Saturday, March 30, 2024

Doomed Society: Is There Any Hope Left? | John MacArthur

JD Farag's re-edited livestream of possessed woman.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

There are those who say they respect God but do not obey His Word, they think words carry the day, but they do not, actions do.

As We Ascend, They Descend! – Pastor Billy Crone

Friday, March 29, 2024

My Best Friend is Jesus Christ

Never base your close friendships on what we hope our friend might become or worse, on what they pretend to be in the past that was proven to be counterfeit.
Our friendships must be based on mutual goals and a mutual philosophy of life.
When we are believers our close friends out to be those who love Christ and follow His principles to please Him. When two people walk together with Christ at the pinnacle of their friendship there will be authentic and blessed fellowship.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
"11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
1 Corinthians 15:33
"33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9
"9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:"
Ecclesiastes 4:10
"10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."
Job 6:14
14 “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty."
We live in a world today in which people withhold friendship to manipulate or reject those they wish to despise. They are angry toward those who love Christ and will exclude them as if to hope excluding them will cause them to become jealous and envy the group-thinkers.
Galatians 4:16-17 "…16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. "
Praise God when you are isolated from worldly people who love their cliques. Pray for those who are dependent on people instead of Christ and enjoy those who have broken free from people pleasing to embrace a life of dedication to Christ.
Our best friend is Christ and our fellowship is with those whose best friend is also Him.
John 15:15
"15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."
My best friend is Jesus Christ, He alone gets that position in my life. I love those who love Him, and they are second to Him. Those who do not love Him are not my friends.
My desire like Christ is that many will come to Him, then they too will be in our family and my friend too.

You Shall Know Them by their Fruit


I have had a part of this verse quoted to me more times than I can count, "only God knows the heart."
My answer to them was what God said: "You shall know them by their fruit", bad fruit is the opposite of the fruit of Christ. The fruit of the Spirit of God is "love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness and self-control." These are the character qualities of Christ, if someone does not have this fruit they do not belong to God.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Matthew 15:15-23 "15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’"
Those who quote scripture out of the context of a chapter and out of the context of the rest of the Bible will pressure and manipulate people to avoid doing things God's way. They will use guilt to control others but those who are in Christ are not fooled by these tactics.
In our culture we are pressured to forgive those who are not sorry for their sin and don't even think they have sinned. We are pressured to "just let it go" so that we continue to endure the nastiness of wicked people while the wicked people feel further empowered to continue in their evil ways. The perp feels relief when no one confronts them about their evil heart and even entitled to be whatever way they want to be without accountability.
Because we have the Holy Spirit and we will recognize when the devil is attempting to confuse us with good-sounding words that are opposite of what God says, we will know the truth and that truth will set us free.
The worldly Christian is in bondage to their false beliefs as they are pressured to act like the world to be accepted by the world. When we are free in Christ the pressure from the world has no effect because we are not in bondage to being accepted by the world.
John 15:19
"If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
Romans 12:2
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
1 John 2:15
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
When Christ has set us free from the influence of the world we will appear very strange to those who are of the world. They will avoid us, even in church gatherings we will be avoided because we do not think the way most in apostate gatherings think. They are still of the world and we are not brothers and sisters with them.
This is the reason so many godly Christians who are sold out to Christ are leaving the formal churchy gatherings so as not to have the battle and frustration of continually coming against false doctrine and foolish even rotten attitudes.
These gatherings are not accepting of those who want the Bible as their guide. These gatherings want their own version of Christianity that does not match pitch with God's Word.
More of God's principles and commandments are disobeyed within the apostate gatherings than is obeyed. The modern church has little resemblance to the first century church started by Christ.
This is the reason authentic born again believers who love Christ more than anything or anyone else are remaining at home instead of participating in groups that love their entertainment and false psychological doctrines more than they love Christ. They are also more invested in being accepted by these worldly gatherings than they love Christ. In fact, many people I meet from these gatherings have no love of Christ at all, they wince in embarrassment at the mention of His name and never speak His name from their own mouths.
I have heard long-time older missionaries say foolish things like; "we can be so heavenly minded we are no earthly good." There is no way there is any Bible passage that says such a silly thing. As you can see these false doctrines and foolish thinking have been around for several generations, so much so that when we tell the truth most Christians cannot wrap their mind around it because the false doctrine sounds so good, easy, and familiar to them.
It is easier to fit into the apostasy if someone repeats all the false mantras and ignores the Holy Spirit when He warns them.
The more we love Christ the more heavenly-minded we are the greater use we are in His Kingdom.
The devil makes good-sounding phrases resonate with those who love the world more than they love Christ. They are blinded by the "feelings" when they use the phrases while negating God's Word in favor of their good feelings.
Here is what God actually says!!!!!!
Colossians 3:2
"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."
It is easy to get caught up in devilish mantras when someone does not know the bible or knows the Bible but changes the wording to fit their own desired belief orchestrated by the devil.
If we are to be free from the influence of the world's thinking we must be saturated with the Word of God and taught by the Holy Spirit to keep from falling into doctrinal error and arrogance.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Saul and Uzzuh did it Why not us too!

