Who and What Controls Your Mind? #6

Fred R. Coulter—January 7, 2012

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services. We covered last time some of the things we need to do to control our mind, but let's see how we can control our mind. We're going to see we need:

• the Word of God
• the Spirit of God
• the Sabbath
• the Holy Days

The reason being we need the Word of God because it's the Truth and that's the only way you overcome having a deceitful, carnal mind. We need the Spirit of God, because then God can lead you and direct you with His Spirit. When you're reading the Scriptures and you have the Holy Spirit of God, you're able to derive more understanding from them, because Jesus said, 'The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life.'

God made our mind to be programmed. We have trillions of cells in our brain and we have billions of what are called connections or synapses. What these are, these are like the electrical network in your mind so the bioelectrical system of your mind works and it programs it.

Your mind is capable of forgetting—of course, we all know that—don't we? Yes! But it's capable of learning and remembering. Now let's see how we can take all of these things and combine them together and see how we can guard the door of our mind and really understand the Word of God. It is a discipline that comes from studying the Bible.

Paul talks about athletics and those who go to win the prize that they train their bodies, they take care of their bodies, they watch what they do, and he said, that's how he took care of himself. Since what we are doing is spiritually centered and grounded, let's see with the Word of God tells us—what God tells us—we need to do with our mind. Let's see how we are able to overcome the carnal mind, because we all have human nature and human nature's going to be there and cause us to sin. But God's Spirit with us will convict us of that sin so we can repent.

Here's what we do: We are to become, what the Bible says, spiritually minded. To become spiritually minded you need the Word of God. This is where personal study comes in every day, personal prayer comes in every day, and where Sabbath is the big thing of the week, from this point of view: wherever people gather in truth and honesty on the Sabbath Day, God's Spirit will be there in addition to what you have within you. God's Spirit will then help and inspire all of us to learn together. The truth is that those who do the teaching, those who do the ministering, they are also to learn from the Word of God. The truth is that the ministers and elders are not in a position between God and the person, like they have in religions in the world. We are to be teachers so that we all together can grow and learn and change and become spiritually minded.

Psalm 119:1: "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the Law of the LORD." Undefiled means that you have your sins forgiven and you're walking in the way of God. There is a way to live. "…Who walk in the Law of the Lord." This is quite contrary to what the Protestants believe that if you try and keep the laws of God, they're a burden. If you're carnal minded and you don't want to keep the laws of God, they are a burden.

Verse 2: "Blessed... [Here we have two blessings in a row. Do you want the blessings of God? Yes!] ...Blessed are they who keep His testimonies and who seek Him with the whole heart" (v 2).

There was an argument the other day by some people asking 'which is the test commandment?' They said, 'Thus and such was the test commandment'—but it wasn't. As a matter of fact, when you come down to it, all of them are test commandments—wouldn't you think?

Matthew 22:35: "And one of them, a doctor of the law... [One of the learned men. He's got his special little hat on. He has his garments on with his phylacteries and he has all of his merit badges and everything that you would have today, like a doctor of theology, doctor of philosophy, etc.] ...questioned Him, tempting Him, and saying, 'Master, which commandment is the great commandment in the Law?'" (vs 35-36).

He's going to quote from Deut. 6. What does this tell us? The Old Testament and New Testament belong together—correct? Yes!

Verse 37: "And Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment; and the second one is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets'" (vs 37-40).

If you hang something, like if you hang something on a clothesline to dry, what gives the support? The clothesline! If you say we don't need the laws of God, you have no clothesline, as it were, on which to hang it. It's not that the Law and the Prophets compose the Law of God. They all hang from the Law of God.

If you seek Him with a whole heart—we just read how that is to be. Now notice what happens with this, Psalm 119:3: "They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways."

If you keep the commandments, whose works are you doing? Yours? or God's? You're keeping God's—right? So then, if you're doing what God says, how can you be trying to earn salvation by law-keeping? You're not! Those are the things that God created that we are to walk in.

Verse 4: "You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently…. [He looked at himself and saw his own human nature and this is what we do.] …O that my ways were directed to keep Your statues!.... [In other words, if I could really be on top of it all the time.] ...Then I shall not be ashamed when I have respect unto all Your commandments" (vs 4-6). Notice all, not some, because human nature likes to do this: Human nature likes to read the Bible to find out what they prefer and would accept and what they would not want and reject.

