Proverbs 6:1-5: Be Careful

My son, if you become surety for your friend .....maybe this translation would be easier to understand:

My ·child be careful about giving a guarantee for ·somebody else’s loan, about promising to pay what someone else owes.

You ·might get trapped by what you say; you ·might be caught by ·your own words.. My ·child, if you have done this and are under your ·neighbor’s control, here is how to ·get free. Don’t be proud. Go to your ·neighbor and ·beg to be free from your promise. Don’t ·go to sleep or ·even rest your eyes, but ·free yourself like a ·deer running from ·a hunter, like a bird flying away from a ·trapper. Proverbs 6:1-5 EXB

I'd do ANYTHING for you. I'd help you ANYWAY that I can. How often have we said those words to someone? And if that person returns asking for help, what do we do? 

This is a warning... BE CAREFUL..you may get caught in a trap, "roped into something". You want to do the "right thing" but you need to guard yourself. Helping someone is not always the RIGHT thing to do. Don't let someone guilt you into doing something that you really should do. 

If you do find yourself in a situation, what do you do? Be humble. Realize that you did make a mistake. And work on correcting it. Don't ignore it. Address it. Take care of it. 

I think this warning is also for the "friend". We shouldn't ask someone to do something for us which first, we shouldn't be involved with, and second, if we can't do it ourselves—should we be doing it? 

How often do we find ourselves in situations where helping seems right, but actually causes the person we help to not learn and grow? Do we become enablers to someone's wrong decisions? Do we become enablers to someone who doesn't want to realize the consequences of his/her choices? 

And what is our motive for helping the friend? 

Should I give help? Yes or no, what is the right answer? Making the right choices begin when a heart is permeated with a deeps sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG). Remember the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. And it take godly wisdom to know if helping someone is right or wrong. Be careful, a good warning for us all. 

Sunset Sept 11.2014: Prayer Prompters

An amazing sky. Starting with pink clouds out back, then followed by a bright and beautiful sunset out front. Love seeing God paint the skies in so many colors and shapes. Amazing.

I have "prayer prompters" for different people. They are "alerts" from God to stop and pray for someone. One of my friends likes pink, so when I see pink, it's a reminder to stop and pray for her. 

Last night, as I was closing the blinds, I noticed a sky FULL of pink clouds. I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures, then I "followed" the pink clouds out front, and saw a beautiful sunset. 

As I was taking pictures, I was thanking God for his beauty in creating the evening sky. I then came inside and talked with our Heavenly Father about my friend. 

I'd recommend creating "prayer prompters" for your friends. It can be a color, a type of car, an object around the home, or even a particular restaurant, or logo. Anything that reminds you of a particular person. Something that they enjoy or like. A few of the prayer prompts I have include: colors, my popcorn bowl, blue hangers, a Jeep, McDonalds, and types of dogs. 

Here are some pictures from last night's sunset.

Always on Duty

My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2 (AMP)

The Eternal Creator of heaven and earth and these mountains will send the help I need. Psalm 121:2 (VOICE)

Help. Sometimes I know the help I need and other times, I don’t realize that I need help. 

I like to plan and prepare. However, I continue to learn that sometimes things happen for which you cannot prepare. On Nov 4, I was at a restaurant watching the Bears football game. I passed out. (Exciting Monday Night!)
Thankfully, those around me caught me so that I did not fall to the floor. The EMTs were called and I spent the night in the hospital for tests. Everything is fine and the doctors contributed the fainting to a combination of medications and the pain level itself. 

Some are now asking, were was God help that night. God provided LOTS of help! First and foremost that I was not driving when I passed out. Secondly, God caught the attention of those around me so that they could catch me, so that I did not hit the floor. The restaurant staff and customers were awesome. The EMTs that arrived and transported me to the hospital were helpful and very kind. And lastly, the hospital was able to attend to me quickly and took great care in making sure I was OK. God was there helping me each step of the way. I’m thankful that God provided all the help I needed—this time using strangers. 

Another example of God’s help happened this week. I went to take my pain medication and the bottle was almost empty. No problem, I have a larger bottle in the cupboard... OK, so I don’t, I had already emptied that bottle. Now what? Trying to get in to see my Dr. the week of Thanksgiving is almost impossible. That’s when God prompted me to check my pharmacy online... I did and I had one more refill before next week! So I was able to order the refill and have it before I ran out of medication. I was very thankful that God was way ahead of me on this one! He helped make sure I had the medications I needed, when I wasn’t paying attention. 

Help. I’m thankful that God is there to help, even when I don’t realize I need it. He’s such an awesome Heavenly Father! To create a positive day, I only have to rest the assurance that God is my help and He’s always on duty.