Proverbs Challenge 2014 : 31 days of wisdom

 Proverbs 4:5  - Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

James 1:15 - If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

I would like to share how God works in my life to give people hope. That if it is happening to me, it can certainly happen to you. With that in mind, if you do what James 1:15 says, that prayer will be answered. Allow me to share with you my experience. 

For maybe 8 or 9 months I have been praying for more wisdom, more knowledge and more understanding. I will admit that when I began to pray for these things, they were not for things pertaining about God. I wanted more wisdom, knowledge and understanding about things that pertained to my job I had at the time. Not only the technical stuff, but to know how to treat people in a way that Christ would have treated them. I also admit that I wasn't always the nicest, most polite or most patient technical support specialist on the floor. But as time went on, I gained knowledge because my supervisors would constantly train and coach us. Then I began to understand how to treat people and defuse certain situations. Once I learned all of that, I had this burden to quit my job. See I had also been praying that I wanted more time with God. I missed that. I did my best when I was at work. In between calls I would read my online bible, i would pray, or read parts of a devotional. I wanted more. 

I quit on "Jersey Day". It was a Friday and I went in at 5am like I did every morning for the past year or so. But I had made up and prayed up my mind that this was what God wanted me to do. I felt relieved and I have no regrets when I quit that day. Since the middle of June I have been with out a job. But I was working for God. On Jersey Day I retired my jersey and traded it in for a Jersey that has the name GOD on it. I am on His team now. I prayed for more wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Then the answer to my prayer came. I was on Facebook and I came upon a post by a man named James Fortune. He leads a gospel choir. One of my brothers (Ron) introduced me to this man's music. Mr. Fortune posted about the Proverbs Challenge. 31 days, 31 chapters, 1 chapter a day. Easy. Right? 

Let me tell you how gracious my God is. I missed a few days where I didn't read the chapter. I would forget or get distracted. Or I would put it off and I'd say to myself 'I will do it later". Mind you that I prayed and asked for this and the Lord delivered. Even when I missed a day, He still gave me wisdom. So when i finally did remember to read my chapter, I would read the chapter I missed and the one for that day. If I didn't understand it, I would pray and read it again. This is the first time I have EVER finished a reading plan. Ive tried before and failed. Perhaps before I was trying to do too much.

I told my (biological) brother about this. He was recently saved and I believed this would benefit his walk with the Lord. I think he went through the whole book in one night. He used a phone app to read the bible to Him. I had never done that before. Its one thing to read the bible, its another to hear it. I thought reading it alone was better but listening to someone read it and then reading it for yourself, at least for me, helped me remember the verses better. So thanks to my brother Kristian for helping me! 

So, do I feel more wise? Its not a feeling, its knowing. I understood what God wanted me to understand. I understand what God wants from me. I know more about how I should live and how I should conduct myself. I know to not be foolish. Foolishness was one subject that Proverbs talks about a lot. Also talks about staying away from loose women. Which I believe is a metaphor for sin and the enemy.  We will see in the future how I will use this new wisdom, knowledge and understanding. It sure will be interesting because I am now armed with new spiritual arsenal. 

I am going to read Proverbs again. Why? There are times when scripture means something different when you read it again. The bible is truly God's living word. Ive read verses in the past that didn't mean anything to me. But I read them again and they meant something. The scriptures that meant something to me one way when I read them again, meant something completely different this other time. I love it when God blows my mind away. I am fascinated by Him. He wants you to be fascinated by Him. 

So hopefully next year, if we are all still here, maybe we can do the challenge together. Encourage and share what the Almighty has taught us. Iron sharpens iron.

A list of Proverbs that are now highlighted in my bible. The Lord has spoken to me in these verses. I encourage you to check them out.

Chapter 1~ 1:7 , 1:22 , 1:33
Chapter 2~ 2:10-19
Chapter 3~ 3:5-6 , 3:9 , 3:11 
Chapter 4~ 4:5
Chapter 5~ 5:3-4 (I've met this woman before. Stay away from her!)
Chapter 6~6:32
Chapter 7~ 7:22 (Ive been there. Have you?)
Chapter 8~ 8:7 , 8:13 , 8: 32-36
Chapter 9~ 9:10
Chapter 10~ 10:5
Chapter 11~ 11:2 , 11:22
Chapter 12~ 12:1 , 12:28
Chapter 13~ 13:5 , 13:13
Chapter 14~ 14:12 , 14:29
Chapter 15~ 15:1
Chapter 16~ 16:7 , 16:9 , 16:20 , 16:32
Chapter 17~ 17:17  
Chapter 18~ 18:1 , 18:6-7 , 18:20-21 , 18:22
Chapter 19~  19:15 , 19:26
Chapter 20~ 20:3
Chapter 21~ 21:3 , 21:9 , 21:13 , 21:19 , 21:23
Chapter 22~ 22:6 , 22:9 , 22:11 , 22:15 , 22:16
Chapter 24~ 24:1-2
Chapter 27~ 27:1 , 27:2
Chapter 28~ 28:6 , 28:9 , 28:21
Chapter 29~ 29:3 , 29:11 , 29:17 , 29:25 , 29:27
Chapter 30~ 30:8-9 <-- This needs to be OUR prayer
Chapter 31~ 31:6-7 , 31:10-31 (The Virtuous Wife)