Thoughts Directly Affect Your Destiny

I want to encourage you today that everything begins with thoughts, so we need to be careful to have godly and uplifting thoughts. The apostle Paul wrote: 

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Phil 4:8). 

Everything you see in the natural realm began with a thought. Your smartphone began with someone having a thought to create such a device and now you have it in your hand. Your motorcycle or other form of transportation began with a thought, and so did the ideas of the internet and of email communications.

A thought becomes a word.

A word becomes an action. 

An action becomes a habit. 

A habit becomes a lifestyle.

A lifestyle becomes a destiny. 

It all begins with a thought. Since there is a direct correlation between our thoughts and our destiny, let's train ourselves by the grace of God and the renewing of our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit to think thoughts that please the Lord, according to His Word. 

Jesus said that from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Lk 6:45). This teaches us that spoken words reveal whether a heart is filled with goodness or evil, as the mouth inevitably overflows with what is stored within. Therefore, whatever the heart is full of will directly determine your destiny, and whatever you fill your mind and thoughts with will ultimately become your future.

Closing Words

A practicing neurosurgeon named Dr. W. Lee Warren has written a book called The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: Connecting Neuroscience and Faith to Radically Transform Your Life, which explains how it is possible for you to make structural changes to your own brain so it’s healthier and less prone to depression, anxiety, grief, worry, and other issues that make you unhappy and keep you bound. It shows how modern neuroscience has now proven that what I have taught in this article is true, and gives you practical keys to doing what he calls self-brain surgery to change the way your brain is wired. 

This is a life-changing truth that has been in Scripture for thousands of years. I would like to encourage you to check out the following two podcasts in which Dr. Warren was interviewed, one on 100 Huntley, and the other was on Dr. Ben Carson's Common Sense program. Or you can read a brief synopsis of those interviews in the following two articles of mine called Renewing the Mind: The Intersection Neuroscience and Scripture and Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing.

Attribution notice: Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. 

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like  Neurosurgeon Explains How to Break Addiction, Renewing the Mind: The Intersection Neuroscience and Scripture, Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing, Does Being Saved Make All Your Problems Disappear?, The Love of Jesus, Having the Love of God in Your Heart, Compelled by Love, One Thing, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Does Being Saved Make All Your Troubles Disappear?

Today I'd like to share with you what the Bible says about troubles in the life of the believer in Christ.

First of all, let me begin by saying that God is very involved in our lives, much more than we realize. He sees us when we pray, and knows all our thoughts. That is why the Lord taught us that we should give alms secretly (Mt 6:4), fast secretly (Mt 6:17), and pray secretly (Mt 6:6), because God sees what is done in secret. God is not too busy for us, but in love He is watching us and studying us very carefully, so He is well aware of everything that is going on in our lives -- every single detail. Before a word is on our tongue, He knows it completely (Ps 139:4). But He wants us to talk to Him and bring everything to Him in prayer, including our need for daily bread (Mt 6:11). He hears us when we pray and answers us. As we seek Him and His kingdom first, he provides for all our daily needs (Mt 6:33).

Moreover, the Lord Jesus taught that each day has enough trouble of its own, which is why He told us not to worry about tomorrow (Mt 6:34). We cannot handle today all the troubles of all our tomorrows. That would be too much to bear. Rather, today already has plenty of troubles for us to deal with. And there is not a day that goes by that we don't have troubles of some kind. In fact, we have trouble everyday, according to Jesus. He never said that life would be a bowl of cherries if we follow Him, nor did He promise that all our problems would go away. If they did, then everyone would want to put their faith in Christ, in order to eliminate all their troubles. But while Jesus certainly is the answer to all our troubles, that doesn't mean He makes them all go away. 

However, God does cause all of them, along with all other things, to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). Jesus said that we would have trouble as long as we are in this world, but that we should take courage, because He has overcome the world (Jn 16:33). In other words, we can actually count it all joy when we face trials of various kinds (James 1:2), and we can rejoice always, giving thanks in all circumstances, knowing that God is in control. We can rest assured that God turns all our troubles into good, and all our negatives into positives. That is 100% guaranteed in Scripture.  

When Jesus died for us on the cross, He not only bore all our sins in His body, but also all of our griefs and all of our sorrows, including all our illnesses and pain (Is 53:4). That's why the Scripture says that by His wounds we have been healed (Is 53:5; 1 Pe 2:24). On the cross, He did much more than purchase forgiveness for our sins. In His finished work on the cross, we find the solution to all our troubles.

The cross is a plus sign (+), which is always positive. The vertical line on the cross represents our relationship to God, and the horizontal line represents our relationship to man and the things that pertain to us in this world. We have to intentionally apply the cross to each negative situation in our lives, as we encounter it, because it is not automatically applied. We do this in prayer and by declaring words of faith (see here and here). When we apply the cross to any situation, any trouble, any problem, any sin that we repent of, the Lord will eventually turn it around for us, causing it to work together for our good. Whenever we apply the plus sign of the cross to our negative situation, God will turn it into a positive for us in one way or another, whether we are able to see it or not.

