vengeance is the Lord's
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Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with Coffee on Ice. I am your host, Allie Yost, and I am so excited to be here with you guys. Hi! Happy Friday. Happy Christ with Coffee on Ice Friday, guys. We have our coffee on ice topped with a little bit of feminine. Love you. Gorgeous. Scrumptious. Amazing.

We have our Christ. I'm excited for today's episode because we are going to be reading scripture again. Guys, we're going to read the Bible together. That's like one of my favorite things to do with you guys is actually just read the word of God because like we've said before, sometimes actually it should be all the time. That's enough. The word of God should actually be enough for us. That is food to our souls. And

our minds and our hearts. And so I would love for you guys to join me. If you have a Bible nearby,

I think it would be really great for us to do this together and follow along together. If you don't have a Bible near you, that's okay. You can definitely just listen to the word of God. But like I said before, in other episodes where we just read scripture, I would advise, and I think it would be the most effective if you're actually reading a Bible. So I know it's easier to just have somebody kind of read it to you and feel like you got your dose of the day, but please don't count this as your quiet time with the Lord. Don't count this as...

your time of being in your Bible. Of course, it's an honor that I get to read it to you guys. And, you know, any way we could take the word of God, I mean, we'll take it. So it's better than nothing. But also, I really think it would be great for us to just be intentional and open it and read it and feel it and look at it and underline it and highlight it and write notes. I just feel like that's the best way to really make sure that the word of God is embedding in our hearts because...

which is also a Bible. It's very important to not only hear the word of God and know the word of God, but to apply it and embed it deep in our hearts. And so I don't know, that's just what I believe is the most effective when it comes to making sure it actually goes into our hearts is like really holding, tangibly holding the word of God and being in it. It's

So that's just my little side lecture, I guess. But if you have your Bible with you, I think it'd be great for us to start. Now we've read Proverbs before. Um,

I don't remember where we left off. To be honest, I'm in the book of Proverbs right now, and I've just been thriving in it. And so I think that it'd be really great if we just continue together. I am in Proverbs 25. So I know that's kind of giving random or in the middle. If you haven't read Proverbs before, definitely read it on your own time, especially if you haven't read anything up until 25. But we will start in Proverbs 25 together right now. It's

Just as another reminder, I do have the NLT translation of the Bible. Also, guys, remember how I was kind of having those issues in...

my house with flies. So Ashley and I were sick and tired of being sick and tired of these flies. Cause I think I told you guys that we had, I put up some type of like bug catcher in the house and then one outside on our porch as well, because that's where they're coming from. And it's like awful. I

where if we just simply have the back door open for just a few seconds, a fly comes in. This story is going to make sense. I swear it's about the Lord. But Ashley and I got sick and tired of being sick and tired. And so we prayed together.

Because where two or more are gathered, right? So we prayed together and we said, God, we need you to do something about this. Okay, dad, we love you. This is so distracting. It's like getting in her vlogs. It's getting in her videos where she's like making food videos and there's flies everywhere. It's getting in my podcast, you know, like it's just a little bit of a distraction and it's gross. It's like gross. So we said, God, please help us. Seems silly, seems small, but it also,

is giving like when I prayed for the cockroaches that were in my house. You guys remember, I think I told you guys about that. When I was living in Nashville, there were cockroaches in my home and I was so sick and tired of it and no one was helping me. Exterminators couldn't come. They were canceling. They were procrastinating. So I just prayed and I didn't see any more cockroaches.

Right? We did the same thing just with our flies and it's quiet. There haven't been flies in our house in days since we made that prayer. So nothing is too silly. Nothing is too small. Nothing is too inconvenient. Nothing is too minuscule.

For the Lord, he cares about everything because he cares about you so deeply. So just know that you can pray about anything, even if it seems something as silly as like flies being in your home, because we have not seen any more flies in our house. That's the power of the Lord. Everything has to answer to the name of Jesus. Even a house fly. Yeah. Isn't that silly? It's true. Even a house fly.

Even a house fly has to answer to the name of Jesus. So that was really cool for us to see. And so I don't believe that there's going to be any more guests, unexpected, uninvited guests on the podcast who have wings. But if an angel wants to show up, that's fine. I'll take that with wings. Yeah. Yeah, I would take an angel. All right, ladies and gents, let's get into the Bible. The Bible. It's our sword. It's our food.

It's the key to life. We talked about that the last time we were in Proverbs. More Proverbs of Solomon. Proverbs 25, what? Reads...