There are so many people who think as long as their heart desires to worship God it doesn't matter how they do it, whether it is His way or their own way, all is good, this is not the truth.
God rejected Saul for doing the sacrifices that Samuel was supposed to do. He ignored God's mandate thinking that his heart was alright because he was going to do something for God that God had given to Samuel to do. God rejected Saul for doing things his own way instead of what God commanded.
Remember when Saul was impatient and did the sacrifices that Samuel was supposed to do? Uzzuh saw the ark of the covenant teetering and reached out his hand to steady and God killed him for it. Uzzuh and Saul are examples of men who thought they could do what they wanted because they were doing something for God.
1 Samuel 13:10-14 "10 But as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.
11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Since I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,
12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord.’ So I worked up the courage and offered the burnt offering.”
13 But Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for the Lord would now have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14 But now your kingdom shall not endure. "
God gave the priestly role of sacrificing for the people to Samuel but Saul ignored Gods' way to do things his own way.
Is is any wonder that the churches are full of apostasy, the people seek after pleasure more than God and the nation as a whole is an abomination to the world while the people in it pridefully cry out, "God bless America"? We have no reason to expect more blessings when we disrespectfully use God's blessing to enhance and enlarge our sin.
Saul was told that his nation would not endure because God didn't want a leader of the Lord's people who disregarded the commands of God.
Matthew 7:21-23
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Our modern culture might say something like this: "but Lord didn't we sing hymns on Christ-mass and also on Easter for you?"
Perhaps God might reply something like, "that wasn't for me it was for your pleasure. You gave yourselves gifts, practiced paganism, praised one another and mostly ignored me." If the holidays were really for Christ then we would stop doing all the ritualistic practices God never commanded.
Some people claim they celebrate Halloween for God, as long as they put God's title to their desired holiday they are all alright because they are doing it for God.
I believe it is an abomination to God for people to take pagan things adding the name of God to satisfy their own desire for man-made rituals that make them feel good.
Ephesians 4:17 "So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds,"
What makes us think God would be happy with paganism mixed with the portions of His word that please us? The holidays are not really for God as so many claim, they are for those who enjoy their rituals.
God worked in my heart years ago when I began to question the holiday systems because of the ungodly attitudes I saw from people who were "religious" but had no fruit of God's Spirit.
I questioned God what was it that seemed so "Off." Then He began to expose the paganism associated with these man-made holidays and their implications. It wasn't very long before I lost all interest in them even dreading the season of the year when they emerged once again, year after year, so glad when each one passed.
We can be sure when the secular world loves the holidays there must be something wrong with them. Unsaved people who do not attend church gatherings don't practice the one observance God did give, it is of no interest to them, which is the Lord's supper. This is the only celebration Christ gave to His followers and it is the one most Christians and all seculars' ignore.
"Come let us reason together", is the phrase God gives us, that we might think with our minds according to His principles and commands not our emotions and never according to the culture.
around us.

