of our struggle for freedom doesn’t matter. This verse addresses the reality of consequences when we allow sin to dominate our lives. Our thinking goes like this. “One drink will help us.” “One look at that picture will make us feel better.” “Buying that newest and best toy will ease the pain I feel.” Lies! That thinking has it roots in the lies that Satan so ably sells us. It’s all a lie, and it will ultimately lead us astray.

If we choose to listen to the lie, God’s Word labels us as those not wise. We become those who wander from the safe way marked by truth and wisdom. Most of us who read this email every day have known some of that wandering, and we know the damage that comes when we lose our way.

All of this pushes me to remind you why Proverbs is so important. God gives us these thirty-one chapters to help us “live life skillfully.” It will help us embrace truth and wisdom and reject lies and foolishness. Every Freedom Fighter needs that help! The help is yours if you’ll allow the Wisdom Writers to become your friends. Read one chapter each day of the month and do it month after month. Ask God’s Spirit to bring wisdom home to your heart and mind. Allow Him to apply that wisdom to your life month after month.

Those life-dominating sins, based on lies from hell, will put us in the ditch. Truth and wisdom will protect us from the sins, from the lies and from the ditch. Pursue wisdom from the Wisdom Writers today.

Don’t forget: Truth will keep you safe. Lies will drive you to the ditch! (Pastor John Strain — First Baptist of Toms River)

THE ART OF LISTENING

Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days. Proverbs 19:20

Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge. Proverbs 19:27

I have these two verse numbers circled in my Bible with a line in the margin connecting them. Like all Freedom Fighters, I need both lines of instruction. Life gets no less complicated as all of us get older. Temptation doesn’t retire from our lives when we reach a certain age. We all need increasing wisdom as the days in which we live get more evil.

That wisdom to “live life skillfully” comes our way through counsel and instruction. We receive it in several different ways. Reading the Word of God regularly will counsel and instruct us. Good and godly friends can provide counsel and instruction if we’re willing to open our lives to them. Consistent attendance in a good, Bible-teaching church offers God’s Spirit time to teach us wisdom and instruction.

Listening is the key, however. If we get all that counsel and instruction without listening, we’ll live our latter days without wisdom. If we pay attention to the counsel and attention God brings into our lives, we’ll live out our latter days full of wisdom.

The Proverbs Writer brings us to look at the dark side of the listening issue, too. While wisdom comes our way when we do listen, danger awaits us if we don’t listen. We all know the consequences of not listening. Most of us have paid heavy prices for thinking we knew better than those who offered counsel and instruction.

If I could paraphrase verse twenty-seven, here is what I would say: Quit paying attention to your teachers, my son, and you’re bound to get into trouble. When we learned to drive, the person teaching us continually told us to keep our eyes on the road. I’m a sightseer, and I have to be careful. When I take my eyes off the road, the car often strays from the center of the lane. That’s not a good thing!

So it is in life. If we quit listening to wise counsel and godly instruction, we’ll stray from the safe path God has for us. We’ll get into trouble. The option to listen or not to listen is ours. Freedom Fighters who wage the battle for moral purity and godliness will choose to listen.

Don’t forget: Wisdom comes through listening. Danger comes when we don’t listen. (Pastor John Strain — First Baptist of Toms River)

TWO GREAT CONCERTS COMING UP AT AMERICA’S KESWICK:
Dinner Concert with Steve and Annie Chapman — Saturday, June 24th 6:30 PM — Call today for reservations: 800-453-7942.
Ralph Carmichael Band and Dave Boyer — Friday evening, July 7th. Call today for a special Freedom Fighter for this concert only.

Have a great day!

Happy Father’s Day. I am currently in Minnesota enjoying our grandson Tanner and our brand new granddaughter, Lindsay Alice, who was born on Wednesday. My good friend and my Pastor, John Strain, has been blessing our hearts by sharing some fresh thoughts from the book of Proverbs.

On Friday was bonding with Lindsay and caught a segment on Good Morning America on the value of a father from the perspective of what a he’s worth around the house. Our society has de-valued the American male, picturing him as lazy, stupid, and inferior to women. I found it interesting that this feature showed that more and more Dad’s are taking on more responsibility in the home. Not only are they doing their “normal” chores, they are helping with the cooking, cleaning and a number of other tasks at home.

