journey onWord with us

Only in Tennessee! On a visit to that great state this summer, I had the encounter with my squirrel hunting friends looking to shoot out the window. On my visit this week, I stayed with some friends that have always mentored and encouraged my wife and I.  You will appreciate my dismay at what happens next. After a great dinner about 25 miles from their home, we made our way home through the hills and curves of Tennessee. Along the way, my stomach started relaying the message to me that things were not good.  Immediately after arriving back at my friend’s home, it happened. And there is no easier way to say it … I threw up (sorry for the details). Can you imagine how embarrassed I felt?

In my life, I have learned that winding roads, roller coasters and rough waters are not my friends.  And it was the latter that I ran headlong into as I read Tuesday morning.

In His wisdom, our Lord uses rough water days to help us learn and re-learn how to depend on Him. You know the story, but travel back with me to a stormy day in the life of Christ and His disciples. Faith and fear come into clear focus, and I am sure you can relate.

Mark 4:35-40 (MSG)
Late that day he said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side.” They took him in the boat as he was. Other boats came along. A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, “Teacher, is it nothing to you that we’re going down?”  Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, “Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples: “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith at all?”

I believe Christ absolutely knew what He was doing when He suggested that they cross the Sea of Galilee. He was leading them into a storm! Sometimes storms result from our disobedience. But at other times, the Father’s design is to send us headlong into troubled waters to teach and mold us … but never without an anchor.

The disciples found themselves in the midst of a furious squall. So intense were the waves that they broke over the boat. Without question, they had some serious concerns about drowning. And through it all, Jesus was sleeping! You may not have been as expressive as the disciples were with Christ, but you have probably had similar fearful thoughts. They had real waves, and we have our individual “storms”. When faith and fear collide, emotions can easily lead to a drowning feeling. It is far wiser to run to Christ.

With simple words, Christ calmed the wind and waves. The Creator of the Universe was in control of nature. It is amazing to me that Christ followers accept His control over our eternal destiny, yet we struggle with the daily storms. If you are anything like me, you have met some stormy days with strong faith, and others with that fearful drowning feeling. But why would we ever doubt that He is in control?

Christ had strong words for His disciples after calming the wind and waves. “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith at all?” His words undoubtedly made an impression on the disciples. All of us have stormy days when faith and fear are apt to collide. Even if you have too often faltered and failed when rough waters came, remember God is still in control, and we can view our personal storms with eyes of faith. We have a choice!

In case you were wondering, I recovered quickly from my upset stomach.  But the intersection of scripture and my every day once again led me back to an important truth.  I am never without an anchor no matter how strong or prolonged the wind and waves.

This past week our reading led us through Jesus’ intentional walk to the cross.  My Lenten journeys over the past few years have stirred in me a particular love of the brief account of an intimate dinner Jesus attended.  Near the apex of the events of Jesus’ last week, we have cause to pause at the amazing story of an unnamed woman and her blessed initiative.

The setting is a meal at the house of Simon the leper.  It fit’s, right?  Are you surprised at all that Jesus would be enjoying a meal at the house of a former leper?  No … me either.  While Jesus is eating along with the other guests, a woman approaches him with an alabaster jar.  Before we move on, I believe it’s important to note that this is extremely unusual in the context of Jewish culture and the times.  Proper etiquette dictated that a woman only approach the table to serve the men who were eating, never to interact with them.  The jar that she brought was full of what Matthew describes as “expensive perfume” (26:7).  Mark’s gospel describes it as “expensive perfume, made from the essence of nard.” (14:3)

In my research, I found that nard comes from a flowering plant that grows in very remote regions in the Himalayas of modern-day China, India and Nepal.  Oil from nard was described as a “luxury” in ancient Egypt, so it would stand to reason that this assessment of its value is right on.  It is suggested that perfume in this quantity, and of this value would likely have been an inheritance, highly treasured, the equivalent today of a well invested and endowed retirement account.  i think it is fair to say, that this would be the prized possession of this woman, and would amount to most, if not all, of what she had of value in this world.

The woman approaches Jesus, breaks the bottle, and pours it all, including the very last drop, over Jesus’ head.  I would suggest that there is great significance in breaking the bottle.  The woman did not simply uncap the bottle and measure her pour.  She broke the bottle, making the commitment early on that it would all be spent in the anointing of Jesus.  A whole vessel would allow for one to stop and retain some for themselves.  Or even give the appearance of pouring it all out, while still keeping an amount hidden and saved.  A broken vessel is an exposed vessel; there is no hiding in a broken vessel.  And a broken vessel is a submitted vessel.  One that can no longer be used for its prior purposes, but rather given up fully to the purpose it was broken for.  This is the gift of this unnamed woman, not only of her perfume, but of herself.

