PROVERBS 16

If there was one book in the bible that I had to choose to read from for the next hundred years, it would be the book of Proverbs. This book of wisdom contains some of the most profound and life altering teachings one can find. In many cases, it is the key to unlocking many of the mysteries of scripture. Proverbs is a road map to finding the Kingdom (Reign) of God (Spirit of Truth/Life/Love/Power) within, and it is a guide to peace, power, and a perfectly lived life.

With that being said, if there was one book in the Proverbs that I believed everyone should understand clearly, that book would be Proverbs 16. Within this profound simple chapter lies the answers we have all been waiting for. The advice given in this great chapter is a life changer. If the words of this chapter are taken to heart and understood there is no telling what you could do with your life. If one lives by the words written here, no one will be able to contain your joy and nothing will be able to stand in your way. This is why wisdom is called a tree of life.

Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth WISDOM, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. ¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her.

Wisdom in the scriptures is valued above all things… This is the TREE OF LIFE that we all circle around and pray to take hold of. It is WISDOM that breaks the chains of iniquity, wisdom that sets the captives free, wisdom that heals the broken and guides the lost. In all our getting, we are told to GET WISDOM!

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Wisdom is the PRINCIPLE THING… The question then becomes, what WISDOM must we find?

Is it the wisdom to rule your life? The wisdom to co-exist with others? The wisdom to do what is right? … It is my belief, it is all of these and more. In fact, it is the WISDOM of the TRUTH, knowing the truth and having it operate in your life, that sets a person free. It is the WISDOM of who you are… who you REALLY are… and what that means.

Lately, I have been in deep thought over what I should next write to you all. Within me there was a desire to share something, something of great importance, but what that was I did not yet know.  Over the years I have learned not to force things. We must allow these things to come to us, we must allow the process of birth to take place first within and then when the moment of birth is come, that gift is then to be shared without. So, after days of waiting upon the LORD (the existing one, the one who truly exists) proverbs 16 came to me in a most wonderful way.

I quickly opened this wonderful chapter and began to read. It was then I knew I MUST share this with all of you. So, in this short essay I will, line by line, break this chapter down. Because it is my great hope that understanding these words will in fact change everything for you.

PROVERBS 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

This first line is quiet interesting, it tells us that the LORD is in control of all things. The word “Lord” in this passage literally translates into “the existing One”… The ONE true Lord. The ONE that is all… As Ephesians states, One Lord, One Baptism, One Faith, One God and Father, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Notice the word, ONE? This means, God is all there really is. We are all ONE with this great spirit of creation. It exists in all, through all, and is in control of all. God is all that really exists. Yet we have all been blinded to believe differently. We have believed that our EGO is in control, and we have allowed our EGO to create new Gods for us to worship, our Ego tempted us much like Jesus in the garden, stating if we worship it, (which most do), then all will be ours… The problem is, the EGO is a liar and the father of all lies. There is no peace to be found in lies, only destruction. Because a LIE only seems to exist. When the TRUTH comes the LIE will be destroyed. This, my friends, is why we suffer.

Everything is from the LORD, yet we don’t believe this. We have allowed our EGO to take over, and we have been filled with fear and greed and lust and hate and every evil thing because of it. This is why we are tormented day and night, because the TRUTH of who we all are is FIGHTING TO BREAK FREE. We will either come to the truth and be broken, or we will be broken by the TRUTH of LOVE. You see, in the TRUTH there is peace but when one is ruled by lies, there is great torment. There is a great war within us. Our Ego fights to keep us focused on everything but the truth. These are the cares of the world (lusts) that strangle the truth. Our Ego keeps us running scared, because when ruled by lies and fear one cannot think clear.

Our FEAR is the root cause of all of our suffering, and there is great torment/testing in fear. Which is why we must embrace LOVE for all, because we are the ALL and the ALL is ONE. When we LOVE we are free, because there is no torment in love.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Now why is LOVE so very important? The reason is simple, if there is only GOD and everyone is one with God, than what we do to others, we in fact do to ourselves. Let’s take that line of thinking a bit farther.

