You can have it!

There is a potential for you to have wisdom all the time. You don’t need to be foolish and weak. Don’t let life push you down like that. Cultivate your God-devotion and it will make a difference. Spend time alone with God. Open your mind and soul. Let Him instill His values in you. Wisdom will rise and it will transform you for the better.

Lady Wisdom is at home in an understanding heart—

   fools never even get to say hello.

34 God-devotion makes a country strong;

   God-avoidance leaves people weak.

35 Diligent work gets a warm commendation;

   shiftless work earns an angry rebuke.

(Prov.14:33-35 MSG)

Prayer: I desire Your wisdom. I desire Your understanding. It is so much better than any human wisdom. Let me be nearer and nearer to You. Your presence makes me strong. You give me the strength I need to work hard toward the good purpose You have for me in life.

Benefits of the Fear-of-God

The Fear-of-God is a shield that protects you from poisoned ways in life. If you respect Him and His counsel, you’ll be pointing to a good direction; you’ll have a deep understanding of reality; your mind will be sound; you’ll live with mercy and  integrity. You’ll be building a safe place full of life where you will be living.

The Fear-of-God is a spring of living water

   so you won’t go off drinking from poisoned wells.

28 The mark of a good leader is loyal followers;

   leadership is nothing without a following.

29 Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding;

   a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.

30 A sound mind makes for a robust body,

   but runaway emotions corrode the bones.

31 You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless;

   when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.

32 The evil of bad people leaves them out in the cold;

   the integrity of good people creates a safe place for living.

(Prov.14:27-32MSG)

Prayer: Thanks God for giving me the Fear-of-God. This way you protected me from harm. Help to lead in life with a deep understanding, sound mind, being kind to the poor, and with integrity. Let Your wisdom flow through me to my household and to all the people around me.  

God-loyal people

A behavior that ignores God ends up being discredited and discarded as bad. Following God means doing good, growing, having compassion, being thoughtful, hard working, making wise decisions, being truthful, being confident. Even atheist could recognize that this is a better way of living. The Fear-of-God guides you to a better life because that is how we are supposed to live. That's how God created us to be.

Eventually, evil will pay tribute to good;

   the wicked will respect God-loyal people.

20 An unlucky loser is shunned by all,

   but everyone loves a winner.

21 It’s criminal to ignore a neighbor in need,

   but compassion for the poor—what a blessing!

22 Isn’t it obvious that conspirators lose out,

   while the thoughtful win love and trust?

23 Hard work always pays off;

   mere talk puts no bread on the table.

24 The wise accumulate wisdom;

   fools get stupider by the day.

25 Souls are saved by truthful witness

   and betrayed by the spread of lies.

26 The Fear-of-God builds up confidence,

   and makes a world safe for your children.

(Prov.14:19-26MSG)

Prayer: I want to be loyal to You, my God. You make me grow and advance in life. Fill me with Your compassion, persistence, wisdom, love, truth. I allow the Fear-of-God to guide my decision-making process. Fill my heart with Your presence.

Sift and Weigh Every Word.

The attitudes you exercise towards other people will, eventually, come back to you. Be hopeful for the future but have your feet on the ground. Be strong and firm but watch your steps to avoid evil. Sift and weigh every word from your own mouth and from what you hear. Remain teachable to God’s instruction and direction. Be gracious to others and to yourself.  

A mean person gets paid back in meanness,

   a gracious person in grace.

15 The gullible believe anything they’re told;

   the prudent sift and weigh every word.

16 The wise watch their steps and avoid evil;

   fools are headstrong and reckless.

17 The hotheaded do things they’ll later regret;

   the coldhearted get the cold shoulder.

18 Foolish dreamers live in a world of illusion;

   wise realists plant their feet on the ground. 

(Prov.14:14-18MSG)

Prayer: Make me gracious to other people’s lives. Make me prudent and wise while I consider my own steps. Give me a warm heart, with my feet on the ground but hope for the future.  