Immediately on seeing this act, those who were there began to criticize her harshly.  What in the world was she doing?!  Does she not know how valuable the perfume was, and how much money could have been gained from its sale, and given to the poor?!  It is important to understand that this was a very integral part of the Passover celebration.  Much like our modern celebration of Christmas, it was customary to be very generous to the poor during Passover season.  So in their own reasoning, it makes perfect sense that they would see the horrible injustice and waste in this apparently frivolous act.  In their own reasoning, that is.

But as quickly as they began, Jesus jumped to the woman’s defense, and put the rebuke back on them.  In his divine and kingdom vision, he saw the moving of her spirit to anoint him for burial.  A broken and complete sacrifice to honor him, and prepare his body for what was to come.  He chastises the guests with the truth that they will always have the poor amongst them, to offer their help to.  But they will only have him for a very short time.

I see a stark contrast in this telling of a dinner interruption.  A contrast between kingdom purposes and those of the natural world.  In their focus on perfume and money, the guests missed the point of the kingdom act of anointing.  They are focused on the denarius.  Jesus, and this woman, have his Father’s kingdom on their hearts.

And then there is the greatest commandment.  Jesus’ answer to the teacher of the law, the day before when he questioned, “Of all the commandment, which is the most important?” (Mark 12:28)  In breaking the bottle and giving it up to its final purpose of anointing, the woman loved the Lord her God with everything she had.  And in response, Jesus promised that throughout the remainder of human history, “wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her..” (Matthew 26:13)

What is yours and my alabaster jar? … essence of nard? … counter-cultural act?  Our challenge is to live that completely broken, that poured out, and that unnamed … all for the purpose of the kingdom, and of loving the Lord our God will all that we have in this world.

Performance-based living is the norm in our 21^st century culture. And make no mistake; almost everyone is caught in the performance trap. From a very young age we are all challenged to succeed, which is a noble aspiration. But often the desire to perform well and succeed becomes a way in which we value ourselves. When value is based on what you and I do, there will always be disappointment. Why? Because good can always be better, and inevitably someone will always out perform us. Graduating from childhood to adulthood doesn’t lessen the desire to be successful or the trap of performance-based living. We all see it in every corner of our lives – even in the spiritual dimension!

With full candor, I can tell you that if I am not careful, performance and winning can be too important to me. I hate to lose at anything. If I’m playing golf, winning is my goal (although I lose most often). In business, I am not interested in being second. Now I realize that having a healthy desire to achieve is noble, but performance-based living can easily become too all-consuming for me (and you). When I take inventory of my spiritual journey, there has often been too much focus on performing well, and too little emphasis on resting in Christ. Performance-based living in the spiritual realm is an adversary of the restful soul that can be ours. Rest is available to all Christ followers.

Recently, I have been reading a book entitled, Thirsting for God by Gary L. Thomas. His writing captured my attention concerning a quiet heart, and living in a relationship with God that is not performance-based. See if the quote below gives you a sense of the problem that we all face.

Undo fretting leads to “soul sadness,” or despondency, or, as Francis de Sales put it, “inquietude.” Soul sadness is the result of a performance-based holiness, and it often plagues those who most want to serve God.

DeSales wrote that true holiness is cultivated with “patience, meekness, humility, and tranquility, expecting it more from the providence of God than from [our] own industry or diligence.”

Patience, meekness and tranquility are not the fruits of performance-based living. God’s grace in salvation is through faith, not works. Nor should we who know Him try to serve with a performance-based mindset, as if that is a way to win His favor. He already loves us, wants us to enjoy His rest and without a doubt will guide us to successful living if we seek Him. However, we often turn serving, giving and helping others into performance-based holiness. And we experience “soul sadness” when our performance is about gaining favor, instead of resting in our God who loves to favor us. Serving, giving and helping others should flow from the well-source of our relationship with the Lord as He guides our performance.

Performing well and living with patience, tranquility and meekness are challenging things to hold in tension. I still want to win at golf and do well in business, but those things should never define me. When my (your) relationship is honoring the Father, rest will come, and our performance will cause “soul gladness”. If you are serious Christ follower, think about what drives your performance.

One afternoon recently a friend and I were having a candid discussion about life. My friend used the words; it’s just a season referring to a particularly difficult time. In moments like the one above, I find it easy to give advice. After all, from a spiritual and logic standpoint, my opinions make a lot of sense. But when it’s my difficult season, the spiritual and logical advice I need is hard to accept. Without a doubt you have been both the advisor with all the answers, and at other times the one receiving the counsel. And even when you know that the advice is both spiritual and logical, it is still hard to accept during a tough season. So what do we do?

