Wise Help: Discernment in Serving Others

Devotional

Day 1: Discernment in Helping Others

In our journey of faith, discernment is crucial when it comes to helping others. Not everyone is meant to be helped, and aiding those who refuse to change can interfere with God's plan for their correction. The Bible encourages us to seek wisdom and understanding to ensure our help aligns with God's will. By exercising discernment, we can focus our efforts on those who are truly ready to receive and appreciate our assistance, allowing for genuine growth and transformation. [00:39]

"Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." (Matthew 7:6, ESV)

Reflection: Is there someone in your life whom you feel compelled to help, but you sense it may not be the right time or situation? How can you seek God's wisdom in this decision today?

Day 2: Recognizing and Avoiding Enabling Laziness

Laziness is a choice that leads to poverty and self-sabotage. Continuously rescuing the lazy prevents them from learning valuable lessons and disrupts the divine system of accountability. It is important to recognize the difference between helping and enabling, allowing individuals to face the consequences of their choices. By doing so, we respect God's design for personal growth and responsibility. [03:16]

"The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied." (Proverbs 13:4, ESV)

Reflection: Consider someone you know who struggles with laziness. How can you support them in a way that encourages responsibility rather than enabling their behavior?

Day 3: The Power of Gratitude

Gratitude is essential for receiving God's blessings, while ungratefulness closes doors to abundance. Helping ungrateful individuals is futile, as they will never be satisfied. Protect your peace by setting boundaries and focusing on those who appreciate your efforts. By doing so, you create an environment where gratitude can flourish, leading to a more fulfilling and blessed life. [08:29]

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent situation where you felt unappreciated. How can you set healthy boundaries to protect your peace while still extending love and grace?

Day 4: Confronting Pride with Love

Pride leads to destruction and blinds individuals to their need for help. God opposes the proud, and helping those who refuse to acknowledge their need for change is a waste of time. Confront pride with love, but step back if they refuse to listen, allowing God to humble them. By doing so, you allow God's transformative work to take place in their lives. [10:00]

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18, ESV)

Reflection: Is there someone in your life who struggles with pride? How can you lovingly confront them while trusting God to work in their heart?

Day 5: Praying for the Unrepentant

Some individuals are committed to their sin and refuse to change, despite receiving the truth. Helping them only enables their rebellion. Pray for their repentance, but do not let their actions drain you emotionally or spiritually. Trust God to teach them through their consequences, knowing that His love and justice are perfect. [24:52]

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16, ESV)

Reflection: Think of someone who is unrepentant in their ways. How can you commit to praying for their heart to change while maintaining your own spiritual and emotional well-being?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, we often find ourselves in situations where we are called to help others. However, it is crucial to discern whom we should help, as not everyone is meant to be aided. The Bible provides clear guidance on this matter, warning us about certain types of people we should avoid helping. This is not out of a lack of love, but rather out of wisdom and obedience to God. Proverbs 4:7 reminds us that wisdom is the principal thing, and our help must be guided by Godly wisdom, not just emotions.

There are seven types of people we should be cautious about helping. First, the lazy and idle. Laziness is a choice and a form of self-sabotage. The Bible is clear that those who refuse to work should not eat, as stated in 2 Thessalonians 3:10. Helping the lazy interferes with the divine system designed to bring correction. Second, the ungrateful. Gratitude is a mark of a humble heart, while ungratefulness is a sign of entitlement. Helping the ungrateful is like pouring water into a bottomless pit. Third, the proud and arrogant. Pride is dangerous and leads to destruction. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Fourth, the wicked and sinful. God does not bless wickedness, and helping those committed to sin is a waste of time. Fifth, the foolish. A fool is someone who rejects wisdom and repeats the same mistakes. Helping a fool will drain your energy and resources. Sixth, the dishonest and manipulative. These individuals use deception to get what they want. The Bible warns us against such people, as their intentions are not pure. Lastly, the unrepentant. Those who refuse to change will continue to misuse your help.

In all these cases, it is essential to set boundaries and use discernment. We are called to be generous, but also wise. By helping the right people, those who are ready to change, we will see growth and transformation. Trust God to handle those who refuse to listen, and focus your efforts on those who truly need and appreciate your help.

Key Takeaways

1. sabotage. Continuously rescuing the lazy prevents them from learning valuable lessons and disrupts the divine system of accountability. Recognize the difference between helping and enabling, and allow individuals to face the consequences of their choices. [03:16]
3. The Consequences of Ungratefulness: Gratitude is essential for receiving God's blessings, while ungratefulness closes doors to abundance. Helping ungrateful individuals is futile, as they will never be satisfied. Protect your peace by setting boundaries and focusing on those who appreciate your efforts.

