Introduction

Good day to you all! We will be studying Proverbs chapter 27. Is this chapter easy to read? Not easy. Because after reading it, one does not know what the author is saying. But I usually negate myself first, thinking that I should have not understood it and need to continue reading. Then how can one piece together what the author wants to express? This is really a bit difficult. Until one day, I completely understood what the author was saying. So I think Proverbs chapter 27 is talking about the wisdom of dealing with people, in other words, how to conduct yourself in this world. Listening to me say this, you will find that it seems to be the case. Why? Dealing with people concerns making friends and doing things in the world, roughly this meaning. If someone does not conduct themselves well in the world, then that is not good.

I have discovered a flaw in people, that they blame others for everything that happens to them. As long as you think like this in your heart, it's troublesome. There are also people who only blame themselves for everything that happens. Is it better to blame others or to blame yourself? Blaming yourself gives you a chance to grow; blaming others deprives you of even the chance to grow. I have a friend who is an engineer, and he has solved many problems for others in his business. He seems to be quite hardworking and capable, but whether he is truly capable or just pretending, we do not know. He has a problem: his knee joint is very painful, so he asked me to help him with deliverance. The manifestation of the demon was frightening. He is also a martial artist, weighing about one hundred kilograms. If he were to box, he would be in the heavyweight category.

At that time, we did not know he was so powerful. When someone grabbed his knees and hands, he stood up from the chair and started performing monkey fist, performing it very well, and even came over to hit me. I was doing deliverance for him, and he was hitting me, which meant he was possessed by a demon. Actually, compared to him, I am like a grasshopper. As a result, when he reached out to hit me, an invisible force pushed him down. When the demon lives in a person and is not completely driven out, the person is deceived by the demon.

But even so, we still maintain a normal relationship, and I still miss him. This person is quite unlucky in doing things, often not receiving payment after working for others. Does anyone want to be an unlucky ghost today? Someone asked me, what should I do if I cannot get paid? If it were me, I would not want to encounter such a thing. If I encounter such a thing, I would accept it; if I do not encounter such a thing, I thank God. If I hadn't started this business in the first place, would I still encounter this kind of thing?

Later, he often encountered unlucky things. Sometimes, I see that people's problems have not been resolved, and I want to serve them again, but they do not let me serve them, which is a bit obsequious. Once, I invited him for coffee. We sat face to face, and he said that I am not a good person. I want to solve his problems, so how am I not a good person in his eyes? People like to make friends with those who cannot solve their problems. But when I interact with people, I am always sincere. Sometimes, when I really cannot do anything, I will say a little bit, saying as much as I can and as deeply as the relationship allows. As a result, I became a bad person. Later, I explained it to him, but he may not necessarily understand.

In fact, I am really not a good person. Good people cannot drive out demons, and good people cannot solve problems. Then, he asked me if I could solve his problems. I told him that, of course, I can solve his problems, but you have to let me solve them. So, he asked me if I could drive out the demons in his customers so that the customers would pay him. Upon hearing this, I realized that the misunderstanding was very deep! He is possessed by a demon, has a quirky temperament, and when he helps people with things, they do not pay him; when he partners with people in business, they dump him. Ultimately, this is due to a lack of wisdom in dealing with people. Everyone must pay attention to this!

The Wisdom of Making Friends

If you frequently encounter unlucky things, the first thing you should reflect on is how you conduct yourself. Many people think they are doing well, but as soon as they do something, they are immediately bullied by others. Why is it always your turn to be bullied by others? Everyone must know that they have a demon in them. When a person deals with people, the demon in them will be fully exposed. Therefore, through doing things, through being a person, through making friends, and through managing affairs, one can see what kind of person this is.

Open rebuke is better than secret love. Wounds from a friend are trustworthy, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (Proverbs 27:5-6)

Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your father, and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you—better a neighbour nearby than a brother far away. (Proverbs 27:10)

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the person. (Proverbs 27:19)

Proverbs chapter 27 elevates a person’s conduct and making friends to a very high level. God wants to test people through their interactions. Brothers and sisters come to the church from different backgrounds and circumstances, and we must reflect on what kind of person we are. If you do not have a clear understanding of yourself, God will tell you, and then how you continue to live is up to you. I have repeated many times, the problem in a person’s life is themselves. Through a person’s conduct, it can be seen very clearly.

