How to Prepare for What’s Ahead

Life is a journey filled with decisions, opportunities, and unexpected challenges. In this message from Proverbs, Pastor Chris Teien explains how God's wisdom prepares believers to plan wisely, live with integrity, and trust the Lord as He directs their path.

God's wisdom equips us for the future by teaching us to prepare faithfully today. As we seek God's direction, make wise plans, carry the right priorities, and remain spiritually alert, we can move forward with confidence, knowing that the Lord establishes our steps.

In This Message: 

1. Plan Your Route

Wise preparation begins with establishing the right priorities. God's wisdom teaches us to seek His direction, make thoughtful plans, receive wise counsel, and trust Him to guide every step. (Proverbs 24:27; 15:22; 16:9)

2. Prepare for Your Journey

Preparation means thinking ahead, recognizing potential dangers, and using the resources God has provided wisely. Those who prepare faithfully are better equipped to serve God through whatever lies ahead. (Proverbs 14:15; 22:3)

3. Carry What You Need

The greatest preparation is spiritual. Believers are called to carry integrity, faith, God's promises, and a heart free from bitterness, guilt, and unconfessed sin as they follow Christ. (Proverbs 10:9; 10:12; 28:13; Hebrews 12:1-2)

4. Stay Ready

Life can change quickly, but God's people are called to remain spiritually alert and sober-minded. As we depend on the Holy Spirit and trust God's purpose, we can faithfully serve Him whatever tomorrow brings. (Proverbs 20:1; 19:21; 31:4-5; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 5:8)

Takeaway

Seek God's wisdom as you prepare for the future. Trust Him to direct your path, make wise decisions today, and remain faithful wherever He leads.

Illustrations

• Planning a camping trip demonstrates the importance of preparing today for tomorrow's journey.

• A squirrel storing golf balls instead of nuts illustrates the danger of preparing for the future with the wrong priorities.

• Joseph's preparation during Egypt's years of abundance demonstrates how God uses wise planning to accomplish His greater purposes.

Key Quotes

"Wisdom teaches us how the wise normally live in God's world."

"Wise leaders prepare today for the future God may bring tomorrow."

"The goal is not simply to memorize individual proverbs, but to understand the wisdom behind them and apply that wisdom faithfully."

Search Topics

Proverbs, God's wisdom, wise planning, preparing for the future, biblical wisdom, Christian leadership, God's guidance, spiritual growth, Christian living, Pastor Chris Teien

Full Episode & Transcript: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285086/episodes/19414561

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Helping you apply God's Word and follow Jesus in everyday life. Learn more at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.church  Find episode transcripts at Well.faith 