These are more Proverbs of Solomon collected by the advisors of King Hezekiah of Judah. It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them. No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth, or all that goes on in the king's mind. Remove the impurities from silver and sterling will be ready for the silversmith. Remove the wicked from the king's court.

and his reign will be made secure by justice. Don't demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great. It's better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace. Just because you've seen something, don't be in a hurry to go to court. For what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat? When arguing with your neighbor, don't betray another person's secret.

Others may accuse you of gossip and you will never regain your good reputation. Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket. To one who listens, valid criticism is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry. Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer. They receive the spirit of their employer.

A person who promises a gift but doesn't give it is like clouds and wind that bring no rain. Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones. Do you like honey? Don't eat too much, or it will make you sick. Don't visit your neighbors too often, or you will wear out your welcome. Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an axe, wounding them with a sword,

or shooting them with a sharp arrow. Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot. Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like taking someone's coat in a cold weather or pouring vinegar in a wound. If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat.

If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you. Wait, I want to talk about that verse. That's 25, 22. Ashley and I refer to that one a lot. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you. If your enemies are hungry, give them food. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. The best way that I interpret that is that even when people treat you cruelly,

repay them with love, right? It's that verse where it's like, don't repay evil with evil, repay evil with blessings. It's really interesting because when you don't repay evil with evil, meaning if people come at you aggressively, if they're unkind to you, if they're just straight up rude, disrespectful, and you reply in a way that's the same, you're only adding fuel to the fire. I mean, that's kind of expected actually. Like if somebody's going to be rude to you,

It's more common for a human being to just be rude back, right? Because in worldly ways and mentalities, right? The way that we think without the heart of Jesus is, well, of course I'm going to dish back what they're dishing me. Why would I treat them with kindness when they're being unkind to me? It only makes sense to meet them where they're at. And so if they're being rude, I'm going to hand it right back to them, right? But it's kind of giving pride. It's kind of giving revenge, right?

And it's just not pure to respond that way. No matter how tempting it is for our flesh to want to lash back out or even simply defend ourselves. Let's say somebody's being really rude and it's unrightful and you're like, I didn't even do anything. And you kind of want to argue, but not in a way to be like, I'm gonna be a jerk back, but I'm gonna defend myself because that wasn't right. But the thing that we need to believe and remember as followers of Christ is that we are not our own defenders. The Lord defends us.

And so we aren't here to like armor up and fight for ourselves. He is our defender. He is the one that fights for us. We are supposed to be still and know that the Lord will fight for us, that he is God, right?

So it's actually kind of an uno reverse. It's a bit of a plot twist and it's very unexpected. When somebody comes at you in an aggressive way and you respond to them in kindness and love, it's going to throw them off so much so that it actually makes them feel shame. I'm going to give an example. So we went to the movies a few nights ago.

And there's this woman that was sitting in front of me. And I actually was fully in the wrong because I didn't realize I was doing this. We were seeing the movie Twisters. It was actually very good. Okay, side note, I highly suggest the movie. It was like so good. We really enjoyed it. I'd say overall, my friends and I, I think we gave it like a 7 out of 10. It was good. It was entertaining. It was good. It wasn't super predictable and it wasn't really cheesy or corny. I was locked in the whole time.

So we go to see this movie and this woman is sitting in front of me. And I didn't realize I was doing this, but I was kind of playing with my shoe against the back of her seat. Because also there are some intense, like highly intense moments of this movie. So I was probably doing it kind of anxiously because I was like, so like, oh my gosh, what's going to happen next? Are they going to live? Is it going to be okay? Because it's like thriller, right? And so I didn't realize I was doing this with my shoe, but I must, I was kind of probably bumping the back of her.

her seat with my shoe, anxiously being like in the movie, right? Kind of playing with my shoe. And she turns around and she was really snappy and not very nice to me about it. And she was like, can you stop? Like, wasn't nice. Obviously, she had lost her patience. Maybe she had been biting her tongue for a while. I don't know how long I was doing it for, but I'm sure it was just kind of one of those like irritating little things that was happening. And she was just hoping that I would stop and didn't say anything. And then she just

You know, I understand. I actually have compassion for that. I'm not even angry at her about it, but I actually just didn't even realize I was doing it. And so she lashes out and does that. And I like took a second to even process what was happening and what was said. I was like,

did she just yell at me for doing something to the back of her seat? Like I couldn't really hear her either because of the movie and I wasn't expecting it. I don't know. It just kind of really took me off guard. And everyone who was with her next to her was kind of also like, whoa, like what, what happened? Right. And so I put my hand on her shoulder and I was like, was I kicking the back of your seat?

