John Stanko

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

"Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known" - 14:33.

Some people are waiting to be more educated or spiritual before they attempt to achieve something for the Lord. That may or may not be necessary in your case because you may already have more in you than you think. As today's verse states, wisdom already reposes in your heart. God may equip you as you go and do and not before, so don't sell yourself or God's presence in you short. What is stopping you today from expressing the wisdom you have? Of what or who are you afraid? What are you waiting for? For encouragement to act now, look at Peter and how he expressed what was in his heart in Matthew 16:13-20, even though he was "young" in his relationship with Jesus and far from mature. Stop second-guessing yourself and act!

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

"The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out” - 13:9.

It may not seem like God is paying attention, but He is. He is always watching and evaluating the ways of all people. He preserves those who please Him, but opposes those who are godless and wicked. Keep on doing good and God will cause your light to shine for all to see! Are you doing what you can to allow your light to burn brightly? Are other people being attracted to your light? Are you trusting that God will ultimately reward you for your commitment to righteousness? You can read about how God treats the wicked in Jeremiah 16:17-18 and the righteous in Jeremiah 32:17-19. 

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

"A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
but the Lord condemns a crafty man” - 12:2. 

God favors those who put their trust in Him, but opposes those who trust their own abilities. In the long-run, God can do much for you than you can for yourself, but you must trust Him.  Why not let go of your own efforts to promote your best interests and do things God's way? Read 1 Chronicles 5:18-20 and 1 Samuel 17:47 to see how God helped those who understood how to let him fight for them in their battles. 

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

"For lack of guidance a nation falls,
but many advisers make victory sure" - 11:14. 

It can be difficult to admit you don't have the answers and consequently need the help of others (maybe even a lot of "others") to make it in life. It can be especially hard when you mess up and want desperately to redeem your situation by yourself. Just how open are you to the advice of others?  Read the story of a young man who lost almost his entire kingdom because he did not heed his advisers in 1 Kings 12.

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

“The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land” - 10:30.

We are likened to a plant except that we are rooted in spiritual instead of physical ground. When we are in Christ, no one or nothing can uproot us. Are your roots deep enough that storms and wind cannot topple you? Are you putting down the kind of roots in Him that will bear much fruit? Are you a source of stability and reliability to those around you? Read Psalm 1, which talks about you being like a tree firmly planted by the waters and then reflect on the stability and security you have in Him by reading John 10:28-30.

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

 “. . . and she [wisdom] calls from the highest point of the city” - 9:3.

Wisdom is broadcasting to anyone who will make an effort to listen in the midst of life's busy-ness. Yet there are many other voices vying for your attention. Are you listening?  What are you doing with what you are hearing? Throughout Revelation, John heard a loud voice from heaven as depicted in Revelation 1:10.  Are you hearing this same loud voice of wisdom?  If not, why not? (See how many other times "loud" is used in Revelation!)

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

 “I [wisdom] was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence” - 8:30.

Wisdom brings joy and, in a sense, is an expression of joy itself, for it helps you live a godly life. When you walk in the wisdom of the Lord, you have joy and Nehemiah told us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. What's more, wisdom is not a branch of philosophy or theology but is rather an important expression of who God is and how He relates to mankind—and how He expects mankind to obey Him as they relate to His creation and one another. Do you have wisdom? Do you want? What price are you willing to pay to get it? What are you doing to give it away? What more can you do? You can start by reading more about what your wisdom should look like and how you the wise should act in James 3:13-18.

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

"Many are the victims she has brought down;
her slain are a mighty throng” - 7:26.

Once you are a believer, you are in a war, whether or not you choose to participate. You have an intelligent,  spiritual enemy who does not want to see you succeed. You will overcome him by "the blood of the lamb and the word of [your] testimony" as stated in Revelation 12:11. Are you using your war weapons effectively? When is the last time you shared your testimony?

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

 “Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids" - 6:4.

There were times when Jesus put prayer ahead of sleep because He obviously felt He needed the prayer more than He needed the sleep. Since He was human, He was tired the next day but He had done something that was more important than His normal rest and that was commune with His Father. When you have goals and priorities, they energize you, like they did Jesus, and you can usually do more than you ever thought possible. What is important enough to you that are you willing to lose sleep over it? Have you turned that into a goal so it can then energize and direct you? You can see what Jesus did after an all night prayer session in Luke 6:12-16. He must have "heard" something in prayer that night that directed His steps to choose men who would go on to impact the world.

Your daily dose of Proverbs:

 “She gives no thought to the way of life” - 5:6.

Do you give thought to your way of life?  Are you happy?  Are you doing what you love? If you don't have a plan of what life road to take, then any road will do. Where would you like to be, Lord willing, in five years?  Ten years?  Read what Isaiah had to say about "the way" in Isaiah 8:11, 26:7, 30:21 and 48:17.