Latest / The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast / 365 | The Value of Wisdom: A Path to Abundant Living

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365 | The Value of Wisdom: A Path to Abundant Living · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  Music.
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  Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries,
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  where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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  Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
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  Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
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  or on our website at watwm.org,
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  we invite you to sit down with us as we look to the scriptures to learn more
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  about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Living a life for Christ, she's a happy girl.
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  Music.
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  She's a happy girl.
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  Daily, we are bombarded with questions and decisions that sometimes require
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  immediate responses and whose answers have great consequences.
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  Making good decisions in these circumstances requires godly wisdom.
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  When you need to know what decision to make, how to navigate a circumstance,
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  or which way to turn, you need to turn to God and ask Him in prayer to lead
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  you, to direct you, and to guide you through the process.
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  Join us in this podcast of Women at the Well Ministries as Kim guides us through
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  the scriptures, teaching us
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  about godly wisdom, and revealing how we can have God's wisdom as our own.
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  Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast. Let's pray.
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  Our kind and most gracious, your heavenly Father, Lord, we come to you,
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  Lord, in faith, believing that every word you have given us is not only true, but it's life-giving.
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  And Lord, as we walk through your precious word today, I pray that you would
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  open up our hearts and our minds.
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  Lord, that you would reveal to each one of us exactly what you have for us to know in this scripture.
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  Lord, I ask that you would give to us wisdom, and you've promised to give it
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  to us liberally if we would just ask.
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  Lord, I pray that you would help each of us to understand the gift it is,
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  to have your discernment and your wisdom, to walk in your ways,
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  to be obedient to your commandments.
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  Lord, be in this message, we pray. Remove me, and may your words go forth with power and authority.
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  And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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  Today, we're talking about the value of wisdom.
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  The scripture has lots to say about wisdom, but what do you think wisdom is?
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  Clearly, wisdom is a complex trait that involves the ability to use knowledge
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  and experience to make good judgments and decisions.
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  If you asked a person on the street what wisdom is, you may very well be told.
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  It's the ability to apply knowledge properly.
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  Because the application of truth in specific situation for godly ends is what
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  the scripture would say.
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  And that's just saying you apply God, Jesus, his principles,
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  so that you get the results that God would have you to have.
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  The understanding and knowledge that
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  comes deep within and
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  from deep connections to one's
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  inner self and god so what we're looking at is godly wisdom and that's what
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  that last definition would have given us it's that ability to understand how
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  god would have you to act behave navigate and do you.
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  Based on his principles, his word, and his knowledge.
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  In Proverbs 9-10, we read this, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
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  and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
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  When you have a reverent fear, I don't mean that you're afraid to approach him
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  or you're afraid of his punitive nature. No, I mean, you're in awe and in reverence of who he is.
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  That's this kind of fear of worshiping and regarding him as being truly above
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  all, the supreme authority.
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  This, my friend, we're told in Proverbs, is the beginning and the most important part of wisdom.
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  Because what that does is it sets you up in this hierarchy that is correct.
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  That God is above all, that he is the supreme authority, and that we're underneath
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  that supreme authority, and so that we must submit to his authority.
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  We must humble ourselves, and that we realize that his word is the final say-so,
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  and that we realize his instructions are the correct instructions to follow.
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  It's the starting point of wisdom, understanding that God is God,
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  and then placing him in his rightful place in our life as King of our heart and Lord of our lives.
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  Understanding who God is, the knowledge of the Holy One,
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  understanding his ways and his attitude, his character, and his commands.
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  We are given everything that we need to live holy, godly lives.
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  And it's all in the Word, from Genesis to Revelations, as plainly as it could
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  be written to tell us this is what God expects of his children.
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  This is how God equips his children to do what he expects of them.
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  And these are the promises of God that his children can believe and adhere to.
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  And wisdom is the beginning of the understanding of the Holy One and the purposing
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  of our heart to put God in the rightful place he belongs.
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  So what is wisdom? There are two types of wisdom. There's godly wisdom,
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  which is what we've been talking about. And then there's earthly wisdom.
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  Earthly wisdom is the accomplishing the will of self.
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  It's about promoting self. It's limited because it's limited to your own capacity.
