January 26, 2021

Proverbs 27:12 (sermon response)

5 minutes

I am listening to a sermon series and wanted to respond to that this morning, studying this Proverb that was referenced in the sermon and actually serves as the route verse for the series. Here is a link to the series and that verse:

https://northpoint.org/messages/better-decisions-fewer-regrets/deciding-our-way-forward

Proverbs 27:12

The prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but the simple go on and suffer for it.

The premise behind this series is that wisdom, the wise person, is a person who not only knows, but one who does. It is one thing to know the right thing to do, it is another to do it. That said, will power and self-control and earned skills, and they are limited resources. Thus, a wise person, a prudent person, is one who takes the steps necessary to reduce the need to use will power in the first place.

Examples:

Do you struggle with your diet? Well, one idea is to commit to eating a better diet. In some areas of life, just the commitment alone might be enough. In many areas though, that’s not good enough. A prudent person would take further steps, like getting all of the processed sugar out of the pantry and refrigerator and throwing it away. You might say, “Well, what about my kids who want some dessert or my spouse who wants to keep a little something sweet in the house?” Well, a PRUDENT person with a supportive family would take the step and the family would come alongside of him/her.

Do you struggle with spending? Sign out of every shopping app, delete them from your phone, and commit to building a list throughout the day of items you want/need. At night, you can order things from your computer while sitting next to your spouse on the couch. You can do the shopping together...it still won’t take longer than a few minutes, because things are so simple and convenient these days, but it would VASTLY change your ordering habits I bet.

The prudent see danger...and not only that, they FLEE it, they position themselves against it, they seek refuge.

Wisdom without application is just knowledge, and people that know and don’t do are hypocrites. This is a GREAT verse. Further, it is a great series (I am 3 messages in now...finishing it while riding the bike this morning).

Take a listen and enjoy!

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