Matthew Henry's Comments

After I wrote this article, I read the following comments of Matthew Henry, the sixteenth century English preacher and author of his famous Bible commentary:

"(1.) That thoughtfulness for the morrow is needless; Let the morrow take thought for the things of itself. If wants and troubles be renewed with the day, there are aids and provisions renewed likewise; compassions, that are new every morning, Lam_3:22, Lam_3:23. The saints have a Friend that is their arm every morning, and gives out fresh supplies daily (Isa_33:2), according as the business of every day requires (Ezr_3:4), and so he keeps his people in constant dependence upon him. Let us refer it therefore to the morrow's strength, to do the morrow's work, and bear the morrow's burden. Tomorrow, and the things of it, will be provided for without us; why need we anxiously care for that which is so wisely cared for already? This does not forbid a prudent foresight, and preparation accordingly, but a perplexing solicitude, and a prepossession of difficulties and calamities, which may perhaps never come, or if they do, may be easily borne, and the evil of them guarded against. The meaning is, let us mind present duty, and then leave events to God; do the work of the day in its day, and then let tomorrow bring its work along with it.

"(2.) That thoughtfulness for the morrow is one of those foolish and hurtful lusts, which those that will be rich fall into, and one of the many sorrows, wherewith they pierce themselves through. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. This present day has trouble enough attending it, we need not accumulate burdens by anticipating our trouble, nor borrow perplexities from tomorrow's evils to add to those of this day. It is uncertain what tomorrow's evils may be, but whatever they be, it is time enough to take thought about them when they come. What a folly it is to take that trouble upon ourselves this day by care and fear, which belongs to another day, and will be never the lighter when it comes? Let us not pull that upon ourselves all together at once, which Providence has wisely ordered to be borne by parcels. The conclusion of this whole matter then is, that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus, that his disciples should not be their own tormentors, nor make their passage through this world more dark and unpleasant, by their apprehension of troubles, than God has made it by the troubles themselves. By our daily prayers we may procure strength to bear us up under our daily troubles, and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let none of these things move us."

Closing Words

Let this encourage you, my friend, to live one day at a time, applying the cross to all the negatives in your life each day, and allowing God to turn them around into positives for you. I hope this has given you some new insights, so that you can be victorious in Christ in every situation in which you find yourself.

Attributes: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. 

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Personal Proclamations of Faith, The Biblical Word of Faith, The Blessings of Being in Christ, Speak to the Storm, The Authority of the Believer, Faith in Action, Run with Endurance, Faith Works, Walking by Faith, Overcomers in This Life, From Self-confidence to Confidence in the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Revelation of Love

Dear saints,

I'd like to share with you the revelation of love. There are so many Scriptures about love that I cannot possibly cover them all in this post, but I'm going to share some key ones to make the point that I am led to share with you. I'm going to discuss The Father's love for us, the Father's love for Jesus, the love of Jesus for us, our love for God, and our love for one another.

The Father's Love for Us

First and foremost is the love of God for us. This is spoken of all throughout Scripture, but the most famous one is:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Jn 3:16).

God loves us all so much that He gave His one and only Son to come into this world as God's Lamb to be sacrificed for our sins. He didn't just tell us with words that He loved us, but He demonstrated it to us. Scripture says:

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8).

He did that for us while we were still sinners, so clearly God took the initiative. As the apostle John says:

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 Jn 4:9-10).

Now that we've touched on the fact that the Father was first to love us and demonstrate His love for us by sending His Son, let's look at the Father's love for Jesus.

The Father's Love for Jesus

The father's love for Jesus is, of course, greater than His love for anyone else. In order to understand just how much the Father loves us, we need to understand His love for Jesus, since He sent Him into the world to save us. Here are just a few of the Scriptures that declare the Father's love for Jesus:

"The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands." (Jn 3:35).

When Jesus was baptized in water and with the Holy Spirit, "a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.'” (Mt 3:17).

When Jesus was transfigured on the sacred mountain, and His clothes became dazzling white before Peter, James, and John, the Father declared His love for Jesus again. 

"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Mt 17:5).

There can be no doubt, based on the Word of God, that the Father's love for Jesus is supreme. It's the highest form of love, known as agape ("a-GA'-pey") love in the original Greek.

The Love of Jesus for Us

Jesus, in turn, loved us with the same love the Father has for Him.

He said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." (Jn 15:9).

This clearly show that Jesus loved us just as the Father loved Him (key words: "just as"), and His love for us hasn't changed. But we can change, and that is why we are responsible to remain in His love by the way we live. More on that in the next section.

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1 Jn 3:16).

We know what love is by the fact that Jesus Christ laid down His life for us on the cross. He doesn't have to prove His love for us, since He already proved it on the cross. Such redeeming love, unfailing love, everlasting love, steadfast love, and faithful love did He demonstrate for us on Calvary! It is a love that is nothing like what we humans call love here on earth. His response to the Father's love for Him was to please the Father, obeying the Father's command to lay down His life on the cross for us. And Jesus taught that there is no greater love than this.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (Jn 15:13).

If you could experience in person the love of Jesus for you, as many people have in after-death experiences, you would feel as though He loved only you, or that He loved you more than anyone else on earth; however, that's the same way He loves everyone. It's a euphoric love that can't be described. There is no greater love than the love of Jesus, for nobody loves you like Jesus.

