Thank you so much Tosin (my namesake) for the opportunity to share my thoughts here. I appreciate the work God is doing through you!
Proverbs 21 is filled with so much revelational light! I’ll be focusing on verses 1 and 2. We’ll discuss the remaining verses on our TPC mastermind group.
Many of us may remember the characteristics of water we were taught in our elementary schools, particularly its purity and flexibility. Water has no shape but takes the shape of the channel it passes through.
This little detail comes to play in Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water, He turns it wherever He wishes.” (NKJV)
The Bible already establishes that we are kings and priests on an assignment in 1 Peter 2:9. We also know that the heart of man entails his thoughts, intents, counsels and purpose. The heart of man is likened to a river that can be redirected in any way or even polluted.
This why the Bible tells us to guard our hearts and all entry points to our hearts (our eyes and ears) with all diligence (Proverbs 4.23) because our springs can be polluted.
This brings us to the question: What is the content of my heart? Is my heart like polluted water from pride, haughty looks, a life addicted to thrills, vain thoughts, self aggrandizing thoughts? Would the Lord harden my heart like He did to Pharaoh? Or is my heart a well of living water that causes refreshing to everyone around me? Is my heart a channel for God or a channel for the devil?
A lot of us may think we always do the right things and we never sin, however, God weighs our motives. Proverbs 21:2 (TPT).
Ultimately, if our hearts are right with God, it can only be turned for good things. It is the one who wanders away from understanding (God) that will rest in the assembly of the dead (the heart will be hardened till he/she self destructs) just like Pharaoh (Proverbs 21:16 – NKJV).
I’ll end with this question:
Is the channel of your heart controlled by God?
Prayer: Lord, I bring my heart before you today. Purge me and redirect me to Yourself as my source if I have gone off course or been polluted in any way. Thank you for steering my heart towards all that is pleasing to You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tosin Apotieri-A. is a lover of God and a Strategic Kingdom Resource passionate about stewarding adolescents to the heart of the Father.
Proverbs 20:15 (CEV) says “sensible words are better than gold or jewels”.
The Amplified version says “There is gold and an abundance of pearls, but the lips of knowledge are a vessel of preciousness [the most precious of all].”
The words that come out of our mouths are arrows that can never be taken back. Here they are likened to precious jewels, meaning they are here to stay – there is no phasing them out. There are no trends when it comes to precious jewels. Precious jewels are timeless.
So, you cannot copy slangs and trends that are not in alignment with your life’s purpose and values.
No matter how funny or in season they sound, when you say them, there is no retrieval except by the mercy of God.
As a child of God, don’t get carried away and begin to say what you don’t want to see in your life.
Everything you see was created by words (See Genesis 1).
Revelation-knowledge fills you up with the right words to say in every season of your life. But most importantly, it helps you to know when to keep quiet.
Proverbs 20:3 (AMP) says “It is an honor for a man to keep away from strife [by handling situations with thoughtful foresight] But any fool will [start a] quarrel [without regard for the consequences]
Knowing when to keep quiet saves you from a life-time of problems.
Wisdom helps you to know when to refrain from speaking. This doesn’t make you weak – rather, it displays the strength and resilience you have built by staying in God’s presence.
Proverbs 10:19-20a (AMP) says “When there are many words, transgression and offense are unavoidable, but he who controls his lips and keeps thoughtful silence is wise. The tongue of the righteous is like precious silver (greatly valued).”
Proverbs 17:28 (AMP) further says “Even a callous, arrogant fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise. When he closes his lips, he is regarded as sensible (prudent, discreet) and a man of understanding.”
A word is enough for the wise!
Mary-Anne Egwunyenga is the Father’s favorite girl, a Jesus lover and the Holy Spirit’s “paddi”. She is passionate about personal transformation and development through the Father. She is a Fire-Lighter who awakens the same fire in others. Against all odds, she has grown in resilience and held on strong through her journey with the Father since 2018! She is a proud graduate of the Firebrand Forerunners Bible School Cohort 3.
I’d like to start by appreciating Tosin Sanni for this opportunity. I do not take it lightly. Thank you for heeding this call.
Like we do during most of our TPC mastermind sessions, I’d indeed say, “This chapter is loaded”.
What we have learnt so far is that “wisdom is the principal thing and in all thy getting, get understanding.”
The only way to fulfill God’s purpose for your life here on earth is through wisdom. It’s even as basic as saying, “to live a simple, peaceful life, you need wisdom.”
