Ten Ways to Avoid Being a Fool

No one wants to be called a fool, yet they’re all around us. We all make personal choices. A fool is someone who lacks good sense, makes stupid decisions, and deals with their life in a thoughtless, careless, and irresponsible way. Both men and women can act like fools.

Hopefully you won’t see yourself anywhere on this list:  

1. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)*
2. A wise man fears and turns from evil, but a fool is careless and reckless. (Proverbs 14:16)
3. It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel. (Proverbs 20:3)
4. A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back. (Proverbs 29:11)
5. Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands. (Proverbs 14:1)
6. He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. (Proverbs 13:20)
7. The prudent see danger and take cover; but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. (Proverbs 27:12)
8. A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray. (Proverbs 12:26)
9. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of a fool spouts folly. (Proverbs 15:2)
10. The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse. (Proverbs 10:32)

Here are three things you can do if you don’t want to be a fool:

• Start being wise; have a respectful fear of God (Proverbs 9:10)
• Be willing to listen to good counsel (Proverbs 12:15)
• Read the Scriptures for yourself to be wise (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

Wise people use good judgment and common sense. They carefully consider their ways. You will not find them in the careless “eat, drink, and be merry” crowd because they thoughtfully consider the results of their decisions.  

If you fit any of the foolish categories, make a wise decision now to change your ways. If you sincerely want to change, God will help you. Call upon Him, as David did in Psalm 51:17: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. 

*Scriptures are from: The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB. Copyright 2022 by Bible Hub. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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The Blame Game

Comedian Flip Wilson could always get a laugh by saying, “The devil made me do it.” It’s a line as old as the Garden of Eden.

When God confronted Adam and Eve for eating what was forbidden, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the Serpent . . . so the blame game began . . . and continues to this day.

Instead of blame, we are cautioned to think for ourselves. Ancient wisdom says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” (Proverbs 4:23 GNT)

The Apostle James plunges right into straight talk: “We are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires.”

But there’s more! “Our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15 GNT)

One of the best examples of this is King David, in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. When he saw Bathsheba, he was tempted, sent messengers to find out who she was, sent more messengers to bring her to him, and after they slept together, she returned home.

But David got trapped by his wrongful desire. He had slept with another man’s wife; now she was pregnant. One sin led to another . . . next he planned a coverup.

Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, was in the military, so David called for his return. Twice he talked with Uriah and told him to go home to his wife. More honorable than David, Uriah slept at the palace with the servants.

David then moved further into sin by giving Uriah a letter ordering Commander Joab to place this soldier on the front lines.  

Sin is selfish. David gave no thought to other men being killed. He wanted Uriah gone! After Bathsheba’s days of mourning, David took her as his wife, but God did not let their baby live.

He sent Nathan the prophet to confront David about his sin. He told David a parable of a rich man with many flocks who took a poor man’s only ewe lamb. When David’s righteous indignation flared up at the rich man, Nathan said, “You are that man!”

Hearing that, David humbled himself and said, “I have sinned against the LORD.” (2 Samuel 12:13 NKJV)

Acknowledging personal responsibility was the end of his blame game. It can also be the end of ours. 

Consider this prayer of David: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10 NKJV)                                                                                                                          

Who Do You Blame?

WHO DO YOU BLAME?

Holding someone else accountable for the bad things that happen to us seems to come naturally. It’s a trait as old as the story of Adam and Eve.

The first three chapters of Genesis show that living in beautiful surroundings did not make them perfect.  Caught in personal acts of disobedience to God’s directives, they placed blame outside themselves.

Eve blamed the Serpent and Adam blamed Eve. But another early example of this trait appears in the story of Joseph.

Blame and Consequences  

Sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph was a trustworthy servant in the house of Potiphar. This man’s wife lusted after Joseph and tried repeatedly to seduce him. Joseph resisted her advances because he believed sleeping with his master’s wife would be a sin against God (Genesis 39:9).

One day she grabbed his cloak with her entreaty. Joseph pulled out of the cloak and left the house. As she was standing there holding his garment, Potiphar’s wife angrily decided to cast blame on Joseph (Genesis 39:13-20).

Her blame game caused him to spend many years in prison. He could have become bitter, but he remained true to God and God remained true to him (Genesis 41:38-40).

Who Plays? 

People in all walks of life play the blame game. We see it in popular magazines, television and other media. No one, rich or poor, rushes to say, “I came up with that plan. I made the decision. I deserve the consequences.”  

People seem to follow in Adam and Eve’s footsteps. They make wrong decisions, judgments or plans, then blame others when things go wrong.

One of the others to get blamed is God. The New International Version explains it this way: A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord (Proverbs 19:3). Blaming God is nothing new.

In my years of pastoral ministry, I talked with many people who were frustrated by troubles in their lives. Very few came ready to admit their problems were a result of personal decisions. Remember, we are not talking legitimate victimization here. That is another matter entirely. We are talking “personal decisions.”

Have you ever noticed how when a person is wrong and won’t admit it they get angry? It’s a way to avoid facing the issue, a cover up or part of the blame game.

Avoid Being a Game Player 

People tend to think humility shows weakness, but the truth is that pride brings a man low (Proverbs 29:23). James said, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” He also said, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up” (James 4:8, 10).

Consider James’ advice and avoid the blame game. It takes courage to say, “I was wrong,” but it’s a personal step that can only be taken by you.