A Bible Study on the Book of James
by James Dale Coldiron for Voice of the Watchman
JAMES
CHAPTER ONE
CONTINUING at Verse 5
Remember what the Apostle Paul did when the messenger of Satan buffeted his flesh during these times. He prayed and God gave him wisdom on the situation. God does not just keep us in the dark, but will give to us wisdom if we will but ask and believe.
If any of you, so this is seen to apply to any Christian no matter your status otherwise. If "any" lack wisdom. The word wisdom is the Greek Sophia. This is more than just knowing things, but it is the ability to know what to do with the knowledge for the best good.
Wisdom goes beyond just knowledge, and it gives you the ability to know what to do with knowledge correctly.
This shows us that God wants to give us wisdom and He wants to guide us. ROMANS 8:14 " FOR AS MANY AS ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD. "
JOHN 16:13 " HOWBEIT WHEN HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, IS COME, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH: FOR HE SHALL NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF; BUT WHATSOEVER HE SHALL HEAR, THAT SHALL HE SPEAK: AND HE WILL SHEW YOU THINGS TO COME. "
There are many intelligent fools in the world. There are many who know a lot of "things" and have a lot of data, but are still foolish in not understanding what they mean.
The basic definition of a fool and wisdom is as follows:
PSALMS 14:1 " THE FOOL HATH SAID IN HIS HEART, THERE IS NO GOD. THEY ARE CORRUPT, THEY HAVE DONE ABOMINABLE WORKS, THERE IS NONE THAT DOETH GOOD. "
PSALMS 53:1 " THE FOOL HATH SAID IN HIS HEART, THERE IS NO GOD. CORRUPT ARE THEY, AND HAVE DONE ABOMINABLE INIQUITY: THERE IS NONE THAT DOETH GOOD. "
PROVERBS 1:7 " THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE: BUT FOOLS DESPISE WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION. "
PROVERBS 10:8 " THE WISE IN HEART WILL RECEIVE COMMANDMENTS: BUT A PRATING FOOL SHALL FALL. "
PSALMS 111:10 " THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM: A GOOD UNDERSTANDING HAVE ALL THEY THAT DO HIS COMMANDMENTS: HIS PRAISE ENDURETH FOR EVER. "
PROVERBS 9:10 " THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM: AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY IS UNDERSTANDING. "
JAMES 1:5 (RECOVERY VERSION) " BUT IF ANY ONE OF YOU LACKS WISDOM, LET HIM ASK OF GOD, WHO GIVES TO ALL LIBERALLY AND DOES NOT REPROACH, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO HIM."
It does not say that we are to ask everyone else or ask the local celebrity psychiatrist, does it? It does not say that we are to ask anyone else but God for wisdom.� GOD IS THE SOURCE OF WISDOM.
The kind of wisdom that God gives is not natural. In fact, the natural man and carnal mind is literally enmity with God, so carnal wisdom and godly wisdom are not the same thing.� Many times, carnal wisdom would seek a way to get out of the trial instead of learning from it and growing from it and coming through it as God would will. But godly wisdom gives us the mind of Christ and enhances more than a temporary physical fulfillment, but instead will enhance us spiritually and in a way that will continue on and on.
There is a distinct difference in what godly wisdom and carnal wisdom is and results in as can be seen in the discourse of James 3:13-17.
JAMES 3:13-17 " 13 WHO IS A WISE MAN AND ENDUED WITH KNOWLEDGE AMONG YOU? LET HIM SHEW OUT OF A GOOD CONVERSATION HIS WORKS WITH MEEKNESS OF WISDOM. 14 BUT IF YE HAVE BITTER ENVYING AND STRIFE IN YOUR HEARTS, GLORY NOT, AND LIE NOT AGAINST THE TRUTH. 15 THIS WISDOM DESCENDETH NOT FROM ABOVE, BUT IS EARTHLY, SENSUAL, DEVILISH. 16 FOR WHERE ENVYING AND STRIFE IS, THERE IS CONFUSION AND EVERY EVIL WORK. 17 BUT THE WISDOM THAT IS FROM ABOVE IS FIRST PURE, THEN PEACEABLE, GENTLE, AND EASY TO BE INTREATED, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUITS, WITHOUT PARTIALITY, AND WITHOUT HYPOCRISY. "
The wisdom of the Lord surrenders to God and His will for our lives. It is a wisdom that gives us victory over the temporary things of this short existence and prepares us for something more eternal. The wisdom that God gives will always be centered in Jesus Christ. The wisdom of God is fair and peaceful and brings good and is not selfish or full of strife or devilish.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:24 (KJV) " BUT UNTO THEM WHICH ARE CALLED, BOTH JEWS AND GREEKS, CHRIST THE POWER OF GOD, AND THE WISDOM OF GOD. "
1 CORINTHIANS 2:4-7 (KJV) " 4 AND MY SPEECH AND MY PREACHING WAS NOT WITH ENTICING WORDS OF MAN'S WISDOM, BUT IN DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT AND OF POWER:
