LifeLink Devotions

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

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Cultural and political correctness discourage calling someone a fool.  But God’s wisdom demands that if we are going to have great relationships with others, we must learn to recognize foolishness and avoid it. In Proverbs 23:9 Solomon says, “Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.”According to the Bible, this should be an easy task. In the following verses it is made clear that a fool will be easily recognized. However, it’s not so easy to recognize ourselves.  Be careful to search your own heart before you make a list of others who fit these descriptions of a fool.

Prov. 12:23  “A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of a fool blurts out folly.”

Prov. 15:2 ”The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.”

Prov. 18:2 “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinion.”

Ecclesiastes. 10:3 “Even as he walks down the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is.”

2 Tim. 3:9 “But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.”

So what are the marks of a fool that we should be looking for? Here are some prime indicators:

1.      Atheism / Agnosticism – Psalm 53:1 “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

2.      Slander / Gossip – Prov. 10:18 “whoever spreads slander is a fool.”

3.      No personal responsibility for sin – Prov. 14:9 “Fools mock at making amends for sin.”

4.      Rejection of Instruction – Prov. 15:5 “A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.”

5.      Quarreling and Strife – Prov.18:6 “A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.”  Prov. 20:3 “…but every fool is quick to quarrel.”

6.      Self-confidence – Prov. 28:26 “He who trusts in himself is a fool.”

7.      Dishonesty – Jeremiah 17:11 “Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool.”

8.      Hypocrisy – Luke 11:39-40 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people!’”

I’m sure by now the Holy Spirit has already been showing each of us the areas above that apply to our own lives. Let Him do His work in our hearts. It would be easy to allow Satan to influence our fleshly, carnal mind and cause us to think about other people who are guilty of being fools, but we need to resist him, flee from him, and surrender to the cleansing and maturing power of the Holy Spirit. 

You see, we will only be great in relationships if we are not the fool. 

Pastor John