31 Days of Wisdom and Worship – Day 8 – Pastor Ryan Binkley

Wisdom and Worship-Day 8

 

Wisdom

“I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth; While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep, When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep, When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth, Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my delight was with the sons of men. “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the LORD; But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.””

Proverbs 8:23-36 NKJV

This Spirit of Wisdom is the Spirit of Jesus.  He was with the Father as a master craftsman from the very beginning. By Him princes and kings rule.  He says earlier in this chapter that He loves those that love Him.  So, let’s just fall in love with the voice of Wisdom, it is the voice of Jesus.  He is the one behind the gentle whisper of understanding. He is the one leading us and He is the one we seek with all of our heart.  Let’s watch daily at His gates and find Him today. When we find Him we will find life and obtain favor from the Lord.  Whatever you’re going through today, just give it to God and allow Him to lead you and give you wisdom on how to respond to every situation you face.

Worship

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.”

Psalms 8:3-5 NKJV

Father, I praise your name today and thank you for being a part of your wonderful creation. You created everything! You created the heavens, the moon, the stars, the fields of the earth, the seas, the mountains, and you have created me in your image.  Who are we that out of all of your creation that you would be mindful of us and visit us?  We thank you for your love, your attention to our lives, and for crowning us with glory and honor. We will forever praise you and today we give you glory and honor for you are worthy!!! Amen.

31 Days of Wisdom and Worship – Day 7 – Pastor Ryan Binkley

Wisdom

 

“For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, And saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, A young man devoid of understanding, Passing along the street near her corner; And he took the path to her house In the twilight, in the evening, In the black and dark night. And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would not stay at home. At times she was outside, at times in the open square, Lurking at every corner. So she caught him and kissed him; With an impudent face she said to him: “ I have peace offerings with me; Today I have paid my vows. So I came out to meet you, Diligently to seek your face, And I have found you. I have spread my bed with tapestry, Colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; He has gone on a long journey; He has taken a bag of money with him, And will come home on the appointed day.” With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, With her flattering lips she seduced him. Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life. Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the words of my mouth: Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths; For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of death.”

Proverbs 7:6-27 NKJV

 

This is one of the most powerful literary images of temptation and its consequences that I see in scripture.  Solomon starts off this chapter stating that staying close to wisdom and understanding and to the voice of God in our hearts will keep us from immoral situations.   In this story, he shows that everyone needs to be wise in our relationships because many times temptation begins with flattery.  I can think of many men and women who have fallen in their marriage because they did not guard their conversations with the opposite sex.  Flattery is just part of what we all want to hear at times, sometimes it is just companionship, sometimes consideration, and sometimes it is just a listening ear.  In ministry and in the workplace, I counsel leaders to avoid one on one closed door meetings and private lunches with the opposite sex because it can lead to a deadly trap of the enemy.  The picture he paints of a young man devoid of understanding who has met his match with temptation is very sobering.  Sin “lurks” around every corner “diligently” seeking after the unaware of this world.  Temptation also is enticing with a promise of no consequence.  In this story, it reads that the husband of the woman is on a long journey and will not come back for awhile, so in other words, nobody will ever find out.  In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. As an ox goes to the slaughter so do many men and women who do not heed the words of wisdom.  Wisdom would say “stay home”, “stay away”, and “run” from this situation.  Many who have been wounded because of her and all who have been slain have been strong men.  I am sure David, Solomon’s dad, told him of his own story, the story of Samson and others to warn him of the enemy’s ways.  Take heed and remember, that staying close to wisdom and the Holy Spirit as your best friend is the way to walk free from the traps the enemy has for our lives. God will protect us but we all need to be wise and aware and He will lead us into paths of righteousness.

 

 

Worship

 

“I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”
Psalms 9:1-2 NKJV

Father, my whole heart belongs to you and I will praise You! Give me am open door to speak of Your blessings and ways. I am thankful and glad for Your provision, victory, and blessings in my life . You are worthy of my praise and adoration and I will sing with joy for all that You are to me. I love you and will love you forever.

 

31 Days of Wisdom and Worship – Day 6 – Pastor Ryan Binkley

“These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.”