5 THAT YOUR FAITH SHOULD NOT STAND IN THE WISDOM OF MEN, BUT IN THE POWER OF GOD.
6 HOWBEIT WE SPEAK WISDOM AMONG THEM THAT ARE PERFECT: YET NOT THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD, NOR OF THE PRINCES OF THIS WORLD, THAT COME TO NOUGHT:
7 BUT WE SPEAK THE WISDOM OF GOD IN A MYSTERY, EVEN THE HIDDEN WISDOM, WHICH GOD ORDAINED BEFORE THE WORLD UNTO OUR GLORY: "
Remember this:� the trial of our faith is like the purification process of gold. You are placed in the fire and the dross that does not belong there rises to the top. The wisdom of God gives you what you need in this time to overcome the dross. It gives you the understanding of what to do during this time to become an overcomer. It does not just help you get out of the trial, but to win and overcome in the trial. It gives you the understanding that the dross needs to go and the power to get rid of it.
When your faith is being tried and the pressure is on, and you do not know what to do, then admit to your ignorance in the situation and ask for wisdom. Ignorance is not stupidity. To be ignorant of something means that you just do not know about it yet. Wisdom is knowing how to handle a situation and the right thing to do.
ASK OF THE LORD WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO!
He will not reproach you for asking. He wants you to ask and believe that He will answer when you do ask. We need to have faith in God that He will both lead us and empower us to do the right thing when we seek His face for wisdom.
The word for wisdom here in the Greek is "Sophia". Sophia means a number of things, but taken in this context of coming from God, it can be used of heavenly wisdom (James 3:12-17) or godly training in the Word (Luke 2:42,50), or in prophetic wisdom brought by the anointing (Luke 11:49), or being given the mind of Christ (Romans 12:1-2; 15:5-6), or through the Spirit of Revelation or Spiritual Gift of a word of wisdom (2 Peter 3:15, 1 Corinthians 12:8).
Remember also that this wisdom is a part of the fruit of the Spirit that should flow from the child of God by walking in the Spirit daily.
But when you need more than what has already come from that spiritual fruit, then ask and God will give liberally (not holding back)!
Think on this: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To expand on that, when we need more wisdom, then we need to surrender to the Lord and His will and direction. If we want to succeed and overcome our circumstances and the trial of our faith and have our faith grow, then we need to acknowledge the Lord fully and seek Him. We need to follow through with His leadership.
Ask God in faith knowing that he desires for you to seek Him and will not reproach you for not knowing what to do. God will honor an honest ignorance in us when we say, "LORD, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO… PLEASE HELP ME!" That is preferred by God over us acting like we know what we are doing when we really do not. We are not to lean on our own understanding.
PROVERBS 3:5 " TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART; AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING. "
HOW DO WE ASK ANYTHING FROM GOD?
This is very important! We ask God in faith nothing wavering. We do not ask as if we really don't know if He will answer or not. There is a very important concept on faith seen here. Faith is what moves the heart of God in our lives. Faith is trusting in God.
JAMES 1:6-8 (CLV) " YET LET HIM BE REQUESTING IN FAITH, DOUBTING NOTHING, FOR HE WHO IS DOUBTING SIMULATES A SURGE OF THE SEA, DRIVEN BY THE WIND AND TOSSED. 7 FOR LET NOT THAT MAN BE SURMISING THAT HE SHALL BE OBTAINING ANYTHING FROM THE LORD -- 8 A MAN DOUBLE-SOULED, TURBULENT IN ALL HIS WAYS."
We come to God believing that He is going to answer us. We come not only knowing that HE is the answer and has all the answer that we need, but that HE is going to bring that answer to bear in our lives. This is faith. It is trusting in the Lord and knowing that He is "faithful".
WE MUST USE THE VERY THING THAT IS BEING TESTED BY THE TRIAL: FAITH!
Trials tend to do one of two things to Christian Believers in life. One is to send them to seeking God and activating that very faith that is being tested. They seek God, and the wisdom of how to overcome in the trial comes and they go through the trial being strengthened.