Transcript

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Chris T 0:16

All right. So we are actually in Proverbs now, going through different parts of Proverbs. And I think that last year when we went through a summer in the Psalms, that was good. In the summer in the Psalms, you had to try to figure out when the Psalm was being written, who wrote it, and what was the historical content and what was the context of it all. And it was a little easier to figure out. Proverbs, when you read through Proverbs, they're not always in order. There's not always a good context. Sometimes they're really random. In Proverbs, you have contrasts that compare the wise and the foolish, the righteous and the wicked. And maybe you can ask yourself, which path am I on? It's interesting with Proverbs because you can't just memorize some Proverbs and then gain all the wisdom in it. A lot of times you have to pray about it and ponder it and say, okay, what did that mean to those people in the time that it was written? What did it, why did Solomon, who wrote many of the Proverbs, want to pass that on to a son? Which ones were for sons and which ones were for sons and daughters? Because many of the Proverbs are for girls and boys, men and women, and trying to discern that and figure out what that means. So you read the proverb and you think about it and you ponder it, and that can be a good thing. There's comparisons that show what is truly better in life. There's pictures that use memorable word pictures and illustrations. There's some riddles. Principles describe how life normally works under God's rule. And so when you read a proverb, it's not a 100% guarantee. It is more of the way things work in God's world. There's instructions that give direct commands and fatherly counsel, especially in chapters 1 through 9. And there's number sayings, like three things, even four, to emphasize important truths. So as you ponder those, as you think about those carefully, try to figure out the historical content. Sometimes the study Bibles are helpful at that, trying to figure out, like I mentioned before, who wrote it and what it meant and why it's in there the way that it is. Compare Proverbs to other Proverbs. Scripture interprets Scripture, and different Proverbs often balance and complement one another. And remember that the key theme in Proverbs is Proverbs 1:7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. So when you put God first and you want to know his ways, there's a bunch of proverbs that when you get them into your life, into your mind, can guide you and direct you and help you to end up at the right destination as you travel life's paths. But so if you're listening, if you're listening to this and you can't see the screen, there's a picture of a campsite with the tent and a must be like a Ford Bronco that appears to be fully equipped for camping, including having lights all around the roof rack, which actually would be a pretty sweet setup. And so it's equipped and it's full, but you can still see out the windows. And so that would actually be a pretty good rig to take camping. I wouldn't mind that. If I was going camping, that'd be pretty sweet. Now, we're not necessarily talking about camping, but it's just this general idea that we're all on a journey. So just picture for a minute, you're going on an extended trip, and so you're going to be away from Walmart and Target and all the convenience stores, and there's no quick trips on your journey, and you're in the woods somewhere, and all you've got is what you brought. So you have enough gas to get you around, you have enough supplies and enough food, and so maybe you're planning on being there for a week or a month, but you try to think about what is it that I need to take and what's important. How will I do this? How will I prepare? What do I need to take with me? And so then maybe you'll study the route and make sure that you can get there. It's always, I think, good if you're heading off into the middle of nowhere to have a paper map in case your GPS doesn't work or your phone breaks. So I remember years ago when I lived here before, and I'd go four-wheeling out by the snowmobile trails, not on the snowmobile trails, in the middle of nowhere, on people's wheelers that they let me borrow because I didn't have my own. But I'd be out there and I'd be so afraid, because I didn't have GPS on a phone or anything, that I would lose my way. And so I every now and then I would tie little things onto tree branches. I'd pick them up on my way back just to make sure I could find my way back. And somebody said that if you're in the if you're in the middle of farm country, you're in the middle of the woods and you're lost. If you can find the power lines, most likely if you follow the power lines, you'll end up somewhere. So so you can correct me if that's not great advice. But nonetheless, wise leaders prepare today for the future God may bring tomorrow. And so that's what I wanted to talk about today is just think about where are you headed in life and how have you prepared for it, what maybe needs to change, and how God's Proverbs can make a difference in your life. So, again, about Proverbs, we have to remember that not only is it poetry, but it's Hebrew poetry, which means it's not like our poetry, and it doesn't always rhyme, and sometimes it's real cryptic, and sometimes it's hard to figure out how it even makes sense. But as you ponder it, as you think about it, as you read other Proverbs, you start to get a sense of, oh, I think I know what that means to me. And so there's not a lot of the Bible that you can sit there and look at the context and think about in the scripture and say, I wonder what that means to me. Like in Romans, it means what it means. It's not what it means to you. It just means what it means when it talks about sin and salvation and righteousness and sanctification and all that. But Proverbs, guidelines for living, can be applied in many ways to our lives. And so God has given us this wonderful book. And if we are to read through it, it can make a difference in our life. I know many people who claim that part of their leadership success is because they read through a proverb a day. And so we're gonna try that, like Jerry mentioned, uh Proverb a day, and that will be good. So you can read any Bible translation that you want. I actually noticed recently on the Bible app for your phone that now you can run parallel translations next to each other, which is kind of nice. Or you can make it read to you as you read along, and that will