This brings us to our love for God.

Our Love for God

Our love for God is our response to the love He has first shown to us through His sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us. Perhaps the verse that best teaches this effect is the following one:

He said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." (Jn 15:9).

This shows the love initiating with the Father for Jesus, flowing through Jesus as He responded to that love by loving us with the same love the Father had for Him, and then the need for us to remain in His love. This begs the question, "How do I remain in the love of Jesus?" The answer is found in the very next verse, in which Jesus said:

"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love." (Jn 15:10).

Do you see how to respond to the love of Jesus for you, which was His response to the Father's love for Him? We respond to the love of Jesus by remaining in His love, and we remain in His love by obeying His commands. This is the same way that Jesus responded to the Father's love for Him: He obeyed the Father's commands and remained in His love. Therefore, Jesus commands us to do the same.

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (Jn 14:21).

Our Love for One Another

Since we respond to the love of Jesus by remaining in His love, and we remain in His love by obeying His commands, then it's necessary to know what He commands. Jesus said:

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." (Jn 15:12).

We remain in the love of Jesus by obeying His command to love each other with the same love Jesus has for us, which is the same supreme kind of love the Father has for Jesus. It's the perfect love that Jesus showed us when He laid down His life for us, as was previously stated:

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1 Jn 3:16).

We respond to the love of Jesus by loving each other, and we love each other by laying down our lives for our brothers. We love others by being kind, compassionate, and forgiving toward them. We even love our enemies, as the Lord commanded us to do (Mt 5:44).

That kind of love that we show to each other in response to the love of Jesus for us will then bring about a loving response in the hearts and lives of those we love, as they in turn love others with that same kind of love. It's like a chain reaction or a ripple effect. As the Scripture says: "We love because he first loved us." (1 Jn 4:19). It just keeps on flowing from one person to the next, and this pleases the Father. 

Peter's Reinstatement

Most of us have heard of the Lord's reinstatement of Peter as an apostle, following his denial of Christ. Let me break that down for you and show how it illustrates the point I've been making.

First let me say that while there is one word for love in English, there are multiple words for love in the original Greek language that the Bible was written in. These Greek words reflect the various Aramaic words that Jesus and Peter used in their conversation together. 

There is first of all agape love, which is the perfect, supreme, highest kind of love that God has and that Jesus has. Then there is philos ("FEE'-los"), which is brotherly love that brothers have for each other, whereby they love or like each other. Then there is storge (STOR'-gey), which is "natural affection" or "affection between family members," often used to describe the love between parents and children. And finally there is eros, from which we get the word "erotic", which is the kind of love that involves the unique intimacy meant to be shared only between a husband and wife. Eros translates to "love" and "desire," specifically referring to sensual, romantic, or passionate love.

In the reinstatement of Peter, just as Peter had denied the Lord three times, now after the resurrection, the Lord asked him three times if he loved Him. First Jesus appeared on the shore after the disciples had been fishing all night and caught nothing, and He enabled them to make a huge catch. Then He fed them some breakfast of fish and bread that he had cooking over the hot coals, along with some of the fish they caught. Afterward he questioned Peter:

1. First ask: When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love (Gr., agape) me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love (Gr., phileo) you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” (Jn 21:15)

Notice that Jesus asked him if he loved Him with agape love, and Peter responded that he loved Jesus with philos, or brotherly love. He had been humbled by his denial. Whereas he previously declared so proudly that he would never deny the Lord and would go to prison or death with Him, now he was only able to say with a more honest evaluation of himself that he possessed a definite philos love for Jesus.

Notice that the Lord's response to Peter was to command him to feed His lambs, which are the people of God, and that was to be His way of showing His love for Jesus. He was reinstated as an apostle of God sent by the Lord to serve His people.

2. Second ask: Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love (Gr., agape) me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (Gr., philo) you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” (Jn 21:16)

Once again, Jesus asked Peter if he had agape love for Him, and Peter responded that he had philos love for Him. And once again, Jesus commanded him to take care of His sheep, which is the role of a shepherd or pastor, and that involves caring for people. This is how Jesus wanted Peter to demonstrate his love for Jesus.

3. Third ask: Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love (Gr., phileo) me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (Gr., phileo) you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” (Jn 21:17).

Notice how Jesus now switched to asking Peter if he possessed the brotherly kind of love for Jesus, since He saw that Peter no longer had the confidence to say that he loved Jesus with the highest kind of love shown by Christ. Jesus seemed to condescend to Peter by now using the same word for love that Peter was using. 

Finally, Jesus told Peter:

I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. ”Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (Jn 21:18-19)

Jesus was foretelling to Peter that in the future in Peter's old age, he would stretch out his hands (perhaps to allow others to bind him with ropes), and someone would dress him (perhaps with ropes to bind him), and that they would lead Peter to a martyr's death. Legend has it that Peter was crucified, but that he insisted on being crucified upside down, since he considered himself unworthy to die right side up as his Lord was. The Lord commanded Peter to follow Him just as He had originally called Peter to follow Him, and this would include following Him not only in his life but in his death. The Lord wanted Peter to know that this was how Peter would show his love for Jesus.