And she was like, yes, my seat. You were, you were kicking my seat. And I was like, I am so sorry. Oh my gosh. I had no idea that I was doing that. And I like kind of rubbed her shoulder in a way that was loving. I wasn't invading her space, but I was definitely being like, oh my gosh, like I love you, you know? And I was like, I am so sorry. I did not mean to disrupt you and your experience. Like, that's awful. I'm sorry. Like genuinely from

from the bottom of my heart was apologizing to this woman with such sincerity that I could tell on her face. Like she, this is what the love of Christ does to people. It doesn't matter how bitter, how angry, how agitated, how anxious. Like this is what the love of Christ does. Her complete demeanor and her tone in her voice and everything completely changed. And she was like, oh, Adi, it's okay. The love of Christ changed.

Jesus does that. Like if I had fought back and been like, I'm sorry, I didn't even realize I was doing it. Like, calm down. Oh my gosh. It's not that deep. It's like, watch the movie. I don't know. If I responded in any other way, it wouldn't have been productive. But isn't it interesting that the minute that we allow the Lord to just speak love through us and use us as a vessel, there is no more fight. There, there is no more anger. Like it keeps burning coals of shame on their heads. I'm sure in that second, she was like, oh,

oh, wait, she's sweet. Oh, I didn't need to lash out like that. She's actually kind. She didn't mean it. Like, maybe in her head, she was making up this narrative like, these kids sitting behind me, like, ah, they're so, whatever. And I

I really believe that because of the way that I loved her, I didn't get defensive. I didn't feel like I had to fight. I didn't feel like I had to defend myself. And like, I didn't have an ego. I didn't have pride. I said, I'm sorry. I was wrong. I love you. Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. And the Lord will reward you. I mean, that's not why I did it. I just really wanted to love her. But the reward low key is like, there's no fight. There's no fight. And

And the Lord is so proud of us in moments like that. When we decide to love people who aren't loving to us in the first place, God sees that. And let's say that that woman still didn't reply to me with love and kind of huffed and puffed and rolled her eyes. That doesn't even matter because the Lord saw the way that I loved her. And that's what he asked. That's the only thing he really asks us to do in life.

That's the only thing he ever asks us to do is to love one another. So I love that verse. If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. That woman needed love, so I gave it to her. And it was actually really sweet. I felt like we could walk down

walked out the besties after that moment, you know? I don't know. I think it's fun. I think being a follower of the Lord, it's not discouraging when people are unkind anymore. I've really gotten to that point. It wasn't always like this for me. It wasn't. So if you can't relate to this...

I have compassion for that. And I know that one day you will get here if you don't feel like you're here yet. But I believe now it doesn't really offend me when people aren't kind to me. I mean, did we talk about this recently? I don't think of myself anymore. When people are rude to us, it's easy for us to get discouraged and it's easy for us to get our feelings hurt because we immediately look at ourselves as...

after that interaction, right? You have an interaction with somebody, they are unbelievably unkind to you. They're rude to you. You didn't deserve it.

The only reason in that situation that you could ever feel down bad and feel sad and want to cry and feel discouraged is because you're looking at yourself. That's just the truth. Like you're pitying yourself and you're feeling bad for yourself. Am I saying that to invalidate anyone's feelings? No, because it's real. It's real. Like if somebody's treating you a certain way and you don't feel like you deserve it, it's very real to have your feelings hurt and feel like you want to cry. Okay.

I've been there. I have cried because strangers have been rude to me, you know? So I don't say that to invalidate anybody, but I do say it in a way where it's kind of giving superpower though. If you don't want to feel like that anymore and you don't want to feel discouraged by the way that strangers could treat you, even if you know that you don't deserve it, the superpower loophole is not looking at yourself.

is looking at them and having a passion for them. I know, it's another uno reverse, but it's what the Lord does. Jesus doesn't look at himself ever, actually. He doesn't deserve a lot of things. And he never looks at himself.

I'm crying again. It's true. There are a lot of things that the Lord doesn't deserve. Doesn't deserve to be neglected. He doesn't deserve to be ignored. He doesn't deserve to be mocked. And he doesn't deserve to be used as a curse word. Like there's, the Lord just doesn't deserve a lot of things even today. And yet he still doesn't look at himself.

He looks at others and he has compassion for them. And he says, forgive them, Father, for they don't know. And so freshly made ravioli or hand pulled ramen noodles. When you dine with Chase Sapphire Reserve, either will be amazing because it's the choice between a front row seat at the chef's table while getting a live demo of how to make ravioli or dining family style as you hear the story behind your ramen broth. This weekend, it's ravioli. Next weekend, ramen.

