Increase Your Faith

My son, hold on to good sense and the understanding of what is right. Don’t let them out of your sight. Then you will go on your way in safety. You will not trip and fall. Proverbs 3:21, 23 (NIRV-ENG)

Pastor’s Commentary:

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall… 2 Peter 1:10 (KJV)

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy… Jude 1:24 (KJV)

God has a trip-free, stumble-free, fall-free plan for our lives. Contrary to conventional wisdom, believers may fall morally, but such failures are NOT foregone conclusions. The Lord has empowered His people to live morally perfect lives free from moral failures and hazards of every kind. The key to living such lives is to keep His Word and His Wisdom before our eyes all the time.

Faith begins where the will of God is known. Jude 24 tells us that God is able to keep us from falling. So, let’s develop our faith in His Word by speaking this verse to ourselves over and over again. God will bring us out of everything that could potentially hinder us from moral excellence.

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My child, if you receive my words, and store up my commands within you, by making your ear attentive to Wisdom, and by turning your heart to understanding, indeed, if you call out for discernment – raise your voice for understanding – if you seek it like silver, and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand how to fear the Lord, and you will discover knowledge about God. Proverbs 2:1-5 (NET)

Pastor’s Commentary:

For the Lord gives Wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6 NET)

It is an indisputable fact that God is the Source of ALL authentic Wisdom. According to 1 Corinthians 1:30, Father God has made Jesus Christ Wisdom for us. The point I am making is this: God has done His part in reference to Wisdom. Now, we must do ours.

Today, in my humble opinion, there is an overfocus on God’s responsibility in the Covenant and an underappreciation of the role that each of us must play. Although Wisdom is readily available to all, each of us must do something to tap into the awesome benefits thereof.

Proverbs 2 begins with the process for obtaining the benefits of Wisdom:

1. We must receive the Word of God and store His commandments within us.

This is a conscious act of will on our part. We have make up our minds to receive the implanted Word of God and keep Him (the Word) within us.

2. We must make our ears attentive to God’s Word and turn our hearts to understanding.

In Scripture, Jesus uses a recurring phrase and theme. He says many times, “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear…” Once again, this is a conscious act of will. The only people who can hear the Voice of God, which is the Voice of Wisdom, are those who make a decision to hear Him. Hearing God is NEVER accidental; it’s always deliberate.

3. We must call out for, or place a demand on Wisdom.

James 1:5 says, “But if anyone is deficient in Wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.” In other words, to capitalize on Wisdom, one must call out for Him by asking in faith. Placing a demand on Wisdom when we are deficient in some way is paramount to receiving a timely and necessary word from God.

4. We must seek for Wisdom above all else.

God says in Jeremiah 29:13, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Wisdom says, “I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently will find Me.” (Proverbs 8:17 NKJV)

The casual search for Wisdom always results in frustration. Finding Wisdom requires focused, deliberate, and diligent seeking. To receive the fullness of Wisdom, we must seek for Him above all else.

God wants each and every one of us to succeed in life. That’s why He has made His Wisdom available to all. We must, in turn, do our part to receive His Word and live the victorious life He has always had in store for us.

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Honor the Lord by giving Him your money and the first part of all your crops. Then you will have more grain and grapes than you will ever need. Proverbs 3:9-10 (CEV)

Pastor’s Commentary:

The key to supernatural superabundance (having much more than you need) is honoring the Lord. This is one of the hardest things to get over to people who have been highly influenced by the world system. They think the way to have more than enough is through hard work, saving, investing, and even stealing. But, the Word tells us otherwise.

The ancient Hebrew word translated as honor is “kabod”. Kabod is also translated as glory and is defined as that which is heavy or of great weight. Before paper money existed, wealth was literally measured by weight and volume. The more weight on the scale the more valuable the commodity.

Honor is about placing great weight or emphasis on someone or something. When the scripture tells us to honor God, we are instructed to place the maximum weight and emphasis on God and His Word. In other words, we are to place more weight on, or assign more value to, the things of God than on anyone or anything else.

When we place more weight on the Lord’s economic system than we do on the world’s system, we are promised more than we need. Superabundance is God’s plan for our lives!

Let God’s Word and His Wisdom weigh in on all your decisions, financial or otherwise.

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For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth; nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her. Proverbs 8:11 (MSG)

Pastor’s Commentary:

There’s nothing and no one more important in your life than Wisdom. That’s why Scripture adamantly tell us, “Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!” (Proverbs 4:7a MSG) The Word also instructs us to “sell everything and buy Wisdom! (Proverbs 4:5a MSG)

Why? Because she [Wisdom] guards your life…she keeps her eye on you. (Proverbs 4:6b MSG) Wisdom also has tremendous benefits she says, “My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary; the returns on Me exceed any imaginable bonus.” (Proverbs 8:19 MSG)

Apart from Wisdom, there is nothing but failure, frustration, depression, and hopelessness. God wants you to succeed in EVERY holy venture you undertake; that’s why He makes His Wisdom so readily available.

If you know you possess the Wisdom of God say this aloud, “The struggle is over!”

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Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. Proverbs 2:2 (MSG)

Pastor’s Commentary:

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2 NASB)

The Wisdom of God actually originates from another realm, another world; it is from above, not from the earth. God’s Wisdom will certainly work on earth, but the Source is God Himself. That’s why looking to any other source is frustrating and a thorough waste of time.