To know what God loves is incredibly important. He tells us to love one another, serve the least in our world, take care of orphans and widows, and for us to live by His commandments. Conversely, and yet equally as important, we need to know and heed to what God hates and what is an abomination to Him. A proud look is thinking more highly of yourself than you should and less of other people than you should. I remember in my first freedom experience with God almost 20 years ago, I was repenting of all the sins in my life and the one God highlighted to me that was the root of them all was a “haughty spirit”. When He lovingly confronted me about that issue, every other stronghold in my life lost its’ grip and I was set totally free. The Lord also hates someone who lies and misrepresents the truth. White lies are not only noticeable and hurtful to others, they are also an abomination to the Lord. Hands that shed innocent blood is self explanatory in so many ways that we face today. I believe that an unborn child is innocent in all the events that could lead to their arrival and we should do all we can to see that more children are cared for and possibly adopted into loving homes. Certainly all murders fall into this category as well as abusive situations. Wicked schemes, feet that run to evil and a false witness who speaks lies are representative of people and situations that we need to avoid at all costs. Finally, the Lord detests someone who tries to divide a group of people by sowing discord. I have always thought it’s interesting that the Lord ends his list of abominations with an analogy of someone who “plants” a seed of doubt or disunity – that it’s ungodly and is detestable to Him. I believe the Lord loves unity so much that He would rather us overlook offenses than just complain and sow disunity especially regarding small issues. I am not referring to sinful ways or major doctrinal foundations that we must stand for righteousness and confront if needed. But most of the discord that I have seen in churches, families, and in businesses usually involve just one person wanting to be promoted or lifted up over someone else. Usually it was a time, when they felt like they should be leading but they just weren’t leading just yet. I think one of the greatest tests all leaders have to pass right before they get elevated is to not take the bait and speak down or look down at others on your way. God will promote you and see to it that you are where you are supposed to be right on time. He always blesses the faithful.

“My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer. Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.”

Lord, thank you for delivering me from my enemies and protecting me from every evil scheme against my life. The enemy has surrounded me many times and You have always protected and saved me! Thank You for hearing my prayers and my cries and for bringing me through every trial I have faced. May every accusation and attack from the enemy be turned back and anyone who participates be brought into repentance. Today, I forgive and bless all my enemies and pray Your guidance, love, and grace to cover them in truth and may they find healing and hope in their lives. May your grace and unity surround my home and life forevermore. Amen.

31 Days of Wisdom and Worship – Day 5 – Pastor Ryan Binkley

Wisdom and Worship-Day 5

 

“For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell. Lest you ponder her path of life— Her ways are unstable; You do not know them. Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth. Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one; Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner; And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed, And say: “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction!”

Proverbs 5:3-12 NKJV

 

When it comes to temptation the words of wisdom are very clear.  The promise of pleasure is short lived and the end result is bitterness, death, and the doorsteps of hell.  I think every young person, single person, married person…ok, everyone should read all of Proverbs 5 and just think about the pain that comes from sin.  It promises to please and serve but only enslaves and dominates people’s lives.  There is no hope when you go down the dark path of sin.  You give your honor to others and your years to the cruel one, your wealth will be gone, and your health will be consumed.  Temptation comes to everyone but wisdom gives some good counsel on how to avoid it forever.  First, He says remove your way far from her and not go near the door of her house.  I don’t know what tempts you or one of your loved ones but we have to remove ourselves far from it and not go near the door way of it.  What does that mean?  Very practically, shut down the doorways to sin and go the other way.  I remember when I first gave my life to the Lord and struggled with my eyes, that I turned off my cable television and did not watch it for over a year.  There was a season where I needed to protect my eyes and heart in a special way and I didn’t need to go near the door of just worldly television.  Sitcoms reminded me of my past, there was a lot in normal shows that just made my mind struggle, so I removed my way far from a doorway of temptation.  It was a few years later that I learned freedom and was set free from my past completely, but just setting up some boundaries kept my heart and my mind from struggling.  Solomon continues in the latter part of the chapter, stating that what every one needs is discipline.  We need discipline to guard our heart, our ways, and life and we need to love Instruction and correction.  Keep your ways far from the doors of temptation and God will keep you, and bless you with with life, health, and freedom.

 

 

Worship

 

“Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

 

Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face.”

Psalms 5:1-3, 8 NKJV

 

“Lord, I praise Your name this morning!  I thank You that you hear my voice. You are worthy of all of my praise and adoration.  I am looking up to You and declaring that You are my God and I am giving you every area of concern for my life. You will hear me in the morning just praying and praising your name.  You have my attention and my life and my love is set on You forever and ever. Father, lead me in the ways of righteousness and keep my foot from stumbling.  Make my paths straight and keep me from harms way.  I will forever follow you and all of my days and ways belong to you. Amen”

31 Days of Wisdom and Worship – Day 4 – Pastor Ryan Binkley

Wisdom and Worship-Day 4

 

Wisdom

 

“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.”