If you HATE your neighbor, you will experience hate. If you are not compassionate to another in their time of need, you will experience the same. If you judge, condemn, tear down, mock, hurt, rob, or murder another you will experience the suffering that goes along with it.

What you do to others, you do to yourself. This is why LOVE is the key. When we love we are patient, gentle, kind, long suffering, meak, we do not strive, we do not debate, we do not condemn, we do not fail, we overcome, we find peace, and we know God as God knows us, as ONE. When we LOVE we have no FEAR, because PERFECT LOVE casts out fear. There is power in LOVE, there is hope, there is inspiration, there is unlimited potential in Love. In fear, there is weakness, anger, regret, sorrow, envy, and every other evil thing.

The problem is we have left our TRUE LOVE, we have LEFT the TRUTH and followed after the LIAR. We have DIED to our true nature and now we suffer. We suffer because rebellion against the TRUTH brings fear and in fear their is torment. When ruled by the EGO, we are selfish and cruel, and we are hopeless. Sadly, we have become a people addicted to the torment of the EGO. We speak more of what we cannot do than what we can, we think more about what we don’t have than what we do. We are lost in the web of lies that the EGO has spun, and we (thinking we are our EGO) believes it is foolish to live any other way, or to think differently. This is the very definition of insanity.

2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

When ruled by the EGO we think our actions are justified, but the ONE WHO TRULY EXISTS judges the thoughts and we are either justified by them or condemned by them. God is not mocked what ever a person sows they shall also reap.

3 Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Scripture tells us time and time again that we must take our thoughts captive, to test these spirits (thoughts) to see if they are rooted in the LORD (the one who really exists/truth/love/peace), we are told what thoughts we should entertain… Thoughts of peace, hope, kindness, charity… When we commit ourselves to this, our thinking will change and we will operate out of truth instead of lies. Then we will have a bigger idea of who we are, and when we have this faith, all things will be possible.

Philippians 2:4-6
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

The same mind in Christ, is IN YOU… the same mind that tells you that we are equal to God, for we are ONE. In the Father and the Father in you… With this understanding, you will begin to see that you create the good and the bad that happens in your life.

Many refuse to accept this great truth. Convinced that the bad that happens is not our own doing, but that somehow we are victims of an outside force. Yet, the one who exists within you, who IS you, makes all things FOR YOU!

4 The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Notice, how the LORD MADE ALL THINGS…FOR HIMSELF! It does not state the LORD makes all things for his creation, but for HIMSELF… Because there only is GOD!

Everything we endure and experience in this life, is a creation of God… The good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly… The creative force within us creates all things through us, and for us. EVEN TERRIBLE THINGS. Because in the end, they will all have served their purpose.

We find in the scriptures that God created, and hardened the hearts of terrible men and women, like Pharoah so a great purpose could be carried out. And PHARAOH is an ALLEGORY of man’s EGO and HIS POWER IS YOUR SHAME…

Isa 30:3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

We have been slaves to our EGO and prisoners in the LAND of confusion and ignorance for too long. The only way out is to boldly declare the name of the LORD to your EGO… I AM THAT I AM… and understand that LOVE is your salvation. To understand that how you judge situations and people will become your experience….Because by how we judge we will be judged… Whatever YOU believe in your heart WILL BECOME!

5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

To exist out of your EGO is to be proud in your heart, and this is a recipe for disaster. You must understand who you REALLY are, cannot hate, and so when you operate out of anything but love, you will be rewarded with the same.

6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

LOVE is the key to peace of mind, TRUTH and MERCY destroys the sin (foolish thoughts) in your heart and keeps you from making the same mistakes again. Which in turn makes the life you are living here more enjoyable.

7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

You will find that when you are at peace with everyone, you have no enemies. But mankind has been tricked into believing the individual matters more than the whole. This is why we see war, poverty, crime, tyranny, abuse, and worse… The more you care for others, the more you will be cared for.

9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

Your EGO may convince you to think that who you are in this world is in control, but it is WHO YOU REALLY ARE that is bringing every one of your experiences into existence. Sow hate you will receive suffering. Make peace and you will know peace. Act selfishly you will always have want and fear. Live humbly and the world is yours.