Even the casual reader of Scripture knows about Jesus being tempted in the desert.  Think about how this difficult season of life transpired for Him.  First, it’s an undeniable truth that the Spirit led Him into the desert to be tempted.  None of us can truly understand the depth of the Father’s desire to let His son go through such an extended period of turmoil.  During the forty days of fasting, Mark and Luke tell us that He was tempted by the devil. Can you imagine a more challenging season!  But in the Father’s design it was needed.  We can only imagine what the days were like: fasting, temptation, wild animals, angels and I would assume some intense and powerful time of intercession with the Father.  Our lonely seasons cannot relate, but they are still tough.  To gain perspective for our seasons, it is very instructive to see the method of defense Christ used at the crescendo of the battle.

If you are anything like me, you have wasted some great seasons of testing.  We tend to go through those it’s just a season times with too much emotion and too little biblical insight.  I do know the Word.  But often in my journey, I avoid using it to my advantage, as the Father desires.  The pattern for Christ at the moment of truth was to use the Word.  That wasn’t just a coincidence.  He has given us a pattern that works. Satan tempted, and Jesus defended with Scripture (view Matthew 4:1-11).  I don’t see Him debating or avoiding the issue, just using the Word of God.  Undoubtedly, you have heard sermons on the pattern Christ used.  But often the application is left at the church doors.  In your next difficult season, or the one you are currently facing, be willing to use Scripture as a defense against the assault of Satan.  Verses like the ones below can be a great help.

Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with
our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every
way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach
the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

My advice may be spiritual and logical. His Word gives clear advice and can always be trusted. It is Truth! During your next it’s just a season, accept His clear counsel. It will work for both you and me.

Remembering my sixth grade teacher’s name would be a strong assignment for me. But remembering my first love that happened in sixth grade, now that’s another story. Her name was Bonnie Oliver, and I was smitten. On the day she moved to Alabama, I rode my bike by her house, but didn’t have the courage to say goodbye. I can’t recall if she even knew me, but I really liked her. It’s been nearly fifty years, and I still haven’t forgotten about my crush on that cute young lady. You can probably also remember the first time you fell for someone. Somehow that first love is etched in your memory. In a far more significant way, the first love that we experienced in Christ should be remembered.

The church at Ephesus was one of the churches in Asia Minor highlighted in the book of Revelation. Great teaching has been done on the seven literal churches, and one article could never even scratch the surface of all the treasures that can be gleaned from studying them. I do believe however that characteristics of these churches can be instructive for 21^st century believers.

Ephesus at one time was the most prominent city in Asia Minor. The church at Ephesus was blessed to be established by Paul, and later led by Timothy and the Apostle John. Talk about a privileged group of believers. They were commended for their works, patience, perseverance and stand against evil. Aren’t those the characteristics that every church and believer should strive for? But something was wrong. Take a quick look with me at their great service and lost love in Revelation chapter two…

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
Revelation 2:2-5

All the accolades, and then: You have forsaken your first love. Something happened to that first love. The church was still a serving group, but not with the right motivation. If you have served Christ for any length of time, you probably remember the early days of your journey that were filled with excitement, passion and joy. And just like the Ephesians, you may still serve and love your Lord, but something is different. The early passion, excitement and joy have been replaced with __________.  You probably still read some Scripture, pray about issues, give to your church and maybe even serve, but something is different.

John was very straightforward with the first love lost Ephesians. Remember what you lost. Repent of your sin, and repeat the things you did at first. The passion, joy and relationship with the Father that this church once had could be restored. If this article finds you in the place of first love lost, John’s advice is still relevant: Remember, repent and repeat! There is never a good reason to live looking back at a better love. Remember your first love and reclaim the joy that is yours in Christ.

What could be better than loving your Savior with that first love?

All that surrounds us affects us. None of us would like to admit the extent to which external circumstances dominate our internal thought patterns. Whether people or events, something on the outside is always clamoring for your attention. Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius gave us a humorous, yet at the same time, perceptive insight centuries ago: I am going to be meeting people today who talk too much—people who are selfish, egotistical, ungrateful. But I won’t be surprised or disturbed for I can’t imagine a world without such people.

Nor should we! Frustrating people and emotional circumstances will always surround us, but should never dominate us. Under our own power, those words are easier said than done.  But in Christ, we have the power to live inside out.

