Under Gods Command
Proverbs 2:11 Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.
Discretion is the ability to tell right from wrong. It enables the believer to detect evil motives in men and women. With practice it helps us evaluate courses of action and consequences. For some it is a gift; for most it is developed by using God’s truth to make wise choices day by day. Hebrews 5:14 emphasizes that we must train ourselves in order to have discretion.
Under Gods Command
Hebrews 5:14 – But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Our capacity to feast on deeper knowledge of God (“solid food’) is determined by our spiritual growth. Too often we want God’s banquet before we are spiritually capable of digesting it. As you grow in the Lord and put into practice what you have learned, your capacity to understand will also grow.
Under Gods Command
Jeremiah 43:1-2 When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God everything the LORD had sent him to tell them. Azariah son of Hosaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘you must not go to Egypt to settle there.’ But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”
Johanan and his tiny band had come to Jeremiah for God’s approval of their plan, not for God’s direction. This is a recurring problem for most of us-seeking God’s approval of our desires rather than asking him for guidance. It’s not good to make plans unless we are willing to have God change them, and it is not good to pray unless we are willing to accept God’s answer.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Our actions speak louder than our words. This is especially true in the home. Children learn values, morals, and priorities by observing how their parents act and react every day. If parents exhibit a deep reverence for and dependence on God, the children will catch these attitudes. Let them see your reverence for God. Teach them right living by giving worship an important place in your family life and by reading the Bible together.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 28:09 – If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law even his prayers are detestable.
God does not listen to our prayers if we intend to go back to our sin as soon as we get off our knees. If we want to forsake our sin and follow him, however, he willingly listens-no matter how bad our sin has been. What closes his ears in not the depth of our sin, but our secret intention to do it again. God hears our intentions as clearly as he hears our words.
Under Gods Command
Jeremiah 42.5,6 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God.
Johanan and his associates spoke their own course, Jeremiah merely elaborated on it. It was tragic mistake to ask for God’s guidance with no intention of following it. Be sure never to ask God for something that you know in your heart you really do not want. It is better not to pray than to pray hypocritically. God cannot be deceived.
Under Gods Command
Jeremiah 23 9-14 Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD and his holy words. The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land lies arched and the pastures in the desert are withered. The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly. “Both prophet and priest are godless, even in my temple I find their wickedness,” declares the LORD. “Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished,” declares the LORD. “Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
How did the nation become so corrupt? A major factor was false prophecy. The false prophets had a large, enthusiastic audience and were very popular because they made the people believe that all was well. By contrast, Jeremiah’s message from God was unpopular because it showed the people how bad they were.
There are four warning signs of false prophets-characteristics we need to watch for even today.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 25:26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.
“Give way to the wicked” means setting aside your standard of right and wrong. No one is helped by someone who compromises with the wicked.
Under Gods Command
Jeremiah 23 1, 4 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people. Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD. “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing.” declares the LORD.
Those responsible to lead Israel in God’s path were the very ones responsible for Israel’s present plight, and so God had decreed harsh judgment against them. Leaders are held responsible for those entrusted to their care. Whom has God placed in your care? Remember that you are accountable to God for those you influence and lead.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 24:10 If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength.
Times of trouble can be useful. They can show you who you really are, what kind of character you have developed. In addition, they can help you grow stronger. When Jeremiah questioned God because of the trouble he faced, God asked how he ever expected to face big challenges if the little ones tired him out (Jeremiah 12:5). Don’t complain about your problems. The trouble you face today is training you to be strong for the more difficult situations you will face in the future.
Under Gods command 