What this teaches us is that our love for God is not something we initiate, as Peter originally did when he pridefully told Jesus that he would go to prison and death with Him. It is something we do from a humble and contrite heart when we realize what the Lord has done for us on the cross despite our own sinfulness and unworthiness, and we respond to His love with that same kind of love. Therefore, our love is a response to God's love for us, His love for Jesus, and Jesus' love for us, as well as His forgiveness toward us. It flows through us when we have been humbled as Peter was through his past experience of failing the Lord and being forgiven. As Jesus once said, he who has been forgiven much, loves much, "but he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Lk 7:47).

After-death Testimonies of Love

Many people, who have had experiences of life after death, near death experiences, and out of body experiences, have returned to testify that God is love, and that love is the whole point of our life on earth. John the apostle also said that God is love (1 Jn 4:8). And Paul the apostle said that without love we are nothing, even if we have great faith, great knowledge, and rich generosity (see 1 Cor 13).

Here are short excerpts from what a few different people said upon returning from their experience with God in heaven or with Jesus:

The first one said of life, "It's all about love. Love is the goal of all that exists regardless of where and how it exists. Love is the origin of all that exists. Love is the origin and the goal. All decisions in life need to be tested by the only valid question: Am I doing this out of love? If you follow that rule, you follow what your life is ultimately about. Then you do what you were born to do."

 

Another person who encountered the Lord in a near death experience said: “Growing in faith and learning to love God is the point of life.”

A man named Thomas B. wrote after his near death experience that the meaning of life is to “Learn how to love others properly. This is a test to see if you are worthy. And it is never too late to stop bad behavior and turn back to love, which is what we are designed for.”  

Howard Storm, who died of a perforated stomach in a hospital while he was still an atheist, said that after he died, he met Jesus who called over a group of angels: "[The angels] gave me a life review and we went over my life in very great detail. And the life review, at the conclusion of it, I realized that I was here to love people, to be compassionate, to love God and love one another and I had utterly failed." Afterward he had a chance to ask Jesus any questions he wanted to ask Him. Then he said to the Lord, "Now I want to go to heaven." And Jesus said, "No, you've got to go back to the earth and do this the way you were created to do it in the first place: to live a life the way God created you to live a life," which Storm says he knew "very [clearly] was to love, to be a loving, kind person, loving God, loving my fellow man." 

When the Father sent Camille Gent back to earth during her life-after-death heaven encounter, she asked Him "Why do we have to do this?" (Meaning live on Earth). He lovingly responded, "That's easy. It's to love." In her testimony, she emphasizes that this command reshaped her entire understanding of life. The Father simplified the complexity of human existence down to a single, powerful mandate—to love others unconditionally. Because of this direct answer, Camille has stated that she never again underestimated the sheer, transformative power of love on Earth. (see podcasts here and here).

Closing Words

In closing, I tried to be as concise as possible on such a broad topic. I hope that this article has helped unveil this revelation of love that God has for us, for Jesus, and that Jesus has for us, and how we are to repent, humble ourselves, and respond to it with the same kind of love by obeying God's commands and loving one another. Life is all about love. In fact, learning to love God and others is the whole point of life and its goal.

Attribution notice: Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Testimonies of People Who Have Seen Jesus, The Love of Jesus, Having the Love of God in Your Heart, Compelled by Love, Law of Love in the New Testament, One Thing, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Understanding God's View of Earthly Things

Dear saints,

In this post, I would like to explain God's view of earthly things, according to His Word, and contrast those with heavenly things. This is critical for our spiritual well being, because unless we see both earthly and heavenly things as God does, our lives will be out of order and we will jeopardize our souls. 

Therefore, let us not be engrossed in the things of this world (1 Co 7:31). Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1Jn 2:15). Pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows you need them (Mt 6:32).  Rather “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33). For those who seek the Lord lack no good thing (Ps 34:10), and no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Ps 84:11). He satisfies your desires with good things (Ps 103:5).

God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, you will have all that you need (2 Cor 9:8). Therefore, focus on pleasing God, and He'll take care of everything else. Otherwise, if we don't focus on pleasing Him, the Lord Jesus said, “Desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making [you] unfruitful” (Mk 4:19). 

For example, Martha was worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary chose that one thing, which was better, and so should we (Lk 10:41-42; cf., Ps 27:4). She chose to sit at Jesus feet, to be with Him, and listen to Him. 

After all, what are created things anyway? For we know that soon, all created things will be shaken (Heb 12:27). The Lord will remove all things from the face of the earth (Zeph 1:2). This present age is now the old order of things that is about to pass away (Rev 21:4), for the end of all things is near (1 Pe 4:7). Earthly things are a shadow of the things to come (Col 2:17). Even the most valuable earthly things, such as gold and silver, are perishable (1 Pe 1:18). Indeed, wealth is so uncertain (1 Tim 6:17). Earthly things have little importance (Phil 3:19) and are all worthless compared to heavenly things. 

Therefore, set your mind on things above, not on earthly things (Col 3:1-2). No mind has conceived the inexpressible things above that God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Co 2:9; 2 Co 12:4). These are the things promised (Heb 11:13). 