“The survey found the average American dad who worked full time typically spent 39.6 hours a week doing work around the house,” reported Good Morning America. The survey goes on to report that “according to a Salary.com survey conducted exclusively for “Good Morning America,” dads would earn $71,160.45 a year if paid in real wages.”
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:2 commanded us to do what God commanded the children of Israel: “Honor you father . . . ” The Amplified Bible says: “esteem and value as precious your father . . . ” Note that it doesn’t place any conditions on honoring Dad. It isn’t about “if Dad does this … I will honor him.” Dad’s are imperfect. They make mistakes. Sometimes big mistakes. But if they are following God, they are doing their best for their kids. By the way, this command which was given to Moses was one of the original ten — it wasn’t a suggestion up for debate.
Now that I am a grandfather, I am looking at fatherhood through a different set of lenses as I am watching my kids as adults. My son, Josh, is soon to become a Dad and will look at parenting quite differently. He is going to make a great Dad because of the way that I have seen him treat his wife. Howard Hendricks said that the best thing a man can do for his son is to love his mother. Josh treats Jenny with love and respect. I am very proud of him.
I know how that the responsibility of honoring my son and two son-in-laws, Garrett and Jon, as they take up the mantle of fathering my grandkids. It is a privilege to honor them and esteem them as precious. I want to transfer that truth to my grandkids too, teaching them how important it is to love, respect and honor their Dads.
When we arrived in Minnesota, Tanner was trying to call me “Grandpa” but the other day out of the clear blue, he called me “Pop Pop.” I have to admit that when he first said those words, a HUGE knot formed in my throat and my eyes filled with tears. That’s what my kids called my Dad. What an honor to be called “Pop Pop.” I have huge shoes to fill.
And you know what guys, if you have a Dad that is still on this side of heaven, don’t miss the opportunity to call him today and honor him. My Dad has been in heaven for 20 years this year and I still miss him as if it was yesterday. Dad, I love you and miss you so much.
Have a great Father’s Day.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

I think my friend, Bill Welte, coined the term “freedom-fighter.” I’m also pretty sure that I have a good idea about his thinking behind the term. It speaks of freedom that is available through Jesus Christ. The freedom of which we speak lets us pursue righteousness and releases us from the bondage of sin.

But we can’t forget the second word. Those who would know freedom will also know the fight. We have an enemy. He is the enemy of our souls, and he knows well that “residue of the flesh” we thought about earlier this month. The Wicked One knows the tug of that “residue,” and he is quite good at using it against us. To know freedom is to fight the one who fights against us.

Many of us think this fight should be easy. Sometimes it is. Adversity comes along at other times, and the intensity of the battle is more than we think we can take. That’s why the Proverbs Writer gave us the line we’re thinking about today.

All of us must learn that we don’t resist Satan alone. Choosing to fight alone usually means we’ll lose. Friends, real friends, who love us will help us in the fight. They’ll love us enough to confront us, to hold us accountable. They’ll love us enough to encourage us when we’re hanging on by a thread. Apart from the power of Jesus Christ at work in our lives, one good friend who loves us may be the key to victory or defeat in the fight for freedom.

Notice the rest of the verse. ” . . . and a brother is born for adversity.” The writer’s assumption is simple. Adversity will come. It’s not a maybe thing; it’s a definite thing. He lets us know that God gives us brothers for those adverse times. These brothers aren’t always brothers by natural birth. They’re probably brothers by “the new birth.” They share faith in Jesus, and they know the fight for freedom.

God gives us these men to fight with us and for us. They don’t run when things get hard. They don’t walk away if we experience temporary failure. Brothers in adversity have lasting power, and they love us enough to engage the battle with us. You and I need these brothers. If you’ve been a believer for forty years or four months, you need these brothers! If you have them already, as I do, praise God for them. If you don’t, find them. If you don’t know how to find them, write Bill Welte or me, and we’ll help you find them.

Don’t forget: You and I need those men who will stay with us through adversity. (Pastor John Strain — First Baptist of Toms River)

Sorry for the delay this morning. We are in Minnesota celebrating the birth of our second grandchild, Lindsay Alice Groen, and Pastor John Strain has been forwarding me the daily FF’s from Proverbs that he is writing. For some reason we didn’t the one for today. Here it is . . .

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3

Too many men live hidden lives. We keep secrets. We maintain appearances that don’t truly reflect our hearts. Many of us actually think we’re really good at it. “Nobody knows and nobody needs to know” is often our thinking.

This line from Proverbs strips us of our secrecy. All the people who know us may not know our secrets, but God does. Those who struggle with life-dominating sins that they think are secret need to wrestle with this revelation. Try as we may to hide, it’s impossible to hide anything from God.

