Tag: knowledge

Sneaky Lies

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So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6

Adam and Eve were living in the Garden of Eden.

Spectacular food, unspoiled by death or disease.

Can you imagine how flavorful it was?

Probably beyond our wildest dreams.

Gorgeous scenery.

Lounging animals.

No schedules or work demands.

Talking with God every evening.

Just the two of them in paradise.

For how long had they been enjoying God’s creation?

Not sure. But it definately ended abruptly.

There were two trees alone in their glory: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

The Bible clearly states the second tree was off limits. Completely.

No eating from the knowledge of good and evil tree.

It was God’s protection over them.

One day a serpent opened its mouth and talked to Eve.

Was that unusual? Having an animal or reptile talk to you?

Eve doesn’t act surprised. In fact she listens to what it has to say.

Eve had all the knowledge of God’s goodness surrounding her each and every day.

She talked with God every day.

Yet she chose to believe the serpent instead.

The serpent told her the forbidden tree would make her wise like God.

When those words were spoken, Eve’s eyes were convinced of its truth.

She saw the tree as good for her.

She saw a lie as truth.

What lies do you see as truth?

Lies about yourself? Others? Your future?

Eve didn’t consult Adam. She merely repeated the lie as fact.

And Adam believed it, too.

Instead of consulting each other and then asking God, who created all things, they believed a lie.

True, they did not understand lies existed, as they lived in a perfectly created world.

But the words went against all God had spoken to them.

Ask God today what lies you currently believe as truth.

Seek His truth over all things in your carnal mind.

We don’t have the luxury of living in the Garden of Eden.

But we do have access to God.

He wants to talk with you every day, too.

Filter your thoughts with His, seeing through Satan’s sneaky lies.

Photos by niko photos, Jeroen den Otter, Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦, & Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

Wise or Foolish?

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The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

Proverbs 15:2

We all want to have knowledge.

That’s the ultimate pursuit of man, isn’t it?

Don’t we want to know all things so we can have absolute control?

The pursuit of knowledge is how sin entered the world.

Adam and Eve wanted to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

They wanted to be like God, knowing everything.

Genesis 3:6 says …when the women saw the tree was desired to make one wise….she took of its fruit and ate it, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

But they weren’t wise.

We are still reaping sin’s consequences every single day.

When you are wise, you have knowledge.

Actually you have good knowledge as the Hebrew verb “commends” from Proverbs 15:2 means to be good, well, or pleasing.

Whatever the case, the wise person has the good kind of knowledge.

The kind that furthers you onto God’s plans.

Matthew 12:34 gives us a reason the wise have knowledge.

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Wise people follow God. Fools do not.

What is in your heart?

If God is your focus, your heart will share wisdom as you speak.

If you are your focus, your heart will share folly as you foolishly speak.

When speaking, ask God to cover your words.

Every one.

We all speak folly as fools sometimes.

But as we continue to press into God, becoming more like Him, our words will gain wisdom as our hearts overflow with God’s love, mercy, and grace.

The next time words pour forth from your mouth, stop and notice.

Are they wise or foolish? Do you feel humble or proud? A servant or a king?

Even if you can’t figure it out, your heart knows. And so does God.

Photos by Fiona Murray-deGraaff, Aaron Burden, & James Cousins on Unsplash

Spilled Out

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The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

What spills out of you every day?

Your moods from yesterday you simply cannot let go of yet?

Your depression from the hand life has dealt you?

Negativity, expecting the worst every time?

Anger as you are better then all of this?

Or joy, knowing God is above it all?

Peace, resting in the knowledge that God’s got this and more?

Mercy, remembering how God has poured out His mercy liberally on you?

What spills out of you tends to resort back to one question: who or Who is on the throne of your heart?

If it’s yourself, which is extremely common, then whatever spills out of you will be contingent upon your flighty circumstances.

It will depend upon who pleases you or not.

If God is on your heart’s throne, out will spill the fruits of the spirit as you remember God’s in control and you are not.

Luke 6 reminds us out of our heart’s abundance, the mouth speaks.