be good. But to read the Proverbs. So since it's ancient Hebrew poetry, they're not formulas that guarantee identical results in every situation. They're God-given principles describing how He has designed life to work. They teach us how the wise normally live in God's world. That means our goal is not simply to memorize individual proverbs, but to understand the wisdom behind them and apply that wisdom faithfully to our lives today. So, first we'll talk about planning our route. If we're gonna go on an adventure trip, like I mentioned, we're gonna figure out where we're gonna go, the best way to get there, and maybe you should even check with some people and make sure that there's still a road there, or there's still a trail there, or you can still get there that way. So the big bike trail here, every now and then they close it off, and you have to figure out an alternate route, which is usually on the main road. But after big flood washout, sometimes trails get washed out, sometimes they get closed for maintenance, sometimes roads get closed. And when you've filled up your tank and you have a certain amount of gas, you definitely don't want to get lost in the wilderness. But to plan your route, have you ever done that before? Have you ever planned your way, planned your route? There's been many different times in my life where I've planned and strategized my route. So next week I'll mark, I'll hit the 30 years of being in full-time Christian ministry. And when I was preparing to go into Christian ministry all those years ago, I was trying to figure out how I could work full-time, how I could be the volunteer youth pastor at my church, how I could take classes from two different Bible colleges and balance it all out. And my pastor was my mentor. And so I strategized and I planned and I looked at the course catalogs and I looked at everything, and I figured out that if you have a two-year degree, that you can get a four-year degree at Crown without getting the gym credit, the physical education credit, which kind of bothered me that I'd have to drive in to go play basketball for an hour for a term to get my edge my gym credit or whatever. So I figured out that if I took these courses from Moody Bible Institute and these courses from Crown, and then I transferred some of the courses from Crown to Moody and Moody to Crown, and I also got my work to pay for some of the classes because they said they would pay for cla for college classes if they related to your work. So I took English composition and writing and speech, and I think they paid for science too, and I figured out how to get them to pay for some of that stuff. And so I figured it all out and I had planned my route. I had worked something out with my wife where we had a schedule where I would study at this time and be with her and the family at this time and worked out this whole thing. And the plans eventually worked out. There were so many times I had to reroute. Something would come up and I would fall behind and I'd reschedule, and but I just kept moving it forward and I keep pushing on and I was able to get to my destination. I think it was May of 1996. I graduated from both the Moody Bible Institute and Crown College on the same day. And it worked out. It was a good plan. And a godly pastor said, There's going to be people that will come to you and offer you opportunities before you finish getting those degrees. He's like, you need those degrees because those are keys that will open doors as you move forward in life. And so I don't know if you've done that before, if you have planned and plotted and prayed and strategized to plan your route to get to where you wanted to go. But I think this is a very interesting proverb to start with. It says, put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready. After that, build your house. So what we're talking about here is we're talking about farming. We're talking about in those days in ancient Hebrew wisdom that Solomon is making it clear that the most important thing is that you get your fields planted, you get your outdoor stuff done so that you will have a crop so that you can eat and afford to build a house. And you put that first. And so we were at someone's house the other day, and they were talking about how the people that built the house first built the garage before so they could live in it while they were building the house. And one of the Baptist churches in Prior Lake first built the basement and had church there, and as they had more money than they built up from there. And so maybe you have experiences like that too. But what does this mean to you if you are not a farmer, if you don't have any fields, why does this matter to you? What if maybe you saw it was a proverb about priorities and putting the important things first? And maybe your conclusion is I don't have any fields and I don't have any crops and I already have a house. But what if I committed to read my Bible first before I jumped on social media or read the newspaper or started playing video games for the day or whatever it is? What if I prioritized that? What if that was what I did? What if I sought to get the experience that I needed and the training that I needed and the certification I needed before applying for that career job or before asking for a raise or to be promoted? What if I thought about what is it in my life that is bringing results and what isn't? And maybe you quit doing the things that don't bring results and you do more of the things that do bring results. So back then, preparation came before possession, responsibility came before reward, and it's a timeless principle that should work for us to make the right priorities, to establish the route so that we can look forward and be prepared for other opportunities. When there is a need for someone to step in as a leader, the need is usually right now. It's not, well, we really need you to be the leader, so why don't you go get trained up and come back in three months or three years and then we'll have you do it. Usually it's like when there's a need, we need a person now. And it's the person who is trained up, the person who is experienced, the person who is available that is ready to go. And God often works through that. He works through building our character. I always tell the younger people that are searching for jobs, trying to figure out what to do with their lives after they graduate, that if they're going to take a minimum wage job while they try to figure out what to do with their life, that they should take a job where they get