(NLT): “The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.”
(HCSB): “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”
(KJV): “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: But the righteous are bold as a lion.”
When I have peace with God that I am where I am supposed to be, it is easier to hold my ground against opposition. However, God says in Psalm 23, that there will be times His Will for our lives is to walk with us through the “valley of the shadow of death . . . .”
I have learned that being in His Will doesn’t mean there won’t be turmoil or struggles. It may actually mean when you experience turmoil and struggles that His Will is being accomplished in & through you.
However, just as there can be turmoil & struggles, there can also be periods of peace, rest, & restoration.
Proverbs 28:15
(AMP): “Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.”
(NKJV): “Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over poor people.”
(HCSB): “A wicked ruler over a helpless people is like a roaring lion or a charging bear.”
1 Peter 5:8 discusses the devil as being similar to a roaring lion. The devil is a roaring lion who looks for those he can devour.
As a husband & step-father, I have been given a position of leadership in my immediate family.
My children & wife can be viewed as helpless people in this proverb. My decisions, if wicked, can allow the devil to sneak inside my family dynamic and devour.
It is my job to protect the helpless people when I can with God’s Help & Guidance.
I can NOT do it on my own. I need prayer. I need His Direction & Insight. I need His Wisdom.
God help me to not be a wicked ruler, who eventually is asked to leave his family.
Help me to make righteous decisions that lead my family and I closer to You.
Wealth Can Be Earned Legitimately.
God can bless His Children with wealth: King David, King Solomon, and Job are a few biblical examples.
I am sure that there are others.
However, the desire to be rich can cause much pain and temptation to sin. It is not wise to love money. It is not healthy to take advantage of others or to utilize high-interest loans to achieve wealth. God promises to repay those evil acts.
As fires & natural disasters show all around the world, treasures can be lost in moments.
Bank accounts can get stolen with the money inside insured only up to a certain amount. Psalm 4:8 verifys that God is the provider of our safety, not wealth.
Wealth does have value, however. But our command is not to love it. This means to me that I am not to pursue wealth before I pursue God. This means that I will not commit sins to achieve wealth & status.
Proverbs 28:22
(HCSB): “A greedy man is in a hurry for wealth; he doesn’t know that poverty will come to him.”
(GNT): “Selfish people are in such a hurry to get rich that they do not know when poverty is about to strike.”
(NASB2020): “A person with an evil eye hurries after wealth And does not know that poverty will come upon him.”
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