THE TOP TEN

WBS.306

THE TOP TEN

Today, I want to do something quite different.  Many years ago, the Holy Spirit led me to draw up a list of key lessons I learned as I grew up from childhood to manhood.  Most of these lessons were learned through my having made wrong choices in my life; then learning from the consequences of those wrong choices.  Through those experiences I discovered the wisdom, reliability and power of the instruction of the Scriptures.  The Holy Spirit has asked me to share this list with you.

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THE TOP TEN LESSONS I LEARNED AS I GREW INTO MANHOOD

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10.  Worldly Success is Not a Goal Worthy of a Man – There is no sin in success, but it makes a lousy objective.  As a consequence of doing that which is right, success is a pleasant reward.  As a goal, success misdirects the heart of a man from the things that are truly important in life.  (Prov 30: 8-9 “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: “Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is IAUE? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my Elohim in vain.”)

9.  “I Don’t Know” are Not the Words of the Weak – The enemy of our souls will forever attempt to reinforce in us the illusion of our perfection.  The ability to say, “I don’t know,” not only safeguards a man from living a deception, it also keeps him honest and sometimes humble, and demonstrates true strength. (1 Corinthians 8:2 “And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.”)

8.  Promotion of Self is the Quickest Way to Lose Out on Life – It is intrinsic to the fallen nature of man both to crave acceptance and to fear rejection.  This tends to direct one to promote himself in order to be perceived in a good light.  Unfortunately, EVERYONE is doing the same thing; so the one who promotes himself is the one who is appreciated the least.  A man who recognizes that his worth is not defined by the value given to him by others does not need to be the center of attention, and is the one who is best qualified to minister to others. (Matt 23:11-12 “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.  “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”)

7.  Every Action Has a Consequence – The third law of physics states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction in the same plane.  In the “real world” the reaction is rarely equal.  For this reason, a man should consider beforehand the consequences of his words and his actions.  It will protect him from making mistakes, and will prevent him from accumulating regrets.  (Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”)

6.  When One Spouse Wins an Argument, There are Two that Lose – When a husband wins an argument with his spouse, he causes both his wife and his marriage to lose. That makes the husband the real loser, for he dishonors his wife and damages the spirit of his marriage.  If he seeks to resolve the REASON for the argument, he honors his spouse and protects his marriage.  It is the responsibility of a man to insure that neither his wife nor his marriage is ever a loser. (Eph 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Messiah also loved the assembly, and gave himself for it;”)   

5.   Honesty is not the Best Policy; it is the Only Policy – The moment one begins to lie (deceive, use guile, manipulate, misdirect, mislead, cover-up, conceal the truth) he voluntarily steps into a prison, forfeiting his spiritual freedom (the liberty to obey IAUE), and gives the enemy of his soul the power to blackmail him.  Every lie sacrifices integrity and character, and weakens self-respect.  When, through unfailing honesty, a man preserves his integrity, character and self-respect, he also maintains his spiritual freedom. (2 Corinthians 4:2 “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of Elohim deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of Elohim.”)

4.  Difficulties in Life Build Character and Reveal the Father’s Love – Hard times reveal what a man is made of.  If one has truly bowed the knee to Messiah, then even difficulties in life are seen as demonstrations of the love and the goodness of IAUE.  Grumbling and complaining in the face of life’s complications only reveal the lack of repentance and obedience in one’s life.  (1 Pet 1:6-7 “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Yahushua the Messiah:”)

3.  True Freedom Comes from Walking in the Light – We are created to enjoy fellowship with IAUE.  We never reach our full potential in life until we are wholly given to that purpose.  A man who refuses to do anything that he must conceal, that he feels he must keep secret, will be liberated to enjoy his Creator.  To permit any aspect of our life to become cloaked in secrecy is to give power to the enemy of our soul and to deny ourselves the fulfillment of our divine purpose. (1 John 1:5-7 “And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that Elohim is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Yahushua his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”)

2.  It Takes So Little to Be Above Average – The masses in the world are satisfied with mediocre effort and mediocre results.  A man who would be a disciple of Yahushua cannot be satisfied with mediocrity in any aspect of life.  If a man is focused on excellence, he will easily excel beyond the average in every endeavor.  This spirit of excellence (especially excellence in integrity) will add credibility to the testimony of a man’s life, enhancing the effectiveness of his witness for Messiah. (Rev 3:15 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.“)

1.  Doing the will of IAUE is the Whole Duty of Man – Solomon was divinely blessed to possess greater wisdom than any man who ever lived.  With all his wisdom and his unimaginable wealth he spent years pursuing the meaning of life.  He delved into the depths of evil and iniquity.  He investigated the gamut of worldly pleasures.  He analyzed the benefit of all the world has to offer.  A man does not have to renew an individual pursuit of the meaning of life.  He may rely on the conclusion of this wise king.  (Ecc 12:13-14 “This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear Elohim, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For Elohim will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”)