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  It's corrupt because it's fleshly.
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  And in most instances, it's anti-god because it puffs ourselves up and puts
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  us in the place of authority,
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  and that means we're displacing God in our heart and our minds and our lives
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  and putting a false God, which is ourselves, in his place.
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  Godly wisdom carries out God's will, and earthly wisdom carries out man's will.
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  Godly wisdom is understanding God's character and ways and applying it in every
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  circumstance and in all situations.
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  So when you're thinking about how you're behaving and you're reflecting upon
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  how you're making decisions and what choices you've made recently,
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  ask yourself this question, is God in this?
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  And if the answer is no, you can be very sure that you're not using godly wisdom.
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  And if you're not using godly wisdom, then
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  you're not going to get the outcome that God
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  has planned for you so that you would have the abundant life he's promised you
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  in john chapter 10 10 now let's take a look at proverbs 4 5 through 8 which
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  gives us a good look at wisdom and here's what it says get wisdom,
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  very plain get wisdom get understanding forget it not neither decline from the words of my mouth,
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  Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee.
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  Love her, and she shall keep thee.
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  Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom.
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  In this one passage of Scripture, in Proverbs 4, 5 through 8,
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  we are told to get wisdom more than one time.
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  He says it is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom. He opens up with, get wisdom.
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  And with all thy getting, get understanding.
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  Exalt her and she will promote thee. She shall bring thee to honor when thou dost embrace her.
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  This is the attitude we are to have about wisdom.
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  We are to get wisdom. We're not to forget wisdom.
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  And we don't let the words of wisdom be forsaken in our speech.
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  We don't forsake wisdom because wisdom will preserve thee. We love wisdom and she keeps us.
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  Wisdom is the principal thing.
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  He's telling us that we have been taught to let ourselves hold tightly and fast to the word of God.
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  To honor wisdom, to keep his commandments and live.
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  To skillfully use God's wisdom, to seek spiritual discernment,
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  mature comprehension and logical interpretation.
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  Really work at not being foolish with your life and not being willy-nilly with
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  how you make decisions, but not depending on yourself to walk through this life.
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  In fact, in Proverbs 3, 5, and 6, he says, Trust in the Lord with all thine
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  heart and lean not into thine understanding.
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  In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.
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  You're not to forget or turn away from the words of the Lord,
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  from the words of wisdom she will
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  guard you and she will protect you if you
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  love her she'll watch over you if you begin to
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  embrace the idea that wisdom is a gift from god to guarantee that you're walking
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  in his ways because you're using discernment godly discernment to stay in his
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  path and you are embracing his words,
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  his character, and you're assimilating them into your life.
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  This is the life that will protect you from going astray and from going in your own way.
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  And from doing the will of the devil. We have to skillfully get godly wisdom
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  and seek spiritual discernment.
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  We need to see wisdom as a prize and exalt it, and she will exalt you.
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  In other words, if you place your faith in the truth of Jesus Christ,
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  and you purpose in your heart and in your mind to seek godly wisdom,
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  to pass everything through the filter of God's word and his commandment and
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  who he is and his character, you'll find honor and grace and mercy.
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  Proverbs 4, 5-8 gives us a strong picture of wisdom and its value,
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  how we can use it, its importance.
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  So how do we get it? This is my favorite part.
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  In James 1 and verse 5, he says, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God
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  that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.
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  If any of you are deficient in wisdom, ask of the given God who gives to everyone liberally,
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  generously and ungrudgingly without
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  blame or reproach or fault finding and
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  he'll give it to you he's not looking at you and
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  condemning you because you don't have wisdom he is exalting you and honoring
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  you and giving you wisdom because you're asking for it because you realize that
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  you can't navigate this world on your own in your own way and under your own
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  power we're plainly told if we need wisdom,
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  we're to pray and ask God to give it to us, and he will do it.
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  So when you need to know what decision to make, how to navigate a serving circumstance
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  or which way to turn, you need to turn to God.
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  Always turn to God. Don't turn away from God.
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  Don't look internally into yourself, but always turn to God and ask him through
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  prayer to lead you, direct you and guide you through this process of how to make this decision.
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  And he will do it. He's an all-knowing God.