Although the Wisdom of God is available to all people, one can only tap into it as an act of will. God will not force His Wisdom on anyone. Scripture tells us, “…if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 NASB)

Today’s Wisdom verse says, “Tune YOUR ears…and set YOUR heart…” These are acts of will on our part. In other words, the person who desires Godly Wisdom MUST do something to receive it. We must place a demand on Him for His Wisdom to be downloaded.

This may seem like a very simple thing, and it is, but many fail to embrace this very simple principle. Therefore, they struggle in life trying to guess their way through it. Guessing is absolutely unauthorized in the Kingdom of God! Jesus said, “…you will KNOW the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32 NASB) [emphasis added].

Beloved, let’s make a quality decision to “tune our ears to the world of Wisdom and set our hearts on a life of Understanding.” It’s the only way we can live the abundant life God has in store for us.

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The woman Folly [Foolishness] is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. Proverbs 9:13 (ESV)

Pastor’s Commentary:

In Proverbs 9, King Solomon contrasts the attributes of Wisdom and foolishness. As you well know, foolishness is simply the absence of Wisdom, just as darkness is the absence of light. Wherever a Wisdom void exists, Folly reigns supreme and unchallenged!

Foolishness is not some innocuous or harmless thing. It is much more than intellectual stupidity. Foolishness is a negative spiritual force from Hell that has eternal, as well as temporal implications.

Let’s read Mark 7:20-23 (ESV):

And He [Jesus] said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, FOOLISHNESS. ALL THESE EVIL THINGS come from within, and they defile a person.”[emphasis added]

Notice how Jesus views foolishness. He refers to it as an evil thing and puts it the exact same category as He does murder, sexual immorality, adultery, and stealing.

Just look at the company foolishness keeps! Lacking Wisdom is a really bad thing. Let’s pursue His Wisdom with zeal and understanding like never before. It’s time to get the foolishness out and the Wisdom of God in. Time is running out!

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He [the Lord] stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity. Proverbs 2:7 (ESV)

Pastor’s Commentary:

[Christ] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3 (ESV)

The Wisdom of God is not hidden FROM us, it’s hidden FOR us! God, in His infinite Wisdom, has stored up every aspect of His knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, so that we may tap into whatever we need, whenever we need it. There should never be a time when we are without answers or direction.

It is, however, incumbent upon us to seek the Lord for His Wisdom. The Word of God gives us two basic, but mandatory requirements for obtaining God’s Wisdom. First, we must seek the with an undivided or whole heart with complete assurance that we will find what we need. In Jeremiah 29:13, the Lord said, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” And Hebrews 11:6 states, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Lastly, in Proverbs 8:17, Wisdom says of Himself, “I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently, find Me.”

Secondly, we must ask for Wisdom in faith. The Apostle James said,”If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting…” He further stated, “You do not have, because you do not ask.” Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

The answer to every problem and situation in your life is readily available to you. When you recognize that God is the repository of ALL Wisdom, and you ask for His direction, you will receive a full supply of what you need and there’s not a devil, nor demon anywhere that can stop you! Amen, amen, amen!

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Wisdom is a tree of life for those who take firm hold of it. Those who cling to it are blessed. Proverbs 3:18 (GWT)

Pastor’s Commentary:

The first time God unveiled His plan for mankind in Genesis, it was in the context of “The Blessing”. God blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28, GWT)

The Blessing is a supernatural gift that empowers the possessor to prosper in every imaginable way, particularly on the earth. That means The Blessing produces only good things in a person’s spirit, soul, and body; and it prospers them both socially (interpersonally) and financially (materially). The entire Bible is about The Blessing; it is about how The Blessing was initially given, then lost, then restored through the shed blood of Yeshua at Calvary.

The Blessing is the Gospel! Look at what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 3:8-9: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying,’In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”

The Wisdom of God, which is also the Word of God, is the medium by which The Blessing is administered. Wisdom is a tree of life for those who take firm hold of it. Those who cling to it are blessed. The only way to possess the manifestations or fruit of The Blessing is to cling to the Eternal Word of God [Wisdom]. No matter what you feel, see, smell, taste, or hear, continue to hold firm to God’s Wisdom, especially if those things contradict the Word of God. You are the Blessed! Now, take firm hold of that fact and never let go. Don’t stop your personal pursuit of His Wisdom!

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Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox. Proverbs 14:4 (NKJV)

Pastor’s Commentary:

One of the many benefits of Wisdom is the ability to do simple and even complex analysis. In life, such analysis is priceless. It truly separates to rich from the poor; the successful from the unsuccessful; and winners from losers.

To paraphrase today’s Wisdom verse, it basically says: “Without the trouble of oxen, the stable is clean, but a lot of wealth comes from having them.” Many times, the trouble associated with a thing is far outweighed by the benefits of it. For example, taking college or self-help courses in the evenings to sharpen your work skills require the sacrifice of a lot of leisure time, but the payoff is often far greater in promotions, pay increases, and a competitive advantage.

The acquisition of Wisdom is similar. It takes many hours of study and application of God’s Word to enjoy the success promised therein. The time dedicated to acquiring Wisdom frankly can seem overwhelming at times. There is a mandatory sacrifice of time to be in every service on a weekly basis, but the cost benefit analysis proves that the sacrifice is well worth it, both now and definitely in the age to come.

Without the constant pursuit of God and His Wisdom, there’s a lot of leisure time to do what pleases you, but the benefits of knowing Him through fellowship are far better and far more rewarding. Keep making the wise decision to dedicate as much time as you can to acquiring Wisdom and understanding. The trade off is well worth it in great relationships, health, wealth, and long life!

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