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So when people are unkind to me, even that woman in the theater, when she was not nice to me, I didn't look at myself. I looked at her and I had compassion for her. And I think the ultimate wisdom that we only can get from the Lord is being able to look at people who are hurting and seeing the pain that they must be feeling to act that way.

And I don't say that in a, wow, well, she must be miserable. I say that with love in my heart. Like, oh my gosh, you have been so hurt. You have been so betrayed by the world. You have been so hurt that this is how you treat people. You know what I mean? It's not about us at all. And it's actually about that person, which is why we need to be praying for people like that. Not like, oh, I'm praying for her. Like, no, I'm actually, I'm actually praying for you.

Because that person doesn't have peace. They're not happy. They're not truly happy. Maybe they think they are, but if they're treating people like that, there's a good chance that they're not. They don't have peace.

They don't sleep well at night. They feel alone. They feel anxious. They feel angry. There's no peace in their heart. Anybody who has true peace in their heart would never act like that, you know? My response to her was giving peace. I had peace. I said, "I'm so sorry. I'm not gonna fight back. If you have peace, you're not gonna fight."

And it's the people who are constantly ready to fight that clearly don't reflect peace. They don't have peace and they're ready to fight all the time. Does that make sense? So the best loophole to not being hurt, not being offended is literally not looking at yourself because if you know who you are and the Lord knows who you are and you know that you didn't deserve that, that's all that matters.

And the other thing that matters is how you treat them in response. And if that didn't matter, the Lord wouldn't make that so clear in scripture of how we're supposed to treat our enemies, how we're supposed to treat evil, right? How are we supposed to respond to evil with blessings? If that wasn't important, the Lord wouldn't have even bothered to put that in the Bible. It's actually also very important in the way that we respond to evil, how we respond to people who are unkind to us.

Even if no one else sees it, it's not for anyone else to see. It's for the Lord. It's to say, okay, God, I know what to do in this situation because you've taught me and you've showed me. So I'm going to apply what you've taught me to real life. And I'm going to treat this person with love. And I'm going to repay them with blessings.

And I'm going to pray for them because I know you care about the way that I walk, not just the way I talk, not just the way that I read the Bible, but the way that I walk as well. All right, y'all moving on.

Little side tangent. Okay, 2523. As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anchor. It's better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in her lovely home.

Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty. Oh guys, that's good. Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty. I think about the Bible. Good news for keeping it far away from people. That's like cold water to the thirsty.

If the godly give in to the wicked, it's like polluting a fountain or muddying a spree. It's not good to eat too much honey, and it's not good to seek honors for yourself. A person without self-control is like a city with broken down walls.

Now we're in Proverbs 26. Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest. Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a brittle, and a fool with a rod to his back.

Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation. Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one's feet or drinking poison. A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg. Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.

A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.

An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random. As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise. The lazy person claims there's a lion on the road. Yes, I'm sure there's a lion out there. As a door swings back and forth on its hinges...

So the lazy person turns over in bed. Lazy people take food in their hand, but don't even lift it to their mouth.

Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors. Interfering in someone else's argument is as foolish as yanking a dog's ear, just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, I was only joking. Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossips stop.

A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood. Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one's heart. Smooth words may hide a wicked heart just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot. People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they're just seething you. They pretend to be kind, but don't believe them.

their hearts are full of many evils while their hatred may be concealed by trickery their wrongdoing will be exposed in public if you set a trap for others you will get caught in it yourself if you roll a boulder down on others it will crush you instead a lying tongue hates its victims and flattering words cause ruin

Proverbs 27 now. Don't brag about tomorrow since you don't know what the day will bring. Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth, a stranger, not your own lips. A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier. Anger is cruel and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.

An open rebuke is better than a hidden love. Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from the enemy. Whoa. A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry. Whoa, I love that. Wait, can we read that one more time? Y'all listen to this. Think about it. Marinate with that. Interpret that. A person who is full refuses even honey because they're full.

It don't matter how sweet it is. They're like, rants full. But even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry. Like if they are so hungry...

They will eat even bitter food. The way that I think of this, I think this can be interpreted in a few different ways, which is what makes scripture so beautiful. But the thing that it makes me think about is like the Lord, the word of God, the presence of the spirit, Jesus. Okay. If we are full spiritually, we don't need anything else. It doesn't matter how sweet it could be honey. And we're like, nah, I'm full.