If a person is inexplicably bullied when with friends, they must ponder themselves. Do not always shift the blame onto others, or your life will be very troublesome, and you will become a foolish person for life. A foolish person often cannot distinguish between good and bad; someone who is good to them, they will think that person wants to harm them, and someone who wants to harm them, they will think that person is good to them. There are many such people. Therefore, when I minister to people in the church, I first protect myself. Some people immediately stick out their wolf heads and snake heads to bite me. But they cannot bite me because I am prepared.

Everyone must know that those who deceive you are friends. Do not talk about whether they are friends or not. Only those who can edify each other are true friends. If friends do not speak the truth to each other but just drink alcohol and talk nonsense, then they are fair-weather friends. If they do bad things together, then they are cronies. So, God will use your choices in this world, step by step, to see if you are a foolish person, an unwise person, a person who does not know what is good for them. If so, then isn’t that troublesome?

A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the right hand. (Proverbs 27:15-16)

If you marry a woman who quarrels all day and makes trouble for no reason, it is because of your ignorance back then. When people encounter this kind of thing, they need to know how to handle it. You will find that you cannot stop a woman's quarrels.

Open rebuke is better than secret love. Wounds from a friend are trustworthy, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (Proverbs 27:5-6)

One person wanted to change pastors because the pastor had scolded him. I told him, what kind of pastor are you looking for? He said, looking for a pastor who is not so fierce. People are foolish because they cannot distinguish between good and bad. The pastor is already so fierce, but he still does not change his bad habits, and he still cannot figure out what he is doing. He does not know that mutual edification is very important.

Friends Who Edify Each Other Are Important

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

Those who edify each other are true friends. If they do not edify each other, then they are just a mob. They do not point out each other’s flaws but only engage in superficial and hypocritical actions, like giving you blessings loudly in the morning. In fact, what they do is not a blessing but a curse, so we must establish relationships that edify each other. Everyone should carefully look at the people around them to see if there are people who edify each other. Do not casually say: In the name of Jesus, I bless you, may you have peace! Such people are the most annoying.

Earlier, there was a new brother who was very unfortunate, as both of his parents had passed away. When he was very sad, he found us, and our assistant arranged for a pastor to minister to him, often taking him to pray late at night. But we never say nonsensical things like, may you have peace. My previous church was full of hypocritical people who hugged and wished each other peace upon meeting, and they would casually say, brother, I will pray for you. But when he really needed them to pray, these people all slipped away. So, you cannot make friends like that; these are all cronies.

Once, I was invited to participate in ministry. I generally do not want to get involved in these things. I have my own way, which is that if they listen, they listen; if they do not listen, so be it. I do not care. People think that several pastors mixed together is a kingdom ministry, but I cannot see what kind of kingdom that is. In my impression, if one church is not unified, three churches together cannot be unified either. If the brothers and sisters in your own church cannot minister to each other, can three such churches minister to each other when they come together? That is pure nonsense. Anyway, God examines people's hearts in heaven.

Earlier, a brother was diagnosed with cancer. None of the brothers and sisters in his previous church took him to pray. Even his pastor, when meeting him, would ask, how have you been recently? Have you seen a doctor? The blame was immediately shifted to the doctor. I was very moved by this. Therefore, whether you are looking for a church or making friends, you must find those who can edify each other. Relationships that do not edify each other are just a waste of time.

What also surprised me was that this brother was treated this way by his church after he was diagnosed with cancer, so his wife should have understood something, right? But she did not understand and continued to go to that church. I was wondering, what can she gain from continuing to go to such a church? It can only mean that she is not using her head. Brothers and sisters, I give you a word of advice: do not gather a group of friends to eat, drink, play, and have fun. That stuff is meaningless. If you can edify each other and then go out to eat, drink, play, and have fun, that is barely acceptable.

Temperament Is an Important Part of Dealing with People

Temperament plays a big role in the interactions between people. Like in our midst, where do we have time to chat nonsense? We are learning every day, and we cannot finish writing notes, and we cannot finish learning. We simply do not have time to chat nonsense. We have squeezed out the time for nonsense. I am very grateful to God that the requirements for our small pastors are higher than for the big pastors, and the requirements for the big pastors are higher than for me. This is very good. We have squeezed out the time for nonsense, squeezed out the time for anger, and squeezed out the time for jealousy. This is the temperament of people. A person's temperament determines a person's wisdom. If you want to know the level of your temperament, I will retort a few sentences to you, and you can see your temperament.

Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but provocation by a fool is heavier than both. (Proverbs 27:3)

Who do foolish people usually get angry with? Foolish people do not get angry with people on the street who have nothing to do with them; they get angry with those who really want to edify them. Whether you are a person who is easily angered, what your temperament is like, and how wise you are in dealing with people determine your temperament. I encourage everyone to constantly adjust their temperament. How can you adjust your temperament? Start by adjusting your ignorance!

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. (Hosea 4:6)

God's chosen people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge, because ignorant people cannot have a good temperament. It is not to say that if you have finished middle school, university, a master's degree, or a doctorate, you have knowledge! Rather, people must have true knowledge. People's anger, jealousy, and hypocrisy are all ignorance.

If anyone loudly blesses their neighbour early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse. (Proverbs 27:14)

Many people do not know that this is a bad thing and think that people like it. How many things have we done that are not pleasing to God? Many! Why do we do them? Because we are used to doing them and think they are good things, resulting in being disliked by people and disliked by God. It is okay to be disliked by people, but what if we are disliked by God? If a person commits a sin, there is a priest to judge them; if a priest commits a sin, there is God to judge them, which is troublesome. When I think about solving these problems, I am a little scared because it is not easy to make people knowledgeable, so we must constantly adjust.

Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? (Proverbs 27:4)

Jealous people think they should be jealous. Why should they be jealous? They cannot explain why. Ignorance plus pettiness becomes jealousy. They cannot get what others have, and they feel uncomfortable, how ignorant is that? They are always creating trouble for themselves and making themselves miserable. If people have knowledge in this area, they will not do that. Everyone must constantly adjust their temperament. How can they adjust it? They must have knowledge. If people have no knowledge, they are ignorant; if they have knowledge, they will know that they are hurting themselves. I have nothing to do, so I cut off the meat from my thigh, cook it, and eat it myself, and then I expect that piece of meat to grow back on my thigh. I am harming myself for no reason, my head is messed up!

====输出开始
Disposition is the most crucial aspect of one's conduct. In interactions, some explain their past grievances, but I am adept at listening – knowing that a good listener is superior to a good speaker. They recount how others wronged them. Upon hearing this, I recognize a wicked person and tread carefully, lest they recount my story after I minister to them. If your wolf tail wags, I will sever it; if your wolf head rears, I will decapitate it. I will discipline you, hoping to refine you into a reasonable person until you plead for me to stop and choose to leave.

Those who join us are either liberated or taken away by demons. I thank God for both outcomes, for those liberated and those taken. It's all in one's Mingding Destiny. Ignorance breeds many issues. Cease alterations today; they are futile. Then, one assumes the right to envy and discern good and evil. Ignorance leads to self-harm. Our brothers and sisters must clearly understand that ignorance is the root of many problems. Clarity on envy, anger, and physical ailments simplifies matters greatly.

**Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me. (Proverbs 27:11)**

These are the foolish of the world, yet God chooses those deemed foolish in the eyes of the world to manifest His wisdom and power. Know assuredly that you are testimonies of my ministry. Should you change even slightly, I can answer those who mock me and the demons. Our church is a pastoral one, not merely bringing fruit to your home for idle chatter. Our pastoral care involves refining your flaws until,

**As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)**

Our pastoral care transforms you into a honed blade, removing rust from the tarnished. Thus, you edify me, and I edify you. Without resolving your issues, I lack the knowledge to do so. But resolving your issues propels my growth. Your problems being solved is akin to iron sharpening iron, pastoral care actually cultivates the pastor.

Therefore, we must adjust our ignorance and resolve more issues. We must retrain ourselves in many aspects, including how to speak and what to say. Sour words, akin to pickled Chinese cabbage, are troublesome. Can we not speak kindly? Why the sourness? Is it from too much pickled cabbage with vermicelli? Sour speech is like the stench of durian, intolerable. I dislike those who eat durian near me due to its lingering odor.

## Disposition is Related to What the Eyes See

**The grave and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Proverbs 27:20)**

**The image of God sees everything as good**, even repeated theft of newly dug wells. **God trains our vision, reminding us of His sovereignty, even in demonic disturbances**. Reflect on your ailments and problems. Why these demonic afflictions? Why this misfortune? Because our vision is flawed, and God will prove it to you!