No one will be born again who does not confess their sinfulness and desire to be changed by Christ.

https://youtube.com/shorts/9sWMrGlBOYQ?si=I6raVMiP5YKD-sxF

Trusting Christ Alone Always

https://youtube.com/shorts/0Xs3_K_VmYE?si=wHBaIQy19OSQS8Do

Faith in Faith is not Faith in Jesus Christ

https://youtube.com/shorts/mOfVzk9weXk?si=COiUubyxqfEpGvxf

Shamed for Obeying God!

Jesus Christ was shamed by the religious leaders of His day for doing good.
The Pharisees accused Christ of healing on the Sabbath. Notice they were concerned more about Him observing a particular day than they were about the salvation and healing He provided people.
This is the mentality of most if not all church gatherings today. The majority of church attendees are more concerned about their rules and rituals than they are about the souls who attend.
Not only do church attendees adhere to rules and rituals their leaders have devised to keep the people under their control, but they also judge others who do not follow their rules.
As born-again believers, we are free to ignore the rules and rituals of men to follow the commands and principles of God. Those who place us under bondage to their idea of "religion" care little about their own character or the character of brothers and sisters in the church, their focus is on outer appearances not inner character.
The believer's life is not based on what others think of us or on outer appearances, it is based on our relationship with Christ. Seeking Him and pondering Him every day so that He can make us into what we should be according to His Word.
When the rules and rituals become the focus while the name of Christ is rarely uttered from the lips of those who attend gatherings, you can be sure there is no love in a "religious" group such as this.
Those who say; "don't judge" the loudest are those who judge the most. Why do I say this: because when not being judged is more important than character growth we know that self is on the throne. Those who fear being judged know there is something to judge about themselves so the discourage God's righteous judgment.
We are all supposed to judge every matter and we are to judge in honesty ourselves so that we can grow in holiness.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 "…14The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. 16“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ."
Believers do not judge others to be superior to anyone. We judge everything to come in line with God's principles and we are not to judge others for about things we are also doing.
Matthew 7:1-6
Judging Others
7 “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.
2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
3 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, the log is in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye!
6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."
We are to judge according to God's Word. We do not judge anything according to our own ideas, we judge them according to what God told us.
Colossians 2:21-23
21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of man? 23 These are matters which do have the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and humility and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence."
Every rule man proclaims must be evaluated by the principles of God in the Bible. If the rule is good, fine, follow it, but we are sinning when we require others to follow rules God never made while judging the character of someone else based on those man-made rules.
Often we are judged according to the rules of men that God never commanded, even called rebellious because we didn't adhere to them. There are times when we follow man-made rules that are not against God's Word, but other times we see no benefit Spiritually in following the man-made rules so we are free tp ignore them. Those who love us will allow us to choose which rules we follow.
Often those who love their man-made rules are the most judgmental of all and are those who ignore many of God's commands, in other words, they are worldly and hypocritical. Their outer appearance is far more important than character substance.
Matthew 23:5-7
"But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men."
In our modern day we might substitute the word "Rabbi" with "Pastor." The men of our day like to be called a title that elevates them and the congregations love to elevate them because it relieves them of the responsibility of seeking Christ for themselves, praying alone in their homes and hearing from Christ themselves.
Many people will willingly hear from a "pastor" but will not seek Christ themselves. They go to the "pastor" for advice and never bend the knee at home to hear from Christ. I know this because of how embarrassed church attendees become when we speak of Christ outside the church building or when the person speaking of Christ is not the "pastor."
Rules and rituals bring happy feelings of satisfaction but that is all, they do not produce a Christlike character nor do they add anything to our relationship with Christ. He told us to walk by faith, not by sight. The only ritual He gave us was the Lord's supper and the head covering and lack of covering for the men. these things are symbols of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and the covering symbolizes the relationship between Christ and His church.
All other rituals are dead and useless except for "feelings" sake. They are not done to honor Christ they are done to satisfy feelings within those who love them.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Proof Someone Has Been Born Again

The proof that we are born again is that we have the fruit of the Spirit. Not works but the fruit of the character of Christ. First fruit and then follows works because of the fruit.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
When Christ changes us into a new creation because we believed in HIm, then He does all the work in us. He gets all the glory. Hallelujah!

