Mike Kines

Romans 5:6, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

When I was out there living in sin and completely ignoring God God reached out to me, came and found me, and saved me. I was ungodly, I was in sin, I was throwing my life away. But God intervened. Jesus died for me on the cross. The Holy Spirit came and got me, showed the truth in Jesus, and set me free.

Greater love has no man than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends. Jesus showed toward me a greater than love even than this. I was his enemy, and he died for me. I am forever grateful for what Jesus did for me. John 15:13.

Heavenly Father, I still remember where I was at when you came after me. I remember how my life was caked with sin, iniquity, and filth. I was a dead man walking around in my sins. I had no strength to live. Yet Jesus came into this world and died for me on the cross. He took my place and bore the punishment of my sins. He saved me, and raised me up out of the pit of hell, and brought me into his kingdom. Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus. Amen.

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Proverbs 11:2, "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom."

God's wisdom is given to the man who is lowly. God gives grace to the humble. Jesus rejoiced that God hid himself from the "wise and prudent" and instead revealed himself to the lowly people who followed Jesus.

Pride brings shame and destruction. It invites the opposition of God to a person. But when we humble ourselves then we can receive God's grace. The Lord will teach us, guide, and lead us when we humble ourselves before him. Psalm 32:8-9.

Heavenly Father, I repent of all pride and arrogance. I repent, oh Lord, and I humble myself today before your throne of grace. Lord, I want to live and walk with people who are lowly, where there is the true wisdom of God. I do not want to be among the proud, but I want to live with the lowly and the humble, amen.

9/30

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Proverbs 2:7, "He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly."

Here wisdom is connected with a righteous life. God's wisdom will produce right living. When a person receives true wisdom from heaven it will produce the fear of God and a lifestyle of obedience to God's word.

God's wisdom will also protect the believer. It is like a shield around us, to protect us, and keep us safe from evil people who would try to deceive us or take advantage of us. The word of God will deliver you from evil people. Proverbs 30:5.

Heavenly Father, thank you for sound wisdom and for protection. I pray that I will be filled with your wisdom so that I can discern the motives of those who would try to take advantage of me or deceive me. Deliver me from those who seek to use my life for their own purpose, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

9/29

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Proverbs 2:6, "For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."

Wisdom is a gift from God. The Lord is willing to give us wisdom if we ask him for it. The Lord Jesus is our wisdom. Wisdom is truly the person of the Lord Jesus. In him are hidden all the wisdom we need.

The Lord revealed true wisdom to those who were humble. Jesus rejoiced that the heavenly Father revealed himself to the humble. Matthew 11:25-26.

Father God, thank you for giving wisdom. Out of your mouth come knowledge and understanding. Lord, help me to hear your voice. Open my heart and ears to hear, and receive, and to obey your word, oh Lord. Thank you, Jesus.

9/28

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Proverbs 2:2, "So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;"

Our goal is to listen to God's wisdom and apply our heart to understanding. This will take dedication and discipline to read, and study, and memorize, and meditate upon the word of God. However, you won't find many things in this life that are more worthy of your time and effort.

The Lord constantly exhorted people to listen to him. Over and over you read Jesus saying "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear". Are we listening today to his voice. Do we have a desire to hear God speak to us? Mark 4:9.

Lord, incline my ears to your wisdom, and help me to apply myself every day to understanding. I pray for grace and mercy to lay aside every idol, every distraction, everything in my life that hinders me from pursuing Jesus. Deliver me from the lies of the enemy, deliver me from the lust of the flesh, and consecrate me holy to your purposes, in Jesus name. Amen.

9/27

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Psalms 111:10, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."

Before a person can have the wisdom of God he must first have the fear of the LORD. This fear of the Lord is the beginning of true wisdom. Anyone who does not reverence God will never have the true wisdom from heaven.

Obedience to God's word will produce good understanding. Jesus challenged people to put into practice what he said and find out that he was telling them the truth. Matthew 7:24-25.

Heavenly Father, grant me the fear of the Lord and wisdom from heaven. Enable by your grace and mercy to obey your commandments and to grow in the understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus, I love you, and I want to follow after you, amen.

9/26

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Job 28:28, "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding."

Wisdom and the fear of the Lord are tied together. True wisdom will produce a reverence for God, for his word, and a desire to obey the Lord. True wisdom comes from having this deep, reverential respect and awe of the presence of God.

People who speak foolish words show they do not have a reverence or fear of God, therefore they do not have true wisdom. Go from the presence of a foolish man when you perceive he does not have wisdom. Proverbs 14:7; Ephesians 5:3-4; Proverbs 13:20.

Lord, help me to recognize people who do not have your wisdom and to avoid them. Lord, instill within me the fear of the LORD. The fear of the Lord is wisdom, amen. To depart from evil is understanding. Help me to stay close to godly wisdom and the fear of the Lord. Help me to recognize people who do not have the fear of God, so that I will not fellowship with them. In Jesus name. Amen.

9/25

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James 3:17, "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."

Make sure the wisdom you receive into your heart is the wisdom that is from above and from God. How can you know? God's wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruit, without partiality, without hypocrisy.

When you are around Christians who show partiality, who enforce rules that turn themselves into hypocrites, who demand you report to their office, who are always contrary, who are harsh and mean to people: then you can see the wisdom they live by. It is the worldly wisdom of pride, and self-worship, and self-righteousness. Get away from these kind of people before you are infected by their religious spirit. 2 Corinthians 6:16-17.

Heavenly Father, I've seen people operating in heavenly wisdom and the impact they had upon me for good that made me hungry for more of Jesus. I've also seen people controlled by philosophy, empty words, and the traditions of men, and the dead religion they spread around. Father, protect me from the wolves in sheep's clothing, and help me to fellowship with those who call upon the name of the Lord out of a pure heart, in Jesus name. Amen.

9/24

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James 3:15, "This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish."

I've heard some people who were infected with man-made psychology and philosophy make the statement "all truth is God's truth", or "all wisdom is God's wisdom", but the Bible contradicts these people. The Bible clearly warns us about a kind of wisdom or "truth" that is not from God but is of the earth, sensual, and devilish.

Compare the description of wisdom with the foolish woman in Proverbs 9. Both are trying to win hearts and minds. Do not be deceived by false wisdom. Seek the wisdom of God; forsake the false wisdom of this world.

Heavenly Father, I've known people who were deceived by the philosophy of men, who were taken in by false wisdom and false knowledge. I see the fruits of their lives and what happened to them. Lord, deliver me from the deceptive wisdom of this world, in Jesus name. Amen. Colossians 2:8.

9/23

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James 3:13, "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom."

When you are filled with God's wisdom it will produce the fruit of God's kingdom. The fruit of the Spirit flows from the person who is filled with the Holy Spirit.

By their fruits you can know people. This is not judging for the purpose of condemning people, but for the goal of discernment so that we can know how to help someone, or to stay clear of them. Matthew 7:15-20.

Heavenly Father, fill me today with the wisdom of God, fill me with the Holy Spirit. Let the fruit of my life be the fruit of your wisdom, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Deliver me from worldly wisdom, deliver me from the spirit of this world system. Guard my heart, oh Lord, for out of it are the issues of life. In Jesus name. Amen.

9/22

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