Keep your life on track

Being wise makes a big difference in life. And you don’t need any special ability to be like that. You just need to be humble and willing to obey God’s word and grow from there. The reason why many people are not wise is because they don’t want to. Stupids ridicule morality and so they educate themselves. Fools destroy anything of value in life. Careless wrongdoing leads them to their own destruction. They could appear as having a good time, but their joy will not last. Holy living makes you grow in joy and peace and prepares you for an eternal celebration. Keep your life on track. Don’t waste your time on planet earth. Have the best of life. Have God.

Escape quickly from the company of fools;

   they’re a waste of your time, a waste of your words.

8 The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track;

   the foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch.

9 The stupid ridicule right and wrong,

   but a moral life is a favored life.

10 The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends

   will be an outsider at their celebrations.

11 Lives of careless wrongdoing are tumbledown shacks;

   holy living builds soaring cathedrals.

12-13 There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough;

   look again—it leads straight to hell.

Sure, those people appear to be having a good time,

   but all that laughter will end in heartbreak.

(Prov.14:7-13 MSG)

Prayer: I submit my life to You, my God. Humbly I ask for your wisdom and guide. Help me to distinguish between right and wrong, and to choose right. I am blessed by Your presence and Your counsel in my life.

Wisdom builds

More than finding God’s wisdom your deal is to accept it and to use it. God is near you, His wisdom right in front of you waiting for you to accept it, to obey it, to make it part of yourself. Information of God's word is not difficult to acquire, but you need to have an open mind to receive it. Truth and wisdom is what you need. Embrace it, respect it, allow your mindset to be transformed.   

Lady Wisdom builds a lovely home;

   Sir Fool comes along and tears it down brick by brick.

2 An honest life shows respect for God;

   a degenerate life is a slap in his face.

3 Frivolous talk provokes a derisive smile;

   wise speech evokes nothing but respect.

4 No cattle, no crops;

   a good harvest requires a strong ox for the plow.

5 A true witness never lies;

   a false witness makes a business of it.

6 Cynics look high and low for wisdom—and never find it;

   the open-minded find it right on their doorstep!

(Prov.14:1-6 MSG)

Prayer: I need Your wisdom, God, to build up my home, brick by brick until it becomes what You intended it to be. Let my mouth always speak the truth and make me aware enough to see the wisdom You put in front of me.  

Appetite for good

It is good to satisfy an appetite, but not just any appetite. Some of them are unhealthy. An appetite for good is worth to be satisfied. The way you live will influence your future generations. If yours is a good life, even your grandchildren will benefit from it. Work on yourself, grow, mature, obey God. It has rewards not only for yourself and you will end happy knowing that God helped you do it.

Disaster entraps sinners,

   but God-loyal people get a good life.

22 A good life gets passed on to the grandchildren;

   ill-gotten wealth ends up with good people.

23 Banks foreclose on the farms of the poor,

   or else the poor lose their shirts to crooked lawyers.

24 A refusal to correct is a refusal to love;

   love your children by disciplining them.

25 An appetite for good brings much satisfaction,

   but the belly of the wicked always wants more.

(Prov.13:21-25MSG)

Prayer: Transform my appetites. Help the healthy ones to grow and the ill ones to die. May my life reflect yours more and more. Bless my family and their future generations. Help them enjoy the benefits of healthy parents and grandparents. May your blessings flow from generation to generation until you come back again.

A commonsense person lives good sense

It looks like a redundancy, but it is truth. The way you are will express itself in the way you act. The "way you are" refers to your inner person, it involves the way you think and your attitudes in life. If you rationalize certain thought or believe them enough, you will incorporate them as part of who you are. And then you will live it out and experience the consequences of your decisions goods and bads. What you think and what you hear frequently will influence who you are. Listen to good counsel. Hang out with wise people. Don’t listen to fools.

A commonsense person lives good sense;

   fools litter the country with silliness.

17 Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things,

   but a reliable reporter is a healing presence.

18 Refuse discipline and end up homeless;

   embrace correction and live an honored life.

19 Souls who follow their hearts thrive;

   fools bent on evil despise matters of soul.

20 Become wise by walking with the wise;

    hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

(Prov.13:16-20 MSG)

Prayer: Discipline myself to be able to filter my thought. Help me to avoid foolish counsel, and allow only what is truth and wise to linger in my mind.

