Week 18 - Proverbs Chapter 18

The Way to Go Lightly, Healing Spiritually, Mentally and Physically

1 Thessalonians 5:22, 23, 24
Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

As I was checking Biblegateway to cut and paste our theme verse, I noticed verse 22 for the first time.

Abstain (don’t do it) from every (not just the easy stuff) form of evil.
What areas of your life should you abstain from every evil? Vs 23 Spiritually, mentally and physically.

How would you define every evil? James 3:16 (NKJ) For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there

James 1:14 AmplifiedBut every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions).

What then brings on every evil thing whether spiritual, mental or physical?
Self-seeking and lusts of our flesh – we are enticed and baited by our own evil desires.
#1 on your homework – Study and determine what James meant when he said, “Every person is tempted when she is drawn away, enticed and baited by her own evil desires.

What a powerful talk Carol Waters gave last week. She was thrilled that we allowed her to come and be instrumental in jumpstarting her new ministry of traveling around speaking to groups telling her story of God’s healing powers over her body. We didn’t do anything but respond to God’s prompting when He ask us to let her speak. Now she has received the confidence to proceed with her ministry! Praise God and may she always have the Lord’s confidence as she steps out into a world that may not be so receiving.

I wanted to go repeat a few of the statements Carol made and review some of the verses. If you have had a chance to read her book, you probably are already using them in your own personal healing.

Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction; For your Word has given me life.
She said, “The lack of miracles today is not that God has chosen to disregard His people, but that we have chosen not to believe what he says. We need to change our thinking.
We have chosen …. Everyday we make choices. God gives us that freedom.
It is our responsibility to do as much as we can to help our bodies heal. Whatever it is. From headaches to heart attacks. From anger to angina. From laziness to laryngitis.
If something is not 100% right, it is our responsibility to figure out why.
Psalm 118:8 says: It is better to trust in the Lord then to put confidence in man.
John 18:31, 32 If you continue in my work, then you are my disciples and the truth will set you free.

Set me free. What am I bound up with? What has me in bondage? Is His word enough for me?.
In Carol’s book she mentions that Jesus had 32 stripes and there are 32 classifications of diseases, one for each strip. Surely, she says, this is no coincidence.
She said, we dismiss miracles as part of a bygone era. How sad for us that we have limited God’s ability to do almost anything past salvation.

Carol’s book ends with this statement: What great benefit is there if I die from cancer and people say a few nice words at my funeral. Is that all the praise and glory God should get? How sad.

How much better for me to stand before God’s people and tell them how He delivered me from the hand of my enemy and fulfilled the promise of long life and peace to His child. His promises are still good for today and my hope is complete in that. Yeah and amen!

Psalm 118:17
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord!

Thanks Carol: Our lives have been blessed for the honor of meeting you.

The following are answers to Chapter 18. I pray that God blessed you as you listened to His voice this past week.

Chapter 18 vs 1 rewritten: A woman who willfully separates herself from God and lives her life for her own pleasure, is seeking her own desires and not choosing wisdom and sound judgment. God calls us to separate ourselves from that which is unclean. He is referring particularly to the idolatry, the immorality, and the filthy pull of the world. Perhaps conversations, movies, TV, internet, diet, disposition, personality. There has to be a separation – a difference. Separate yourself from evil.

Vs 2 – Rewritten: If I stop to think before I speak, I won’t have to worry afterward about what I said. Talking too much is a downfall of mine. Do I think I am so smart that I cannot learn from listening? Is it a nervous habit? Do I really think others want to hear what I have to say? Vs 2 A self confident fool seems like an oxymoron. This verse hit me strong! Self confident fool! Self confident fool! I want more understanding of what God’s will is for me. Listen to God’s Word and learn my friend. Then act in the power of the Holy Spirit not in your own power.

Vs 3 – Rewritten: Some women cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go! Which woman are you?

Proverbs 18 Vs 4 – The words of your mouth are powerful. Do they come from within the power of the Holy Spirit or surfaced from the power of the flesh? Wisdom is like a gushing stream, pure and life giving. Do your words bring life or death to yourself and everyone else around you? Life giving words or death giving words.