The other way that a Christian can go is to go to the flesh and not believe God. See, what is truly in us is exposed in the pressure of the trial - both good and bad. Many times, we do not see what is truly hidden in us ourselves until the pressure of the trial brings the hidden things to the surface.
When we seek God in faith and God gives us strength and wisdom and we are perfected, then we can proceed on in life to new challenges and places in the Lord. But when we become double-minded and our faith fails, then we basically choose to repeat the trial over and over and extend the trial until we do learn and grow.
Many times, we make the trial much longer or we keep repeating the same kind of trial over and over again because we go the way of flesh instead of rise up in faith toward God.
We get into trouble when we doubt that God is able or is powerful enough for the problem, or we doubt that He is right and what He says is right, or we doubt that He loves us when we are going through the trying time. It is really a turning away and rejecting the truth of the nature of God when we waver in our faith. It is a slap at God.
There are times that we don't know what to do in life. That is not what this is saying. It is saying that in those times, we should understand and believe that God is a sure anchor in the storm that does not change and waver, and that we can trust and depend upon Him no matter how unstable everything and everyone else gets.
The storms of life will blow to and fro and if our faith is not connecting us as an anchor to the Lord and His will and protection, then we will get blown all over the place and will be in danger of being smashed up in the storm. IT WOULD BE LIKE A SHIP MASTER NOT USING THEIR ANCHOR WHEN IN DANGER OF BEING BROKEN AGAINST THE ROCKS IN THE STORM. THE ANCHOR IS YOUR FAITH IN GOD, AND WAVERING WOULD BE YOU NOT BEING ABLE TO DECIDE TO THROW THE ANCHOR OUT.
The warning is given: Do not let the man who does not trust in the Lord and is double-minded think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
THE LITERAL MEANING OF DOUBLE-MINDED IN THE GREEK IS TWO-SOULED. It means that you have split loyalties actually. You ask God if He will help you and then you really do not believe that He will or cares enough to do so. It is actually a disloyal attitude toward God. It is being two-souled or having two minds at one time. This is not true faith.
You have a mind toward God, but a mind toward something else also. Something is stealing your faith in God. Something is lying to you and seducing you to turn to something else besides God while you are calling out on Him. This is dangerous and it will cut you off from receiving from the Lord.
Many times, the very impurities that are brought to the surface in the trial is what you are leaning on during these times. You cannot get free of them if you are still relying on them.�
When Jesus is the love of our lives and the center of our being, then we will hate those impurities that are hurting us and have the potential to kill the good in us. We will hate sin as it is revealed instead of trusting in it as the double-minded person does. The double-minded man will want the pleasures of sin and still somehow not want to incur the correction of God at the same time, and it does not work.
Holding hands with the world and trying to hold hands with God is a good description of this. When we try and rely on ourselves in pride and call out on God and have the attitude, "God helps those who help themselves", then we are literally double-minded. When we doubt that God loves us, then it is a sign that our own love is not mature and that we have fears ruling us and that chokes out faith.
UNDERSTAND THIS: BEING DOUBLE-MINDED OR TWO-SOULED IS WHAT CAUSES A MAN OR WOMAN TO WAVER IN THEIR PRAYERS. It is what causes a flip-flopping trust in the Lord in a situation. It is because you are connected and trusting yourself in more than one thing that are opposed to one another. It is not possible to love the world and to love God at the same time, though some two-souled people try it.
1 JOHN 2:15-17 " 15 LOVE NOT THE WORLD, NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORLD. IF ANY MAN LOVE THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM. 16 FOR ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD, THE LUST OF THE FLESH, AND THE LUST OF THE EYES, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE, IS NOT OF THE FATHER, BUT IS OF THE WORLD. 17 AND THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY, AND THE LUST THEREOF: BUT HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF GOD ABIDETH FOR EVER. "
Being two-souled will make you follow and trust in opposite things at the same time. You will be spiritually running in circles.�
We want the direction and the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing in our sails taking us to the right destination and end, and not blows about by every straying wind. When we ask wavering, then we are literally opening ourselves up to destruction because every wind of the enemy and the world and life will blow against us, and we will not have what it takes to withstand it and we will have chaos for a life.�
God wants to take you through the trial, but you will never get out of the trial if you are being blown in every direction by every wind that blows. You need God's wind. You need God's direction and power to come out of the trial stronger. It takes turning to God in the pain and the fear and the stress and trusting HIM!
But those who waver are so split in their loyalties that they are worldly when it is convenient to be worldly and try to be spiritual when it is convenient to be so. They are the very definition of confusion.
