Wisdom’s Words to us…

Proverbs 1:30 Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

I once preached a sermon about Revelation, Response and Results (http://ministryhouse.org/sermons/revelation-response-and-result/). It was about the times when you have “aha” moments, but then forget about them and your life remains the same. The main point is, when God reveals something to you, if you do not act on it, your life will never change.

One of the main purposes of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our life is to remind us of what Jesus has said, to lead us into all truth, and to convict us of sin. When He tells us something, it is for a reason. Chance are, what He reveals is a direct answer to your prayers. However, for some reason, you decide it’s nice information, but not worth your time and energy to actually put it into practice.

When God reveals something to you, either through His Word, another person, or directly through His Spirit, it is up to you to act upon it immediately and repeatedly. You have to change your life to accommodate His revelation, or like the seed sown on rocky ground in Jesus’ parable, it will just fall to the wayside and never bear fruit. If you ignore it, then you really can’t blame God for not coming to your aid when He already told you what you needed to do.

That’s why this Proverb is so in your face. Wisdom cries out, “Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of THEIR ways and be filled with the fruit of THEIR schemes.” If we will not accept the input and discipline of the Holy Spirit, so we can bear the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.), then we will end up bearing the fruit of the flesh (selfishness, depression, distress, annoyance, etc.).

The next verse talks about how the complacency of fools will destroy them. In other words, they are so used to their folly, used to to the distress of their situation, that they don’t don’t think it’s that bad any more. Additionally, they don’t want to have to do anything to change their situation, and would rather stay in it than exert the necessary energy.

As Wisdom puts it, don’t be a fool. If God has revealed something to you, you MUST push yourself to act on it. Whether it is replaying a healed memory, staying away from certain people, or getting to recovery meetings and counseling appointments on a regular basis. Otherwise, you can complain all you want about how unhappy you are, but it will fall on deaf ears, because you are not being obedient to do what He instructed. Do that one thing, and THEN He will reveal more once you have proven your seriousness about being healed.

Questions for the day:

1. What was the last thing God revealed to you about yourself or your situation? How long ago was it?
2. What have you done to act upon that revelation? How often are you continuing to act upon it?
3. What are the results in your life – either of acting on it or ignoring it?