It's like Alan Dershowitz. He was giving a lecture on greed and someone brought up to him about the tenth commandment 'you shall not covet,' because if you're greedy, are you not coveting. He says that's why that commandment would never work in Wall Street. 'We don't need that commandment. Wealth is built on greed.'

So, we have "…respect to all Your commandments." I just did four programs for Church at Home this past week and it was Church at Home After Two Years. I was covering the Ten Commandments. I went through all of them. I pointed out how the Catholics and their catechism removed the second commandment, but in their Bible they keep it in there.

At least the ones who do the Bible have a little fear of the Lord. I reminded the Catholics, 'Why don't you ask your priest why you have idols and statues in your cathedrals and temples? Why your Bible, the Douay English Version says or the American Standard Version says for the second commandment, 'You shall not make nor bow down, nor worship.' We'll find out what happens with that.

I pointed out the same thing. People like to go through and say, 'Well, now, no other gods. I don't know how we can keep that, because there are so many religions in the world. After all, they're all seeking God and going to the same place.' That's a true statement, too. They're seeking the wrong God, so hence they're going to the same place. Then I went through all Ten Commandments.

We give all credit for what we learn of God's way to God. Verse 7: "I will praise You with uprightness of heart when I have learned Your righteous judgments…. [this is true: the more that you learn about God's way, the more you understand how good it really is] …I will keep Your statutes; O forsake me not utterly" (vs 7-8). That is if I miss the mark.

You will notice in Psa. 119 that right above each eight-verse section there is a Hebrew letter and what that is, is the alphabet. In the Hebrew every verse in the first eight verses begin with alpha. Next eight verses, beth, every verse begins with that. This was a hymn that they were to memorize and there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. That's why you have the number of verses that you have in Psa. 119. It shows a complete communication from God to man and how man is to respond to God in seeking Him.

We'll go through this one section. We won't read any more, but I suggest you read all of Psa. 119 slowly, carefully, and think about it. Then ask: Since all of God's laws and commandments and statutes and testimonies are so good, why would people want to do away with them? Why would they say, 'God bless me, but we're throwing away your Law'? They're not going to be blessed! The way that you start not being blessed is what knowledge you think you have is being taken away from you.

Verse 9 ties right in with what we're doing about who and what controls your mind: "With what shall a young man cleanse his way?.… [that's any man—young, old, any woman young, old] ...By taking heed according to Your Word." The Word means all of what God has given. That's why He's given the whole Bible.

Verse 10: "With all my heart I have sought You... [that ties right in with what we covered in Matt. 22] ...O let me not wander from Your commandments." When you do this, when you apply these things this way, something is happening in your mind. If you have things in there from the past, which have mis-programmed your mind, this will help reprogram it correctly.

Hebrews 10:15: "And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after He had previously said, '"This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days," says the Lord: "I will give My laws into their hearts, and I will inscribe them in their minds; and their sins and lawlessness I will not remember ever again"'" (vs 15-17).

It helps, as we covered last time concerning the washing by the water of the Word. How is God going to give His laws into your heart and inscribe them in your mind? You must study! Because they know that when you study, when you think, your mind is actually working to remember. You are actually inscribing on your brain electrically, because with the Spirit of God and the bio-electrics we have in our minds, you are actually literally programming your mind. This is what scientists want to figure out: How can they make a bio-computer? Ever wonder what they do some of the fetus cells that are aborted? Ever wonder what they did with the partial-birth abortion? They got the head out part way and then took an instrument, thrust it through the skull and sucked out the brains! Then they give the brains to the scientists.

After we've covered some of these things concerning transhumanism, and there's a whole lot more to go. We'll have some more on that as well, too. What do you suppose they are doing with those human brain cells? Do you suppose they might be experimenting to figure out how they can create a bio-computer? I'll just leave it at that.

Here's how we have it given in our mind and our heart and inscribed by this very way here, Psalm 119:11: "Your Word I have laid up in my heart, so that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies as much as in all riches. I will meditate upon Your precepts and have respect to Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word" (vs 11-16).