Don’t serve created things. Rather, serve your Creator (Ro 1:25). He created all things and in Him all things hold together (Col 1:16-17). He sustains all things by His powerful Word (Heb 1:2). In all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Ro 8:28). Will he not graciously give us all things (Ro 8:32), since He has already given us His only Son? 

In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Ro 8:37). For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things (Ro 11:36). The Lord knows all things. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God (1 Co 2:10), and if you are in tune with Him, listening to His voice, He will reveal to you anything you need to know. His anointing teaches you all things (1 Jn 2:27). He reveals profound and hidden things (Dan 2:22). Indeed, all things are yours in Christ (1 Co 3:21).  

Closing Words

In view of what the Scriptures say about God's view of earthly things, you should take the time to be alone with the Lord, though you leave the tasks at hand. Nothing will suffer anyway, when you do. For things are of less importance than you think. Therefore, don’t fret about carnal things, but always concern yourself about spiritual values. Focus on pleasing the Lord. Come away from it all, spend time with the Lord, seeking Him, loving Him, worshiping Him, being intimate with Him, truly knowing Him, and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Attribution notice: Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only. Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Scripture also taken from NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like One Thing, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, Faith in Action, Run with Endurance, Faith Works, Walking by Faith, Overcomers in This Life, From Self-confidence to Confidence in the Lord, Obedient to the Heavenly Vision, Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Faith of God

Dear God Seekers,

In my article, Faith in Action, I wrote about the faith of God in the context of Hebrews 11, where Scripture recounts the faith of the ancients, which was demonstrated by their actions. I also wrote in that same article about the faith of Christ, which was demonstrated by His actions, especially in enduring the cross, as it says in Hebrews 12. If you have already read that article, then you can jump straight to the second half of this present article. That being said, I'd now would like to present to you a truth that some will find difficult to accept, but it is true nevertheless: even God has faith in Himself.

Even God Has Faith

Scripture says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Heb 11:3)

Our understanding of how God created the entire universe at His command is by faith. That understanding of ours is not based on reason or scientific evidence, although both of those have been proven to fully support our understanding of the creation. He made all visible things that we see around us -- on earth, in the sky, and in space, and He made them out of what was invisible. He calls things that are not as though they were (Rom 4:17). He had confidence about what He hoped for and assurance about what He did not see. That is the very definition of faith (Heb 11:1). He believed in His own power and ability. He knew that He was capable of doing what He wanted to do, therefore He believed in Himself, which only He can do, because He alone is God. He is all-sufficient. All things are possible for Him (Matt 19:26), and absolutely nothing is too difficult for Him (Jer 32:17). He simply spoke the Word, and the universe came into existence (Gen 1:3).

Someone may argue that God does not have faith. However, anyone who denies that God has faith in Himself would have to prove that. It would be quite silly to insist that God does not believe in Himself, wouldn't it? Why would He command us to believe in Him, if He did not even believe in Himself and His own ability to call things that are not as though they were.

The Scripture says, "I believed, therefore I have spoken." (2 Cor 4:13:14). Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak. God put His own faith in action and taught us by His example how to put into action our faith in Him. 

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mar 11:22-24)

Parallels to the Faith of God

For those who may still be wondering how it is that God could have faith in Himself, let me give you some other examples of similar things God has done, according to Scripture, which may be viewed as parallels to the faith of God:

God Swore By Himself

In the book of Hebrews, it says, "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.'" (Heb 6:13-14)

Just as God swore by Himself, since there was no one greater to swear by, he also believes in Himself, since there is no one greater to believe in.

God Sacrificed to Himself

In John's gospel, we read the first instance when Jesus was referred to as the Lamb of God, which was by John the Baptist. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" (Joh 1:29)

The following day, John once again used this expression for Jesus: "When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!'" (Joh 1:36)

Then the term, "Lamb", is also used thirty times in John's apocalyptic book, Revelation (Rev 5:6, 8, 12-13; 6:1, 3, 5, 7, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9;  21:9, 14, 22-23, 27;  22:1, 3).

Since the Lord Jesus, God's only begotten Son, who was also God, was God's Lamb, that means that God sacrificed His only Son. Normally, according to God's Law, it is the human worshipper who must sacrifice a lamb to God. But in the fullness of time, God sacrificed His own Son for the world, in order to provide purification for sins, so that all who would believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Since Jesus was surely God's Lamb, sacrificed by God for all mankind, to whom did God sacrifice? Since there was no one greater for Him to sacrifice, He sacrificed His Lamb, Jesus, to Himself.

God Praises Himself

The very fact that God created man in His own image to worship Him, demonstrates that God knows He alone is worthy to be worshipped and praised, and that He desires to receive this praise from the loving hearts of those who do so of their own free will. He forbids His people to worship any other gods but Him, so that He alone would receive our worship. Then there are countless psalms, inspired by the Holy Spirit, who is God, that command us to praise the Lord, and provide us with words of praise that we can sing and proclaim to God to express our love and adoration for Him.

Yet if all that were not enough to prove that God desires and requires our praise and worship, He even praises Himself, since there is no one greater than Himself to praise. Go and read Isaiah 46, and you will see what I mean. 