John 7:37-38 The Promise of the Holy Spirit
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Within our born again spirit comes the promise of the Holy Spirit. If anyone thirsts (for wisdom) let him come to Me and drink. If we do, out of our mouth will flow rivers of living water.

Not dying water. LIVING water!!!

Proverbs 18:5 Our country is guilty of compromising our original faith and constitution for the sake of greed of wealth. But what about me? What do I compromise? What do I engage in that is evil while overlooking right living?

Proverbs 18:6 – 8 Are about our mouth/lips. Where do these words originate? The flesh or the power of the Holy Spirit. Do we use the mouth and lips to stop the power of the fleshly tongue or do we open our lips freely and allow the power of the flesh to come forth? Vs 8 …the innermost parts of our body. What are we suppressing? What is really down there that we are covering up? {Anger, frustration, revenge, bitterness, disappointment, unforgiveness, laziness, fear, a no-care attitude, selfishness, worthlessness, diseased thoughts, etc}. What is down there?

We surface so well. We have learned to pretend. To cover up. God call us a fool. Vs 7

Ask yourself… are you a self-confident Christian? This is not a good thing, my friend.

What health comes from your mouth? A bee is can be known for its deadly sting or for its life giving honey.

Proverbs 9 – What makes us destroyers of life? Vs 9 rewritten: (from Amplified Bible) He who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide.

Whoa! Are you making endeavors to heal yourself or are you making strides to commit suicide (destroy your life)! Oh my friend, knowledge is so important. Do not let the world educate you for you are only destroying your life. Committing slow suicide.

Proverbs 10 – Where can you go to be totally protected from the evils of the world? If you are a born again Christian, Jesus is your is your strong tower. A tower of protection from the world is He. Why do we continue to rely on our own knowledge for answers when wisdom comes when we run into that strong tower and seek refuge.

How can we be a consistently righteous women, upright and in right standing with God. Remain within that strong tower and never leave it spiritually. There we are protected from evil and it is there that we will remain strong.

Proverbs 11 – God has blessed us not with material wealth (even if you are wealthy) but with spiritual blessings. Ephesians 1:3 (Amp) May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm!

Material wealth is what we strive for though. We desire and want things. Get out of this trap should you be desiring something of material worth instead of spiritual value.

Again, where do you protect yourself from this pull towards earthly things? Within the strong tower. The wall surrounds you. Is that place a physical place on earth? Some room, some location you go? NO! We are fortified with the knowledge of the Word of God. We need to recognize that we are living in very difficult times and we are constantly being bombarded with evil. We are constantly pulled into the gravity of the world. Gravity pulls you down. Sickness, mind manipulations, spiritual warfare…these things destroy us. We are not fortified with the word of God.

The box of cereal says: Fortified with 26 vitamins and I thought, “Am I fortified with knowing 26 scripture verses that will keep me protected from the evils and testings that come at me on a daily basis? Do I have on the armor of God as I face the world each day? Am I substituting complacency with fervency?

What are some of those attacks for you? For me it is confusion, wavering in my faith, worry, fears. Do I believe or do I pretend to believe? Am I listening as I read the word of God or am I studying to fill in squares.

Proverbs vs 12 - Haughty – Am I arrogant, overbearing, high and mighty, snobbish, conceited, condescending, patronizing, stuck-up? I will fall.

Proverbs vs 13 Do I judge before ever knowing the facts? Do we ever really know the facts unless we were present when the situation happened? Am I quick to express my opinion without having all the facts? Could it be because we fear for our importance? Fear of our worth? Fear that if we do not get our opinion voiced that we will be assumed ignorant?

My confidence come from God. At least that is what I am striving to become. Confident because of the Word – that strong tower that surrounds me. Nothing else.

Proverbs vs 14 Oh this is so powerful! What sustains a man that is sick? Carol said it boldly. It is your strong spirit that comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit within you. That strong spirit sustains us when we are in bodily pain or trouble. But if we have a weakened and broken spirit, you can not bear whatever is coming at you.