I'm full, I'm full of the spirit, I'm full of the Lord. I'm satisfied, I literally am stuffed. Like I can't eat anything else. Spiritually, we are full, right? When we have a relationship with the Lord, when we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, when we've spent our time in scripture, when we've been in a secret place with the Lord, right? But even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry. So I just think about people, maybe even versions of ourselves that didn't know the Lord.

And so we're turning to things that are probably so bitter, but it doesn't matter because we were literally that starving that even that tasted sweet to us because we were not full. We were trying to fill this void through other things. It could be anything in the world. It could have been anything, okay? Anything that we do, that we try to do to fill that void in our hearts that is only supposed to be filled by the Lord is...

Even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry. We were hungry. We were starving. And we were willing to try to use anything to fill that void. When if we had just gone straight to the thing that was meant to fill that space in our heart, which was the Lord, we would have been full. We would have refused even honey. We would have been like, oh girl, I'm good. A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter foods taste sweet to the hungry. They're desperate.

When we don't have Jesus, we are desperate. We will try anything to try to fill that void. A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest. And that makes me think of when we stray away from the Lord. He is our home. Jesus is our home. God is our home. Being in relation with our Heavenly Father is our home. And so anyone who strays away from their home is like a bird that strays from its nest.

They stray away from their home, safety, what they're meant for, what they were made to be. That bird was made to be with its nest in its home, not stuck in a mall somewhere. I don't know. Thinking of those birds, I get stuck in a mall and they're like flying around all that. That's not what birds were made for. Birds were made to be near their nests.

Their home, their families. The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. Never abandon a friend, either yours or your father's. When disaster strikes, you won't have to ask your brother for assistance. It's better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics. A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger's debt.

but get a deposit if he does it for foreigners. A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse. A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as a constant dripping on a rainy day. Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands. As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Wow.

Just as death and destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied. Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. I really like that. I feel like the way I interpret that is, so fire tests the purity of silver and gold, right? Like how pure it is, like if it's pure silver, pure gold, how much of it is completely that? Right?

but a person is tested by being praised. Like if I were to think of myself with how much people praise what I do online and stuff, I feel like that could be the fire that tests my purity. Like, am I going to let that get to my head and I'm going to start looking at myself as my own God or be impressed with my own wisdom? Or am I going to continue to give glory to God? A person is tested by being praised. That's really good. Like the best way to be tested in our purity is

and our humility is actually the way that we react when we're being praised by others. Like, are you like high and mighty and ego and pride and look at me, I'm so great? Or are you like, glory to God, it is because of the Lord that I am this way. There's no other reason. Thank you. I'm grateful. I love to work hard for the kingdom, but...

Thank you, Jesus. He's the one that's given me all of this. The knowledge, the wisdom, the work ethic, the drive, the motivation, the inspiration, the visions, the dreams. Like he, he is the reason. So fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. I love that. You cannot separate fools from their foolishness.

Even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle. I really don't know what that means. I'm going to keep it a buck with you guys. At some parts of the Bible, I still don't really understand. I don't know what mortar and pestle are, but if I were to try to break this down to the best of my ability, I would imagine that if a fool insists on being foolish, like they just be a fool and they're like not trying to not be one.

I feel like this is giving the girlfriend who tries to convince their man, sorry if I'm calling someone out. I just know that this exists.

I love you. I love you. But it's giving like the girlfriend that drags the boyfriend to church to try to get him to believe in the Lord. Like you have so much faith and you really so deeply want him to, but if he doesn't want to know the Lord, if he's not the one leading the relationship, if he's not the one bringing you to church, baby, it doesn't matter how much you grind them like grain in a mortar and pestle, girl.

You cannot separate a fool from their foolishness, especially if they insist on being one. If they don't want to not... Because I was a fool. I was a fool. And I was foolish for a while. And there was a point in my life where you could not separate the foolishness from me being a fool because I was content being one. I was content living life without the Lord and not having an intimate relationship with him. I was just like, whatever, okay? I also was content...

Until I wasn't anymore. Until I was sick of my own foolishness. Until I was sick of being a dog that was returning to its own vomit. So a fool repeats his foolishness, right? We go back to Proverbs 25, 11. As a dog returns to its vomit, I was sick of returning to my own vomit. But it was the dog. It was me. It was me.

who had to make the decision of saying, no, I'm actually sick of returning back to my foolishness. I'm sick of being a fool. This kind of goes back to the episode that we filmed last week, y'all, where we can't force anyone into their faith. Like they have to make that choice themselves and they have to want it themselves. And so that's kind of how I'm interpreting it. Hopefully that gently convicts somebody if you feel like that's what you're doing, but you cannot separate fools from their foolishness. Only the Lord can do that.