Right there, these eight verses are then the prescription on how you could use the Word of God to reprogram your mind. Let's see another thing concerning it. Here's how the Scripture just reinforces itself. This is one many of you have probably memorized. Now notice how similar this is to Psa. 119.

Psalm 1:1: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked... [it starts out the same way—blessed] ...nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delights is in the Law of the LORD; and in His law does he meditate day and night…. [that's how you program your mind] …And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, and its leaf shall not wither, and all that he does shall prosper" (vs 1-3). Prosperity does not necessarily always come in terms of monetary remuneration.

• Is good health prospering?
• Is a sound mind prospering?
• Is understanding right from wrong prospering?
• Is learning the laws and commandments of God prospering? Yes, indeed!
• Having God's angels protect you, is that prospering?

All of those things! Sometimes when we read the Scriptures, we need to take the time and stop and think about them, analyze them, ask questions.

Verse 4: "The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment... [but they'll fall] ...nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish" (vs 4-6). This is how you control your mind. You control what goes into it!

The book of Proverbs is that book which is made for understanding. It is made to program the brain. Today children grow up and become adults and they've never had their mind programmed with the Word of God, so it's mis-programmed. They don't know truth from error.

Today one of the biggest things that they find—yes, they graduate from high school, but they don't know how to add and subtract. Yes, they can do texting, but they're totally misspelling and their English is awful. If they don't have a cash register that thinks for them, they can't even count change. Then the youth say, 'Well, why can't I get a job?' The answer is: Why don't you go study? Since you had such a stupid school that you went to, you can't get a job. You've got to do it yourself.

On the other hand there are a lot of home-schoolers. And guess what? Guess what the employers look for? Those who have been home schooled! Why?

• Because they can think
• Because they have had to teach themselves
• Because they haven't had any of the evil socialistic and evil things put into their mind

One of the first ways you start disrupting the minds of children is you begin teaching them sex at an early age. Then as they get older, their minds are constantly on sex and they can't get their mind off of it. They become obsessed with it. I was startled the other day to find out that every day in America there are over 1,000 abortions! Every abortion is a destroyed life and a ruined brain and heart! God will intervene to repair that, but just think how much better it would have been if they would have done it God's way.

Let's come to Proverbs 1, and let's see why Proverbs was made. This is why I recommend it for all teenagers. Study/repeat! Study the book of Proverbs. This is going to get your thinking straightened around. One of the problems with teenagers is this: When the frontal cortex starts kicking in and they begin to think more like adults, they can begin to see a lot of problems that their parents have. So, they think that they now have a deep understanding of things, when they're just beginning to learn. That's why they need this.

Proverbs 1:1: "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: to know wisdom... [As we go through here, this will help you be able to understand how to study.] ...to know wisdom..." (vs 1-2). Let's look at the opposite, because we're going to see all of the Proverbs are good/evil, right/wrong, righteous/sinful, the diligent/the sloth—all the way through.

"...to know wisdom... [Do you want to be stupid? Of course not!] ...and instruction... [Wouldn't you like to learn how to use your mind and your body God's way so you can be blessed?] ...to perceive the words of understanding" (v 2). In other words, to know when someone is telling something that is worthwhile and differentiate what is stupid and foolish. I think all the politicians need to go back and start here—don't you?

Verse 3: "To receive the instruction of wisdom... [You want instruction in stupidity? No!] ...righteousness..." (v 3). Now, some may object to that. They ran a survey of teenage girls in Australia. Who would you rather go out with one of the rock stars or Jesus Christ? 'Aw,' they said, 'wouldn't want to go out with Jesus Christ. He'd be no fun.' Do they have their thinking messed up? What are they going to do with their lives thinking like that? Go to the book of Proverbs.

"...righteousness, and judgment, and equity.... [know what is right and good and fair] ...To give prudence to the simple... [In other words, make you wise.] ...knowledge and discretion to the young man" (vs 3-4)—also to the young woman. Remember, all of you who believe in women's rights. Every one of you is a woman and the last three letters of that word is man, because woman came from man. Wherever you see man in here, that applies to women, too.

Verse 5: "A wise man will hear and will increase learning... [constantly learn] ...and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsel to understand a proverb and its interpretation, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings."