This reality brings us back to the beginning of our thinking in Proverbs. Do you remember “the fear of the Lord?” Pursuing the fear of the Lord-that humble, obedient spirit that puts God first-makes Proverbs 15:3 incredibly important.

We try to hide from our wives, co-workers, friends at church, etc. We really live, however, for an audience of one. Someone has said that what we do when no one is watching reveals our true character. That statement has one huge problem; someone is always watching!

All of us who live with the “residue of the flesh” sometimes want to satisfy that flesh. Knowing that God always sees us ought to motivate us to flee from evil whenever it comes near us. Resisting and fleeing make sense because we know evil is dangerous. We know it will do us damage rather than good. Most of all, however, we flee from evil because God sees us. If we choose not to flee from evil, we run the risk of hurting God. For all of us, that’s just unacceptable.

When we nurture those addictions that plague our lives, we live in a fantasy world. We think we’re OK; no one will ever know. Proverbs 15:3 is real-world truth. We’re never OK when we do wrong. We’re never going to do wrong without that “audience of one” knowing. So, let’s quit fooling ourselves. Let’s make sure that what the Lord sees from our lives is good, not evil.

Don’t forget: We have no secrets from the all-knowing God!

Good word for today!!!

STAY AWAY FROM EVIL

A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident. Proverbs 14:16

Too many of us want to live to close to the edge. A few years ago I had the privilege of driving up Pike’s Peak. Once you get above the tree line, the road becomes gravel, and there are no guard rails. I chose to hug the middle of the road that day!

The Proverbs Writer cautions us in this description of a wise man. Once wisdom begins its work in our lives, we become less macho and freely admit that some things deserve our fear. Evil, in any form, is one of those things. Some things warrant us running the other direction; we don’t need to hang around to see if we’re brave enough to handle them.

I read this week that New Jersey’s Casino Commission has renewed the license of a casino executive who had lost the license because of a gambling addiction. I don’t know the man involved, but he shouldn’t be applying for a renewed license. He ought to be as far away from Atlantic City as possible!

If your addiction is alcohol, you don’t need to hang out in the bar with your buds drinking diet sodas. You need to avoid the place like the plague! If you’re hooked on internet porn, you either need to give up your computer or put software on that blocks the porn. Someone other than you should control that software!

Do you get the idea? Our Proverbs guy tells us this morning that a fool is self-confident. “I can handle this!” Do you know men with life-dominating sins who think that way? I do, and they almost never handle their issue wisely. Wise men know their limitations, and they run from evil. They don’t mess around with the things that can lead them down the road of the foolish.

This really is simple stuff. If God’s wisdom is at work in your life, you’ll figure out the nature of evil and know when to be afraid. If you’re the self-confident fool who thinks he knows everything, you’re probably living closer to the edge than you should. You may need to think about how far down it is if you get too close.

Don’t forget: Lady Wisdom urges you to stay far away from evil! (Pastor John Strain — First Baptist of Toms River)

Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, but he who regards a rebuke will be honored. Proverbs 13:18

The issues of correction, rebuke and instruction run through the entire book of Proverbs. It is as though the Proverb writers knew how resistant we are to those things. I’ve seen how often I get defensive when someone tries to correct me. Many with whom I’ve worked seem to have the same problem. Those who struggle with addictions seem particularly resistant to correction.

I’ve often wondered why those who so much need help resist receiving it. A good friend of mine who travels the country teaching on prayer may have the answer. He speaks of believers struggling with “the residue of the flesh.” All of us have that “residue.” It often flares up when rebuke or correction comes our way.

The writer of Proverbs 13:18 wants us to see the benefit of a godly rebuke. He wants us to know the danger of resisting correction. Do you remember the two paths that meet. It is the place where Lady Wisdom stands and calls out to us? She’ll remind us that we receive blessing when we accept needed rebukes. She’ll also let us know that we’re wrong when we won’t accept correction from those who care about us. We need to listen.

Let’s think for a minute how we receive rebuke and correction. I believe strongly that correction needs to come from mature believers. You’ll usually find these people in a Bible-believing local church. The Colony of Mercy at America’s Keswick insists that graduates of the Colony connect with a good church and establish a pastoral covenant. We find safety in a good church. We find people who can correct us and help us stay on course. All of us need that.

You and I are better for having people who love us enough to correct us when they see us straying from the right way. Let’s thank God for them and benefit from them. Let’s make sure we don’t ignore them or resist them.

Don’t forget: Resist the “residue of your flesh” and pay attention to wise correction. (Pastor John Strain — First Baptist of Toms River)
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