Holding Hands at the Meal Occult or Biblical?

Has anyone ever thought about the ritual of holding hands at the mean during the prayer over the meal?
One day, as is my practice with everything, I analyzed what that ritual of holding hands during prayer was all about. I didn't see any direction, mandate or instruction or even and example where people practiced this in the Bible accounts.
Then I began to research the origins of the hand holding at the meal during a prayer and I found something interesting.
In a seance in the occult those seeking to summon the spirits will "complete the ring" with hand holding. Now I began to wonder if this is one more of those practices of the occult that Christians adopted into Christianity that really should be abandoned.
My question when I first began to question the origins of this practice was "what did it do for us." Did it cause God to listen to us better because we were holding hands." or "Did it create a bond between the people when God should be the focus."
Then I found out in the occult it was a ritual to summon the spirits, of hand holding having some sort of power to evoke the spirits. How on earth did this ritual become a practice in the Christian church. It is my belief that it came about through the influence of Hollywood's idea of Christianity as the writers mixed occult practices with their version of Christianity.
No one did the hand-holding ritual when I was a child, it came later with the onset of television and the influence of radio as the occult began to subtly enter the homes.
No one knew they were occult practices and thought they were a sweet idea that bonded one another.
Our bond to one another as believers comes through Christ and our love for one another, there is no need to practice a ritual the occult uses to summon demons or encourage power of some sort.
My suggestion is that if God never gives an example of it in the Bible or commands it, then we are free to ignore it. The sad reality is that if we are in a "Christian" group that does it we are pressured to do what they do without anyone understanding why they are doing it.
So many rituals are followed in the church today that are merely meaningless rituals that do nothing except make people feel good momentarily.
Just for fun, ask someone why they do something and watch their confusion. Many things people do have no purpose, however, they will attempt an answer that makes little sense if they do try to answer it at all. In my experience asking questions about rituals often places us on the outs with those who love their rituals but don't have a clue as to why they do it.
Colossians 2:8
"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."
Matthew 15:3
"He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?"
The practice of hand-holding brings the focus away from God to those we are holding hands with, the connection is with the people not about God.
The reaction of those we ask for an explanation about practices will tell us a lot. If tradition is important to them they will be irritated that we asked. I grew up in a family that acted angry when I asked why we did things, so I stopped asking them. But when I left home and was on my own I asked God and he revealed a lot to me. God will never chastise or bully us for asking for truth as people often will do.
James 1:4-6 "…4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.…"
I love that!!!! God gives generously wisdom to those who want it. And, often it will leave us without friends and advocates because most people do not care about God's truth, they want to fit into the culture around them more than they love God.
It is human nature to need "rituals" to feel superior and special. When we follow God's commands for His sake we are not special, He is the One Who is special. Self is taken out of the equation and worship of God is the focus.
Since the practice of holding hands at the meal blessing is not practiced in the bible but is practiced in the occult, we are free to decline to engage in it.
I have grown to hate human rituals that God never commanded, they are burdensome and place enmity between believers and those who love their ritual.
Believers who love Christ want to obey Him which is not burdensome, but ritual lovers want to oppress and obey each other, God is not the focus for them. They will follow the human traditions and negate and neglect the commands of Christ.
Let us be joyful and resolute when we decline to follow human traditions. Any negative reactions to our choice will tell you who loves you and who does not.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

