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Bible Daily Devotional from Proverbs
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Daily Devotional
               Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.   

  The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:  

Proverbs 27:12 (KJV): A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Proverbs 27:12 (AMP): A prudent man sees the evil and hides himself; but the simple pass on and are punished (with suffering).

Thoughts for the Day:

This verse from Proverbs states that a man who is watchful will see the warning signs of impending trouble or danger, and will plan on how to avoid it. There are many scriptures that have to do with warning us about evil and the devil, as God gave mankind the Bible so that we would know what to do, and what not to do. Each warning is accompanied by a corresponding action, or remedy, that is needed to avert whatever problem we might encounter. The biggest warning is given on how to avoid hell by giving our lives to Jesus. The laws and the commandments are given for our good so that we will not fall into the traps of the devil, as he is the one who causes us to suffer. The Bible warnings are there to show us how to prevent suffering. Some people mistakenly think that God is behind all suffering. This is not true.

Perhaps one of the things that causes us to think that God is behind all suffering is that we do not understand the different forms of suffering. (The Greek word for suffering means to "bear" or "endure.") When we first come to the Lord, most of our suffering is because we have broken spiritual and physical laws. Therefore, we are suffering as a result of these broken laws. This form of suffering comes upon the Christian and the non-Christian alike. However, if we walk with the Lord, He will lead us out of this kind of suffering, as it is the result of sin. Jesus suffered on the cross to relieve us of this. Types of this suffering would be sickness, depression, fear, poverty, filth, torment, emotional pain stemming from divorce or broken relationships, anxiety, loneliness, grief, stress, disorder, confusion, etc.

Certainly there is a true suffering for Christ, but it is always by choice. It involves laying down our lives for others. Jesus' suffering and death on the cross is the greatest example of suffering for others. Jesus suffered because He chose to do so. Here are His words:

John 10:17-18:
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

How do we suffer for Christ today? We suffer for Christ by staying in a hard place, rather than fleeing, in hopes that redemption might come to those that misunderstand us. We suffer for Christ when we choose to fast instead of eat; when we leave our comfortable homes and go to mission fields that are filthy and pagan; when we turn the other cheek; when we pay a bill that is not our own; when we "go the second mile"; when we rise at the midnight hour to pray; and when we minister to others when it is not convenient for us. There are many forms of suffering that are just as valid as the stripes Paul bore in the New Testament, for the Lord's sake. We can endure emotional and physical pain as we give up the things we could have in this world for the kingdom of God's sake.

However, suffering with sickness is not a form of suffering for Christ, as Jesus paid the price on Calvary not only for our sin, but also for our sickness. The word in the Greek, "sozo," is used interchangeably to mean "to save" and "to heal" throughout the New Testament. He does not want us to keep our sickness any more than He wants us to keep our sin. If He paid for it on the cross, then we do not have to bear it today.

Isaiah 53:5: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

When we do not have sufficient knowledge to discern between suffering under Satan's hand and enduring for Christ's sake, we can be deceived by the devil to accept things that the Lord would not have us bear. A good way to deal with problems of this nature would be to approach them with a submissive attitude before the Lord, and ask Him to reveal what He would have us do. The Bible is clear about what the will of God is in regard to many of life's situations, so we do not have to pray about those.  Submitting to God, and resisting the devil with the Word of God, will overcome the evils the devil throws at us.

James 4:7-8:
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Many honest and sincere Christians have faithfully followed the first half of verse 7, but have neglected the second by not really resisting the devil. We do this by our faith in God and standing on the Word of God. Many have become double-minded (believing something from Satan to be from God), and the devil has been able to put needless suffering on them.

If God calls us to endure something, He will always give us the peace, grace, and strength to pass through it victoriously. However, if the devil is behind it, it will drain us, destroy our peace, and eventually overcome us. Many people who endure sickness, thinking it is suffering for the Lord, eventually die agonizing deaths, leaving families with enormous doctor bills and drained emotions. In no way can this be the Lord. Many of us have endured situations that were not God's will because of a lack of knowledge of God's Word. We have not understood we can hide ourselves in Christ and He will keep us from the plans of destruction by our enemy, the devil.

Psalm 17:8-9:
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9 From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in Jesus' name. I willingly submit to do all that You ask of me, and will endure and bear all that You place before me, but I will not receive those things that the devil would put upon me. I yield to You, Lord, and if You want me to continue suffering in any difficult situation, I am willing, for I know You will give me abundant grace; but, I resist the devil and the abuses he would put upon me. I thank You that Jesus died on the cross and took the punishment for my sin, sicknesses and infirmities, so I do not have to take them. I praise You for this, and pray that others will know this truth in Jesus' name.  Amen.