Feasting at Wisdom’s Table

I am reminded of a time when I was trying to improve my prayer life by increasing the time I spent praying. God began to show me what my heart was like. I didn’t like what He was showing me. I went to a prayer breakfast and a brother asked me how I was doing. I told him, “Not too good.” “What’s going on?” he asked. “God has shown me that I have the heart of an adulterer, a liar, a murderer, a thief…”, I responded. Pushing himself away from me, he exclaimed, “You need to get your life together!” “No”, was my reply, “that is what I have been trying to do all my Christian life. I have studied the Bible for over 20 years, made disciples, led many souls to faith in Christ, memorized large portions of scriptures and sought to serve the Lord with all my heart, to love Him and put Him first before all things and all others, and still my heart is as fleshly as it was when I started. All my efforts did not change my fleshly heart.” I learned at that time that the reality is that the flesh never changes. I gave up trying, and for several months I felt powerless. Until one day I sensed the still small voice of the LORD breaking through my meditations reminding me that I was alive! Although the heart of flesh never changes, the LORD, the Holy Spirit leads us to put to death the deeds of the body that are according to the flesh. So it is with me, and I have had to fight mighty battles in resisting the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Sometimes I have failed to resist these things, and I had to confess and repent of my many sins. Anyone who comes to Him with a repentant heart, and admits that they have failed, receives mercy and finds grace and forgiveness. The LORD uses Proverbs in my life. As I pour over this gift of the Word of God, I am instructed to turn from sin. But the strength to depart from sin does not come from me. Oh no, it comes only from the LORD alone. “Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28.). When we look out over the landscape of our nation, it is apparent that people have allowed the ideologies of social anomalies, the leaven of immoral compromise, the lawlessness of selfish ambition and hatred of bitter jealousy to become the norms in their lives. What people are reflecting in America is a spirit of godlessness. The rejection of God is resulting in America being dishonored, shamed, discredited and debased.. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people”. (Proverbs 14:34)