Here's how to start, v 7. You don't come along as a know-it-all teenager. All teenagers go through it. All teenagers think they know more than their parents, especially when they get out with their friends when their parents aren't around, and look at all of the smart things that they do and they get in trouble.

Verse 7: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge... [so that you don't do stupid things] ...but fools despise wisdom and instruction." You see how it goes through? See how it teaches? Notice what you're thinking when we go through these things. The human mind is made to understand right and wrong, good and evil, to increase in knowledge, to increase in understanding. You have it broken down this way:

• information is something you hear
• knowledge is something you know
• understanding means you know how the knowledge works
• wisdom is when you put all four of those together

That's how it is.

Verse 8: "My son, hear the instruction of your father and forsake not the law of your mother." Yes, always remember your mother. Dolores has said many times to our children, 'Your mother has said...' She is very wise. Sometimes she does a few foolish things, but not as much as all the men in the household, having a husband and three sons.

"...forsake not the law of your mother" (v 8). When I was losing my temper, my mother said, 'Freddie, you don't want to become like so-and-so, do you?' Did I remember that? Has it helped me? Yes! That's some 62 years later.

Verse 9: "For they shall be an ornament of grace to your head and chains around your neck." This is not going to make you popular with those who want to go out and sin. Who's favor do you want? The favor of God? or The acceptance of your friends? Here the first chapter begins to answer this. One of the first things that Proverbs does is tell the young people: listen to your father and your mother first, not your friends!

Recently on the news police in a certain county came upon a rest stop where there was a school bus full of teenagers. They pulled in there to see what they were doing. They had stashes of drugs, marijuana, and everything to actually destroy their lives, if you want to look at it that way. The police came in, and it was a small town, so the police didn't want to cause a big problem in a small town with so many of the teenagers. I don't know how many there were, but if you have a bus full, you probably have thirty or more. So this was planned for a long time and everybody knew it.

You can almost say, 'Well, all of us are going to go on a bus for whatever kind of trip. Is that okay, mom?' Yes! BANG! Out the door! The police said, 'Look, if you put away your drugs, we won't arrest you, we won't put to jail, but we're going to come in and we're going to take all your drugs and all your paraphernalia away from you.' They refused! Then the police talked to them and told them, 'Now, look, you're really going to get in trouble here.' So, they finally came to their senses and gave up their drugs and things.

But what I'm going to read next, if they would have been taught the book of Proverbs, they would have had the mental tenacity to say no to these things, because the first thing it talks about here in the book of Proverbs for the young people is this. Now this can apply to adults, and so forth. Stay away from gangs!

Verse 10: "My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.... ['Oh, let's go have a ball! Let's have a blast! Here, we'll take a snort of this and a puff of that and we'll have a great time.'] ...If they say, 'Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood..." (vs 10-11). 'Let's go out and steal.' Don't they have with some of the gangs, 'Oh, you want to join this gang. Look, you little young punk, you've got to go out and steal something.'

Wanting to join a gang, he goes out and steals something and brings it back. 'Good, boy, okay, you can tag along.' I want to join the club. 'Well, you can't join the gang, because there are other requirements that you have to do?' What is that? 'Well, then you have to beat up people, number two. Then if you want to get into the one of the leadership of the gang, you've got to kill somebody.' Lie in wait for blood!

"...we will watch secretly for the innocent without cause... [Isn't that what happens? 'Look at this dumb dodo walking down the sidewalk here; let's get him.'] ...we will watch secretly for the innocent without cause; let us swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those who go down into the pit" (vs 11-12). Is this today's news headlines? Yes, indeed! A lot of Muslims ought to read that so they will not end up being suicide bombers.

One man in Egypt contacted me and wanted to know about what we're doing, and so forth. The way we send things to people overseas like that, it's too expensive to mail the books and the Bibles, so we send them digitally. So, we said, okay, we'll send you some things digitally. You print them out and use them to help you with your teaching. I asked him, and he was an older man, he's 62. He's been preaching the former Christianity that he's known all these years. I said, 'Tell me, how is it that you teach Christ in Egypt with all the Muslims?' He said it's very difficult. He said they do not comprehend love. They take their little kids and put them in the Madrasa, schools, at age 4. They drill everything into their brains—hatred, killing—all in the name of Allah.