some kind of experience doing something. So if you're just gonna sit around and be a security person, but you don't want to be a police officer or anything or a prison guard, then maybe that you could find something better. I was blessed to be able to be a construction laborer for over a year and learn stuff that would last me for a lifetime as far as home repair and building stuff, and it was good, it was a good experience. So, but God says prepare the field first, when often we'd say, Well, let's build the house first. So let's look at another proverb that I think is really amazing that really speaks to us, and that's Proverbs 6, verse 6. Oh, can I just back up for a second real quick? So if you are in the NIV Bible and you're looking at the page on Proverbs chapter 24, it says, verse 26, an honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. And then it says, put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready. After that, build your house. And then it jumps into do not testify against your neighbor without cause. And but then a little further down, you get a little more clarity about verse 27, about outdoor work, and it's interesting. So, and it also leads to a proverb that I used to love to yell in my house early in the morning when the teenagers wouldn't wake up. So both of those are fun. But okay. Verse 30. I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense. Thorns had come up everywhere. The ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in runes. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw. And here's what I used to love to shout in the hallways when my teenagers wouldn't wake up. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come on you like a thief, and scarcity like an armed man. And so that kind of ties into it too, about priorities and about work and about the value of work. And so then Proverbs 6, 6 talks some about this too. It says, Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider its ways and be wise. It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food for harvest. It gathers its food at harvest. So here you have again this work, this planning, this getting ready for what is coming next, and hopefully harvest or hopefully accumulating things that are going to be good for you. So one time some pastors and I were out at the Waconia golf course and have it at the restaurant there watching a squirrel out the window. He was a very busy squirrel. And he was running out to the golf course and he was coming back with a mouth full of things that he was gonna, I'm guessing, store up for winter. And what he was bringing back were golf balls. And I wouldn't want to be that poor squirrel in the winter when he realizes that he has filled his pantry full of unedible golf balls. But nonetheless, maybe someone could have come to the squirrel and said, Hey, squirrel, that's not right. You need to gather nuts, not golf balls. Unless he was bringing them back to the pro shop and he was getting paid for them like the kids do. I don't know. But nonetheless, planning. Proverbs 15, 22 says, plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed. And so when you get godly counsel on certain issues, that can be really helpful. Sometimes a financial planner can give you good counsel. Sometimes wise people that have been married for a long time, that have experienced ups and downs can help you with marriage. Or sometimes people that have parented their kids can help young parents give get some ideas on what to do and how to live their lives. So planning is not something we do independently of God. Wise planning is humble planning, it seeks counsel from mature believers because wisdom recognizes that none of us sees the whole picture. And then we remember Joseph interpreting the dreams in Genesis 41. It's not on the screen, but so Joseph is able to interpret this dream. I know you know the story, but so Joseph doesn't just interpret Pharaoh's dream. He says he has a solution, he has an idea, tells Pharaoh what he should do, which is funny because he pulled out of the prison to interpret his dream, and now he's telling Pharaoh what to do. But he says, Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. So I wonder if Joseph knew what he was talking about himself, because that's what happened, and that was a good thing. And so Joseph had a plan, had a interpret the dream and knew what to do to put food aside so that when the famine came, that the people would be provided for and he worked it all out. I don't know, I'm sure how many years ago he went through the happy life series about Joseph. Joseph went through so many hard times. I mean, every time he turned around, he was trying to be godly and he ended up in a bad situation. But I wonder if all of those bad situations trained him up to be the leader that he needed to be in the culture that was different than his in Egypt, so that he could do everything God had called him to do to save the people in that part of the world from famine. So think about that. Maybe sometimes the hard things that you have gone through have prepared you for the ministry that God has for you now or will have for you in the future. So this isn't a proverb, but Jesus said, Suppose one of you wants to build the tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? So, and then he goes on to say, if you can't complete it, people are gonna laugh at you. The person began to build and he wasn't able to finish. Ha ha. So, what do we start that we need to finish? We need to start being disciples, fully following Jesus. We need to serve the Lord. And so, as we think about what we want to do as a church, as we think about what we want to do as a group moving forward, we have to think about who has God given us? What resources do we have right now, and what can we do to make a difference in people's lives in the church and outside the church and in the community all around. What do we have? What resources do we have that we could use to make a difference? So many times people are like, well, let's do this, and there's no way unless some miraculous gift of funds comes in that we can do that. So it's not what God has given us at the time. So if we were able to figure out a way to fund it and find people to work it, that would be great. But think about okay, what is it that God wants us to build? What is that God wants us to do? What is it that God has empowered us or equipped us or funded us to do at this time? And how can it make a difference? Pray about that. Pray about that. Proverbs 16 9. In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. So