What you see is what you get. If the grave and destruction are never full, neither are the eyes of man. Does this not define your disposition? The foolish one's anger, annoyance, wrath, and jealousy stem from what the eyes perceive. One with God's disposition sees good in all things. One without God's disposition sees only bad and invariably becomes annoyed. If one's eyes frequently see evil, know that the problem lies within, that they are eyes of the grave and hell, the demons influencing your vision.

**Transform our inner knowledge and vision now, embracing heavenly visions and dreams, acquiring godly knowledge, and many problems will dissolve. How we react to what we see is crucial.**

**A satisfied person loathes honey, but to a hungry person even bitter food tastes sweet. (Proverbs 27:7)**

Satisfaction is good, but it can lead to despising honey. Hunger, however, makes even bitter things taste sweet, resulting in a similar happiness index. To cultivate someone, target their deepest hunger. If they hunger for God's word, it will taste sweet. If they hunger for bone broth, it will taste sweet, but Old Ma will come calling.

## One's Attitude to Work Also Tests One

**Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honoured. (Proverbs 27:18)**

**When the hay is removed and the new growth appears, and the vegetation of the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats' milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants. (Proverbs 27:25-27)**

**Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; (Proverbs 27:23)**

One must have a good working attitude, for laziness magnifies tasks. Ignoring the mountain of hay prevents new growth from receiving sunlight. The cut hay can feed the sheep or serve other purposes, realizing the land's value. Land's value is manifested through human action, nourishing oneself, family, and servants.

Break free from laziness, for it is deadly. Understanding your flocks' condition and attending to your herds means understanding how to conduct pastoral care and execute well. Abandoning the sheep to die, as if sheep don't die, or letting them starve as if they are fasting, is wrong. You need fasting, not the well-fed sheep.

Know the needs of your flock, what grass to eat today and tomorrow. Lead them to good pastures and store dry hay for winter. Without food, the sheep yield no milk, leaving you with nothing. A destitute pastor with starving sheep discovers Chinese Mingding Destiny. Skinny sheep become fat, and income increases. Some accuse me of stealing sheep, but their sheep came to steal my grass! They preferred our care, not just pastoral but transformative, cultivating others to pastor, growing into God's heart.

God looks upon this world and sees clever people, enabling Him to answer those who mock Him! Our Heavenly Father's heart is gratified. Disposition, laziness, work ethic, and results are all transformed. **People become capable of mutually edifying friendships, and relationships become healthy**. I often say, where does God reside? **God resides in relationships. Strife indicates demonic presence; mutual edification indicates God's presence**.

Some church relationships are cutthroat, pursuing status, fame, and power instead of pastoral responsibility and excellence. We, however, pursue responsibility in a pastoral relationship. Brothers and sisters, know that building the church means shaping us into people with God's disposition, leading to unity, not a rabble singing, dancing, and vying for the center stage.

## Beware of Strangers and Foreign Women

I often find some people neglecting those who should be pastored and favoring those without a relationship.

**Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an adulterous woman. (Proverbs 27:13)**

Some scatter money in remote areas under the guise of missions, involving students, strangers, or foreign women. Our church excels in practicality, ministering to those before us is superior to remote missions. Caring for those God entrusts to me is my responsibility, not scattering money in distant lands.

Do you find my work peculiar, not inviting other pastors to preach, monopolizing the pulpit? It's my job; can I hire someone to do it? A guest speaker would disrupt continuity. It's my work, not to be outsourced. Some focus on external healing ministries while neglecting their own congregation. I am perplexed.

I disregard strangers and foreign women and focus on those God entrusts to me, caring for my vineyard, my flock, and transforming my brothers and sisters into lovers of God. While distant church members may be unknown to us, we are united in Jesus Christ. I want to please God, to escape foolishness and ignorance, which is the primary goal of studying Proverbs.

**Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips. (Proverbs 27:1-2)**

Avoid self-promotion; relate to others. Isolation leads nowhere. Our God-given task is to build a glorious church, a mutually edifying and pastoral relationship.

**Like a bird that flees its nest is anyone who flees from home. (Proverbs 27:8)**

One needs mutually edifying friends and to build relationships. Abraham's interpersonal skills differed from many Christians, adept at building strong relationships.

**Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice. (Proverbs 27:9)**

As those with Mingding Destiny, we must walk in God's will, fulfilling His heart's desire. God cares most for the least among us. However you found us, we serve you as we serve God. May God grant us the strength and resolve to press on. If our service is lacking, I am not inviting criticism but encouraging you to serve as you are served, should you serve in the future.

May God bless you all!