Proverbs 4:20-22 NLT

 

 

Do you remember what it was like when you first began to hear the voice of God?  For some of you, you may not even know for sure whether the voice you heard was “His” or “your own. If so, that’s ok, I still struggle hearing His voice at times but it will come more as we are consistent in our seeking of Him. But today I don’t want you to worry about that right now, but rather just positioning yourself to listen.  Solomon said that we should we listen carefully to the words of wisdom and not to lose sight of them. He added that we should let His words penetrate deep within our heart and then they will bring us life and healing.  The first time I really began to hear God’s voice, I was desperate.  I kneeled down on the floor, with my bible, pencil in hand, journal out and just began to read.  I read the Bible until I felt there was revelation.  I read until I heard what God was saying…I leaned in closer and asked Him to speak and then He began talking to me just as if I was in a conversation.  I could hear with clarity and I knew that I knew that God was speaking to me.  In my mind I thought I have to kneel every time to pray and I need a journal and pen to be ready.  Even though I don’t do it that every time today, that posture has helped me several times to hear God when I really need a word for my life.  I was waiting and expecting to hear His voice. I was desperate to hear His voice and He spoke to me.  Your assignment today is to just sit with God today, kneel if you need to and posture your life and heart to hear God. Be ready with a pen and journal because when He speaks you want to “listen carefully and not lose sight” of what He is saying.  When I go back and read what I have journaled, His word penetrates my soul and it brings life and healing.  He restores and strengthens us with His word. When I hear His voice, I feel like I can do anything and when I don’t I feel pretty helpless. Remember that God loves you, wants to speak to you, longs to be with you and will breathe life into your spirit.  The spirit of wisdom is speaking and bringing clarity and life to you today more than ever, just lean in and write down everything you hear.

 

Worship

 

“Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”

Psalms 4:6-8 NLT

 

Father, I thank you for satisfying my soul. I am need of nothing. I thank you for your face shining on my life and giving me greater joy than the anything the world offers.  There are those who are rich in wealth alone, but you have given me more with joy, peace and safety.  I trust you with my whole heart, thank you for being with me at all times giving me joy forevermore.  You fulfill my heart’s desires and I long to be with you. Let your face continue to smile on us in every way.  Smile on my life, my family, my job, my home, my church, and my city.  May your ways cover us today and may we walk with You and in Your presence forever.  Amen.

31 Days of Wisdom and Worship – Day 3 – Pastor Ryan Binkley

Wisdom and Worship-Day 3

Wisdom

“Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

 

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor.”

Proverbs 3:9-10, 13-16 NKJV

 

The wisest man was also blessed incredibly financially.  Research holds that just based on the amount of taxation, in gold alone, he accumulated over 64 billion dollars worth of gold during his 40 year reign.  Ok, that’s a lot of money, but some estimates out there (according to Google…which is a great resource J), King Solomon had a net worth that approached a trillion dollars in today’s economy.  So, why? Why did God make him so wealthy?  Does God really want to bless us that way?  I don’t know what God has planned for everyone or why some live with incredible wealth and some less fortunate, but I do know God’s ways work.  First, Solomon says, honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first fruits of your increase.  In the old covenant, that was a tithe or 10%.  I believe that the principal of the tithe still blesses us today.  It is not a “law” today like it was in the old covenant but a “love” to honor the Lord with your finances. I have done this since my mid 20’s and can testify that God has blessed me in so many ways just by honoring Him with the first fruits or first ten percent of my income.  Jesus said about the tithe that it is something that we “should do”, but to also remember the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). It is the only area where God says, to “test” Him (Malachi 3), and if you do I believe with all my heart that you will discover the same.  He also says that finding wisdom and understanding is more important than anything.  Then he continues that when you do find wisdom that it outweighs the blessings on your life financially.  In fact, he says, that anything that you can desire cannot compare with understanding. Wisdom is what brings length of days and riches and honor. Today, lets seek first the King and the kingdom and everything that we need will be added to us. He will bless us, but there is no blessing like seeing His ways of wisdom speak to our lives.  His voice will lead you in every area of your life.  You will find comfort, freedom, truth, and open doors of blessings every where you go when you walk with Him, the Spirit of Wisdom.  He will speak in your heart and mind and lead you into the pathway of righteousness and favor.

 

 

 

Worship

 

“LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, “ There is no help for him in God.” Selah But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.”