you can plan all you want, but God might change things. You can plan all you want, and God might have a different idea and redirect you. Sometimes as we go through life step by step, we Are in this opportunity, and then that door closes, and we move over here and we do this. And sometimes we look back and we had our plan and it wasn't what we thought, but then we look back and we see what God did through it. So I was when I first got out of high school, I went to Bible college for a year, and then I dropped out because I didn't like the schools. And I thought that I needed to get back into Bible college, or I was not living my life in God's will. And so I was working at this company and I ended up in one area for a bit, and then I got promoted to the next one and learned a different skill and next one. And so it was kind of bouncing around, and I thought that I was wasting my time. But actually, God was using it as a training opportunity and helping me to mature and also helping provide for our family. And so we were volunteers and ministry, and I look back and I see how God was totally in it, though during the time I thought that I was totally outside of God's will. But it turns out I was in God's will. All right. So think about that. Pray with your family, pray for your future steps, pray for what you're doing now, pray to figure out what works and what doesn't work. Try to plan the course of whatever it is that you want to do. I mean, you can plan, you couldn't tell by looking at me, but I was actually trained in a university, in a college, yeah, in a university, how to write fitness plans for people. So I know I should write one for myself. Maybe I will. But nonetheless, plan your child's spiritual development for summer, financial planning, fitness planning, time management, all those things are huge. If you're going to go on a journey, make sure you know where you want to go and how you're going to get there. Number two, prepare for your journey. Prepare for your journey. So think about what is it that you will need on the trip? What is it that you will need as you are headed in that direction? Proverbs 14, 15 the simple believe anything, but the prudent give thoughts to their steps. Give thoughts to your steps. Give thoughts to where you're going and what you're going to do on your journey. So know what to do with what you have. If you give thoughts to your steps and you give thoughts to your research, give thoughts to your resources, you'll figure some things out before you go. So every now and then the power goes out in our house, and we have candles and whatnot. But I bought two of these lanterns, maybe you have them too. But so it is an LED lantern that is like super blindingly bright. So very bright. And so it's good when the power goes out, but it can also recharge my phone. It takes forever, but if you plug it in, it does recharge my phone, which makes the most important part of this lantern the cord, which is why I try to tie the cord on both of them so there is a power outage, and we actually needed to plug something in that we would know where the cord is. But the thing that's interesting about it is that it has a solar panel. I feel like I'm on the home shopping network here. It has a solar panel that charges the battery after a while when it sees sunshine and can actually take that power, from what I understand, that's charged the battery to your phone. And so overall, it works good. I mean, we haven't had to use it that much. But if I was gonna go on a journey, one I would want to know how to work this, what it can do for me. Is it waterproof? Is it sturdy? And if I only get to take one, do I really want to take the one I got for 20 bucks, or maybe I want to upgrade the one that's a little better? So, but to know how to use it, to know what it does for you, and to know if it is sufficient. And I think there's many ways you can apply that to your life and to think about okay, what is it that I've been told? What is it that is true? What is it that I can trust? What is that I can trust in? So, and then another verse, Proverbs 22.3. So that one talked about giving thoughts to your steps. Proverbs 22.3 says, the prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. So that last proverb told me, really think about what have I learned, what have I heard, what am I doing, what is true, what is accurate, what is reliable. And this one is telling me that I'm gonna be in a world of hurt if I just keep heading forward without thinking things through. I might pay a penalty or suffer or be disappointed, but the prudent see danger and take refuge. And I think this one to me is saying know when to pause, know when to stop, know when that is not bringing the results that you need or what you need to change. So the prudent prepares, the simple ignore the warning. So that is the difference between wisdom and foolishness. So what relationships should I strengthen before I need them? It's always good to have connections, it's always good to have friends, but in your time of need, it's really great to just be able to reach out to those people that you stay connected to. Someone has said that relationships are like plants. You have to keep watering them to keep them alive. Matthew 7, 24, Jesus said, Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. You know, who's a really good example of putting God's words into action and being wise was Noah, who built the ark, as you know, back in Genesis. And God told him, Build a large, I'm gonna flood the earth. Noah's like, what's a flood? I don't even know. But he's like, build a large boat from Cyprus, wood and water, proof it with tar, inside and out, then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. And then God gave the measurements and said, three decks, a door on the side, and all this stuff. And Noah did. And then eventually he was supposed to take a pair of every kind of animal, and he did all of that. And God's verse 21, he said, and be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals. And it says Noah did everything exactly as God commanded. So he also preached righteousness while he was at it. But that is a good example of someone who is prepared, who does what they need to do. So we should do everything we can to look in the pages of God's word and figure out what it is that God is calling us sinners to do. And we know that it's to repent of our sin and to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior and to walk in his ways all of our days and to make a difference in the world, telling