FAITH CAPSULE: God can choose to delay His judgment but He cannot be deceived.

Proverbs 6

Do you care to know if you are wicked? Jeremiah posted his question before God, “…Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?” (Jeremiah 12:1) After his question, he followed through by identifying the character of the wicked. “You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind.” (Jeremiah 1:2) Inside the character of the wicked ones as identified by Jeremiah is knowledge of God with the Word of God near in their mouth, but with the Word far from their heart. Indeed, it is pure wickedness to be near Him by having the Word in your mouth but doing with your heart all that is against the Word of God. Are you wicked? Do you speak the Word on Sunday and speak another from Monday through Saturday? God can choose to delay His judgment, but He cannot be deceived. The identity of the wicked cannot be emphasized enough as in Proverbs 6:2, “A worthless person, a wicked mouth man, walks with a perverse mouth.”  If you are one considering that none of the above can be identified in you, it is better to look further into six characters of the wicked ones as identified in Proverbs 6:13-15. The first one is winking with his eyes. There are many that will run into you with the Bible in one hand and show you a flash of light winking, but it does not come from the heart; just from the eyes. The second one is shuffling his feet. This is an ambiguous trick to deceive a fellow brother by making you think they are there while they are not. The third one is pointing fingers. A demonstration of pride is the inability to accept fault. The fourth one is perversity in the heart. This entails being persistent in what is wrong. Only pride will make man to be persistent in what is wrong. The fifth one is devising evil continually. When there is no application of the Word of God, to continually operate as evil genius becomes inevitable. Lastly, the wicked sows discord. Those who seek discord are self-seekers and do not love. Not loving is an act wickedness. As a believer, do not assume escape if you have engaged in any character of the wicked. The portion of the wicked one as stated in Proverbs 6:15 is, “Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.”

Prayer for today: Search my heart O Lord and see if there is wickedness in me. Deliver me and lead me in the way everlasting.