That person should not even expect to receive anything of the Lord. And it is not the Lord's fault when this happens. It is because in their heart, they have more than one master and want their way along with God's. It is a soulish or carnal way of trying to live. It does not work.
YOU HAVE GOT TO REPENT! To repent is to turn from the world and sin and worldly ways and to turn to the Lord God Almighty! It is to turn and trust in the Lord and turn your back on sin and the world.
HOWEVER, if we follow God completely and He is the center of our lives, then life is much different and God answers our prayers (including wisdom in the time of trial) much differently and abundantly in comparison to the double-minded person.
PSALMS 37:4-5 " 4 DELIGHT THYSELF ALSO IN THE LORD; AND HE SHALL GIVE THEE THE DESIRES OF THINE HEART.�
5 COMMIT THY WAY UNTO THE LORD; TRUST ALSO IN HIM; AND HE SHALL BRING IT TO PASS. "
JOHN 15:7 " IF YE ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YE SHALL ASK WHAT YE WILL, AND IT SHALL BE DONE UNTO YOU. "
1 JOHN 5:14-15 "14 AND THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE IN HIM, THAT, IF WE ASK ANY THING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARETH US: 15 AND IF WE KNOW THAT HE HEAR US, WHATSOEVER WE ASK, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE PETITIONS THAT WE DESIRED OF HIM. "
�
Our prayers and the way (and even the amount of saturation of our prayers) will show what we really believe about God and our view of God and His importance and trust in our lives. If you don't pray much, then you don't love and trust God much. In fact, what you put your energies into is what is most important to you.�
This is why it can be truthfully said that there is much idolatry within the ranks of the American Church these days, for, to many who call themselves Christians these days, THEIR WALK WITH GOD AND THEIR PRAYER LIFE IS JUST NOT A PRIORITY IN THEIR LIVES. Their loves are split to worldly things, and they make themselves double-minded.�
THE BIBLE DECLARES THAT IF YOU ARE LIKE THIS, JUST DON'T EVEN EXPECT GOD TO ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS. There is a fundamental problem in your walk with God.
The truth is that the double-minded person does not know the truth. Jesus said that you shall know the truth, and the truth would make you free. But you have to know it first. And if you knew who God really was, you would not have an infatuation for worldly things and sin. You would hate sin. God and the gifts of God are worth so much more than anything that this world has… and I mean anything.
PHILIPPIANS 3:8-9 " 8 YEA DOUBTLESS, AND I COUNT ALL THINGS BUT LOSS FOR THE EXCELLENCY OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST JESUS MY LORD: FOR WHOM I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS, AND DO COUNT THEM BUT DUNG, THAT I MAY WIN CHRIST, 9 AND BE FOUND IN HIM, NOT HAVING MINE OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH IS OF THE LAW, BUT THAT WHICH IS THROUGH THE FAITH OF CHRIST, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF GOD BY FAITH: "
Lust, drugs, drunkenness, political power, money, and all those things are as sewage if you will in comparison to Jesus Christ. THAT THING THAT HAS STOLEN YOUR TOTAL LOVE FROM GOD IS TRUTHFULLY WORTH DUNG. LET IT GO! LET IT GO! LET IT GO! GET THE REAL THING… JESUS CHRIST!
When Jesus is the treasure of your heart, you can literally call out on God and know that He is going to give liberally and move for you!� He is here… and He is here for you.�
You see, the thinking of this world is skewed in comparison to God's. It is the result of the corruption of sin. Sin corrupts and perverts wisdom, so that the true wisdom of God is looked on as foolishness by the carnally minded world. The world seeks after greed and self-gratification and is selfish and is devoid of true love.
The way that God looks at things is so much different than the world's. We see this graphically pointed out in the next verses, which are a contradiction to carnal political reasoning.
Recorded LIVE on May 30, 2009 for Warriors of God
Copyrighted © 2009 by James Dale Coldiron
Watchman Audio Bible Studies
Warriors of God Forum Communities ~ May 2009
Voice of the Watchman Discussion Forum
firestorm005
by James Dale Coldiron for Voice of the Watchman
JAMES
CHAPTER ONE
CONTINUING at Verse 5
JAMES 1:5-8 " 5 IF ANY OF YOU LACK WISDOM, LET HIM ASK OF GOD, THAT GIVETH TO ALL MEN LIBERALLY, AND UPBRAIDETH NOT; AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN HIM.
6 BUT LET HIM ASK IN FAITH, NOTHING WAVERING. FOR HE THAT WAVERETH IS LIKE A WAVE OF THE SEA DRIVEN WITH THE WIND AND TOSSED.
