Book Review – The 7 Commandments of Foolishness

I am doing the 31 Day Proverbs challenge with Elevation church and I decided to buy and review the short book written by the leading Pastor Godman Akinlabi titled ''The 7 Commandments of Foolishness'. It’s a light book with only 76 pages which you can read within two hours, especially if you are a fast reader like me.

Here are my nuggets and thoughts from the book which jumped out at me. I will go through each foolish commandment.

1. Thou shall not think

 ''Think intentionally and be focused''. How many of us do that? The author says engaging in deep thinking is a habit forming activity...''Don’t swap wisdom for pleasure''. When you stop questioning you really stop learning. When I was at University I did a module in Critical Thinking. It helped me think out of the box, so now I question the heck out of everything. It is not a sin to question. 

2. If it feels good, do it

Some people use this as a reason to commit all sorts of sins. The author reminds us that we are not a feeling. We are a spirit. Feelings may change but the truth remains the same. Let that digest. Don’t be a slave to your emotions. ''I really cant control myself is not a reason to beat up your wife or say abusive words to your husband''. Have self-control.

3. Thou shall never be serious

Is it cool to be fun loving and playful all the time? The author thinks differently. He cites the Word which says ''There is a season for everything''. He says there is nothing wrong with having a laugh or being of good cheer, just not all the time.

Here are a few clues of unseriousness from the book 

They never take responsibility

They never have a written plan or goal

They live for shortcuts

They overlook the little things

4. Thou shall have foolish friends

Who are in your circle? The author reminds us of Proverbs verse that if you surround yourself with the wrong kind of people, just one evil suggestion can corrupt your heart and jeopardize your future. (Proverbs 13:20)

Do not hang around with people of questionable morals. Learn to identify foolishness from afar. Review your circles and make sure you are not surrounded by fools.

5. Thou shall stick to thy guns

Stubbornness is truly required for long term foolishness says the author. Here are some sign of such character: Refusal to repent, refusal to forgive, refusal to love, refusal to give, refusal to learn, refusal to admit wrong doing.

6. Thou shall have a biased memory

Some people have selective amnesia. They choose to forget the things that are unfavorable things. The author states such a person forgets that pain can be an instructor.  He states that practicing selective amnesia is a quick way to secure a place in the realm of foolishness. I'm sure we all have examples of such seasons. 

What about those that never remember good things? The author  shares about the Jewish Phenomenon and in spite of  their great persecution and hardship, the Jews have excelled in every field. Why is this? Hanukah festival is where they remember how God delivered them and this gives them great confidence. 

The author reminds us to always remember what the Lord has done.  Remembering will give us the grace to plough through any challenge we may face in the future.  May we never forget God's benefits.

7. Thou shall continually criticize

Remember the people of Israel. They complained about everything and some people still do the same today.  People that whine all the time are like children. They complain about everything. They don’t take responsibility and blame everyone else for their woes.  A wise person is critic free always taking the time to check themselves and take 100% responsibility for their actions.

He ends by saying it’s not enough to have knowledge. You must apply it. That’s wisdom. Remember that wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. (James 3:13-17)

In conclusion, the author sites that Wisdom is always a principal thing. More importantly spiritual wisdom is what one should seek. The great thing is that once you gain wisdom, you have the choice to change your ways or remain in your foolishness.

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