Wisdom Means Looking Ahead and Facing Reality

In review of Proverbs 14:8 it says, “The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts”

Bottom Line:

A wise person looks ahead and faces reality, but fools only deceive themselves, thinking they know ignoring reality..

What this means to me:

A wise person looks ahead and understands where they are going, they know what to do. A fool only attempts to fool themselves, they get lost in their own deception, never facing the facts, only thinking they know.

A lot of people start out well, but end up progressing poorly because they don’t plan for the pitfalls. Today’s verse reminds me that a wise man will look ahead and face reality.

As I make plans for the future, I will face pitfalls. There will be cultural distractions, voices of doubt, tempting shortcuts, and discouraging delays. As an example, consider Noah: He had pitfalls after God told him to build the ark, but he overcame them and I can, too.

Fortunately God doesn’t give me something as difficult as building an ark, however he has something in mind for me.

Today’s verse says, “The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts” (Proverbs 14:8 TLB). By looking ahead, I’ll not only be prepared to spot the pitfalls when they come; but I’ll also be equipped to make plans that help me become the man God wants me to be.

I should continue to ask God for his help in establishing my goals for the next decade of life. I’ll then be ready to move forward and learn how to handle the pitfalls that could potentially keep me from getting where God wants me to go.

As I think about the last decade, I can see where God has assisted me when I couldn’t help myself (serious infection, surgeries a few years ago), He has used my choices to reveal things about myself and my walk (Rom. 8:28, “In all things God works for the good..”). A consistent thing I find is that as I follow and stay obedient to him, he blesses me and my decisions. I’ve also noticed that when problems come, he is able to guide and help me cope with, or teaching me how to appropriately deal with them.  Given this I know that I can count on God to help me set future goals that will accomplish that which is important to him.

It's time for me to consider how my future goals are reflecting the power of God in my life. I can dream even bigger than what I can accomplish alone, because I serve a big God.