people about Jesus all around us, praying and caring and showing compassion, and all of those things are good. Number three, carry what you need. Carry what you need. So again, I really like this image of this Bronco that is full of stuff that is stuff I think would be really good for the trip. But you can only fit so much in there, you won't be able to see out the windows or whatever you put in there, you might have to take something else out, something that won't really matter. And then you have to think about okay, what conditions might I experience? So I saw a weather forecast, was it yesterday, that there's a snowstorm coming into the mountains, like by Wyoming or whatever, where it's supposed to be like four inches of heavy wet snow or whatever. And in June, almost July, random snowstorms popping up, or here random fire danger, or sometimes flash floods and all of those different things to be prepared for, but to carry what you need. To have a plan B in case something bad happens, and to have wisdom and knowledge that certain things that are supposed to rescue you may not work in certain conditions. One example of that is fix the flat, the tire sealer that you can put in your tire when you have a flat. Works great in the summer and in the spring. It does not work at all in the winter when it's frozen in your car. It's just frozen. So it's not gonna do you any good. And you should know that. So maybe carrying a small compressor and some tire plugs might be good to put in there to do carry what you need to really think it through. You gotta figure out what it is you need and how you can balance things out and what you can do to be more effective. Proverbs 10 9 says, Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. So I'm not gonna tell you what to put in your life, but I'm gonna tell you some things that you shouldn't carry. And so carrying guilt, carrying bitterness, it's not a good thing. Some people carry integrity, others carry bitterness. Some people carry faith, others carry guilt. Some carry God's promises, and others carry yesterday's failures. The question isn't whether you're carrying something, the question is whether you're carrying the right things. And so that is an important thing to do. Proverbs 1012 says, hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. So integrity describes a life that is whole and undivided. The person is the same in private as in public. Hatred brings a heavy burden and bitterness weighs down the soul, but forgiveness is freeing. And to confess that, to be open about the things that you've done before the Lord, maybe even confessing that to the people that you've hurt or whatever. But Proverbs 28, 13, whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Mercy and restoration. So you'll remember Daniel in the Old Testament was carried off to Babylon, and he and his friends had resolved not to defile themselves with the royal food and wine, and asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself, and they ate vegetables. They had a plan, they presented it to who was in charge, and it was a good thing. Showed integrity. Hebrews 12 1 talks about how we should live our lives, therefore, since we're surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith. Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up, and let us run with perseverance, the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith because of the joy awaiting him. He endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. So to carry what we need to strip off all the stuff that so easily entangles in that sin. All right. Number four, stay ready. Stay ready. So you are on wherever. If you're on a camping trip or you're just wherever, stay alert, stay ready. The Bible has a lot to say about how to live your life. And sometimes when people want to go camping, they also want to party. And I don't think it's wise to be out in the middle of the wilderness where you don't know where you are and be stumbling drunk and unreliable. So it's a lot better to stay reliable. Proverbs talks about that actually. Wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise. And again, Proverbs 31. Lemuel's mother says, It's not fit for kings. It is not for kings, Lemuel. It is not fit, it is not I've got a different version of my head. It is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and deprive all the oppressed of their w of their rights. So to not be a good leader, because you are drinking. Ephesians 5.18, don't be drunk with wine because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. And finally, Proverbs or 1 Peter 5.8. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. To think about being ready because you don't know what comes next. This could be the best day of the rest of your life. Or there could be a lot of better days coming. We just never know. But we have to trust in God's direction. We have to trust as we move forward. We have to trust because things change quickly. So I thought this was a terrible headline on the newspaper this week. It looked like something from like when war broke out. Pearl Harbor, mine. Now is the time when it starts to get scary. And it talks about the people who are out of unemployment and benefits and still have no work or hope of work. We need to pray about that and know that there's hurting people around us. And we might not be able to fix their troubles financially, but we can help them to find Jesus. And that would be a good thing. But the worship team can come up here. Proverbs 19, 21 says, Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails. And Psalm 119 says that your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. So I've got way more stuff to say about Proverbs and I will next week. But if you can start reading Proverbs, that'd be good. If you could read Proverbs 1 on July 1st and Proverbs 2 on July 2nd, you would be blessed. Let me pray, Jesus. I thank you so much for your word, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Wisdom with eternal benefits. Jesus, I pray that if there's anybody here that doesn't know you as our Lord and Savior, that they would cry out to you, Lord Jesus, I am a sinner in need of salvation. Please forgive me of my sin and come into my life and save me. I want to follow you. And Lord, let them tell us that they did that so we can help them to start growing in their new faith. Lord, we commit ourselves to you. We pray that you'd provide in every way. We pray that this week might be a special week where we apply your godly wisdom to our life. In Jesus' name. Amen.