And it can only be initiated by somebody who's like, okay, I'm done being a fool. Like, I don't want to do this anymore. The invitation to the Lord, right? Because the Lord is always knocking at the door. It's just a matter of us actually unlocking it and opening the door and being like, okay, God, I do need you, you know? But you cannot separate fools from their foolishness. That's not something that we can actually physically do at all. Dang, y'all, that's fire. Oh, Bible, Bible.

Know the state of your flocks and put your heart into caring for your herd. For riches don't last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.

Proverbs 28. That's so batty. Okay.

Oh my gosh, can we read that one more time? The wicked run away when no one is literally chasing them. Fools being foolish. Girl, what are you talking about? Ain't nobody behind you. But the godly are as bold as lions. That's us, guys. Yeah, you do have it inside of you to be as bold as a lion because of the Holy Spirit, because the lion himself, the lion and the lamb. Yeah, because of Jesus Christ. Whoa. But the godly are as bold as lions.

That's amazing.

to reject the law is to praise the wicked to obey the law is to fight them talking about the law we're talking about the Bible you guys to reject the law to reject the word of God is to praise the wicked girl you might as well be out there praising the world living like the world if you're rejecting the Lord and the word of God you might as well go praise the wicked but to obey the law is

Is to fight them. What was I doing in that movie theater? What was I doing in that movie theater? I was obeying the law. I said, okay, dad, I'm going to do what you tell me to do. I'm going to, I'm going to do exactly how you're telling me to act in a situation like this. And I'm going to repay evil with blessings. And so with that, I actually fought, I fought them.

with my kindness, with the love of Christ in my heart and practicing it was obeying the law. I obeyed what my dad said and I trusted him enough to say, okay, God, I'm going to respond like this is actually to fight them, to fight the wicked. Bye. And the wicked is the demonic.

So whatever spirit was over that poor woman, spirit of agitation, spirit of irritation, a spirit of anger. I fought those spirits, but with my love. That's so cool. This ain't a war against flesh and blood, baby. This is a war against the demonic, the spirit. I wasn't fighting that poor woman.

That's another thing we need to keep in mind, y'all, is when people be acting like this, we got to look straight at the spirits that are operating through them or hovering over them. Look them in the eye. Evil people don't understand justice, but those who follow the Lord understand completely. Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich. Young people who obey the law are wise. Those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.

Income from charging high interest rates will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor. God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law. Those who lead good people along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the honest will inherit good things. Rich people may think they are wise, but the poor person with discernment can see right through them.

The power of discernment, y'all, which we get, that's a fruit of the Spirit. We get that from the Holy Spirit. We get that from the Lord. A poor person with discernment can see right through them. It doesn't matter the status of the person. They didn't need to be rich to see right through them. They just needed to be rich in the Spirit. A poor person with discernment can see right through the rich person who thinks they're wise. Oh, that's so good.

Oh, that's so good. That's real wealth. Bye. Max Bankman, I'm the new doctor. Welcome aboard the Odyssey. ABC Thursdays. This ship is heaven. We're tending to our past with our dreams. I'm in. From 9-1-1 executive producer Ryan Murphy comes a splashy new drama on a luxury cruise ship with Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson. It's your job to keep everyone alive. She's in V-fit. One, two, three. Clear. Clear.

I have a pulse. You're going to be okay. Dr. Odyssey, Thursdays, 9, 8 central on ABC and stream on Hulu. Godly succeed, everyone is glad. When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding. People who conceal their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble. A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear. A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people, but one who hates corruption will have a long life.

This is like, to the people who actually do something about their dreams, very similar.

versus people who just fantasize and talk the talk and like dream about the dreams, but they don't do anything to like actually work hard or just bring it to life, right? A hard worker has plenty of food.

But a person who chases fantasies end up in poverty. Like if you're just going to dream about it and you're not willing to work for it, obviously you're going to end up in poverty. Meaning like there's nothing that's going to happen. But somebody who works hard has plenty of food because they're not afraid to work, you know? I think the one thing that we need to remember in anything is that it's always good to have faith. It's good to have dreams. It's good to have visions and have plans, right?