7 FOR LET NOT THAT MAN THINK THAT HE SHALL RECEIVE ANY THING OF THE LORD.
8 A DOUBLE MINDED MAN IS UNSTABLE IN ALL HIS WAYS. "
Remember what the Apostle Paul did when the messenger of Satan buffeted his flesh during these times. He prayed and God gave him wisdom on the situation. God does not just keep us in the dark, but will give to us wisdom if we will but ask and believe.
If any of you, so this is seen to apply to any Christian no matter your status otherwise. If "any" lack wisdom. The word wisdom is the Greek Sophia. This is more than just knowing things, but it is the ability to know what to do with the knowledge for the best good.
Wisdom goes beyond just knowledge, and it gives you the ability to know what to do with knowledge correctly.
This shows us that God wants to give us wisdom and He wants to guide us. ROMANS 8:14 " FOR AS MANY AS ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD. "
JOHN 16:13 " HOWBEIT WHEN HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, IS COME, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH: FOR HE SHALL NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF; BUT WHATSOEVER HE SHALL HEAR, THAT SHALL HE SPEAK: AND HE WILL SHEW YOU THINGS TO COME. "
There are many intelligent fools in the world. There are many who know a lot of "things" and have a lot of data, but are still foolish in not understanding what they mean.
The basic definition of a fool and wisdom is as follows:
PSALMS 14:1 " THE FOOL HATH SAID IN HIS HEART, THERE IS NO GOD. THEY ARE CORRUPT, THEY HAVE DONE ABOMINABLE WORKS, THERE IS NONE THAT DOETH GOOD. "
PSALMS 53:1 " THE FOOL HATH SAID IN HIS HEART, THERE IS NO GOD. CORRUPT ARE THEY, AND HAVE DONE ABOMINABLE INIQUITY: THERE IS NONE THAT DOETH GOOD. "
PROVERBS 1:7 " THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE: BUT FOOLS DESPISE WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION. "
PROVERBS 10:8 " THE WISE IN HEART WILL RECEIVE COMMANDMENTS: BUT A PRATING FOOL SHALL FALL. "
PSALMS 111:10 " THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM: A GOOD UNDERSTANDING HAVE ALL THEY THAT DO HIS COMMANDMENTS: HIS PRAISE ENDURETH FOR EVER. "
PROVERBS 9:10 " THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM: AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY IS UNDERSTANDING. "
JAMES 1:5 (RECOVERY VERSION) " BUT IF ANY ONE OF YOU LACKS WISDOM, LET HIM ASK OF GOD, WHO GIVES TO ALL LIBERALLY AND DOES NOT REPROACH, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO HIM."
It does not say that we are to ask everyone else or ask the local celebrity psychiatrist, does it? It does not say that we are to ask anyone else but God for wisdom.� GOD IS THE SOURCE OF WISDOM.
The kind of wisdom that God gives is not natural. In fact, the natural man and carnal mind is literally enmity with God, so carnal wisdom and godly wisdom are not the same thing.� Many times, carnal wisdom would seek a way to get out of the trial instead of learning from it and growing from it and coming through it as God would will. But godly wisdom gives us the mind of Christ and enhances more than a temporary physical fulfillment, but instead will enhance us spiritually and in a way that will continue on and on.
There is a distinct difference in what godly wisdom and carnal wisdom is and results in as can be seen in the discourse of James 3:13-17.
JAMES 3:13-17 " 13 WHO IS A WISE MAN AND ENDUED WITH KNOWLEDGE AMONG YOU? LET HIM SHEW OUT OF A GOOD CONVERSATION HIS WORKS WITH MEEKNESS OF WISDOM. 14 BUT IF YE HAVE BITTER ENVYING AND STRIFE IN YOUR HEARTS, GLORY NOT, AND LIE NOT AGAINST THE TRUTH. 15 THIS WISDOM DESCENDETH NOT FROM ABOVE, BUT IS EARTHLY, SENSUAL, DEVILISH. 16 FOR WHERE ENVYING AND STRIFE IS, THERE IS CONFUSION AND EVERY EVIL WORK. 17 BUT THE WISDOM THAT IS FROM ABOVE IS FIRST PURE, THEN PEACEABLE, GENTLE, AND EASY TO BE INTREATED, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUITS, WITHOUT PARTIALITY, AND WITHOUT HYPOCRISY. "
The wisdom of the Lord surrenders to God and His will for our lives. It is a wisdom that gives us victory over the temporary things of this short existence and prepares us for something more eternal. The wisdom that God gives will always be centered in Jesus Christ. The wisdom of God is fair and peaceful and brings good and is not selfish or full of strife or devilish.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:24 (KJV) " BUT UNTO THEM WHICH ARE CALLED, BOTH JEWS AND GREEKS, CHRIST THE POWER OF GOD, AND THE WISDOM OF GOD. "
1 CORINTHIANS 2:4-7 (KJV) " 4 AND MY SPEECH AND MY PREACHING WAS NOT WITH ENTICING WORDS OF MAN'S WISDOM, BUT IN DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT AND OF POWER:
