Wisdom Salad

5 A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power. 6 For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Since our battle is not against flesh and blood but against Satan and his dark forces, it is important to gain as much knowledge as we can. We must know our Bibles. If you are not in your Bible on a daily basis you are weak and the battle will not go well for you and those who are depending on you.

B. They Help Avoid Frustration

Proverbs 11:14 NASB95

14 Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Guidance = steering of a ship

Proverbs 15:22 NASB95

22 Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed.

You may have plans, but those plans may have holes in them that you did not notice.

For our church, we have joint elder meetings and also Men’s advisory meetings, like the one coming up on the 30th.

II. Law-keeping

A. Fights Wickedness

Proverbs 28:4 NASB95

4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But those who keep the law strive with them.

strive

1624. גָּרָה garah (173b); a prim. root; to stir up (strife), engage in strife:—contend(1), engaged in conflict(1), mobilize(2), provoke(5), stirs(3), strive(1), wage war(1).

יִתְגָּ֥רוּ yiṯ·gāʹ·rû

גרה grhstir up strife, go to court; strive, battle

גרה grh to stir up strife, to go to court; to strive,

battle

Do you want to battle wickedness in this world? keep the law. We keep the higher law which is, “love one another as I have loved you.”

B. Brings Honor

Proverbs 28:7 NASB95

7 He who keeps the law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.

companion - indicates a settled state of joining with gluttons.

humiliate - to harm someone or insult them.

C. Effects Your Prayers

Proverbs 28:9 NASB95

9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

All the people that say they pray everyday, but don’t obey the scriptures are wasting their breath. I we will not honor God’s word in the Scriptures, then He will not honor our words in prayer.

1 Peter 3:7 NASB95

7 You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

D. Healthy Happiness

Proverbs 29:18 NASB95

18 Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.

unrestrained = to let free, to make someone go out of control.

300 Illustrations for Preachers Bad Bosses Cause Heart Attacks

From 1992 to 2002, Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm tracked more than 3,000 men, rating them and their perceptions about their bosses. By the end of the study, 74 of the men had suffered heart attacks or other serious cardiac events. The lower an employer’s leadership score, the higher the worker’s risk of heart problems. The chance of heart attack also increased with the number of years of exposure to the bad boss.

Anxiety, whether generated at work or at home, will do nothing to increase a person’s lifespan or quality of life.

—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell291

III. Repentance

A. Don’t Take Sin Lightly

Proverbs 14:9 NASB95

9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will.

To mock at sin is to make light of it. In the church there “acceptable sins.”

B. Don’t Ignore Sin

Proverbs 28:13 NASB95

13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

300 Illustrations for Preachers Not Remorseful Enough to Turn Himself In

In New Hampshire in 2009, a burglar was apologetic when caught in the act of looting a home, but apparently not remorseful enough to turn himself in. Police said the owner of the house pulled into his driveway just as a thief was exiting the house carrying jewelry and electronic items. When confronted, the burglar apologized and then put the stolen items back inside. The homeowner tried to detain the man by engaging him in conversation, but the suspect escaped before police arrived.

Repentance is more than feeling guilty for sins—it is turning from them.

—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell134

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