4. The Destructive Nature of Pride: Pride leads to destruction and blinds individuals to their need for help. God opposes the proud, and helping those who refuse to acknowledge their need for change is a waste of time. Confront pride with love, but step back if they refuse to listen, allowing God to humble them.

5. The Futility of Helping the Unrepentant: Some individuals are committed to their sin and refuse to change, despite receiving the truth. Helping them only enables their rebellion. Pray for their repentance, but do not let their actions drain you emotionally or spiritually. Trust God to teach them through their consequences.

** [03:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:09] - Introduction: The Challenge of Helping
[00:24] - Wisdom in Helping Others
[00:54] - Biblical Warnings on Helping
[01:39] - Setting Boundaries Like Jesus
[02:13] - The Lazy and Idle
[03:29] - Consequences of Laziness
[04:41] - Signs of Laziness
[06:32] - The Ungrateful
[07:39] - The Cost of Ungratefulness
[09:11] - The Proud and Arrogant
[10:32] - Pride as Self-Sabotage
[12:12] - Biblical Examples of Pride
[14:47] - The Wicked and Sinful
[17:44] - The Foolish
[21:08] - The Dishonest and Manipulative
[23:52] - The Unrepentant
[25:28] - Conclusion: Helping the Right People

Sermon Clips

The Bible provides clear warnings about certain types of people we should avoid helping not out of a lack of love but out of wisdom and obedience to God. There is a fine line between being a blessing and being an enabler, and if we are not careful, we may find ourselves being manipulated, used, and drained by those who have no true desire to change. [00:17:00]

Proverbs 4:7 says wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom, and with all thy getting, get understanding. This means that our help must be guided by Godly wisdom, not just emotions. In this message, we will delve into God's warnings about the seven types of people you should never help. These warnings are not based on human opinions but on powerful biblical principles that will transform the way you give, serve, and protect your peace. [00:37:00]

The Bible is clear: laziness is not a weakness; it is a choice, a habit, and ultimately a form of self-sabotage. Proverbs 10:4 declares lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. If a person refuses to work, to apply themselves, and to take responsibility, then the poverty they experience is not an attack from the enemy; it is a result of their own neglect. [02:16:00]

When we continuously rescue the lazy, we interfere with the Divine system designed to bring correction. Some people confuse helping with enabling. Understand this: when you support a lazy person financially, you do not bless them; you enable them. When you make excuses for them, cover for them, or bail them out, you rob them of the lesson that could provoke them to change. [03:11:00]

There are people who will take your sacrifice, love, effort, and time yet act as if they were entitled to it. Ungratefulness is not just a bad habit; it is a sign of a corrupted heart, and the Bible warns us about it. Gratitude is the mark of a humble and godly heart, while ungratefulness is the mark of entitlement and selfishness. [06:30:00]

Helping an ungrateful person is like pouring water into a bottomless pit. No matter how much you give, it will never be enough. The more you sacrifice, the more they demand. Proverbs 17:13 warns evil will never leave the house of one who repays good with evil. Some people don't just fail to say thank you; they turn around and mistreat the very ones who helped them. [07:36:00]

Pride is dangerous, destructive, and deceptive. Proverbs 16:18 makes it clear: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Some people are so full of themselves that there is no room for God. They are consumed by their own wisdom, their own achievements, their own ways of doing things, leaving no space for correction or counsel. [09:16:00]

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6. Did you hear that? God himself will resist you if you operate in arrogance. You're not just facing circumstances or people; you are standing in opposition to God, and let me tell you something: you cannot win that battle. [09:54:00]

Some people are not suffering due to demonic attacks or external circumstances; they suffer because they refuse to listen, take action, or humble themselves. And let me tell you something: if you keep trying to help a proud person, you will end up frustrated and exhausted. You cannot rescue someone who does not believe they need saving. [10:51:00]

If you are trying to help a person committed to wickedness, you are wasting your time. If a person is committed to sin, your help will not change them, your kindness will not break them, your sacrifices will not soften them. And here's the real danger: when you help the wicked, you share in their guilt. [16:02:00]

Some people will never change until they hit rock bottom. Some people will never repent until they are broken. Some people will never listen until they have lost everything. And if you keep trying to rescue them before they repent, you are interfering with the lesson that God is trying to teach them. [24:46:00]

Beloved, God calls us to be generous, but he also calls us to be wise. If you have been giving to the lazy, the proud, the ungrateful, the wicked, the foolish, the dishonest, and the unrepentant, it is time to rethink who you are pouring into. Because let me tell you something: there are people out there who need your help. [25:23:00]

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