Psalms 3:1-3 NKJV

 

 

“Father, we thank you today for rising up over our lives in every way.  Regardless of my circumstances or what people are saying about me, I trust you to deliver me.  There are those that say, look there is no help from God for him, but I put all of my life and all of my trust in you.  You have always brought me through in every circumstance and in every way and for that I will give you praise.  You are the one who is a shield for me, You are the one who is my glory, You are the one who lifts my head.  Praise be to your name! May you be glorified today.  I look to you as my shield and my protector.  You are my provider and my deliverer. Glory to your name today, I love You and praise You forever. Amen.”

31 Days Of Wisdom and Worship – Day 2 – August 21, 2018

Wisdom and Worship – Day 2

 

Wisdom

 

“Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.”

Proverbs 2:3-5 NKJV

 

What really struck me this morning was that we need to “cry out” more and “lift” our voices more to the Lord.  When was the last time you vocalized your prayers out loud with a passionate heart?  There have been many times in my life when I have had so many things on my heart to God that I just sat with Him, reflected, thoughtfully spoke to Him, but didn’t really passionately and vocally speak what was on my mind.  Now, sometimes in life, you have to really get your point across and there is no other way to do it than with a little amplification of your voice.  When we need to get our kids attention, it starts out rather calmly, if there is no response, it gets a little higher and so on.  If there is an urgent situation, it gets loud pretty quick because we want to make sure our kids can hear us and recognize immediately the importance of what we see lies ahead.  With God, it is not disrespectful to really tell Him what’s on your mind and what you really need.  This week speak up, cry out, lift your voice up to the Lord.  I have always believed that if Bartimaeus (the blind man in Mark 10) would not have cried out and shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me”, and continued to shout even after he was told to be quiet then the Lord may have passed him by.  Today, we may not be physically blind, but we may be blind to the answers to the problems we face.  We may not be able to see the solutions, the breakthroughs, and the strategies just yet…if you cant see them, then cry out for it, and lift up your voice for understanding. If you really need an answer, then seek His will with all your heart and you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

 

 

Worship

 

““I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.”

Psalms 2:7-8 NKJV

 

 

Pray this prayer and worship the One who came for the Nations!

 

“Lord, we bless Your name today! I thank You for you greatness, your goodness, and we join in and declare the decree:  You are the Son, You are the Messiah, You are the Savior, You came for the nations as an inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession and I stand with you that this nation and all nations will be saved.  May all the nations, every tribe, and people group come into the saving arms of Your  grace.  May You be glorified and may Your purpose be fulfilled.  May we participate in Your great calling to save the nations and we ask with You that our cities and communities in Dallas and north Texas would be saved.  That everyone would cry out to You and that You would be glorified with a great revival of your people in our generation. Amen.”

31 Days of Wisdom and Worship – Day 1 – Pastor Ryan Binkley

Wisdom and Worship – Day 1 – August 20, 2018

Wisdom

“Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares.

 Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

 For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.””

Proverbs 1:20, 23, 32-33 NKJV “

 

Wisdom is introduced as a “she” in this chapter as it reads, “She raises her voice in the open squares’.  The Lord not being male or female reveals to Solomon the wisdom voice in his life may sound more like his mother or his wife…just an interesting thought!  Anyway, I love it when the Lord says, that if we turn it at His rebuke He will pour out His Spirit upon on and make His words known us.  That is my prayer for us all during this journey.  That we would hear His words and know His voice greater than ever. He says further that if we listen, we will dwell safely, be secure, and live this life without fear of evil.  What a powerful thought; we can live a life without any worry or fear.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  So, if we just acknowledge (Hebrew Yada-know) Him, he will guide, deliver, free, restore, protect, and watch over us in every way.  We can live totally secure knowing that our outcome is in His hands forever. Never doubt His love and protection.  He is for you and with you. Praise the Lord!

 

Worship

“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

Psalms 1:1-3 NKJV

 

The first chapter of Psalms is the first scripture that I ever memorized.  My dad had me and my brother study this one summer when I was around 15 years old.  There are some great truths to meditate on, but in this portion, I encourage you to pray this Psalm out loud.

 

“Father, we thank you Lord that we delight in your Law and we praise your for your blessings that overtake our lives.  We are meditating on your word and your faithful promise is that we would be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth productivity and life at the right time and season of our lives.  Our purpose and lives will not wither and fade away and will prosper in everything we do according to Your mighty hand of grace! We love You and praise You forever! Amen”