The Word of God speaks to us about our healing. Man’s convoluted means of healing are killing us. Death comes from not LIVING off of the Living Waters of the Word of God. Death comes when we trust in horses and chariots instead of the Almighty God.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will trust in name of the LORD our God.

Healing must happen spiritually, mentally and physically. When you are broken physically (like a broken bone) you immediately get to a doctor to take the correct measures to heal your broken bone. Why is it that we do not do the same thing for our broken minds and our broken spirits?

Joy is the flag that is flown in your heart when God is in your residence.

When God becomes first choice in your life, when He has top priority, then you will not have a broken spirit. There is nothing broken about your born again spirit. That is the only part of you that is not broken

1 Corinthians 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you

His body was broken so that our spirit could be healed.

Proverbs 18:15 Wisdom defined: Never stop learning the Word of God

Proverbs 18:16 What gift do you have to gift to the Christ child? All born again believers have a spiritual gift.

Vs 17 This verse brought to mind how quickly we assume something is correct when we hear it without researching to find out if it is truth. We believe very quickly. I heard a statement that I want to pass along. “Research the researcher”. That means not to believe anything unless you have verified it through God’s word (He will tell you if it is truth).

Vs 18 In the OT, people would cast lots to see what the Lord would want. In all things, we should go to the Lord for decisions.

Vs 19 Once we get our feelings hurt we cannot be easily won over. Family feuds that were never resolved are an example of this. Have you ever seen a castle that has bars on the window openings? No man could get through these bars.

Vs 20 We will be rewarded for the nature of our speech.

Vs 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue! Think about that. Your tongue can be used to give out the gospel which is life and it can also be used to say things that would drive people away from God, which makes it an instrument of death. Our life and our death are also found in the power of the tongue like Carol mentioned and was a testimony to.

Vs 22 Is it a coincidence or a Godincidence that vs 21 and 22 are side by side! A good wife is hard to find. Am I one?

Vs 23 The poor beg for mercy, but the rich give rude answers.

Rich/wealth seems to command power. The poor are not powerful. The rich often use their wealth to manipulate the world whether it be through oil distribution, pharmaceutical power, or the boss of a company. Caution is given to determine if you are using money for power. Let’s bring this to our level of income. Do you possible control your kids indirectly with the money you have and they want?

Vs 24 A woman with many friends (a friend of all the world) will prove herself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a sister.

I see this to mean that we can surface many relationships with many people, just to feel like we are included or one of the gang. But the second part of this verse means to me that a true sister in Christ sticks to you no matter what. She loves you no matter where you stray off to. She remembers the verse: like sheep we have all gone astray, and is always compassionate and nonjudgmental allowing God to bring the sister back on track through her prayers.

Homework for Proverbs, Chapter 19
The Way to Go Lightly, Healing Spiritually, Mentally and Physically
Due March 5, 2008

1. Study James 1:14 and write out what this verse is saying to you.

2. Also study James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. These two verses are teaching us about being a true Christ-follower friend. Now look up John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Two verses tell you not to be a friend of the world. One says to lay your life down for your friends. Write your thoughts as God speaks to you concerning what type of friend you are.

3. Read Chapter 19 – make notes of what verse speaks the most to you.

4. If your last name begins with a “B”, then be prepared to teach what Chapter 19: verses 1-4 means and what God is teaching you through your studying.

5. If your last name begins with a “C” then be prepared to teach what Chapter 19: verses 5 – 8 means and what God is teaching you through your studying.

6. If your last name begins with an “E” then be prepared to teach what Chapter 19: verses 9 – 12 means and what God is teaching you through your studying.

7. If your last name begins with an “H” then be prepared to teach what Chapter 19: verses 13 – 16 means and what God is teaching you through your studying.

8. If your last name begins with a “K” then be prepared to teach what Chapter 19: verses 17 -20 means and what God is teaching you through your studying.

9. If your last name begins with an “R” then be prepared to teach what Chapter 19:
Verses 21 -24 means and what God is teaching you through your studying.