5 THAT YOUR FAITH SHOULD NOT STAND IN THE WISDOM OF MEN, BUT IN THE POWER OF GOD.
6 HOWBEIT WE SPEAK WISDOM AMONG THEM THAT ARE PERFECT: YET NOT THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD, NOR OF THE PRINCES OF THIS WORLD, THAT COME TO NOUGHT:
7 BUT WE SPEAK THE WISDOM OF GOD IN A MYSTERY, EVEN THE HIDDEN WISDOM, WHICH GOD ORDAINED BEFORE THE WORLD UNTO OUR GLORY: "
Remember this:� the trial of our faith is like the purification process of gold. You are placed in the fire and the dross that does not belong there rises to the top. The wisdom of God gives you what you need in this time to overcome the dross. It gives you the understanding of what to do during this time to become an overcomer. It does not just help you get out of the trial, but to win and overcome in the trial. It gives you the understanding that the dross needs to go and the power to get rid of it.
When your faith is being tried and the pressure is on, and you do not know what to do, then admit to your ignorance in the situation and ask for wisdom. Ignorance is not stupidity. To be ignorant of something means that you just do not know about it yet. Wisdom is knowing how to handle a situation and the right thing to do.
ASK OF THE LORD WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO!
He will not reproach you for asking. He wants you to ask and believe that He will answer when you do ask. We need to have faith in God that He will both lead us and empower us to do the right thing when we seek His face for wisdom.
The word for wisdom here in the Greek is "Sophia". Sophia means a number of things, but taken in this context of coming from God, it can be used of heavenly wisdom (James 3:12-17) or godly training in the Word (Luke 2:42,50), or in prophetic wisdom brought by the anointing (Luke 11:49), or being given the mind of Christ (Romans 12:1-2; 15:5-6), or through the Spirit of Revelation or Spiritual Gift of a word of wisdom (2 Peter 3:15, 1 Corinthians 12:8).
Remember also that this wisdom is a part of the fruit of the Spirit that should flow from the child of God by walking in the Spirit daily.
But when you need more than what has already come from that spiritual fruit, then ask and God will give liberally (not holding back)!
Think on this: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To expand on that, when we need more wisdom, then we need to surrender to the Lord and His will and direction. If we want to succeed and overcome our circumstances and the trial of our faith and have our faith grow, then we need to acknowledge the Lord fully and seek Him. We need to follow through with His leadership.
Ask God in faith knowing that he desires for you to seek Him and will not reproach you for not knowing what to do. God will honor an honest ignorance in us when we say, "LORD, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO… PLEASE HELP ME!" That is preferred by God over us acting like we know what we are doing when we really do not. We are not to lean on our own understanding.
PROVERBS 3:5 " TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART; AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING. "
HOW DO WE ASK ANYTHING FROM GOD?
This is very important! We ask God in faith nothing wavering. We do not ask as if we really don't know if He will answer or not. There is a very important concept on faith seen here. Faith is what moves the heart of God in our lives. Faith is trusting in God.
JAMES 1:6-8 (CLV) " YET LET HIM BE REQUESTING IN FAITH, DOUBTING NOTHING, FOR HE WHO IS DOUBTING SIMULATES A SURGE OF THE SEA, DRIVEN BY THE WIND AND TOSSED. 7 FOR LET NOT THAT MAN BE SURMISING THAT HE SHALL BE OBTAINING ANYTHING FROM THE LORD -- 8 A MAN DOUBLE-SOULED, TURBULENT IN ALL HIS WAYS."
We come to God believing that He is going to answer us. We come not only knowing that HE is the answer and has all the answer that we need, but that HE is going to bring that answer to bear in our lives. This is faith. It is trusting in the Lord and knowing that He is "faithful".
WE MUST USE THE VERY THING THAT IS BEING TESTED BY THE TRIAL: FAITH!
Trials tend to do one of two things to Christian Believers in life. One is to send them to seeking God and activating that very faith that is being tested. They seek God, and the wisdom of how to overcome in the trial comes and they go through the trial being strengthened.