Then he sent me a series of about 20 pictures, and he said everybody in the West better be prepared because this is what's coming your way. And I believe it is. A lot of people say, 'This election is the most important election that there has been in the history of America, because if we don't change course we're going to lose America.' That's a true statement. However, how did we get to this point? By sin!

The only candidate that comes close to saying what should be right—and this is not an endorsement, but this is just to acknowledge a truth—is Rick Santorum. He has said that unless we get our moral values straightened out, it doesn't matter what we do politically. And that's a true statement.

God is not looking down to the Democrats and saying, 'Oh, you're the bad boys. Let's get you out. Oh, you Republicans, you're just fine. Hey, come on in.' No! God is looking down and saying the whole thing is corrupt! Unless there's repentance everywhere, by everyone, only curses are going to come and unimaginable evil is going to come.

I'll have to show you those 20 pictures next week. I think it will blow your mind. And remember, when you see then, it's already started in England. The Muslims are claiming England. If the descendants of the ten tribes of Israel do not repent and return to God—and the British are Ephraim—God is going to send the enemy. And who better to send than those who hate us and who are related to us through Esau and Ishmael. That's what's coming! I thought it was interesting what he said. He said the way that they present the name of God is Jehovah (Lord) Elohim—God—Jehovah Elohim.

Now I talked to another who speaks Arabic and he said that they were working on a Bible where they called God Allah. That's not the way to do it in the Middle East. I think that this man has it right. He has it exactly right—Jehovah Elohim. Allah is a false God! Allah, like all the other religions, are serving Satan the devil!

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If you join their gang, they'll tell you, v 13 "'We shall find all precious substance; we shall fill our houses with plunder; cast in your lot among us, and let us have one purse.' My son, do not walk in the way with them!" (vs 13-15).

• Don't consent to them
• Don't yield to that pressure
• Don't get yourself so intimidated and emotionally involved in anything that you are intimidated to do something against your better judgment

That can include joining a gang, joining a church, joining an association; that can include marriage; that can include business partners; that can include investment schemes—all of those things. We live in a world now where evil is right there everywhere. You don't believe it, just go on the Internet, everything is there.

"…Keep back your foot from their path, for their feet run to evil and make haste to shed blood" (vs 15-16). How many times in the Bible—that would be interesting to see—where we're told to keep the commandments, where we're told to hear the voice of God, where we're told to take the advice, whatever.

Proverbs 7:1: "My son, keep my words and store up my commandments within you.... [that's the mental protection against all of the onslaughts that you have coming against your mind] ...Keep my commandments and live; and keep my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them upon your fingers; write them upon the tablet of your heart…. [then it talks about wisdom]: …Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister,' and call understanding your kinsman" (vs 3-4).

Then v 5 talks about keeping away from the wanton woman. I've covered things on that, but here is the way Satan does it; you can see it today: What you do is you get the women to compromise and accept sin and adultery and fornication and sex sins as normal and natural. Today the schools say, 'If you get pregnant, we'll take care of you.'

Planned Parenthood says, 'If you have an unwanted pregnancy, we will help you. Come into our murder parlors and we'll take care of it for you.' They don't put it quite like that, but I think the law is very good in some states where it requires all women to watch a sonogram of the baby within before they go with an abortion. Up to 90% refuse the abortion once they see that it really is a baby. But you know, the N.O.W. gang and all of the evil slaughtering women are against that.

It is true that once a woman is given to whoredoms, men are just like mowing hay, with an automatic sickle, you just cut them down and they fall. Because men, that is their weakest point, that if a woman says, 'Oh, come on, this will be enjoyable. No one will know. Everything is ready.' BANG!

There's only one account of a man in the Bible who resisted. You know who that was? Joseph! But he still got framed and thrown in the dungeon. God had to humble Joseph quite a bit, because he had an awful lot of vanity. But nevertheless, only one account.

Look at it today. If you want an education, watch CNBC concerning the pedophilia operation that they have, concerning the recovery program that they tell you about concerning those who are obsessed with sex, and it'll be a real education for you to know what's going on in the world. But what you have to do, as I covered last time—especially for men—there is so much soft porn taken for granted on television that you have really got to watch what you're watching. Keep in mind the 'blue' channel. Whenever something comes on that you shouldn't watch, hit that channel. Then you can see some blue relief. The blue channel has nothing on it, just a blue screen.