The Devil, The Roaring Lion Full of Hate and Full of Trouble

I do not subscribe to the notion that narcissists are created because of abuse against them.
Narcissists are people who have been treated special and some have been abused but their decision to be selfish and rude isn't because of how they were treated, it is because they choose to use circumstances as excuses to be what they like, which is domineering, rude and mean.
I have known people who were abused who became like their abusers and I have known people who were treated very well who accuse those who treated them well of something that was not true. It was a choice based on their own character to be controlling and manipulative.
We are not animals who respond to stimuli, we are human beings who make our own choices because sin lurks in every heart. We can choose goodness and Christ or we can choose our own selfish way influenced by the devil and our fallen flesh. The devil uses our own fallen flesh to entice us to believe lots of things that are not true.
Christ in born-again believers influences them to walk in love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. These are the fruit of the Spirit and one can only have them if they are in the Spirit of Christ.
Narcissists are those who enjoy hurting others to elevate themselves. This is what the devil does, he enjoys hurting others and loves to influence narcissists to do the same. We are seeing this mentality growing in these last days of apostasy because the devil knows his time is short and he also knows there are far more people open to excusing and even endorsing bad behavior than ever before.
How someone is treated as a child does not cause them to be hateful and mean it just gives them an excuse. I have known many people who were treated badly who made the choice not to be like those who raised them.
There is an old saying that states; "we can become bitter or better because of our trials." We always have a choice about what we want to be.
An angry person prefers anger because it makes them feel powerful. A kind person prefers kindness because they hate harming others. Empathetic people will think of others first and always and an angry person will think of themselves first and always.
We all must have boundaries in place that are rational and reasonable so that we do not become "people pleasers" to the detriment of others and ourselves. However, those who have love in their hearts want to place themselves in the shoes of others to understand them while giving them the benefit of the doubt.
Narcissists who are continually angry love their anger and what it causes in those at whom they rage. They love to see the cowering and the fear and even tears in those they torment.
The devil is working hard to cause relationship problems where there need not be any. He makes small matter seem terrible and diminishes the good works of those who love Christ.
In short, the devil does exactly the opposite of what Christ would do. He says the opposite of what Christ would say, while diminishing righteousness and exalting sin.
1 Peter 5:8 "
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
Do not allow the devil to use people to cause reactions in you. The desired effect of the devil is to cause us to sin the way he has caused his minion to rage against us. We must be the opposite of what the devil wants for us.
When we answer a fool according to his foolishness we become like him.
Proverbs 15:1-2 "A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness."
We must always compare what is being done and said with God's Word, or we may become confused because it is certain that the culture as a whole is led by the devil. Those who are led by Christ are few in these last days. We cannot measure what is right by how many people follow something, we must measure it by God's Word and this will find us on the outs with the rest of the culture and most people.

Monday, March 25, 2024

Are you Educated and Ordained by Man or are you Called by Christ? One cannot be both!

No place in the scriptures do we have a command from God to be educated by men for ministry. However, we do have a command to seek the Holy Spirit and be taught by HIm.
John 16:12-14 "…12I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. 13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
We know when the Holy Spirit is speaking through someone, it is Christ they glorify and not self.
When people elevate men as special and the ones to seek for truth they are glorifying man instead of God.
We ought to feel great joy when we share with one another things from the teachings of the Holy Spirit, but no man who speaks the things of God is elevated above anyone else, it is Christ Who is lifted High!!!!

Be Discerning and Demand Proof

"Be careful what you believe when you hear gossip, you may be hearing it from the problem."
If you know who the flying monkeys are, that is those who listen to the lies of the narcissist, you can remove them from your lives as well as removing the narcissist.
Proverbs 10
1 A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
2 Ill-gotten gains do not benefit,
But righteousness rescues from death.
3 The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger,
But He will reject the craving of the wicked.
4 Poor is one who works with a lazy hand,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The mentioning of the righteous is a blessing,
But the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise of heart will receive commands,
But a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 One who walks in integrity walks securely,
But one who perverts his ways will be found out.
10 He who winks the eye causes trouble,
And a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all offenses.
13 On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But a rod is for the back of him who has no [g]sense.
14 Wise people store up knowledge,
But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
15 The rich person’s wealth is his fortress,
The ruin of the poor is their poverty.
16 The wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.
17 One who is on the path of life follows instruction,
But one who ignores a rebuke goes astray.
18 One who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And one who spreads slander is a fool.
19 When there are many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,
But one who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of understanding.
22 It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.
23 Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a person of understanding.
24 What the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy one to those who send him.
27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright,
But ruin to the workers of injustice.
30 The righteous will never be shaken,
But the wicked will not live in the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked, what is perverted."