Yesterday we said that the Lord is calling us to fear Him and humble ourselves, and yield to His instruction. “Turn to my reproof , Behold, I will pour out my Spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” (Prov 1:23) He promises to give us understanding (wisdom) if we turn to Him and away from our prideful sin, and seek Him with our whole hearts. If we don’t we will have consequences if we instead listen to Lady Folly (Prov 9:13-18).

If we refuse God when He calls, neglect His counsel and ignore His reproof (Prov 1:24-25), the Lord “will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; They will seek Me diligently but they will not find me, Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord.” (Prov 1:26-29)

Our Sovereign Lord created all that we see and all that we are. If we choose to dishonor Him that we can’t come crying to Him without repenting and expect Him to do away with our consequences. He loves us and if we humble ourselves before Him and repent, He will forgive us. But forgiving us does not take away the earthly consequences we bring on ourselves.

If instead of following the Lord, we seek to “do it our way”, the Lord will give us up to ourselves and let the consequences fall as they will. “They would not accept My counsel, They spurned all my reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.” (Prov 1:30-32) We stand at the crossroads: Will you take the road of wisdom or folly?

Lord, thank You for the reminder that You provide Your guidance because it is best for us. Lord, Your Word says that it is the thief, the devil, who comes to steal, kill and destroy our lives and our testimony. But Lord, You came so that we may have eternal life and have it abundantly. Lord, I seek Your will, not my own. May Your will be done in my life. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.