Sound thinking

Life is full of ups and downs, but in the long run diligence gives you a good harvest. There are disappointments but hope keeps you focus until you reach the goal. The word of God is a fountain of wisdom and truth. Don’t ignore it if you want a gracious living. Develop a truthful way of thinking. What is in your mind, becomes your attitude, and your attitude becomes your behavior.

Easy come, easy go,

   but steady diligence pays off.

12 Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,

   but a sudden good break can turn life around.

13 Ignore the Word and suffer;

   honor God’s commands and grow rich.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

   so, no more drinking from death-tainted wells!

15 Sound thinking makes for gracious living,

   but liars walk a rough road.

(Prov.13:11-15 MSG)

Prayer: While in ups and downs of life, help me focus on hope and understanding. I want to cultivate a truthful thinking. Make me aware of lies that want to control my life. I hold on to the truth and trust You.

A God-loyal life

A God-loyal life is a full life. It is the life with most potential. God illuminates every step, you don’t need to stay in darkness. We tend to magnify the benefits of wealth and fear the consequences of financial shortage, but your financial situation will not make your life good or bad. You can be good or bad despite of your financial situation. Having a good or bad life still depends on your relationship with God. 

Finally, the verse 10 warns us against know-it-all attitude. Humility and being teachable leads you to wisdom and gives you the right attitude that will allow God to work with you and in you.

   

A God-loyal life keeps you on track;

   sin dumps the wicked in the ditch.

7 A pretentious, showy life is an empty life;

   a plain and simple life is a full life.

8 The rich can be sued for everything they have,

   but the poor are free of such threats.

9 The lives of good people are brightly lit streets;

   the lives of the wicked are dark alleys.

10 Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord,

   but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel.

(Prov.13:6-10 MSG)

Prayer: You bright my life with your presence and wisdom. Your words opens my eyes and let me see the truth. Your power and wise counsel protect me from sin. Wealth or poverty will not define me, You do. You are my God in all situations. Your presence is the most important thing in life. Nothing escapes You.

Excellence takes hard work

To have a good life, first you need to learn to control your ego. Learn to listen, be able to obey the experienced people. Be open to helpful conversation. Watch your mouth. Don’t be lazy, most valuable things in life take hard work. Learn to discipline yourself to accomplish what is good and healthy. God created you for excellence. Don’t aim at anything less than that.

Intelligent children listen to their parents;

   foolish children do their own thing.

2 The good acquire a taste for helpful conversation;

   bullies push and shove their way through life.

3 Careful words make for a careful life;

   careless talk may ruin everything.

4 Indolence wants it all and gets nothing;

   the energetic have something to show for their lives.

5 A good person hates false talk;

   a bad person wallows in gibberish.

(Prov.13:1-5 MSG)

Prayer: I want to listen and acquire a taste for helpful conversations. Make me sensitive to other people’s feelings and needs. Give me the courage to be honest, humble and merciful. Be at the center of all my conversations and my Your name be glorified in everything I do. I love You, my God and my Savior.

A godly character

To develop a godly character is not only for God’s pleasure (which it is because He wants the best for you), it benefits yourself and everybody around you too. Following the good ways of God brings joy to your life, it makes you strong to endure any evil situation. God will be beside you all the time. You will develop prudence, diligence, a cheerful speech, a good character, and self discipline. God will guide you in life to be the best you can be.

Evil scheming distorts the schemer;

   peace-planning brings joy to the planner.

21 No evil can overwhelm a good person,

   but the wicked have their hands full of it.

22 God can’t stomach liars;

   he loves the company of those who keep their word.

23 Prudent people don’t flaunt their knowledge;

   talkative fools broadcast their silliness.

24 The diligent find freedom in their work;

   the lazy are oppressed by work.

25 Worry weighs us down;

   a cheerful word picks us up.

26 A good person survives misfortune,

   but a wicked life invites disaster.

27 A lazy life is an empty life,

   but “early to rise” gets the job done.

28 Good men and women travel right into life;

   sin’s detours take you straight to hell.

(Prov.12:20-28 MSG)

Prayer: Jesus, only with your strength I can be what you expect me to be. Help me to work for peace, to be strong during evil situations, to keep my word, to be prudent when talking, to be diligent in my work, to have a cheerful speech, to exercise discipline, and to follow a good direction in my life.