The other way that a Christian can go is to go to the flesh and not believe God. See, what is truly in us is exposed in the pressure of the trial - both good and bad. Many times, we do not see what is truly hidden in us ourselves until the pressure of the trial brings the hidden things to the surface.
When we seek God in faith and God gives us strength and wisdom and we are perfected, then we can proceed on in life to new challenges and places in the Lord. But when we become double-minded and our faith fails, then we basically choose to repeat the trial over and over and extend the trial until we do learn and grow.
Many times, we make the trial much longer or we keep repeating the same kind of trial over and over again because we go the way of flesh instead of rise up in faith toward God.
We get into trouble when we doubt that God is able or is powerful enough for the problem, or we doubt that He is right and what He says is right, or we doubt that He loves us when we are going through the trying time. It is really a turning away and rejecting the truth of the nature of God when we waver in our faith. It is a slap at God.
There are times that we don't know what to do in life. That is not what this is saying. It is saying that in those times, we should understand and believe that God is a sure anchor in the storm that does not change and waver, and that we can trust and depend upon Him no matter how unstable everything and everyone else gets.
The storms of life will blow to and fro and if our faith is not connecting us as an anchor to the Lord and His will and protection, then we will get blown all over the place and will be in danger of being smashed up in the storm. IT WOULD BE LIKE A SHIP MASTER NOT USING THEIR ANCHOR WHEN IN DANGER OF BEING BROKEN AGAINST THE ROCKS IN THE STORM. THE ANCHOR IS YOUR FAITH IN GOD, AND WAVERING WOULD BE YOU NOT BEING ABLE TO DECIDE TO THROW THE ANCHOR OUT.
The warning is given: Do not let the man who does not trust in the Lord and is double-minded think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
THE LITERAL MEANING OF DOUBLE-MINDED IN THE GREEK IS TWO-SOULED. It means that you have split loyalties actually. You ask God if He will help you and then you really do not believe that He will or cares enough to do so. It is actually a disloyal attitude toward God. It is being two-souled or having two minds at one time. This is not true faith.
You have a mind toward God, but a mind toward something else also. Something is stealing your faith in God. Something is lying to you and seducing you to turn to something else besides God while you are calling out on Him. This is dangerous and it will cut you off from receiving from the Lord.
Many times, the very impurities that are brought to the surface in the trial is what you are leaning on during these times. You cannot get free of them if you are still relying on them.�
EXAMPLES: BAD ATTITUDES in thinking that God does not love you and having a loss of love yourself; relying on DRUGS OR ALCOHOL; secret LUSTS; SELF-SUFFICIENCY and PRIDE.
When Jesus is the love of our lives and the center of our being, then we will hate those impurities that are hurting us and have the potential to kill the good in us. We will hate sin as it is revealed instead of trusting in it as the double-minded person does. The double-minded man will want the pleasures of sin and still somehow not want to incur the correction of God at the same time, and it does not work.
Holding hands with the world and trying to hold hands with God is a good description of this. When we try and rely on ourselves in pride and call out on God and have the attitude, "God helps those who help themselves", then we are literally double-minded. When we doubt that God loves us, then it is a sign that our own love is not mature and that we have fears ruling us and that chokes out faith.
UNDERSTAND THIS: BEING DOUBLE-MINDED OR TWO-SOULED IS WHAT CAUSES A MAN OR WOMAN TO WAVER IN THEIR PRAYERS. It is what causes a flip-flopping trust in the Lord in a situation. It is because you are connected and trusting yourself in more than one thing that are opposed to one another. It is not possible to love the world and to love God at the same time, though some two-souled people try it.
1 JOHN 2:15-17 " 15 LOVE NOT THE WORLD, NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORLD. IF ANY MAN LOVE THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM. 16 FOR ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD, THE LUST OF THE FLESH, AND THE LUST OF THE EYES, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE, IS NOT OF THE FATHER, BUT IS OF THE WORLD. 17 AND THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY, AND THE LUST THEREOF: BUT HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF GOD ABIDETH FOR EVER. "
Being two-souled will make you follow and trust in opposite things at the same time. You will be spiritually running in circles.�
We want the direction and the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing in our sails taking us to the right destination and end, and not blows about by every straying wind. When we ask wavering, then we are literally opening ourselves up to destruction because every wind of the enemy and the world and life will blow against us, and we will not have what it takes to withstand it and we will have chaos for a life.�
God wants to take you through the trial, but you will never get out of the trial if you are being blown in every direction by every wind that blows. You need God's wind. You need God's direction and power to come out of the trial stronger. It takes turning to God in the pain and the fear and the stress and trusting HIM!
