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The 31 Day Proverbs Challenge is a very simple way to engage God's Word and share it with others.  Here are the basic guidelines:

1) Starting today, read the chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to today's date.  For example, if today is October 17th read Proverbs 17.  If today is October 20th read Proverbs 20.  If today is November 1st read Proverbs 1. 

2) After reading the chapter, choose one verse from the chapter that you want to share with someone.  From our earlier example, if today you read Proverbs 17 then you might choose Proverbs 17:10 "A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool."  Or you may choose Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."  You may find it hard to choose just one.

3) Go public with it!  Post it on your facebook status or twitter account.  Add it to the autosignature on your emails.  Make a point of working it into a conversation throughout the day.  Sit down as a family or with a group of friends and share which verse you chose.  Make a T-Shirt.  The possibilities are endless...

4) Tomorrow, do it all over again...for the next 31 days.

5) Come back to our blog and leave a comment to tell us how you are choosing to take on the challenge so others can be encouraged by your stories!

6) Sign up here so we can encourage you and keep you accountable...we'll email you once or twice a week with stories of how people are sharing their daily verses...

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Today I read Proverbs 25:4, "Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel..." One of my favorite stories is of a woman talking to a silversmith...he had to hold this piece of silver in fire. When she asked him how long he had to keep it in the fire, he said, "Until I see my own reflection in it." That has always helped me have peace when I'm in a time of being "held in the fire"...I know that it's necessary so that I can become closer to reflecting God with my life. It was so awesome to be reminded of this today!

Whoever pursues righteousnes and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

-Prov 21:21

Prov 23:4-5 stands out to us personally as a financially struggling family and on an economic level on par with everyone's financial struggles. We get caught up in the riches we can obtain if we take certain career paths and we ignore our first and foremost obligation to give to our Giver. You come to realize quickly that if He is not the first on the list to give to, something is incredibly wrong.

Prov 21:13 and Prov 21:26 remind me of the need to help with the Kensington dinner and to give clothing and blankets for the homeless.

Prov 21:4 Too often I let my pride get in the way. Gibson had a great line in his blog - "downgrade me" - help me be humble, Lord.

Proverbs 21:23 says "Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble." Everything has a time and a place to be said. Two key things this brings to mind are to never speak when angry, allow the situation to cool down and give yourself time to think. It's easy to fire right back at someone when they say something you don't want to hear, but keep in mind that spoken words can often hurt others just as much, if not more than physical action. Also, do not engage in gossip. A majority of the time, by the time the story gets to you it is so twisted and distorted that it consists mostly of hurtful lies and deceit to turn the focus away from yourself or the gossiper. These to are hurtful words that can never be taken back. Remember, if someone starts a coversation with you about someone else, odds are that they are doing the same about you with someone else.

Prov 19:21 tells us that we can make our plans, but it's the Lord who determines the outcome. We live in a world that commends having goals and plans (401K, retirement, owning your home, etc...). What happens if God's plan is different from what we plan for our lives? If we are wise, we will keep our plans as tentative, always remembering that God's purposes will prevail. I want to be available and flexible to whatever His will is. My goals and plans for my life are nothing when I consider all the blessings that will come by submitting to His plans!:0)

Prov 19:21 says "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." Prior to coming to Christ, I lived my life as Frank Sinatra put it "My Way." I had my mind and plans all made up. The Lord and the church were the two furthest things from my mind. After many years of being unsuccessful and falling deeper into the pit, I had to finally concede to the fact that "My Way" doesn't work. I needed to surrender and welcome Jesus into my life and start to live this life according to his purpose for me, where the ultimate glory is for Him. Let me tell you, since that day I've been in a much better place.

My heart is so heavily burdened recently with the devastation of wives words spoken to their husbands, often without evening realizing the affect it has on the man. Ephesians 5:33 states "However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she RESPECTS her husband." This doesn't seem to resonate too deeply with many wives these days. It's very sad and troubling. A couple verses in Prv. 18 today that stuck out in relation to our words (focusing on our words towards our husbands) were Prv. 18:3, 8, & 13. I think we need to start taking the Word of God a bit more seriously & literally.

Hopefully this will keep me on the path of spending more time in the Word and therefore keep me on the right path to holiness.

Aiming focus today with other wives on showing RESPECT to our husbands. A big part of that is just keeping our mouths shut at times to avoid mistreating and disrespecting our husbands. And what was the very first verse read?!?! "Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife." God truly moves in our lives through His word. Praise HIM!!!!

Prov 17:27 says that a truly wise person uses few words... I find myself convicted by this scripture. Always needing to have the last word, or just so anxious to give my opinion, that I'm not really listening to the other person. God's word encourages me to pay more attention to what others are saying rather than to what my next comment will be.

Peace Family !

I just wanted to share what stuck out to me after reading Proverbs 17. Verse 9 says, "Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends." We have to realize that we always have the power to shape the outcome of an argument or disagreement; we can choose to be stubborn and bitter, or we can choose to be understanding and compassionate-just as Christ is with us. The minute we let negative energy linger, Satan-the biggest opportunist imaginable-creeps in and hardens our hearts, and we can't let that happen. I know...it's easier said than done, but it's not impossible.

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