Proverbs 30:5,6,  Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

I was talking to a man at work this past Monday and I quoted our proverb of last week relating to chastisement of sons.

He was a grandfather and had two grandsons that he was having a major part in rearing because his daughter was divorced and the boy's father was living with a woman not their mother.

He listened to me quote scripture.

But I sensed that he did not realize that in quoting a proverb that I was speaking the word of God to him.

It was not simply advice I was giving him but it was truth I was giving him.

It was "Thus sayeth the Lord"  I was giving him.

Believers in the word of God do not think that the word of God is simply advice.

Believers in the word of God know that the word of God is truth and that God intends for it to be an active agent in their lives.

Christ liveth in me means his word lives in me and causes me to live according to the principles of God's word.

But I have to believe that it is God's word.

I cannot take it or leave it.

I cannot think it advice and measure it by my experience or by my traditions or by my training.

It is paramount.

I do not judge God's word to see if I agree that it will work in my life.

I know that it will because I believe it is God's word and God's word is truth. There is no error in God's word.

Look at today's proverb. Every word of God is pure.

This is not hard to understand.

It is not clothed in dark sayings designed to confuse or deceive or even to impress.

It is clear. But you have to believe it in order for it to be activated in your life.

You must get behind the shield if you expect protection from the shield.

Every word is pure. There are no weak spots in the shield. There are no holes in the shield. It is a pure shield.

But the shield has to be trusted, otherwise it is ineffective in your life.

You will be open to the fiery darts of the wicked one and you are on your own. No shield!

Psalm 12:6,  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

You must go to the book!

Psalm 19:8,  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Deuteronomy 29:29,  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Those things that are revealed are revealed that we may do.

They are not simply revealed that we may quote scripture.

They are not revealed so that we may get a warm fuzzy feeling by reading them.

They are not revealed so that we may consider them as we consider the advice of the world and pick and choose what applies to us.

No! They are revealed to us that we may do the words of this law.

The word is intended to influence the heart and to influence our manner of life.

Every word of God is pure, designed to accomplish that which the Lord pleases, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto He sends it.

But every word is pure. Every word is needed.

No word can be neglected. No word can be favored.

Every word is pure! The whole revelation of God is required to accomplish God's work in you and in me.

All scripture is profitable.  No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

It has to be interpreted in light of all scripture.

You will not be healthy if all you eat is one type of food.

You must eat a balanced diet for the good of your body. And so it is with the word of God.

Favoritism of certain portions of God's word is a trap.

Parts are not to be taken as the whole.

Those that lean toward the doctrinal, may become loose in practice.

Those that lean toward the practical may become self-righteous in principle.

Those that lean toward the prophetical may neglect present needs.

And those that lean toward the experimental will prescribe a religion of feeling and excitement.

These forget that every word of God is pure.

Leaning toward certain portions of God's word and favoritism toward certain doctrines will result in a fall.

God's shield is effective only when the whole body of truth is considered to explain its portions.

We can know no portion except in connection with the whole.

Subjected to the light of this principle all heresies will be exposed as error.

Every word of God is pure and therefore worthy of our trust and every word is needed.

But---none of our words are needed.

This proverb reminds us that none of our words are to be added.

We cannot improve upon the word of God. We are not the creator!

Our words will only be found to be lies and we will be found to be liars.

The father of lies tries to add to God's word and he desires his children to do also.

He adds by tradition, by oral law, by apocryphal writings, by psychology, by evolution, by all sorts of man's thinking.

But God's word is a sufficient shield and not to be tampered with by what we may consider our helps.

They are all designed to dilute confidence in God's word.

They are all designed to cater to the flesh. The devil knows our frame also.

2 Corinthians 3:5,  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.

How this belief suffers in our day!

How the Bible is thought of as just another option for the help of the human frame.

But this proverb is clear. God is a jealous God and his grace is sufficient. And only his grace!

If he says it is sufficient, that means that no other helps are needed and that if other helps are added then reproof by God himself is guaranteed.

How do I know? God's word tells me in Ezekiel 13:7,8,  Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.