He says things like, "With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?" (Isa 46:5). Then He says, "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me." (Isa 46:9b).

In fact, a man named Dean Braxton, who died, went to heaven, and came back to tell about it, said that just as all the saints and angels in heaven praise and worship God, He also praises Himself.

Putting it All Together

In summary, just as God praises Himself in Scripture and still does so in heaven, just as He swore by Himself, since there was no one greater to swear by, and just as He sacrificed His Lamb (Jesus Christ) to Himself, He also has faith in Himself. Let that be an encouragement to you today to put your faith in Him.

Attributes: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Faith in Action, Run with Endurance, Faith Works, Walking by Faith, Overcomers in This Life, From Self-confidence to Confidence in the Lord, Obedient to the Heavenly Vision, Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Who is God - Part III

View Over Crystal Lake, C.V. Lacroix

Dear God seekers,

In my three-part series, Who is God, I've been explaining from Scripture who God actually is, and I hope to continue doing so in this present article. Let's begin with some of the Hebrew names of God:

Elohiym

This is the Hebrew word, 'ĕlôhı̂ym (el-o-heem'), meaning "gods" (plural) in the ordinary sense, which is used for the one, true, Supreme God. This word occurs 2,606 in the Bible, and one of the most famous verses is Genesis 1:27, proving that it is a plural word for God, thus revealing God's triune nature:

"Then God (Elohiym) said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:26-27)

God is the One in whose image and likeness we are made.

El Shaddai

The Hebrew expression, El Shaddai (Ēl Šaddāy) or just Shaddai is one of the names of the God of Israel. El Shaddai is usually translated into English as God Almighty. It means "the All-sufficient One", which indicates that He is not dependent upon anyone for anything, and that He is sovereign over all. 

One of the most famous and beautiful verses where this name for God is used is in the opening verse of Psalm 91, where it is translated as "Almighty":

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." (Psa 91:1)

El Elyon

This Hebrew word ‛elyôn (el-yone') means lofty, Supreme, upper most, or Most High, and it is used of the Most High God 28 times throughout Scripture, as in Psalm 91:1 quoted above, where it is translated "Most High". 

Another verse where this occurs is in Genesis 14:22, where it says, "But Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'" 

El Roi

This Hebrew expression comes from two words, El, meaning God, and Roiy meaning One who sees. When the two words are combined together, they mean God Who Sees. This name is found in the account of Hagar by the spring in the desert, when she ran away from her mistress, Sarah.

"She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.' That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered." (Gen 16:13-14).

Râ'âh (raw-aw') is another Hebrew word, which is translated "sees" in the bolded part of that same verse 13 above. So the bolded expression above literally means El Roi sees me, or The Seeing God sees me.

We are told in many other places in Scripture that God sees us. For example, here are just a few:

"Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees (Hebrew, râ'âh) them from afar." (Psa 138:6)

"For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths." (Pro 5:21)

"The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good." (Pro 15:3)

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1Pe 3:12) 

Other verses tell us that we must do what is right in the eyes of the Lord and not do evil in His eyes, and that we can also find favor in the Lord's eyes. For He is always watching, and He sees everything, even the thoughts and motives of our hearts.

El Olam

The meaning of this Hebrew name is "Everlasting God". It comes from the Hebrew word ‛ôlâm (o-lawm'), meaning "time out of mind (past or future), vanishing point, forever, everlasting, eternal, or perpetual." The very first time this name appears in Scripture is in Genesis where it says:

"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God." (Gen 21:33)

Perhaps the following verse in Psalm 90, which is a prayer of Moses, best describes the meaning of this name of God:

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting (Hebrew, olam) to everlasting (Hebrew, olam) you are God (Hebrew, El)." (Psa 90:1-2). From everlasting (past) to everlasting (future), He is God.

El Gibbor

This Hebrew name for God comes from the word Gibbor, which means "powerful; by implication warrior, tyrant: - champion, chief, giant, man, mighty (man, one), strong (man), valiant man." Therefore El Gibbor can be translated Mighty God, Warrior God, or Giant God. One verse of Scripture where this name is found is in Isaiah where it says:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isa 9:6)

Adonai
This Hebrew word meaning "Lord" is found 459 times in Scripture. One of my favorites is this verse in Isaiah that says:

"He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken." (Isa 25:8).

This word tells us that God is Master, or Ruler, possessing supreme power and authority. 

Yehova

Now let's look at some of God's names based on the name He called Himself, when Moses asked Him. He used the sacred name YHWH, which is the tetragrammaton that Jews do not pronounce. But when we add vowels to it, we get the name Yehova, meaning self-existent One. In Scripture, it is often translated into English as LORD.

Yehova Rapha

The Hebrew word râphâ' or râphâh (raw-faw') means to cure, heal, make whole, physician. So Yehova Rapha means the Lord your Healer.

"He said, 'If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.' " (Exo 15:26)

Yehova Rapha, the Lord your Healer, has the power to heal physically (2 Ki 5:10), emotionally (Ps 34:18), mentally (Dan 4:34), and spiritually (Ps 103:2–3).

Yehova Rohi

This name comes from the Hebrew word rohi (or "ro'i" or "ro'eh") for Shepherd. Yehova Rohi means the Lord is my Shepherd. 