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  He's perfect, and he gives liberally and generously to his children who ask for help.
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  And when he does it, he doesn't do it in condemnation, but he does it graciously
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  and lovingly and without reprimand or blame.
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  In fact, in Matthew 7, 7, he says, Ask, and it shall be given you.
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  Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
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  He's asking you to come to him for all things, to include him in every circumstance.
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  Of your life, in every situation, good, bad, and ugly,
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  beautiful and wonderful, in times of gladness, in times of joy,
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  and especially in times of distress,
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  destitute, and when you're walking in the valley.
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  Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
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  He says in James 1, 5, if you'll just ask me, I'll give it to you.
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  And more than you ask. So why don't we ask?
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  I believe it's because we don't understand his amazing love for us.
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  Sometimes I think it's, we don't really get that he's watching over us,
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  that he wants to take care of us. I think that we are oblivious to his constant protection for us.
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  But if I'm truthful, what I most believe it is, and what I think most likely
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  the reason is that we don't ask God for his help or for his wisdom,
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  is we simply won't humble ourselves and submit to God.
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  I think we are so self-loving, sometimes so self-unaware, that we just rely on ourselves.
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  We don't ask the Lord.
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  Instead of allowing him to work all things out for our good,
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  which he promises in Romans 8, 28, and instead of allowing him to solve our
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  problems and issues in his timing and in his way, we get ahead of God.
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  And in doing so, we often dig ourselves deeper into trouble,
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  remove ourselves further from God, and delay God's blessings in our lives.
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  Friend, we must learn to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so that
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  he can lift us up in due time, which he promises in 1 Peter 5.6.
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  We must discipline ourselves not to depend on ourselves, as I spoke about out
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  of Proverbs 3.5. And we can't be wise in our own eyes as we are warned of in Proverbs 3, 7.
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  But instead, in all ways, in all times, in all situations, and in every opportunity,
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  we must depend upon the God, upon our God, upon the only one true living God.
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  We must depend on the Holy One of Israel who is asking you to come to him,
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  who's inviting you to his throne in Hebrews 4, 16.
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  That we might find help in time of trouble, who says, call unto me and I will
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  answer you and show the great and mighty things which thou knowest not in Jeremiah 33.
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  He knows the way and he is the way, we're told in John 14.6.
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  So right now at this moment, purpose in your heart to start walking in his ways and seeking his wisdom.
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  Realize the truth that he is greater than all. which means he knows more than you do.
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  You have a finite capacity of knowledge.
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  He has an infinite wealth of knowledge.
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  All things are under his feet, so all resources are his to distribute.
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  Why don't we ask? Because I think sometimes we place ourselves as the little G-O-D of our own lives.
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  How incorrect that is. how sad that is.
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  And the results of that is that we live well below our privileges.
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  We spend a lot of time in misery and stress and worry, and we simply don't get
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  the blessings God has intended for us to have.
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  That's the results of not having godly wisdom.
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  But what are the effects of living in God's wisdom?
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  James 3.17 says this, But the wisdom that is from above is first pure,
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  then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits,
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  without partiality and without hypocrisy.
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  James james lists
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  eight characteristics of wisdom when god
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  grants you wisdom god gives you a wisdom that
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  does these eight things and when you receive
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  godly wisdom your life will demonstrate wisdom by demonstrating these godly
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  traits first you'll be pure according to james 3 17 not only will you receive pure wisdom from God,
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  but godly wisdom promotes and creates pure motives.
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  You're going to be peace-loving. Those who are wise love peace.
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  They cling to it. They don't create conflict.
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  They bring a sense of calmness and goodness and peace and joy and resolution
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  to all situations because they're ushering in the presence of Jesus.
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  Where Jesus is, there is peace.
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  When he's on the scene, he changes everything. They're gentle.
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  There's going to be this attitude of your life that lets other people know you belong to Jesus.
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  You're going to be loving, compassionate.
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  Joyful. People are going to want what you have because you have Jesus living in you.
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  Another characteristic of wisdom in your life is that you're going to be willing to yield.
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  You'll be teachable and reasonable.
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  Oh, God help the person who thinks they know it all because they are declaring
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  in front of everyone without doubt that they certainly don't know it all,
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  because to think you do is to know that you don't.