Here again, this goes right back to Prov. 1 and Psa. 119, Proverbs 9:10: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom... [wisdom has got to be built] ...and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." That is to protect your mind, to not let your mind, your heart, your life, you emotions, and everything that you have be taken down by something that is evil.

• whether it is drugs
• whether it is sex
• whether it is illegally getting money
• whether it is a financial scheme
• whether it is doing in your neighbor
• whether it is cheating against your boss
• whether it is shoplifting in the store
• whether it is pilfering from the storehouse where you work

—all of those things! You must have the Word of God, the fear of God, and you must constantly be building up on that so that you know how to run your life and how to think! The more you do that, the more you will build the character and the more you will build the control of your own mind through the Word of God and through the Holy Spirit of God.

Let's come to Proverbs 10; here's where we start out right and wrong, good and evil, positive and negative. That's the way the world would like to say it—positive and negative. All the Proverbs from chapter one thru chapter nine are David's. Prov. 10 starts out with the Proverbs of Solomon.

Proverbs 10:1: "The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father... [Why? Because he'll be successful! He'll do what is right. He'll take care of his family. He'll be a respectable person.] ...but a foolish son is grief to his mother."

Why does it say "…grief to his mother"? Because women are attached to their children, and emotionally involved with them! They carried them, they nursed them, they changed their diapers, they saw them grow up. Their lives are intricately wrapped up in it, so when they do things that are not right, it brings grief to the mother. And being emotionally upset, they have a hard time sleeping, they have a hard time concentrating; it affects their health, because their emotions are dragged down—all of those things—"…grief to his mother."

Verse 2: "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing... [If you have a scheme that comes along presented to you, looks like you're going to make a lot of money—Beware! Beware! The hook that comes generally is an anchor that sinks you.] ...but righteousness delivers from death." Evil/righteousness.

Now a promise; a lot of these are promises, v 3: "The LORD will not allow the soul of the righteous to famish..." It even says that David said in one of the Psalms that he never saw the children of the righteous hungry. God will work it out. God is the One Who can control the circumstances.

Have you ever had something happen where you know that God had to have something to do with it? I know when Dolores goes shopping, I don't know how she does it, but God prospers her way. Wherever she goes shopping, she can walk in the stores and find bargains and prices that other women don't even know are there. They're going around paying top dollar. This suit, probably $135-$140. Dolores' purchase: $35. Was she prospered? Yes, indeed! She saved $100.

Like someone said, they bought this television, the husband came home and said to his wife, 'Why did you buy this television?' She said, 'Well, I saved $400 on it.' He says, 'Oh, good, give me the $400.

"...but He thwarts the desire of the wicked? (v 3). That's why the wicked always get caught. It may take a while, but sooner or later they're going to get caught.

Here it has to do with working, v 4: "He who deals with a lazy hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich…. [Doesn't mean you're going to be wealthy, but you're going to be better off.] …He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.... [there you have—work/laziness, good/evil, righteousness/sin] ...Blessings are upon the head of the just... [Everyone wants blessings—don't they? The ones who are just are the ones who are right with God.] ...but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot." (vs 4-7).

'Boy, we're glad he's dead.' Remember one dictator in WWII when they got him? Benito Mussolini! One of the most vain dictators of modern time. When they finally got him, they hung him upside down publicly. Look at what happened to Stalin. Look at what happened to Hitler. Look what happened to Mao Tse-tung. Look what happens to any dictator. Hugo Chavez: his day is coming soon. Fidel Castro: his day is coming soon. "…the name of the wicked shall rot."

Verse 8: "The wise in heart will receive commandments, but a prating fool shall fall." If you don't listen, you just run off at the mouth, you don't pay attention to anybody, you're in for a big fall. All the way through here we're talking about the righteous/the wicked; the wise/the simple.

Verse 11: "The mouth of a righteous one is a well of life... [Why? Because he's going to give good instruction that's going to last, that's going to work!] ...but violence covers the mouth of the wicked."