10. If your last name begins with a “W” then be prepared to teach what Chapter 19: verses 25 -29 means and what God is teaching you through your studying.

11. If your last name begins with an “L” then be prepared to sit and listen to what the other letters of the alphabet are going to teach from God’s Word. J

Healing Physically
Subject: High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

When you have your blood pressure taken, there are two numbers

The Systolic number is the top number; it measures the maximum pressure on the artery wall during a contraction of the heart. The normal range for the systolic pressure is 100-120. When it gets over 140 it is considered high and action must be taken to determine the cause. Before jumping into a medication which will never “cure” you of HBP, consider the changes mentioned below.

If the Systolic number is high, it can mean the muscles of the veins and arteries are getting floppy and they are loosing their muscle tone (Cardiac toners are suggested) below.

The Diastolic number is the bottom number; it measures the minimum pressure or the resting pressure on the artery wall between the contractions of the heart. The normal range for this number is 60-80. A number higher than 90 is considered high and action must be take to determine the cause.

If this number is high it can mean that the muscles in the circulatory system are getting hard and right and the heart can not pump smoothly.

The difference between the two numbers is called the pulse pressure which should be around 40.

You would probably be diagnosed with HBP if your numbers were 140/90 or above.

When your blood pressure is up the heart is under more strain because it has to work harder. This can lead to poor blood supply throughout your body. If left untreated it can cause stroke, a heart attack, kidney failure, congestive heart failure or hardening of the arteries.

The symptoms of HBP are very subtle. It could show up as dull headaches that come and go, heart palpitations, rapid pulse, unexplained fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath or flushed face or ears.

Some of the things that can cause high blood pressure could be emotional upsets, anxiety, tension, diet, anger, weight fluctuations or overweight (BMI), smoking, excessive us of salt in the diet (usually from eating out too often. You have no control over salt content when eating out).

Other causes of HBP are kidney malfunctions, thyroid disease, or tumors on the adrenal glands.

The following herbs are very beneficial in strengthening the heart. Should you not be able to locate these herbs, please let me know and I’ll find them for you.

Regaining Health Naturally is an excellent site to order or the Herb Corner here in Melbourne on Babcock is also an excellent local source for organic herbs.

If you desire to come off your HBP medicine, consult your doctor and tell him/her of your desire to stop taking it. The following method is an optional plan to eliminate medications. REMEMBER: You must eliminate the cause of the HBP before stopping your medication. Make these necessary changes and check your blood pressure daily as you withdraw from your current prescription. Slow down the process if blood pressure remains high.

1. One day herbs, one day medicine
2. Two day herbs, one day medicine
3. Three day herbs, one day medicine
4. Four day herbs, one day medicine
5. Five day herbs, one day medicine
6. Six day herbs, one day medicine
7. Seven day herbs.

HBP Formula - a part is equivalent to 1 tsp. Combine herbs yourself in a glass jar or buy in premixed packet.

1 part Hawthorn Leaf ½ part Linden Flower
1 part Motherwort 1 part Yarrow
1 part Dandelion Root 1 part Cramp bark

Take this by capsule or tea. I prefer tea because it adds beneficial water to your water as well. 4 cups a day as needed.

But the main thing is to correct the problem at the root cause. If your diet is causing the problem, consult a health practitioner to teach you how to lower the blood pressure, preferably one that takes your whole spirit, soul and body into consideration! Diet is crucial for this problem, but the spiritual and mental also play a huge roll as well.

Dietary changes:

Eliminate all meat, dairy of all kinds, salt and fatty foods. Definitely eliminate all fast food and eat out as little as possible. Eliminate canned foods, processed foods, and boxed foods. Replace with life giving whole foods. Your blood pressure will immediate lower. In order to maintain a healthy blood flow through your veins, I suggest not entering these foods back into your diet for the HBP will return.

Exercise to your current ability.

You must add essential fatty acids to your diet. I suggest a supplement oil that contains Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Think of it as a lubricant for your body’s vascular system. Try Udo’s Choice for the heart or a trustworthy brand found only at a health food store or online. Order from www.vitacost.com (much cheaper).