THE IMPORTANCE OF GODLY WISDOM – Part Two

In the book of Hosea we read,“My people are destroyed for lack of

knowledge...” (Hosea 4:6)

Every person is in a continual spiritual warfare which intensifies when they

come to Christ.

Jesus Himself said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

The Apostle Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary

the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

God has a great plan for our life The Apostle Paul wrote, “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

In this teaching I will be looking at three important areas relating to fulfilling God’s best plan for our life

- Commitment - Courage, and - WISDOM

Commitment is crucial to fulfilling God’s plan for our life

The Apostle Paul said, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,

immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Commitment in our Christian walk helps us:

• To stay focused on the eternal things• To overcome temptations and discouragement• To remain strong in our faith, and• To live fruitful lives as we follow God’s plan for

our life (Life and life more abundantly)

Jesus Himself said in His explanation of the Parable of the Sower

“Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4:18-20)

Commitment in our walk with the Lord helps to see our life bearing much fruit

Courage is also required if we are to finish all that God has planned for our life

• We will all at times be rejected for our faith• We all at times will feel misunderstood and let down• We all at times will experience disappointments in life• When we want to live wholeheartedly for the Lord we

will experience opposition from the enemy

Jesus Himself said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me

before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

The Apostle Paul also wrote, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will

suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12)

We need courage to keep going during the trials of life and when rejected for our faith – We must continually trust the Lord and refuse to give up on what God has called us to do in life

As we stay committed to wholeheartedly living for the Lord we will see God doing great things through our life as we help many others to come to Christ and to live for Him

We will all need courage to complete God’s plan for our life – But He promises

to be with us every step of the way

Jesus Himself said to His disciples,

“...I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” (Matthew 28:20)

In the book of Hebrews we read, “…For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrew 13:5-6)

God has much planned for our future as believers. The LORD said to Joshua before he led

the Children of Israel into the Promised Land “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall

divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. (Joshua 1:6)

“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. (Joshua 1:7)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

WE WILL NEED COURAGE TO EMBRACE ALL THAT GOD HAS PLANNED FOR OUR LIFE AND FUTURE

We also need godly wisdom to experience all that God has planned for our life. Godly wisdom helps us:

• To make right choices in life so that our lives are built on a firm foundation

• To enjoy good relationships with others

• To prosper and to have good success in life, and

• To store up treasures in heaven as we follow God’s plan for our life

I WILL NOW LOOK AT FIVE MORE AREAS OF WISDOM FROM THE WORD OF GOD THAT CAN HELP US TO EXPERIENCE THE ABUNDANT LIFE

THAT JESUS SPOKE OF

1) Continually Speaking Words of Life (Being slow to speak)

In the book of Proverbs we read, “Death and life are in the power of the

tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)

The words that we speak have the power to:• Build up or destroy relationships• To break the spirit of others, especially

young children• To frame our future and the future of others• Create an atmosphere of love and peace in our homes

or strife and contention• To create an atmosphere of faith in our homes• Inspire others to be all that God has planned for their

life• THERE IS GREAT POWER IN OUR WORDS

In the book of Proverbs we read, “A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a

word spoken in due season, how good it is!” (Proverbs 15:23)

The Apostle Paul wrote, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by

the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

WE NEED TO LEARN TO SPEAK IN LINE WITH GOD’S WORD

We need to speak,• Words that will edify and build up others• God’s promises in His Word over our future• Words that are gracious and life giving

We must choose not to speak• Words that pull down and degrade others• Continually about all of our problems and complaints• Continually about the faults in others

We must learn to exercise self control with our tongue

In the book of Proverbs we read, “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh

word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it

breaks the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4) In the multitude of words sin is not lacking. But he who

restrains his lips is wise. (Proverbs 10:19) In the book of James we read, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man

be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;” (James 1:19)

2) Being planted in a loving bible based church fellowship

In a local church fellowship we can:- Receive encouragement and support from other believers- We can gain wisdom and counsel from other mature believers- We have accountability to other believers. A great safeguard, and- We have an opportunity to use our ministry gifts to minister to

and bless others The enemy will always try and offend and isolate believers in

order destroy their faith if possible. We all need each other.

In the book of Hebrews we read,

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

In Psalm 92 we read, “Those who are planted in the house of the

Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing. (Psalm 92:13-14)

3) Having a clear God given vision for our life (Living for the Kingdom cause)

Having a clear God given vision for our life helps us: - To live a fruitful life (John 15:16)- To make choices in line with God’s will for our life so

that all that God has planned for our life comes to pass

- To overcome the many distractions and temptations that we all experience in life

- To keep us focused and strong when going through great trials

In the book of Proverbs we read, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast

off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.” (Proverbs 29:18)

The LORD said to the prophet Habakkuk “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets,

that he may run who reads it.” (Habakkuk 2:2)

4) Having a lifestyle of prayer

Prayer is a key to:- Getting wisdom from God- Living a life without anxiety as we

learn to cast our cares upon the Lord- Asking for and receiving God’s help to meet our needs in

life (John 16:24)- To developing an intimate relationship with the Lord,

and (1 Thessalonians 5:17)- TO SEEING OUR CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE. “For

with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37)

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by

prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

In the book of James we read,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

The Apostle John wrote, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him,

that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

We have a God who both hears and answers all of our prayers that are in line with His will for our life

Jesus Himself said, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you,

whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:22-24)

As we pray in faith we can expect to see answers to our prayers

5) Continually trusting the Lord in all circumstances

• We must simply just choose to trust the Lord at all times• We must not be moved by our circumstances so as to make

rash decisions• We must refuse to allow our circumstances to get us

depressed and discouraged so that we give up on God’s best• We must learn to simply allow the Lord to direct our steps

in life one step at a time. • As we continually trust the Lord we can be assured that God

will always make a way even where there seems no way. We can trust God who is absolutely faithful

In the book of Jeremiah we read, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And

whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

King David wrote, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land,

and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:3-5)

So in conclusion today I have shared 7 keys to seeing all that God has planned

for our life coming to pass

1) The importance of commitment in our walk with the Lord

2) The need to have courage to never give up on what God has planned for our lives

3) Continually speaking words of life and being slow to speak

4) Being planted in a loving bible based church fellowship

5) Having a clear GOD given vision for our life

6) Having a lifestyle of prayer, and

7) Continually trusting the Lord in all circumstances and allowing the Lord

to direct your steps in life