Out of your heart.

What’s in your heart? Values, beliefs, things you know and believe to be true.

If your heart believes God’s got this and more, spilling out of you will be His mercy and love to others.

But if your heart desires yourself and the things of this world, ugliness will spill when things do not go your way.

What will you choose?

Will you spread God’s very self to others this day?

Ask God to fill you with Himself.

Give Him the throne of your heart.

That way, when things spill out, you’ll be His hands and feet to those you meet.

Photos by Skylar Michael, Daniela Díaz, & Ben Moreland on Unsplash

Gifts

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Rest in the knowledge that He is enough.

That He, our Lord, holds all things in His hands.

Are you resting?

Or are you resisting?

Matthew 7:11 reminds us “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Are you trusting God to give you those good gifts?

Might not be what you asked for, but it will be a good gift nonetheless.

Socks for Christmas are not a favorite, but your feet will be thankful next winter.

A new kitchen appliance is not as sparkly as jewelry, but making dinner from now on will be easier, so frankly, that gift means time.

Taking something away from a child is hardly met with enthusiasm, but it’s a gift.

As parents, you give the gift of self-control and thinking of others, hoping to kick pride to the curb.

Mostly.

We try.

We try to give these good gifts to our children.

Guessing they don’t think of them as gifts.

When God gives you the gift of unemployment, are you thankful?

Thankful for the fresh start?

When God gives you the gift of a child who operates completely different from you, are you thankful?

Thankful to see things from a whole new perspective?

When God allows challenges in your life, it’s for a reason.

To shape you further into His image.

We’re just fine, Lord, thanks anyway!

Good gifts from God belong in His will.

Rest in the knowledge that He is in control.

Allow all of His gifts to mold you into who He wants you to become.

Good can mean lots of things.

To our Lord, it means for your very best.

Photos by Toa Heftiba, Christopher Jolly, Cody Black, and Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

More

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Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Psalm 62:1

There will always be more.

More teacher books to read, lessons to try, activities to save.

More recipes to try, nutrition to evaluate, exercise methods to investigate.

More decorating shows to watch, websites to pursue, ideas to glean.

More clothing to see, outfits to make, stores to shop.

We will never reach the pinnacle of knowledge in any area of our life.

There will always be more we could know.

More knowledge to glean.

More, more, more.

I find this overwhelming.

Why?

Because I want to do my very best in all things.

I want to be the best teacher, so I read blogs, read books, tweak lessons, and constantly keep looking to make my classes even better.

I want to be the best self, so I keep pursuing blogs, saved links, and books to find that formula which will set me up for success.

I want to be the best Christian wife/mother/daughter/etc, so I read books, blogs, and save even more books on my future reading list, which I admit will could never all be read in my lifetime.

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Folks, we don’t have to prove ourselves.

God loves us and accepts us.

Knowledge is wonderful, even ordained by God.

But it can become a religion of sorts.

An idol in the very least.

Yes, we should keep pursuing knowledge.

But not at the risk of feeling inadequate if we don’t.

The lie of having to know everything is false.

It will never happen.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you will never know all in whatever area you focus.

Use your God-given talents to work, improve, and pursue knowledge.

But let God guide you.

If your saved links or saved emails, or list of books to read all of a sudden vanished, would that almost be a relief to you?

That is an indication of information overload.

If you don’t want to be so bold as to delete years of saved “bookmarks”, then place a time limit on your knowledge search.

Give yourself 20 minutes a day to read your book or saved link.

Devote an entire day to plunge beneath the waters and organize, deleting unnecessary items.

Whatever you decide to do, simply remember this.

God knows all, so we don’t have to.

He ordains your steps when you trust in Him.

Allow Him to guide your knowledge search, knowing you are already enough.

You have already secured His love.

Thank Him for your knowledge thirst.

Then sit back, take a drink from your book, and savor the satisfaction of being enough.

Because you are.

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Photos by Joost Crop , Valentín Betancur , Miguel Orós , &  Nong Vang on Unsplash