Are you careful at getting the tire pressure just right? Are you careful what stagger you have? Are you careful what fuel you put in the car? To be good on the track you have to be careful, particular about these things and many more.
How about what fuel, what food, what drink you put in your body. I know I should be better, I should be more careful at what I eat and drink and the amounts I consume. If we want to be healthy we have to be careful, we have to be particular about what we eat and drink.
It is the same with our spiritual lives. Are we careful what we put in our minds? Are we careful what we look at and listen to? We need to be careful, we need to be particular if we are going to be spiritually healthy.

Proverbs 22:8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.
Would you call yourself a just person? Are you fair? On the other side of that we see a heavy punishment.

Proverbs 22:9 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.
Listen to the blessings God wants to give you. He wants us to give to the needy, to the poor. Do you? I am reminded of what that someone else said, God is not so much concerned with how much we give but more importantly He is concerned with how much we feel we need to keep.

Proverbs 22:10-11 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
So which one are you? Is your heart pure or is it not? God wants us to be pure in all areas of our life. He wants us to be gracious in our speech.

Proverbs 22:12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.
God sees everything. Nothing is hidden from Him. How much would change, how many choices would be different if we really understood God is watching. Stop and really think about that. What you are about to do is, IS, going to be seen by God. Are you still going to do it? I know if I kept this in front of my mind more I would stop some things, some words.
(Good place to stop and pray, confessing and repenting)

Proverbs 22:13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!”
This verse illustrates how deceptive people can be and are. It is important we have a discerning spirit by the Spirit. Every day we talk to people and we need to discern if they are speaking truth or not. Are you careful as you listen, as you hear?
This does remind us of James that warns the evil one the devil, is a lion looking to devour and destroy us. He just does not give up. We have to be on our guard and we have to be in the Word of God and on our knees in prayer and surrounded by those that are serous followers, believers. Are you doing those things? Do you see the power of God at work in them?

Proverbs 22:14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit; he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.
We have spent much time in our study on purity and here again God gives us warning. Men and women can use their worldly beauty and seduction. There is so much sex and immorality all around us. I know it has been a problem for all of time, we can trace the sin Biblically to the beginning of Genesis, but in today’s world images are available everywhere we turn. We have to be able to turn away, not take the second look, and not fixate on images that will draw us in to the snare of the evil on. He will lie to us about it.

Have a great day racin’ in the SONshine,
Todd

When your name is brought up what is the reaction? Do people say, “That guy or gal is a good person, good friend”? Do people see honest trustworthy character in you? Or do they cringe at your name? I think it is important what you are known for but even more important is if they are seeing what God sees inside your heart. I hope your name means something. Let’s see if that matches Scripture

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.
You name is important. Have you looked into the Biblical and Ethnic meaning of your name? It is worth the research time and fairly easy to do on the web. Your name is much more important than the zeros in your bank account. Read that again. God calls you special and He loves you. Read that one again too.

Proverbs 22:2 The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all.
When God measures if you are allowed into His family He does not look at if you are rich or poor. He looks at your heart and what you have done with Jesus. When we think about the importance of a name I cannot help but to think about Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Proverbs 22:3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.
Are you aware of your surroundings? Seriously, are you? There are far too many people unaware of things going on right around them, right in front of them. Psalm 139:14 b says “wonderful are Your (God) works”. Do we see God’s hand at work?

Proverbs 22:4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.
I told you we would get back to an echo on the fear of the LORD. Stop and read that again and pause at each word and think. God wants to reward you and He will if you are humble! God wants to reward you and He will if you are humble! God wants to reward you and He will if you are humble! You know in the Hebrew context something repeated three times means it is very special and important. So did you catch it?

Proverbs 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
What do you think of when you think of snares and thorns? I think of sin. I think of the trap of sin? I think that Satan put them out there to step in but I am the one that steps into the trap by not being careful. That is why we need to be surrounded by the Word and in the Word and focused on the Spirit.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Dad’s – Have you put the time into training up, educating your family in the LORD?
Son’s – Have you obeyed what God teaches? Is it your own and not just your Dad’s faith?

Proverbs 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
This teaching is important on two levels. One, on just a pure stewardship and money level it is important for us not to be indebted. We become slaves. On a spiritual level this verse reminds us we can not live off of anyone else’s faith. We have to have our own faith. We cannot get saved because our Grandma was or Mom. We have to cry out and repent. I hope you have.

Have a great day racin’ in the SONshine,
Todd

When you hear racing words it gets you thinking racing. If you think Bible terms you will be thinking about God. So let’s do some thinking on God’s Word.

Proverbs 21:25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
Can you hear this warning?! I know that many work very hard and this verse does not apply to them but there are some that don’t work hard and God is giving a stern warning. As I think about this I also think of the times when I do not work hard at the Lord’s work, whether that is Bible study or prayer or discernment, etc.… We need to be at work for the Lord out of love for Him.

Proverbs 21:26 All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
I have asked this before but I ask it again now, what satisfies you? What do you crave? What do you hunger and thirst for? What we spend our time and money and energy on will give a clear indication of our real love and what we really value.
Catch the last part of the verse too. We have talked about it. One of the marks of a true believer is giving – who we give to; what we give; what we want back for credit, etc.

Proverbs 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
Think about this with me. Those that rebel against the Lord, do they know they are rebelling? Do they use excuses? Think about those in a “false church”. They are convinced they are doing what is right. Now after thinking about that it should give us the pause to think about where we stand with the Lord. Is there a sin God wants to show us and have us deal with?

Proverbs 21:28 A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears will endure.
Echo! God is very clear here with what lives forever and what does not. Lies and non-truths die but God’s Word and those that will hear and obey will endure, will last.

Proverbs 21:29 A wicked man puts on a bold face, but the upright gives thought to his ways.
This verse is good for believers to hear. First we need to be discerning on what people said and how they act. Second we need to be discerning on our thoughts prior to them becoming words and actions.

Proverbs 21:30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.
Bottom line — Man’s plans just don’t work out. In the end they are going to end empty, without meaning or substance that will count for eternity. Don’t miss that mark.

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Great verse!!!
What it says to me is put the work in. Be prepared. Study the Bible and spend time in it and in prayer but lean on the LORD for the victory.

Have a great day racin’ in the SONshine,
Todd