LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Here’s another wisdom principle for building better relationships. In Proverbs 23:9 Solomon says, “Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.” If we are going to have great relationships, we must learn to recognize foolishness and avoid it, not only in others but in ourselves as well. The following verses help us identify 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.”

Eccl. 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, some of which may hit close to home.

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   Jer. 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