1 Proverbs is a book that repeatedly shows us that our real life output is a product of our spiritual state.

It reminds us that there is an undeniable relationship between our heart and our hands, our attitude and our actions.

2 Anyone that reads a single chapter of this book should walk away concluding that our inner lives and our outer lives are intimately intertwined.

And yet how many times have you heard someone claim that our behavior has nothing to do with our internal state?

3 We are like the mother of a man who has committed some horrific crime.

No matter how terrible his acts were, the mother will always insist that deep down he really was a good boy.

That is how we treat ourselves.

4 No matter how...

disordered our home is
poor our health is
messed up our finances are
friendless we are

...it isn’t really our fault.

These things aren’t a reflection of our soul. Deep down we really are a good boy. We meant well, but we could not overcome the circumstances.

5 In this sense, we see ourselves as a victim. That is our default and, perhaps, we wouldn’t use that particular word.

But our starting place is that if there is a problem, it is out there somewhere. It isn’t inside us. We aren’t responsible. Some other force is…

6 This mindset isn’t new. However, it has become a predominant feature of American culture. We all victims and, ultimately, no one is responsible for the output of their life.

Well, Proverbs hammers that mindset into a million tiny pieces...

7 It absolutely destroys it. The state of your life is a clear indicator of your spiritual state... You are the central cause of your problems. Yes, there are other factors but usually you are the main factor.

Red more in next week's newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yb4c24xw