But those who waver are so split in their loyalties that they are worldly when it is convenient to be worldly and try to be spiritual when it is convenient to be so. They are the very definition of confusion.
That person should not even expect to receive anything of the Lord. And it is not the Lord's fault when this happens. It is because in their heart, they have more than one master and want their way along with God's. It is a soulish or carnal way of trying to live. It does not work.
YOU HAVE GOT TO REPENT! To repent is to turn from the world and sin and worldly ways and to turn to the Lord God Almighty! It is to turn and trust in the Lord and turn your back on sin and the world.
HOWEVER, if we follow God completely and He is the center of our lives, then life is much different and God answers our prayers (including wisdom in the time of trial) much differently and abundantly in comparison to the double-minded person.
PSALMS 37:4-5 " 4 DELIGHT THYSELF ALSO IN THE LORD; AND HE SHALL GIVE THEE THE DESIRES OF THINE HEART.�
5 COMMIT THY WAY UNTO THE LORD; TRUST ALSO IN HIM; AND HE SHALL BRING IT TO PASS. "
JOHN 15:7 " IF YE ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YE SHALL ASK WHAT YE WILL, AND IT SHALL BE DONE UNTO YOU. "
1 JOHN 5:14-15 "14 AND THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE IN HIM, THAT, IF WE ASK ANY THING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARETH US: 15 AND IF WE KNOW THAT HE HEAR US, WHATSOEVER WE ASK, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE PETITIONS THAT WE DESIRED OF HIM. "
Are You Double-Minded?
Personal life-Do you proclaim that physical exercise is a good, healthy, essential habit while refusing to participate?
Business life-Do you loudly lobby for fair and ethical treatment for yourself while denying that same treatment to others?
Social life-Are you two-faced among different groups of friends?
Spiritual life-Are you attempting to serve God while compromising with the world's standards?
����������������������������������� -from the Life Application Bible Commmentary
�
Our prayers and the way (and even the amount of saturation of our prayers) will show what we really believe about God and our view of God and His importance and trust in our lives. If you don't pray much, then you don't love and trust God much. In fact, what you put your energies into is what is most important to you.�
This is why it can be truthfully said that there is much idolatry within the ranks of the American Church these days, for, to many who call themselves Christians these days, THEIR WALK WITH GOD AND THEIR PRAYER LIFE IS JUST NOT A PRIORITY IN THEIR LIVES. Their loves are split to worldly things, and they make themselves double-minded.�
THE BIBLE DECLARES THAT IF YOU ARE LIKE THIS, JUST DON'T EVEN EXPECT GOD TO ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS. There is a fundamental problem in your walk with God.
The truth is that the double-minded person does not know the truth. Jesus said that you shall know the truth, and the truth would make you free. But you have to know it first. And if you knew who God really was, you would not have an infatuation for worldly things and sin. You would hate sin. God and the gifts of God are worth so much more than anything that this world has… and I mean anything.
PHILIPPIANS 3:8-9 " 8 YEA DOUBTLESS, AND I COUNT ALL THINGS BUT LOSS FOR THE EXCELLENCY OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST JESUS MY LORD: FOR WHOM I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS, AND DO COUNT THEM BUT DUNG, THAT I MAY WIN CHRIST, 9 AND BE FOUND IN HIM, NOT HAVING MINE OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH IS OF THE LAW, BUT THAT WHICH IS THROUGH THE FAITH OF CHRIST, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF GOD BY FAITH: "
Lust, drugs, drunkenness, political power, money, and all those things are as sewage if you will in comparison to Jesus Christ. THAT THING THAT HAS STOLEN YOUR TOTAL LOVE FROM GOD IS TRUTHFULLY WORTH DUNG. LET IT GO! LET IT GO! LET IT GO! GET THE REAL THING… JESUS CHRIST!
When Jesus is the treasure of your heart, you can literally call out on God and know that He is going to give liberally and move for you!� He is here… and He is here for you.�
You see, the thinking of this world is skewed in comparison to God's. It is the result of the corruption of sin. Sin corrupts and perverts wisdom, so that the true wisdom of God is looked on as foolishness by the carnally minded world. The world seeks after greed and self-gratification and is selfish and is devoid of true love.
The way that God looks at things is so much different than the world's. We see this graphically pointed out in the next verses, which are a contradiction to carnal political reasoning.
Recorded LIVE on May 30, 2009 for Warriors of God
Copyrighted © 2009 by James Dale Coldiron
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