All of these are so straightforward. When you read these things, what it does to your mind, it establishes:

• right and wrong, good and evil
• how to make decisions
• look at what is right
• avoid what is wrong

You're not going to be thinking all of these things at once, but what it does it programs your mind so that when things come up then you're going to be able to make a right decision at that time, because you have it in your mind, you have it in your heart.

Verse 12: "Hatred stirs up strife... [Is that not true?] ...but love covers all sins." That's why love is the greatest. It doesn't cover them over and let them fester underneath, it brings a solution to it through repentance and change, because love is going to instruct. Love is then going to show the way out and covers that sin.

Verse 13: "In the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who is without understanding." You try that today and you get the ACLU down on your neck right away. But it's true, you can have circumstances beat you down—right? Yes!

They kicked corporal discipline out of schools a long time ago, and now parents who try and discipline their children can have them taken away from them. Whatever discipline you give, this is why it's important with your children you teach them—teach, teach, teach! It's not like it was years ago. When I was growing up, I could go anywhere. I drove my mother bats. Sometimes I'd leave at eight in the morning, come home four at night. 'Freddie, where have you been?' Down playing in the park with the kids! It was a common thing. Kids weren't out there doing a lot of evil stuff. There weren't a lot of sex predators around. There weren't prowling murderers around in those days.

I'll have to tell you one when I did wrong. This shows I'm getting a little older, I'm remembering the sins of my youth so that I can repent. We lived in a house and right next door was a lot without a house, but it was full of hazelnut trees and willow trees. That made good snacks when they came ripe. When I did wrong, I had to go pick the switch! If I didn't pick a good one, I had to go redo it. When I got switched, bottom of your legs, that stings, but it still didn't stop me. So, my mother decided another way. On the mantle of the fireplace, we had this clock—never will forget the clock—right there. She made me stand with my arms out, started me out when I had a violation that I shouldn't have done, started out ten minutes. After a while, the arms going down, and she'd be right around the corner, 'Get those arms up or I'm going to switch you. Get them up!'

That still didn't stop me, so it got to be twenty minutes, then a half hour, then an hour. Here I am. Finally she said, 'I give up.' So what did I do? I quit doing the things that caused it. How's that for stupid reasoning? That's when I was second grade. I should have had some of these Proverbs to help me along.

Verse 17: "He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses reproof goes astray.... [Here's the thing to be aware of. This is why we need wisdom]: ...He who hides hatred with lying lips, and he who speaks a slander, is a fool" (vs 17-18). Today you've got to be very wise, especially in business.

One of the ones that Dolores worked for years ago, he dealt in law and contracts. He told her, 'You must read every word in the contract and you must understand every word, because one word can change the meaning and cost us lots of money.' They come in, slap you on the back, flattering words, 'We're going to make lots of money; here's the contract. Hurry up and sign it, we have to get it back.' No, no, I'll come back tomorrow. We're going to read it. 'Well, do it now, what's the matter with doing it now?' No, we have a policy. We read it first. You do want everything to be right, don't you?

You don't tell them, 'Hey, we don't trust you.' But you say to him, 'Well, you do want it to be right, don't you?' How are they going to answer it? 'No, I don't want it to be right.' They're going to have to answer yes! What are you doing in those things? Think about it.

• you're keeping yourself from trouble
• you're controlling the situation
• you're saving yourself a lot of anger and bitterness later
• you're saving yourself from somewhere down the line having to say, 'Stupid!'

That's what the Proverbs are all about.

Verse 20: "The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver; the heart of the wicked is worth little.... [This is how God looks at things.]

Verse 22: "The blessing of the LORD itself makes rich... [If you're in right standing with God, you have more than all the money on earth and all the trouble that goes with it.] ...and He adds no sorrow with it…. [Is that what you want in your life?] …To work out evil devices is as sport to a fool..." (vs 22-23).

Ever seen kids out in the neighborhood doing stupid things? Throwing eggs, toilet paper all over the trees, all over the yard. We had people didn't care for us and every Halloween we had some egg up alongside one of our cars or up on the porch, even on the front door. Right there, as a fool.

"...but a man of understanding has wisdom" (v 23).

