PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain” (Proverbs 25:14).

We have been talking about false gifts. Look at something else. It is worthwhile just to take a few wild and hearty swings at the charismatic nuts just to make sure that we're not backsliding ourselves.

In Mark chapter 2, notice this palsied man, starting in verse 1 has some friends with him. And notice in verse five, when Jesus saw “their” [his friends] faith, not “his” [the palsied man] faith, “he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”

Now, charismatics would have you believe that you have to have all this faith and if you have the right kind of faith in the right amounts that you too can be healed; and of course, when I lay hands on you and you are not healed, whose fault is that? Well, certainly not mine, because I'm the man of God, I’m the Apostle. I have the gifts, but you didn't believe enough! You didn't do it! That's not what happened there. It was because of somebody else’s faith that somebody was healed.

Now, look, we believe that God can heal, OK? I mean I am sure that God was present in a wonderful way back in April when I had liver cancer surgery and through a microwave ablation, it was burned out. Praise God! I also know that it can come back. Through it all the important factor is that God’s will, purpose and way will be accomplished. It is my place to say with Paul, “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21).

I believe God can heal sometimes, and I believe that sometimes God says no and doesn't heal. So, when I'm criticizing the clowns, it's because they're clowns. It's because they're fakers. They say they have a gift; but it's a false gift. They do not deliver.

Daily Bible study is necessary if we are going to begin our day with the right attitude and the right spiritual diet. Proverbs has 31 chapters, and most months have 31 days, so let's read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let's keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread! Ideally, a chapter or two of Proverbs will fit in nicely with a good plan of reading our Bibles through each year.

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