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  People have experiences we can learn from. We must be teachable.
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  As we instruct others in godly wisdom, we must be willing to hear from others
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  so that we would learn what God has to say.
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  We have to look in the scriptures and be willing to submit to the Holy Spirit
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  that is teaching and instructing us.
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  We've got to be reasonable people. So, Jesus went about doing good.
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  That is demonstrated in the characteristic of being full of mercy,
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  being concerned about others, compassionate, loving, kind.
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  One of the characteristics of wisdom that I think is so easy to see in someone
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  else is the fruit-bearing part.
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  People who are living out the characteristics of wisdom that we're told in James 3.17,
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  their wisdom's evident to others, the fruits of their life, the way they walk,
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  the way they talk, the blessings that they're enjoying, the work that they're doing.
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  It's going to be godly and not worldly.
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  They're going to have a spirit of godliness, character of Jesus.
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  When we live in the characteristics of godly wisdom, we're impartial.
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  That means we don't love someone more than we love someone else just because
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  they can do something for us.
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  We don't view people for what they can do for us. We view people because they
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  are created in the image of God.
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  And he loves all people.
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  You see them as a child of God, as a creation of his.
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  And then this other part of impartialness that we see in wisdom is that we don't
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  change our convictions and our beliefs about God because somebody else that
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  we love believes something differently.
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  No, we get our instructions solely and wholly from the Word of God,
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  from Jesus, and from the Holy Spirit, which dwells inside of us,
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  that's teaching us and leading us.
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  We have a stick-to-it-ness for our thoughts and our beliefs because they have
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  been given to us by Jesus himself as we read in his word, because John 1.14
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  says that the word was made flesh and dwell among us.
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  We aren't persuaded by others' influence regardless of their social status,
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  their wealth, or their worldly information.
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  We see people as children of God, and we keep our influence on what we believe
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  and what we think based on what the word of God has told us.
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  And perhaps the one that I adhere the most in others to that I love is that
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  they're sincere. They're genuine.
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  They're not hypocritical. We don't need any more fake Christians, people.
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  We don't need any more people that say they love the Lord and that they are
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  Christ-like and they're living like the world.
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  See, I'm not sure that you fully understand your responsibility when you wear
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  the title Christian, it's a role in life that others see.
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  And however you're living it is defining what they think Christ is if they don't know.
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  And if you're living like the world, you're a lie and you are a hypocrite and
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  you're damning others around you to that same belief because you're passing on a false belief,
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  a false life, and you're an imposter.
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  If you're going to be a Christian.
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  Allow the Lord to create in you a new creature. Old things are passed away and
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  all things have become new. That's truth.
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  That's the word of God in 2 Corinthians 5.17. We must live different than the world.
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  We can't be friends with the world. In fact, the scripture says in James.
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  Know you not that to be friends with the world is enmity with God.
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  We need to be sincere with our walk, our talk, and our life.
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  Because godly wisdom carries out God's will.
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  For earthly wisdom carries out man's will.
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  We need godly wisdom.
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  We need to live it, ask for it, receive it, and then heed it.
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  Because why do we seek wisdom?
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  Maybe even after all this time that we've spent in the Word of God,
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  you're still asking, why do I want it?
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  Because Jesus said that he came that you might have life and that you might
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  have it more abundantly in John 10.10.
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  And the abundant life of peace, joy, love, grace, and mercy is available to every child of God.
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  However, it requires that you walk in his ways, and wisdom will allow you to do that.
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  Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge and experience to make good judgment.
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  It employs soundness of action and decision-making while using good judgment.
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  It allows you to apply Jesus to every situation.
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  Wisdom, as we see in James 1.5, which he says, if any of you lack wisdom,
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  let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not,
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  and it shall be given him.
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  Wisdom is a gift from God. It is the application of truth to specific circumstances and situations.
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  Jesus is truth. So when you apply truth, you're applying Jesus to the situation.
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  And when Jesus is on the scene, everything changes for your good. and his glory.
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  Seek wisdom today. Remember you are loved. Jesus loves you.
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  Music.
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  Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
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  quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
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  Music.