This is always true, v 24: …The fears of the wicked shall come upon him... [Now the next time you watch anything—a documentary or a movie—on crime, they're always afraid.] ...but the desire of the righteous shall be granted."

See the difference? You want God's blessing, you want God to lead you, you want God to guide you, then you take control of your mind and you use these Proverbs as guides for making the right choices. Because everything we do is a choice; everything we think is a choice. If we are in the habit because of training and because of putting in God's Word into our minds, how are we going to react? How are we going to look at things? Always remember this, this is the hardest one: Don't react emotionally with your temper, because that's going to cause a lot of problems. I've done that; you've done that. How did it work out? You had to go apologize 10,000 times to get things worked out. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.' What's that song? I'm Sorry!

Verse 25: "As the whirlwind passes, so the wicked is no more, but the righteous is an everlasting foundation. Like vinegar to the teeth, and like smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him…. [What took you so long? You lost the pouch? How could that be?] …The fear of the LORD prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened" (vs 25-27).

Is that not true? Everything works that way—doesn't it? What happens if the wicked's days seem to be prolonged? Someone says, 'Look at what they're doing. Nothing's happening to them.' Just tell them, God is merciful. He's giving them a chance to change, but you just wait, if they don't change it'll catch up with them. That's how to answer that.

All the rest of them are the difference between the righteous and the wicked. Come to Prov. 12. What I want you to do, I want you to go ahead and take some time everyday, read some of the Proverbs.

• read the Proverb
• think about it—pro and con
• think about how it works
• think about how it applies in your life
• think about how you can apply it and how it's going to help you

Proverbs 12:1: "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge..." True! Aren't we supposed to be learning all the time? The knowledge of the Lord is Holy—right? And it tells us what to do. And another thing, they've found this: That if you eat right, take care of your health, and you're constantly using your mind and studying and reading and things like this, your mind actually improves the older you get.

"...but he who hates correction is stupid" (v 1). The truth is this: If correction comes—even from someone that you don't think ought to correct you—if it is right, acknowledge it and act upon it. Because people, when they correct you, probably have some knowledge or information you need to know. Otherwise, why would they bring it up to try and get you to change something? Think about it!

Even like King David with the rebellion of Absalom and all the trouble that was caused because of what happened to the kingdom after the thing with Bathsheba and the death of Uriah, the rebellion was so strong that David had to leave the palace. As he was leaving the palace, one of his citizens came up and shook his fist at him and said, 'You are the one.' Started cursing him. I think it was Joab said, 'Let me do him in.' He said, 'No, no, he's speaking truth'—and went on.

So, regardless of where truth comes from, if it helps you and you change, then you've got to acknowledge it. It may be difficult to do so. You may have to bite your tongue, hold your lips, not get angry. Don't let your vanity get involved. 'He who hates correction is stupid.'

'Be careful there with that ax, you might cut off your hand.' Oh, stop telling me what to do. WHACK! Was that not stupid?

Verse 2: "The good man receives grace from the LORD... [Of course, that's what we want, God's grace totally.] ...but He will condemn a man of wicked devices." Notice how this is showing: right and wrong; good and evil; wisdom and knowledge; stupidity and foolishness.

Verse 3: "A man shall not be established by wickedness..." You could do a lot with that one—right?

• How do you run your affairs?
• How do you think of other people?
• How do you conduct your life?

"...but the root of the righteous shall not be moved? (v 3). That's what's so good with the Proverbs, because this kind of input into your mind is the disciplining of the mind so that all the synapses in your brain become rightly connected.

If you've had bad thinking in the past, you need to use this to straighten out your thinking and get a right perspective. That's why we have the Proverbs. This is how you can control your mind!

Scriptural References:

• Psalm 119:1-2
• Matthew 22:35-40
• Psalm 119:3-10
• Hebrews 10:15-17
• Psalm 119:11-16
• Psalm 1:1-6
• Proverbs 1:1-16
• Proverbs 7:1-4
• Proverbs 9:10
• Proverbs 10:1-8, 11-13, 17-18, 20, 22-27
• Proverbs 12:1-3

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Deuteronomy 6
• Proverbs 7:5

FRC:lp
Transcribed: 01-16-12
Formatted: bo—1-17-12

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