Proverbs 19:2-3
Ignorant zeal is worthless; haste makes waste. People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does GOD always get blamed? -The Message (MSG)
Another version says, “Willingness and stupidity don’t go well together….” Proverbs 19:2a (CEV).
You cannot be ready to embark on a journey to a place that you do not know, yet not have your map set or get adequate information/direction before embarking on that journey. Two things or more will happen:
You would either get lost, come back to where you started, or even get harassed.
You need revelation-knowledge from God to have the blue print for your life, so that even if you get somewhere that doesn’t look like it, you’ll be able to discern accordingly. We must not be like Terah, Abraham’s father who decided to “settle” in Haran – a location in which he was only supposed to rest. (Genesis 11:31)
There is no need to be in a hurry to a place you haven’t been before, you would get lost anyways. Why don’t you take your time to study the map (Bible) and ask someone who has been there before you (Jesus) or get a Tour Guide (Holy Spirit)?
Many people are on paths that we have no business being on. Some of us have settled where we were just meant to take short rests – all because we refused to be guided.
To receive revelation-knowledge (wisdom) is to be guided by God on your path through life. He alone sees the end from the beginning and He is generous enough to give us a glimpse of it. He knows the turns and paths in between, so why don’t we rely on Him for guidance?
We were promised a DESTINATION and even on the journey there, He says He will be there with us (Psalms 23). The fact that the road to your house is very bad and bumpy doesn’t mean you wouldn’t make it home after every day’s work.
Proverbs 19:8 (CEV) says “ Do yourself a favour and love wisdom. Learn all you can, then watch your life flourish and prosper”
Proverbs 19:16 (CEV)
“Obey the Lord’s teachings and you will live – disobey and you will die “
Wisdom is life!
Mary-Anne is the Father’s favorite girl; a Jesus lover and the Holy Spirit’s “paddi”. She is passionate about personal transformation and development through the Father. She is a fire-Lighter who awakens the same fire in others. Against all odds, she has grown in resilience and held on strong through her journey with the Father since 2018! She is a proud graduate of the Firebrand Forerunners Bible School Cohort 3.
There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. (NLT)
Some friendships don’t last for long, but there is one loving friend who is joined to your heart closer than any other! (TPT)
Friends come and go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. (MSG)
This is perhaps going to be the shortest post in this challenge, and the reason is simple.
It’s a call to action.
I think way too often, we under-appreciate the true friends we have in our lives. We get used to them and become so familiar that we sometimes forget the precious gifts that they are.
Today is a good day to take a step back; reflect on your life and think about that person who has made it easier or better.
When you think about consistency, selfless love and sacrifice – that friend who has stuck closer than a brother – who comes to mind? (It could certainly be more than one person!)
Send them a heartfelt “thank you” message today. Let them know how much you appreciate them and why you do. Affirm them by stating how amazing they are, and specifically, how they’ve impacted your life.
Even better, have something delivered to them – breakfast, a little gift, their favorite meal – and include a “thank you” note (or send a “thank you” text) just because!
Let’s grow the habit of showing appreciation to the ones who grace our lives with their love and presence.
How are you going to appreciate that dear friend today, tomorrow or next week?
Have you ever gone through seasons where you felt so attacked, so forsaken and alone that you weren’t sure you would make it through in one piece?
You were doing everything you knew to do. In fact, you had been on a spiritual high for months, spending time with the Lord and having encounters upon encounters in fellowship with Him. Maybe you had just ended a 21-day fast. You were walking in obedience, carefully carrying out all God’s instructions.
He told you how delighted He was in you. You knew He was singing and rejoicing over you.
Now, all of a sudden, it seems like you’re groping in the dark, searching for your God.
Like the man, Job, you say “I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed.”
Everything seems to be happening all at once. Everything that can possibly go wrong seems to be going wrong. Your prayers are going unanswered. Doors are being slammed in your face. Your loved ones are nowhere to be found.
It’s a painful, lonely season and you don’t understand it.
I would give examples of some of the tough, painful situations we face in this journey of life, but for the fact that our experiences often differ as vastly as the ocean.
One thing however remains certain. When you’re walking through a painful season, you will know it – you will feel it.
As a teenager, I often said prayers that sounded something like “Lord, use me for your glory. Search my heart and purify it. Refine me and make me into a vessel you can use.”