But the Lord can't really do anything if we are also not willing to do anything. There are things that he calls us to lean back on and not do anything about. Like, there are some things that are coming to my mind where maybe I want to try to do things about them, but it's giving this is God's job. Like...

when it comes to trying to make certain things happen, you know, it's like, Allie, stop trying to take on the role of the Lord, sit back and let him be dad. There are things in life where we aren't supposed to act on it, but there are things that the Lord is asking me to do. Like even me simply sitting down and recording for this podcast, it's like, I could have dreamt about the pod. I could have been like, wow, what a great thing. Lord, do it, make it happen. But if I wasn't willing to get up and,

put it to show, right? Put the show on, here I am. I would be as good as somebody who chases fantasies and ends up in poverty, meaning it doesn't happen. The Lord can only do so much with people who are not willing to do anything. And so, you know, even Proverbs, I mean, they went in, Solomon went in on even just talking about lazy people.

And a swinging door, right, is as good as somebody who tosses and turns in bed and just sleeps all day. You know, the Lord does need us to be willing to do and work.

You know, we're a team with the Lord. We can't be God, but God does need us to be cooperative and he needs us to be willing to work. So I really love that. The trustworthy person will get a rich reward, but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble. Showing partiality is never good, yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread. That makes me think of Judas. Greedy people try to get rich quick.

but don't realize they're headed for poverty. In the end, people appreciate honest criticism far more than flattery. Anyone who steals from his father and mother and says, what's wrong with that, is no better than a murderer. Greed causes fighting. Trusting the Lord leads to prosperity. Those who trust their own insight are foolish.

But anyone who walks in wisdom is safe, a.k.a. the Lord. We're not leaning on our own understanding. We don't trust our own insight. That's foolish. But anyone who walks in wisdom is safe. Those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.

When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding. When the wicked meet disaster, the godly flourish. Now we're in Proverbs 29. Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery. When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.

I want to go back. I really like whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism. I just think that sometimes we can take that as like criticism from the world or like from our enemies. I don't want anyone to think that. If you didn't think that, great. But that's not what I believe the Lord means with this. I don't want anyone to think that.

I think he just means that if you're not humble enough to take criticism, meaning if you're not humble enough and criticism from people who are trustworthy, you're not just going to take criticism from anybody. You're going to take criticism from people who are also godly, who are in your community, who know Jesus, who you trust, right? Who truly uplift you and back it up with scripture. You know, there are things that I, and Ashley has said this, like she's openly said this so I can say this, but there are things that I've even said to Ash that

that I feel are from the Lord and it might not feel the best, she said some things to me too, where we're not, you know, there's no flattery, right? It goes back to Proverbs 28, 23. It says, in the end, people appreciate honest criticism far more than flattery, like sugarcoating things or, you know, helping somebody's ego in that moment rather than giving honest criticism and saying, actually, I really believe the Lord wants you to know this. Like, this is the truth. And it might kind of hurt a little,

a little like sting. Sometimes the truth stings a little bit, but if it's not ultimately like uplifting you and encouraging you and you don't feel encouraged by the Lord, correction is really important. And we even talked about that when we were talking about prophecy, right? Like sometimes even in prophecy, the hard truth can be told to us and it doesn't always feel the best.

But ultimately, at the end of the conversation, it should be encouraging and it shouldn't make you feel awful. Right. So in the end, people do appreciate honest criticism. But flattery, flattery is like you're not helping anyone, especially if you love the person. And so whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism, though, it's giving you have too much of an ego. Maybe there's a little bit of pride that's in the way that's allowing you to be critiqued.

Ultimately by the Lord. He guides us though. It's his shepherding, you know? We're not going to be perfect and we're going to get things wrong and we're going to think that we're right, but maybe we're not. And so there's that humbling factor of being a child of God. We are children. He is our father, you know? You think about those rules. You think of what a child is to their father. Father knows best. Father knows more. Father is more experienced. He's aged. He's been through a lot more. So when we identify proudly,

as children of God, we need to realize that we are his children though. So with that comes, you know, criticism and correction in a loving way. It may kind of sting at first, but that is something that we're supposed to embrace and love actually and rejoice in. Oh my gosh, what better person to be corrected by than the Lord, you know? And so if we're not willing to take criticism, we will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery. Meaning if you are going to continue to have relationships

ego or

or pride in the way we are only on the route of destruction. We won't be able to prosper. It's through the correction of the love of the father that keeps us on the right path. And if we refuse that, we're not allowing ourselves to grow spiritually or just flourish, be blessed. You know, the man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father. But if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted. Okay. Do we love that? The,

The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father. So if we're constantly seeking his wisdom and we love it and we want the correction, we're okay with being humbled. We're okay with being wrong. If it means that we are gaining wisdom from our Lord, that actually brings joy to our father. Like he's so excited when we're willing to take that.