King David, who was a shepherd himself, wrote in Psalm 23, "The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing." (Psa 23:1).

For more on this, please see The Lord, Our Shepherd.

Yehova Jireh

This name comes from the Hebrew word jireh, meaning to “see, to inspect, the perceive, to provide, to consider.” So Yehovah Jireh means the Lord my Provider. One verse where this is found is in the account of Abraham offering up Isaac on the altar to God in obedience, when the Lord provided a ram to sacrifice on the altar instead of his only son.

"So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.'" (Gen 22:14)

Yehova Nissi

This comes from the Hebrew word nês (nace), meaning "a flag; signal; banner, pole, sail, sign, or standard." So Jehova Nissi means the Lord my Banner. This is found in the account of the battle of the Israelites against the Amalekites. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, as if the Lord was a banner between his hands, but when he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner." (Exo 17:15)

Yehova Shalom

This comes from the Hebrew word shalom, meaning peace and health. So Yehova Shalom means the Lord is my Peace or simply the Lord is Peace. This is found in the account of Gideon seeing the angel of the Lord.

"When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, 'Alas, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!' But the LORD said to him, 'Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.' So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites." (Jdg 6:22-24)

God is the One to Be Feared

This comes from a passage in Psalm 76, where it says:

"It is You alone Who are to be feared. Who can stand before You when You are angry?" (Psa 76:7).

There is a Hebrew word "yaré" in this verse that can be translated as "awesome" or "feared".

It also says in that same Psalm, "He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth." (Psa 76:12).

And the King James Version of that verse says He is terrible to the kings of the earth. So we could say that He is the Terrible One. This is consistent with all of Scripture, in which we are told to fear the Lord, and it is what Jesus taught us:

"But I will show you Whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him." (Luk 12:5)

God is Life

God is life. Jesus said:

"For as the Father has life in Himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in Himself." (Joh 5:26)

God Rewards Those Who Diligently Seek Him

We are taught by the apostle in his epistle to the Hebrews that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. It says:

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Heb 11:6)

Putting it All Together

To sum it all up in closing, God is Elohiym, the Supreme God. He is El Shaddai, God Almighty. "the All-sufficient One". He is El Elyon, God Most High. He is El Roi, the God who sees. He is El Olam, the Everlasting God. He is El Gibbor, Mighty God. He is Adonai, Master, or Ruler, possessing supreme power and authority. He is Yehova Rapha, the Lord your Healer. He is Yehova Rohi, the LORD is my shepherd. He is Yehova Jireh, the LORD Will Provide. He is Yehova Nissi, the Lord my Banner. He is Yehova Shalom, he LORD Is Peace. God is the One to Be Feared; He is the Terrible One. God is Life and He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

I hope that this series has edified you and brought you a lot of encouragement in your faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ, and your walk with Him.

The first two parts of this series are Who is God? and Who is God? - Part II.

Attribution notice:  Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. copyright Zondervan, used by permission. The "View Over Crystal Lake" painting by my seventeen-year old daughter, C.V. Lacroix. You can find more of her lovely artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: You are invited to read Who is God?, Who is God? - Part II, The Loving God Who Bids Us to Come, The Bodily Form of God the Father, Is Jesus God?, God is an Awesome God, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, The Cost of Discipleship, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Heavenly Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom

Dear God seekers,

Today I'd like to encourage you that no matter what kind of situation you may find yourself in right now, you can ask God for wisdom, and it will be given to you. Don't rely on mere human or worldly wisdom, which is always opposed to the will of God. Let's compare the two types of wisdom.

Heavenly Wisdom

First, let's look at heavenly wisdom. According to Webster, "In Scriptural theology, wisdom is true religion; godliness; piety; the knowledge and fear of God, and sincere and uniform obedience to his commands." This is the wisdom which is from above.

James wrote: "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." (Jas 3:17).

Notice all those wonderful attributes to heavenly wisdom. It's pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. So what do you do if you lack wisdom, or need to know what to do in a given situation? James tells us:

"If any man lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a man is double-minded and unstable in all he does." (Jas 1:5-8).

All you have to do is pray and ask God for wisdom, so that you may know what to do, being certain to ask in faith believing that you will receive it, and eliminate all doubts from your mind about whether you will receive it. He will not only give you the wisdom you need, but He'll give you a generous portion of it. Not only must you believe and not doubt initially when you pray and ask God for the wisdom, but when He gives you the wisdom on what to do, don't second guess and doubt that what He put in your heart and mind is really from Him. As long as it aligns with His Word, and is in no way contrary to it, then you can be sure He gave you the wisdom you asked for. At that point, you need to believe it and receive it. 

The reason we tend to doubt that we have received the wisdom is that the wisdom is not something our flesh or carnal nature wants to hear or do. Perhaps a couple brief examples will suffice.