I said those words from the depth of my heart and often with hot tears rolling down my cheeks. I wanted so desperately to be a vessel unto honour. With every fibre of my being, I would sing the popular song:
Lord prepare me, a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving
I’ll be a living sanctuary for you
Boy did I have no idea what I was asking the Lord to do in me! I wasn’t prepared for it at that time.
I’m certain He was smiling down at me, knowing I had no clue what I was asking for, but touched by the sincerity of my heart. He must have been saying, “I will indeed purify you when the time is right.”
Purify me. Refine me. Mould me. Change me. Transform me. Give me a clean heart. Make me into a vessel of honour.
Do these words sound familiar to you? Have you ever cried out to God for these? (You certainly have if you’ve been on this challenge!)
If you have, I congratulate you!
You have officially asked the Lord to process you in His refining fire.
In the same way that gold and silver are refined by fire, the Lord purifies your heart by the tests and trials of life.
proverbs 17:3 (tpt)
There is no purification without process, and often times, that process is fiery in nature. We know this because time and time again, Scripture refers to the process through which God corrects, changes, purifies and moulds us as fiery trials.
Let’s take a further look at the scripture I quoted earlier on concerning Job.
I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed. But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
job 23:8-10 (nlt)
Did you see that?
Often times (except we’re walking in sin or error), the tough seasons of our lives are the seasons God uses to test us and purify us, that we may emerge as gold of the finest kind.
It is no coincidence that the trials through which God does His work in us are compared to the gold refining process. In Biblical times, gold was often refined in the fire. I personally find the refining process of gold to be very instructive – indeed it is, for that’s the only reason our refining process as believers could be compared to it.
“When gold is mined, it is barely discernible as the metal we have come to love. It is in fact what experts called an ore. An ore can have a high or a low amount of gold content depending on where it was extracted. Goldsmiths use cyanide to extract the gold from the ores, forming something called a ‘dore’.
Onward to the next stage. The dore has to go through a trial by fire at a refinery. In an exciting process called refining, it is re-liquified in a furnace and then heaped with generous amounts of soda ash and borax. This effectively separates the gold from impurities and other metal traces. There is actually a range of interesting scientific and technological ways gold can be refined. Whatever the method, what remains is the purest gold on the planet and it is cast into a beautiful bar that glitters like the sun.
So that’s where your necklace comes from, right? Nope! Pure gold is too soft to be used to create a necklace.” (Source: My Gold Guide)
Like gold, before God purifies us, all we are is “potential.” We are raw, crude and of little valuable use to His kingdom.
When we ask to be used or changed by Him, or when He marks us to be used for His glorious purposes, we receive an invitation to be tried – often in the fiery tests of life.
It is in this painful process (and this usually not one-off. The process continues in some way all through our life-time), God begins to show us our hearts. He uses tragedy, disappointments and frustrations to reveal and separate the impurities from our core.
In the gold refining process, the dross (impurities) rise to the surface, leaving a clear, transparent substance that is pure gold. Oh how this reminds me of the gold of heaven! John, in the Book of Revelation narrates that the gold in heaven is as clear as glass. In God’s refining fire, the impurities of our heart are brought to the fore, not so we can be shamed, but so they can be taken away.
Gold of the finest, purest kind is clear and transparent. When we go through God’s pruning and refining process, we become “transparent.” There’s no longer anything to hide. He takes away our impurities and we become a reflection of nothing else but His image.
When gold is refined, despite still being a metal, it becomes so soft that it can be moulded with bare hands. This one is so good! God refines us so skillfully, that we become so tender in His loving hands. We become malleable without losing our essence or strength. In fact, our malleability becomes the very symbol of our strength with the Father. We realise that it’s easy for us to accept God’s instructions and corrections. We are moved by the wind of the Spirit and carried on the wings of His grace. We have no mission of ours except for the one He assigns us. He gives us hearts that are pure, tried and true! He equips us for His glorious purposes.
Dear one, the Bible says in 1 Peter 1:7 that “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (NLT)
Oh what a confident hope we have in Jesus – that our tests and trials are not in vain; that we are even far more precious than mere gold; that we can look forward to glory and honour when we have passed our tests!
What comfort to know that even when we pass through the fire, we are not alone. The Fourth Man is right there with us and the flames will not be kindled upon us. We will be refined, but we will not be burned!