10 A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.
11 A just weight and balance are the Lord’s: all the weights of the bag are his work. 12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness. 13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.

Our thoughts and words have power… OUR TRUE NATURE is LOVE… So it is an abomination to act otherwise. When we transgress who we really are, we create a false reality for ourselves, we create a hell, within which we must suffer. The power of life and death is in our tongue. Our words and thoughts have great power.

14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

When we act out of ignorant rage, we create great hardship for ourselves… When we operate out of wisdom, when we operate out of truth and love we create peace in our lives… If only you could truly believe this, your whole life would change for the better, instead of creating a life of sorrow and pain.

15 In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.

The LIGHT is a symbol of understanding, a person’s countenance is what is before and behind them, it is their experience, when we understand these things we find LIFE… and within this life is joy unspeakable. We must not act foolishly, we must no longer follow our fears and be snared by the lies of our ego. We must think before we speak, and we must test our thoughts before we set in our heart that these thoughts are true.

16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

To find the truth within you is the great treasure that has been hidden in the field, as the scriptures state. When we find this treasure we MUST rid ourselves of everything we foolishly valued before it. When we do we find REST!

18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

You may say you can’t forgive some, that some do not deserve your love, you may find that you want to hold onto past hurt feelings and say things like, I CANNOT FORGET OR FORGIVE… Well my friend this is the Pride that goes before the fall… You are setting yourself up for more heartache, more pain, more hate, more of the same. But to embrace love erases past wrongs and sets a person free.

19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Why is it better to put others, even your enemies above yourself? Because in so doing you lift yourself up out of your self created hell… we must embrace love to be free… How you think and act determines your experience and shapes your world…

20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.
21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

How you handle things decides whether you will find good or bad… it is all in your power. Whoever trusts in the wisdom of Love finds happiness, and will find never an end to what one may know.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

As above (what you think) so below (what you experience)… this is why the Proverbs state we must understand the power of our thoughts and words, and that the right words are sweet to the soul health to our bones. Now it may seem right to behave how everyone else behaves, to think the way everyone else thinks, but the world’s ways are not our ways… and when we act contrary to our nature, we suffer. Think of the torment of the drowning man who is meant to breath air, how he suffers if he tries to exist in an environment that is not natural for him. If we act out of our nature there are repercussions, and those repercussions are like the water flooding the drowning man’s lungs forcing him to return to his natural and perfect state of being.

Read these next lines and see how we actually imagine evil for ourselves because this world (our lusts) and the ruler of this world (our Ego) has convinced us that good is evil and evil is good.

25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
26 He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.
27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.

These four passages proclaim the state of mankind’s heart… we have been brainwashed to believe getting ahead of others is our right, that its a dog eat dog world, that nice guys finish last, and that the only way to happiness is the one who ends up with the most THINGS… We have been brainwashed to hate, to lie, to cheat, to do whatever we have to to get ahead… and this is why people hurt today. Because these terrible beliefs we bring to pass by believing this is just how things are. People plot, and scheme as to how they can get someone back for how they have been wronged. People plot and scheme and tempt people to be what they foolishly decided them to be in their hate filled hearts.

30 He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

Our EGO is the cause our suffering, it is that voice in our head saying… hate this person, get that person back, you will never be loved, you will never get ahead, you will never be happy… and when you believe these lies you bring this experience to pass. However, if you don’t… IF you take hold of the TRUTH and understand that… YOU ARE OF GOD… And who you REALLY are IS greater than who you think you are or have been… then you will know LIFE EVERLASTING!

1 John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

There is nothing that can hurt you but you!

31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

It’s time to RULE WISELY! It’s time to wake up to your RIGHTEOUSNESS! It’s time to let go of hate and fear and embrace LOVE AND TRUTH! Because in the end, it is ALL IN YOUR POWER TO DO SO… one way or another. It’s always been up to you… RETURN TO THE LORD (The one who really exists) and LIVE!

33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

Peace to you and yours,
Jacob
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