Wise Advice - The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional

Don’t waste your breath on fools,for they will despise the wisest advice.

Proverbs 23:9

Who fits the biblical definition of being a fool? Proverbs 1:7 says that “fools despise wisdom and instruction” (NKJV). They don’t need more information. They don’t know because they don’t want to know. I believe this is true with some who reject the existence of God. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (NKJV). They don’t know because they don’t want to know.

And why do some people remain foolish in the way that they live? Why do some people keep making the same mistakes over and over? Why is it that some will never listen, even when others speak the truth in love? The reason is they don’t want to change. They love their sin even though it makes them miserable. Jesus said in John 3:17, 19, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. . . . And this is the condemnation, that . . . men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (NKJV).

But this proverb is primarily instructing us on how we are to respond to someone who is stuck in stubborn foolishness of any kind. Don’t waste your breath. You can’t talk them out of it

On the other hand, mothers, if you have a stubborn, prodigal son, you can pray. If your friend is making bad decisions, you can pray. If your husband has turned his back on God, you can pray. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous [wo]man avails much” (James 5:16, NKJV).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Let me break some bad news. All of us, even you and I, are sometimes stubborn, shortsighted, and foolish. Yes, it’s true. It is foolish to close our ears to wise counsel from others. But it is a tragic mistake to close our hearts to the nudging of the Holy Spirit. How can you tell when the Lord is speaking to you? Ask him. Do you feel a tug on your heart, a conviction in your spirit? Is there a topic or Scripture that keeps popping up? Ask God if he is trying to correct or warn or teach you something. When he confirms, your next step is to obey.

One Year Bible Reading

Isaiah 12:1–14:32; 2 Corinthians 13:1-13; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 23:9-11