Two songs, “Another In The Fire” by Hillsong United and “Refiner” by Maverick City are strong on my heart right now. They are so powerful and will help you stay anchored through your process. Watch/listen to them and be blessed!
“Everyone proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful, and exceedingly offensive to the Lord; be assured [I pledge it] they will not go unpunished.” – Proverbs 16:5 (AMPC)
“Your boast becomes a prophecy of a future failure. The higher you lift yourself up in pride, the harder you’ll fall in disgrace.” – Proverbs 16:18 (TPT)
“But when [King Uzziah] was strong, he became proud to his destruction; and he trespassed against the Lord his God, for he went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.” – 2 Chronicles 26:16 (AMPC)
“That was the last straw. God had had enough of Herod’s arrogance and sent an angel to strike him down. Herod had given God no credit for anything. Down he went. Rotten to the core, a maggoty old man if there ever was one, he died.” – Acts 12:23 (MSG)
There are few sins and vices in God’s word that receive as much warning emphasis as pride. All through Scripture, we are warned very strongly to flee from it.
Pride is the very first sin listed among the seven things that the Lord hates. (Proverbs 6:16-17)
Dictionary.com defines pride as “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.”
The war against pride is a continuous battle that we must fight with everything we’ve got and emerge victorious every time as the Lord helps us.
I love that one can see very clearly from the definition above that pride can be “cherished in the mind” or “displayed in bearing”. In other words, pride can simply exist in the heart. It is possible to master the art of appearing humble while maintaining a heart filled with nothing but arrogance and pride.
All the secrets of a man’s heart are open before the Lord. Beyond the things we say and do to appear humble, our hearts must be indeed humble before our God.
I see playing out very often, two dimensions of pride.
The first dimension is reflected in our relationship with others. This is the one that considers itself better, smarter, richer, more spiritual, more beautiful than others. It’s the one referred to in Proverbs 16:17 as haughty eyes – eyes that look down on others. It has its roots in comparison.
Comparison is not just the thief of joy; it is the mother of pride. It is an insidious vehicle through which people get puffed up and set up for destruction. Truth is, you cannot look down on others if you’re not comparing yourself with them in the first place.
You know you are about to step into the trap of pride when you start comparing yourself and accomplishments with other people’s. If your comparison exercise doesn’t result in you feeling less than others, the reverse will surely be the case – you will come out feeling better than others!
Dear one, if you’re going to deal with the spirit of pride, you’re going to have to learn to focus on your lane and what God is doing with you. You’ll need to be blind to what others are doing and maintain laser focus on what God is doing. There’s no other way to go about it!
The second dimension of pride is the state of our hearts in relation to God. This one is really big! This is where we attempt to appropriate some of the glory due God for ourselves; where we try to take credit for things we had no hand in; where we allow others inflate our egos when they compliment our hard work or talent and we forget to say “hey, all the glory is God’s! It’s all Him.”
Every time we allow others give us the glory that’s due our God without immediately setting the records straight, we are trespassing and treading on dangerous grounds. This is not a joke and we must be very conscious of it. We may not fall down and die like Herod did, but we actually begin to die on the inside when we attempt to take God’s glory.
Dear one, in your walk with God and work for Him, He’s going to lift you up. Men will reward you, wealth will come, opportunities with open up, favour will surround you.
Think about all these benefits as fruit-bearing trees (as in the garden of Eden). He is saying to you, “Precious child, you may eat the fruits of any of these trees – favour, prosperity, open doors, e.t.c. – but do NOT touch the tree of my glory. That tree belongs to Me. You die when you eat of it.”
The percentage of God’s glory that belongs to you is zero. Don’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.
Pride is evil. It’s a tool in the hands of the devil to ultimately destroy us and rob us of everything the Lord has in store for us.
Pride corrupts wisdom. Speaking about the downfall of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28, the Bible says “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.”
Pride places a lid over what God can do in you, through you and for you. Pride keeps you stagnant and hung on your past. When God is about to do a new thing, you will not know, perceive or prepare for it because you’re still stuck on, and gloating over what He did (which by the way, you’re taking the glory for) last year!
Pride hinders your intimacy with God. Pride is just something God cannot stomach. When God calls a man to Himself, one of the very first things He deals with is that man’s prideful heart. If you treasure your relationship with God over anything else, you will hate pride like God does!
Spend some time asking the Lord to search you thoroughly and show you if you’re walking in pride in any area of your life. Ask Him to help you deal with it and to give you a heart that’s truly humble.
