Oh Be Careful Little Hands What You Do..

Ponder This: Don’t do evil! Oh be careful little hands what you do….

Proverbs 4:23–27 (NKJV) 23Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

When faced with conflict, many will resort to sinful words and actions. This is NOT removing our foot from evil, but instead, sticking it right in!

Focus your direction!

Ponder this: Where are you going? Oh be careful little feet where you go…..

Proverbs 4:23–27 (NKJV) 23Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

If your ways don’t change what will be the result?  Get back focused on how God wants you to live! What will be the result if you don’t change your ways? NOW is the time to make a change and focus on the way God wants you to live!

Keep the Heart and Control the Mouth!

Keep Your Heart! 

Ponder this: Stop your deceit and cursing! Oh be careful little mouth what you say….

Proverbs 4:23–27 (NKJV) ²³Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. ²⁴Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. ²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. ²⁶Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. ²⁷Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil. 

God’s commands for the bullied and the bully.  Our mouths must remain in control!

Blinded With False Wisdom

Ponder this: Be humble and listen…

Proverbs 3:7–8 (NKJV) 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.

8  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

A great reason to listen to God’s principles and commands for life.

What Did Jesus Do?

Recently in a discussion regarding bullying the question was asked, “What would Jesus do?”  Yes, it is good to know what Jesus would do in response to various things in life we face, but in this situation we don’t have to ask the question WWJD, but rather WDJD (What Did Jesus Do?).  Jesus gave us a pattern to follow when it comes to responding to those who do us wrong.

 It was prophesied over 400 years ahead of time.

Isaiah 53:5–7 (NKJV) ⁵But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. ⁶All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. ⁷He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 

Then it was confirmed by eye witness account under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 2:21–24 (NKJV) ²¹For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ²²“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; ²³who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 

If we answer the question, “How does God want us to respond?”  Peter tells us in

1 Peter 3:8–12 (NKJV) ⁸Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; ⁹not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. ¹¹Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. ¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 

This is pretty amazing considering this is the guy Jesus had to tell to put away his sword.  (cf. Mt. 26:52)  His life and outlook had totally changed once he saw the risen Christ and was indwelled by the Holy Spirit!

God’s Word has many principles that apply to bullying.  And many of them come with promises just like the passage in I Peter 3:8-12 above.  Did you see them?   It is our job to learn these principles, apply them in our lives, and teach them to our children and grandchildren.  Then they too can experience the blessing of God’s fulfilled promises!