A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it. To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet. Evil people are trapped by sin, but the righteous escape shouting for joy. The godly care about the rights of the poor. The wicked don't care at all. The bloodthirsty hate blameless people, but the upright seek to help them. Oh, guys, this is... Okay, this is a good one.

Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. If a ruler pays attention to liars, all his advisors will be wicked. The poor and the oppressor have this in common. The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

If a king judges the poor fairly, his throne will last forever. To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child. When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes, but the godly will live to see their downfall. Discipline your children and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad.

When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. Words alone will not discipline a servant. The words may be understood, but they are not heeded.

There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking. A servant pampered from childhood will become a rebel. An angry person starts fights. A hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin. Pride ends in humiliation, while humility breaks honor.

Let's read that again, guys. That's good. That ties into what we were just saying. Pride ends in humiliation while humility brings honor.

It's giving no matter what we will be humbled. So it's better to just be humble from the beginning because that's what brings honor rather than being prideful and being humiliated because you will be humbled. Pride will be humbled, but with humility brings honor when we're already humble. If you assist a thief, you only hurt yourself. You are sworn to tell the truth, but you dare not testify. Fearing people is a dangerous trap.

but trusting the Lord means safety. Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice comes from the Lord. The righteous despise the unjust. The wicked despise the godly. Now we're in Proverbs 30. I really want to try to get to Proverbs 31. Yeah, we'll just finish Proverbs.

We're almost there. Okay, Proverbs 30. The sayings of Agur, son of Jekah, contains this message. I botched both of those names. Forgive me, guys. Okay. I am weary, O God. I am weary and worn out, O God. I am too stupid to be human.

And I lack common sense. I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One. Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name and his son's name? Tell me if you know. Every word of God proves true.

He is a shield to all who comes to him for protection. Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar. O God, I beg two favors from you. Let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches. Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.

Verse 1.

They have teeth like swords and fangs like knives. They devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity. The leech has two suckers that cry out, more, more. There are three things that are never satisfied. No, four that never say enough.

The grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire, the eye that mocks a father and despises a mother's instructions will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures. There are three things that amaze me, no four things that I don't understand. How an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship,

navigates the ocean, how man loves a woman. An adulterous woman consumes a mare, then wipes her mouth and says, what's wrong with that? There are three things that make the earth tremble. No four it cannot endure. A slave who becomes a king, an overbearing fool who prospers, a bitter woman who finally gets a husband, a servant girl who supplements her mistress, a

There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise. Ants, they aren't strong, but they store up food all summer. Hyraxes, they aren't powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks. Locusts, they have no king, but they march in formation. Lizards, they are easy to catch, but they are found even in king's palaces.

there are three things that walk with stately stride no four that strut about the lion king of animals who won't turn aside for anything the strutting rooster the male goat

a king as he leads his army. If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, cover your mouth in shame. As the beating of cream yields butter and striking the nose causes bleeding, so stirring up anger causes quarrels. And now we're in Proverbs 31. The saying of King Lemuel contains this message, which his mother taught him. Oh, my son, oh, son of my world,

O son of my vows, do not waste your strength on women, on those who rule with kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol, for if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed. Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress. Let them drink to forget their poverty and remember their troubles no more.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless and see that they get justice. A wife of noble character who can find a virtuous and capable wife.

She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She finds wool and flax, and busily spins it. She is like a merchant's ship, bringing her food from afar. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household.

and plan the day's work for her servant girls. She goes to inspect a field and buys it. With her earnings, she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She makes sure her dealings are profitable. Her lamp burns late into the night. Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber.

She extends a helping hand to the port and opens her arms to the needy. She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes. She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. Her husband is well known in the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders. She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants.

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her

Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her. There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last. But a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

All right, y'all. Well, that is Proverbs 25 through 31. I hope that you guys enjoyed this episode. I did. I love Proverbs, y'all. It's so good. If you ever want to learn something, Proverbs. Oh my gosh. That was so good. Thank you guys for joining with me and I hope it was fruitful. I love you guys. I'm so proud of you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for loving the podcast.

Also, can we do something cool today? Can we do something cool? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? Let's show someone the love of Jesus. Let's show somebody maybe a few things we even learned today. I love you guys. Have a blessed weekend and have a great rest of your week. And I will see you next Friday. Bye.

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