For a while now, and especially in my wisdom circles, there’s been a lot of emphasis on nurturing your God-given dreams in solitude and building your vision in silence.
While I agree wholeheartedly and understand the principle behind this counsel, I realise that it’s easy to get the message mixed up and inevitably fall into error or get our fingers burnt from our lack of proper understanding.
Truth is, we live in dangerous times – times when values like diligence, sacrifice, humility, honest work and modesty are fast losing ground to the desire to get rich quick, be famous and influential at all costs.
We live in a generation that is constantly choosing appearance over evidence, packaging over content, putting up façades over being authentic.
This, to a pitifully large degree is what drives a lot of people’s projects and activities. They want to be seen to be doing something, saying something and going somewhere. They are launching initiatives and announcing plans because it makes them look good and feel great about themselves.
It is against this backdrop that we are warned not to join the bandwagon of people who are doing and showing things to prove a point. We must learn to be comfortable doing what God has called us to do without feeling the need to broadcast it to the whole world.
We should however not confuse this counsel with the idea that we must totally keep silent about our visions, plans or projects.
This is not God’s will for us either.
We were not called to accomplish His purposes alone. Building in silence does not mean you don’t seek wise counsel concerning that vision you are building. It just means you don’t go around announcing something before its time!
When Mary received the biggest vision of all time – that she would be the one to birth the saviour of the whole world, it is true that she went into seclusion for a while; but even then, she didn’t shut everyone out. The Bible records that she went to be with her older cousin, Elizabeth. Why? She needed to be mentored, coached, guided and immersed in wise counsel.
No matter how lofty your ideas are or how spirit-breathed your vision is, attempting to build it all by yourself could be ultimately fatal. If you would be humble enough to see it, you would realise that God has placed people in your path to help you make good, right and wise decisions – and if you feel like you don’t have such people around you, today is a good day to ask the Lord to send you wise counselors.
Ask Him to send you spirit-filled men and women who fear Him, who walk with Him, who know His word and who will counsel you accordingly.
Your plans will fall apart right in front of you if you fail to get good advice. But if you first seek out multiple counselors, you’ll watch your plans succeed.
proverbs 15:22 (tpt)
This advice is coming from a king and in fact, the wisest king that ever walked the surface of the earth. If he understood the importance of being surrounded by wise counselors despite being an epitome of wisdom himself, then we must really take heed.
Many factors can distort your decision making, especially when you’re personally involved in a matter. Other perspectives and experiences could save you trouble and refine your plan.
Question is, do you have the wisdom and humility to appreciate opposing ideas and positive criticism?
Consulting advisors is not an empty exercise to merely discuss ideas that honour and flatter you. The goal is really to see farther, to know better, to make wiser decisions, to shorten your learning curve and to leverage the skills, knowledge and experiences of others.
You can only go so far alone. Higher and farther you will, within a company of wise counselors.
Sometimes His love courses through my entire being so powerfully, I can actually feel a strong tug on my heart. This tug may go on for many days or weeks, and in those times, all I can do is engage in this intense worshipful romance with the Lover of my soul. All I want to do in such times is keep His lovely face before my eyes and gaze upon His beauty, love Him and let Him love me. I absolutely love it when He draws me in for some TLC.
Then there are times – times when this intense feeling of tender love gives way to absolute awe. Perhaps you know what I’m talking about.
Dictionary.com defines “awe” as “an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, e.t.c., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful or the like.”
Lexico.com defines it as “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.”
In this dimension of worship, all you see is the wonderful magnificence of our God; all you focus on is His awesome greatness and powerful acts. Your heart shudders in reverence just thinking about His person and attributes.
You think about this God who is clothed in the brightest of lights; whose eyes are intensely ablaze; whose voice thunders like the sound of many rushing waters; whose feet are of burnished bronze and from whose mouth proceeds a double-edged sword.
You think about His mighty and terrible acts which He wrought in Egypt, and over and over again afterwards. You think about this God who can kill and make alive; who holds all things by the word of His power; in whom all things hold, to whom all things belong, from whom all things flow and for whom all things exist!
You lay prostrate on your face because you cannot imagine why this great God is so mindful of you that He draws you to Himself just to love on you.
There’s a kind of confident strength it produces inside of you just to know that this same God is your God – your very own personal God.
Everything suddenly fades away in the presence of your King. All your troubles, fears and anxieties become infinitesimal as you gaze upon the majesty of the Lord of Armies!
