Choose The Bear - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 28, 2026

If today's title leaves you wondering whether I'm hopping on that popular theme that encourages women to see a bear as less dangerous than a man in the woods, then the answer is no. I am, however, hopping onto scripture and a stark warning it gives. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 17:12 - Better to meet a bear, robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. Yeah, choose the bear.

The issue isn't about choosing a bear over a man. Rather, God wants us to know that wisdom is needed to keep us away from a fool. That's why the proverb says we should choose the angry bear over our fellow human being. Far too often, we Christians underestimate the importance of godly wisdom, something the Lord attested to in Hosea 4:6, where He said that His own people are destroyed because they lack His wisdom. As a consequence, believers regularly end up in the hands of violent, wicked people.

A fool isn't just a senseless person. A fool is also an unkind, scheming, and wicked person bent on doing wrong. Many people use the term incorrectly, so when we hear that word 'fool', we don't grasp the weight that it carries in the Bible. Plus, because believers don't spend enough time studying God's Word, we fail to see His perspective on such evil people. This results in ignoring the signs they freely reveal about who they truly are. Believers must be cautious not to emulate such people. Their end, if they are stiff-necked, will not be heaven.

So when God says in Proverbs 17:12 that we should choose a raging mama bear, we better pick that bear and leave the fool alone. The fool usually comes well 'packaged' - full of flattering words and good looks that make them seem great. Most people would miss the truth of who they are. This is why we must realize that the only way to identify a fool is through the wisdom of God. Many search for lists of 'red flags', thinking that is enough to keep them away from wicked people. However, the wicked are great pretenders, just like the father of lies, their father - satan.

Without God's wisdom, a fool will deceive even the most experienced and vigilant person. This is why we all need the Holy Spirit and must develop the capacity to hear and submit to His nudges. The Holy Spirit is the administrator and dispenser of God's gifts, the most valuable of these being wisdom. And we can't have the Holy Spirit without giving our lives to Jesus Christ. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would only come to those who intentionally choose Him as their Lord and Savior.

That means inheriting the Christian faith because we had Christian parents is not enough to receive the Holy Spirit and have Him dwell in us. We have to choose God by giving our lives to Christ. Remember, He said no one can reach heaven unless they are born again (John 3:3). To learn more about what this means, listen to the Altar Call video that follows this message and say the included prayer. Ask for and receive the Holy Spirit, then cooperate when He gives instructions.

He might tell you to walk down a certain street or not to go into a certain store. He might tell you to get up and pray for a particular person even when you're very tired. Or, He might tell you how to do your hair. Yes, the Holy Spirit is invested in making sure you are your best because God wants you to be at your best and have His best. There's nothing that the Holy Spirit won't help with if you let Him.

Choose Jesus and be intentional to honor what He taught in the Bible. Submit to God's Holy Spirit as He leads you through life. Be sure to ask for God's wisdom in all things - nothing is too big or too small to deserve the provision of insight and strategy from the Lord. Pray using James 1:5-6 and don't doubt that God will give you the wisdom you asked for because doubt destroys prayers. Then, once you have that wisdom, create space between yourself and anyone the Holy Spirit reveals as a fool. And don't be foolish by ignoring what Proverbs 17:12 says - choose the bear.

What are your thoughts? Check out the Altar Call below as well as the following old messages:

1. Anger

2. On Fools

3. Packaging

4. Don't Fake It Till You Make It

5. Responding to Scoffers

6. Anger Leads To Judgment

7. The Mockers of Jesus

8. Do You Look Like Him?

9. Foolishness vs Wisdom

10. Topic: Wisdom