I recall back in the 1990's, when my wife and I were still a young couple, who had only been married for about a year or two, we had some sort of heated argument. I went for a walk by myself in a lovely, peaceful neighborhood nearby, in order to clear my mind and pray. As I was walking along the avenue, I prayed according to 1 Corinthians 10:13, saying, "Lord, you said in your Word that you would not allow us to be tempted beyond that which we can bear, but with every temptation you would provide a way out. What is the way out of this situation?" After I asked Him, the next thought that came to my mind was that the cross is the way out of this situation. I had to deny myself and take up my cross. If the way out could be looked at as a door of escape, the cross was that door. I needed to crucify my sinful nature, and although that particular way out was not the one my flesh wanted, that is what I chose to do. 

I also remember another time when I was in Bible school, and felt led to go on after graduation to obtain my Master's degree from a graduate school in Virginia Beach, Virginia, called Regent University. I had read about the school and knew some graduates of the Bible school I was attending who had gone on to become students of Regent University. But I needed to know for sure if it was God's will for me to go there, too. So I decided to make a visit to the school. 

I had found solace in a verse of Scripture that says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." (Pro 16:9). I knew this meant that although I had made plans to attend Regent, and really wanted to go there, the Lord would ultimately be the One to determine my steps, and He would be the One to decide whether I go there. So I prayed and told the Lord that if it was truly His will for me to go on to Regent after graduating from Bible school, that He would let somebody share that verse from Proverbs 16:9 with me. 

While I was visiting Regent, the dean of the School of Divinity that I was interested in attending shared a message of encouragement to a group of us visitors. He said something like, "Regent is a wonderful school, and we would love to have you decide to come here as a student. But if you do, there will surely be challenges that you will face. That's why we want you to feel like the Lord is leading you hear, before you make your decision to come. You will need to know that it was He who led you here, in order to endure the challenges of student life here." So I felt that what he said to us was basically the essence of Proverbs 16:9, but since the dean didn't actually quote that verse or cite the reference to it, I still didn't feel like I had definite confirmation that it was the Lord's will for me to go to Regent. 

However, upon returning to Bible school, during my rounds on campus as a security guard, I happened to come across a sister in Christ that I knew, who asked me how my visit to Regent University went. So I told her briefly about the trip, and afterward she said, "Well, brother, in his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." So that was how the Lord gave me the wisdom to go there, by allowing this sister to say the very verse I had prayed to the Lord asking for someone to share with me about my plans to go to that school. I ended up going to Regent, meeting the woman who would later become my wife, and both of us ended up graduating from Regent's School of Divinity with Master's degrees in Missiology. If I had doubted the wisdom I had received, I would have missed out on finding my wife that the Lord had for me, which was much more important that the degree I earned. 

Now let's contrast heavenly wisdom with worldly wisdom.

Worldly wisdom

Webster's dictionary defines the wisdom of this world as "mere human erudition; or the carnal policy of men, their craft and artifices in promoting their temporal interests; called also fleshly wisdom." 

For those who may not know, artifices are "clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others." Here's what James wrote about worldly wisdom: 

"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." (Jas 3:14-16) 

Therefore James listed some of the characteristics of worldly wisdom as bitter envy and selfish ambition. He said that wherever you find these, you will also find disorder and every evil practice. If we walk in clever and cunning ways to further our own selfish interests and desires (e.g., by tricking or deceiving others), that is not wisdom from above. You can be sure that you'll end up walking in worldly wisdom if you follow your heart, do whatever you think is best, and listen to the counsel of the ungodly, whether in person or through the media. This kind of wisdom will always satisfy your flesh, but always produces bad fruit.

Closing Words

I hope this has helped to encourage all of you to ask God for wisdom in whatever you may be going through right now, and then believe without a doubt that He has given you the wisdom you asked for. It's important to be prayerful in the way you ask God, and also to be immersed in God's Word before, during, and after your prayer for wisdom, since this is one of the primary ways He will speak to you. The other way He speaks is by His Spirit directly to your heart and through others, who are led by the Spirit like that sister I knew back in Bible school. 

Let me encourage you to read a chapter from the book of Proverbs in the Bible each day, which enables you to read through most or all of Proverbs once each month, since there are thirty-one chapters. You could read the chapter corresponding to the date (eg., chapter one on the first, chapter two on the second, etc.). As you read through this book each month, cry out to God for wisdom, understanding, discernment, and insight. Search for them as for silver or gold. Though it cost all you have, get wisdom. Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and to understanding, "You are my relative," Then you will grow in heavenly wisdom day by day.

You will be able to discern the difference between worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom by their characteristics, as well as the fruit they produce. Worldly wisdom originates from our sinful nature (the flesh), from the world, and from the devil. It has evil, selfish motives behind it, and always produces bad fruit ultimately. On the contrary, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10; Pro 9:10), and in the end, wisdom is proved right by all her actions. It will keep you from the ways of wicked men, and from men whose words are perverse. It will save you from the adulterous woman, from those who would seek to seduce you. It will protect and reward you, make you prosper, and you will be blessed, if you find it. Then there will be a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Attribution notice: All Scriptures are taken from the New International Version (NIV1984), copyright Zondervan, used by permission, all rights reserved. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Should you fear the Lord?, The Flesh vs the Spirit, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Is Obedience Optional?, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, The Straight and Narrow Path, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Separation from the World, The Fruit Test of a Genuine Disciple, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, Being Blessable, and Doing What is Right. You can find more of my articles related to Seeking the Lord on the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.