You just know that with Him on your side, you can run through troops and leap over walls. You know that no coalition of demonic powers can prevail over you because of whose you are. This reverent and worshipful fear of God causes you to enter into a realm of confident rest.
This kind of worship is even more powerful when it goes beyond a few minutes of verbal adoration, and becomes a lifestyle. A life of reverence and worshipful fear produces confident strength, trust and rest in God.
This, I believe, is what King Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 14: 26-27
In the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children shall always have a place of refuge. Reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death. (AMPC)
Oh how great our God is! What an anchor we have in Him. What a sure and solid rock He is. He is our hiding place and strong tower. We are inaccessible to the powers of hell because we are hidden in Him and seated with Him.
Glory to God! I just want to dance and praise on this one!
Dear one, never lose your wonder. Stay in awe of Him!
During my online book launch last month, one of my mentors was speaking about associations.
In the past, she had been very social – hitting the clubs, partying with friends, and just generally “having the time of her life”.
When God called her to Himself and into a life of purpose, one of the first things He stripped her of, was her association of friends.
She spoke to us of how painful, but necessary the separations were. For where God was taking her, she just could not hang out with certain people anymore – not because she was walking in pride –but because she understood that those relationships would certainly distract her from walking in God’s purpose for her life.
As God removed those relationships from her life, He also began replacing them with destiny alliances and purpose partnerships. Her purpose and walk with God became the very filters that determined the kinds of people she allowed into her space.
Relationships are one the most important things in a man’s life. They can uplift a man or they can pull him down. They can lead him into his God-ordained destiny or they can cause him to fall into a ditch. They can enrich him or they can impoverish him. They can make him wiser or they can turn him into a fool.
If you want to grow in wisdom, spend time with the wise. Walk with the wicked and you’ll eventually become just like them.
PROVERBS 13:20 (TPT)
Relationship (not just marital) decisions are some of the most crucial decisions we will ever make in our lifetime. They can establish or destroy us.
Relationship decisions are not to be taken lightly or casually. They must be made with destiny and purpose in mind. We cannot afford to make such destiny decisions based on sentiments such as how long we’ve known the person(s). The fact that you’ve known them since nursery school shouldn’t give them an automatic pass into your inner circle.
We must be able to discern the seasons of our lives and determine when certain relationships no longer serve us on the journey to where we’re going. We should, without being prideful, re-order those relationships. Some relationships are seasonal and some are life-long. We must, by the help of the Holy Spirit determine which is which and be guided accordingly.
Notice that I’m careful to place my emphasis on relationships and not just friendships.
Here’s why.
Not every God-ordained relationship is a friendship. Not everyone God brings into your life is assigned to be your friend, yet such relationships are so significant to your life and the work that God is doing in it!
The mastermind group of The Proverbs Challenge is an association. By being in there, you are growing spiritually, getting wiser and becoming more equipped for a life of purpose. Your being in that association is having a far reaching impact on your thinking and mindset – yet, you may be unable to point to many or any who are your friends in there.
The goal is to walk with the wise. It’s to constantly situate yourself in godly environments because the more you do, the more you’ll see the need to audit all the other vital relationships in your life!
I belong to a firebrand, subscription based membership community called Immerse Inner Circle and my life has changed, my wisdom level has been elevated, I have grown radically in my purpose walk just because I’m walking among the wise.
I have gained godly associations – sisters, accountability partners, prayer partners, and kingdom allies. I understand each person’s role in my life and I do not, as my coach would say, emotionalize those relationships. Not all of them are chummy friends of mine, but all of them play significant roles in my life, as I do in theirs.
The goal really is to situate yourself in environments where wise people dwell – and you will be transformed for it. As you do, negative behaviors, relationships, thought patterns, mindsets, beliefs and conditionings will naturally begin to give way to the right ones.
Your associations are either transformative or destructive. You must be intentional about building the right ones!
What are insights are you gaining from Proverbs 13?
These are some synonyms of the word “heart”. It becomes clear that the heart isn’t just an organ. It’s a faculty – the most powerful one – from which our very existence (in every sense of the word) flows.
Right from the book of Genesis, to all of Scripture, and especially the Book of Proverbs, there is great emphasis on the heart.
In Genesis, when God was going to destroy the earth by flooding it, it was because the entire civilization had “heart problems.” The posture of their heart was wicked.
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
genesis 6:5 (NKJV)
Every single thing we do as humans is originally done in our hearts. Everything we say is initially said in our hearts. Everywhere we go, we have first gone in our hearts. Everything we create, we have first manufactured in our hearts.
It’s impossible to do anything without first thinking about it.
Try it.
It’s simply impossible. Your heart is the very originator of your every move and action. It’s the wellspring or fountain – the source of your life. It directs the course of your life and is responsible for the kind of person you become.
This is why we’re so strongly admonished in God’s word to protect it at all cost.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
proverbs 4:23 (nlt)
David understood how important it was to have a healthy heart, so he cried out to God saying “Create in me a clean heart.” (Psalm 51:10)
Oh what a prayer! The word of God refers to David as the man after God’s own heart. How exactly did David pursue God’s heart?
One of the major ways he did so was by maintaining a pure heart. He understood that the depth of his intimacy with God was hinged on the purity of his heart.
Dear one, it is impossible to build true, deep, and lasting intimacy with God without consciously working on cultivating a pure heart.
In teaching the beatitudes, Jesus said in Matthew 5:8 that “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
I don’t know about you, but I want to see God! I want to know Him in the deepest ways possible on this side of eternity.
I often find myself crying out to God – and I mean that literally; ugly crying from the core of my being, asking Him to give me a pure heart. I ask Him to purify, sanctify, and consecrate my heart. I ask Him to check my heart and see if there’s anything that displeases Him in there, and take it away.
I am so conscious of the state of my heart at every point in time. I know that it is impossible to truly walk with God without a pure heart. I understand that there are dimensions to His person and His purpose that He can never reveal to me if my heart is not right. I want all of Him and that’s why I cry so hard to be steeped in the spirit of purity and holiness.
I question my thoughts and intents before I do anything – before I do a post, make a comment, share that revelation, experience or story, speak to that person – I always try to judge my motives and ensure they are right before I take action.
Let me just say here that a pure heart isn’t one that never makes mistakes -absolutely not.
You already know David’s story. He made so many mistakes and got his hands in things he had no business getting them in, yet he had a right heart.
So how do you know if you have a pure heart?
You know you have a pure heart when you’re super sensitive to the correction of the Holy Spirit; where your heart is broken the moment you realise that you hurt God with your thoughts or actions.
Your heart is pure if you accept correction without defending your wrong actions.
Your heart is pure if it is easily malleable, shapeable and moldable by God.
Your heart is pure when you constantly find yourself genuinely crying out to God for the spirit of holiness to be poured out on you.
It is pure when you have a reverential fear of grieving the Holy Spirit.
Your heart is pure when your actions increasingly tell that they indeed are.
Dear one, you need to begin to care for your heart. You must nurture it so that out of it springs life and not death; kindness and not wickedness; good and not evil; righteousness and not sin; faith and not unbelief; gratitude and not complaining; honesty and not dishonesty.
You must actively consider the things that you think about. You must remain conscious of the kind of people around you, speaking into your life. You must watch whom you follow on social media, the music you listen to, the books you read, the movies you watch, the WhatsApp groups you’re in (yup, do that audit today!)
Please don’t joke with your heart. Care for it. Guard it as you would your physical eyes. Your very relationship with God depends on it. The outcomes of your life depend on it.
In The Passion Translation (TPT), the latter part of Proverbs 4:23 says “Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.”
Today’s post was especially inspired when three verses really jumped at me from our chapter of the day, Proverbs 12.
“The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are honest and reliable, but the counsels and designs of the wicked are treacherous.” – Proverbs 12:5
“Deceit is in the hearts of those who devise evil, but for the counselors of peace there is joy.” – Proverbs 12:20
“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad.” – Proverbs 12:25
The righteous man’s heart is filled with honest and reliable thoughts; the wicked man’s, with deceit and treachery.
I especially love how verse 25 subtly reminds us to really care for our hearts.
If you’re discouraged, anxious, weighed down, feeling sad and hopeless, this verse reveals that what you need is an encouraging word.
You need to care for your heart enough to feed it what will make it healthy and glad again.
Speak to a trusted friend – that one that seems to have the gift of lifting people’s spirits with their words. Listen to worship music. Play a Joel Osteen sermon. Just fill your heart with words of encouragement and affirmation.
With these few points of mine, I do hope I’ve been able to convince you that heart work is the most essential work, and that you must constantly and consciously do it!