In my personal reading, I was reminded of a devotional book written early in the last century. The book was written by James Allen and is entitled, As a Man Thinketh.  The inspiration for the title and the text was taken directly from Proverbs 23:7(a): For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. It resonated with me that so much of how we view life is driven by the controlling influences of our mind. We will always be confronted with positive and negative circumstances, but they should never control us internally. However, since everyone has daily battles within, it is important to be clear that God understands our struggle and gives guidance. We have His Spirit to direct us, His Word to teach us, and we have been given freedom to communicate with Him in Christ. Availing ourselves of what God has provided can change our view of life from the inside out, by the transforming of our minds.

So where are your thoughts, and how are they controlling your days and weeks? James Allen said: “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts will take you“. Frankly speaking, most of us have some ingrained habits of the mind that cloud our perspective. With the renewing power of the Holy Spirit, change can come. It is imperative that our lives go from being dominated by all that surrounds us to being directed by His Spirit. Any Christ follower can live with the mind of Christ. Whether our weeks (and people) are great or incredibly draining should never be the issue. The real issue should be: is my mind being renewed, and are my thoughts in line with God’s perspective.

If you know Christ and are struggling from the outside in, determine to reverse that order today (to living inside out). You may have found that it is easier to be more frustrated than patient, and more overwhelmed than at peace. Having the mind of Christ takes discipline, but the results are worth it. Let this principle guide you … when I allow my life to be controlled by His Spirit, I will handle all that surrounds me well. For an on-looking world to ever see our faith working, we must think right, because how we think will determine how we live.

As the car next to you drifts precariously close, you want to scream, “Get off your cell phone!”. But you stop short, remembering you’ve been guilty of the same, or similar offense. Momentary distractions on the highway can create a lifetime of regret. But in truth, loss of focus in any endeavor eventually takes a toll.  Following Christ is no different! Effective follower-ship demands focus, even with distractions at every turn. All believers are challenged to run the race marked out for us with perseverance. But how do we maintain the right focus?  Simply, but profoundly, we can find the answer in Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Fix my eyes on Jesus! Isn’t that what all Christians know to do? After all, it makes logical sense that if I just focus on Him, things will work out right. In years gone by, many people even wore bracelets that said WWJD (what would Jesus do), as a reminder to focus on the qualities of Jesus.  However, really fixing our eyes on Him takes more than wearing a cool bracelet. You may even love the song, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” as much as I do. But having a great feeling during worship as you sing that beloved hymn won’t automatically translate to real focus. It takes more than great feelings or cool bracelets (don’t think I’m against feelings and bracelets) to live a life focused on Jesus. Having said all that, I do firmly believe a Jesus-focused life exists, and is available for every Christ-follower.

Jesus ran the race that the Father marked out for Him to the fullest. His earthly race was marked with difficulty and hardship, but was lived with purpose and discipline. If we succeed in living out our God-designed purpose, it will only be accomplished by fixing our eyes on Jesus. Fleshing this out takes a willingness to surrender our wills to His. And that’s a day-by-day, minute-by-minute, thought-by-thought surrender! May I gently prod you to have a week of laser-like focus on the Son of God? Take the few steps below to help refocus your journey:

• Determine to have a quiet time every day by reading the Word and giving a priority to prayer. Fix your eyes on Him!
• As a part of your daily routine, decide that you will bring all issues to His attention. He knows what they are anyway. What would He do?
• Let your spiritual effort be fixed on Him. He can handle your distractions!

Focusing on Jesus in all things will give clarity to the distractions and hard journey turns that we all face. We may find that the words of Helen Lemmel’s great song become more than just nice church feelings.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

In the heart of every parent there is a deep desire to be fully trusted by our children. In the early years, we have all sensed with pride how our children give us wonderful adoration, and almost absolute trust. As the years pass, our children develop their own individuality and realize that their parents inevitably will make mistakes. Eventually, children grow up and start making important life choices. And although parents will always want to help, give counsel and be a trusted advisor, we all know that our loving counsel will never be perfect. But the wisest of parents will always want their children to know the source of perfect trust.

I have been challenged and encouraged this week about a relationship that embodied the trust we can model. You have heard of the relationship, probably read about and surely believe it to be real. It was between a Son and Father.

In reading the book of Hebrews over and over, I have never really spent much time on the verses I am including below, but that I have discovered give us all a great pattern. And if it was good enough for Jesus to fully trust His Father, why not us?

Hebrews 2:13(a)/ 5:7-8 (MSG)

Again, he puts himself in the same family circle when he says, Even I live by placing my trust in God.

While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do.

It is beyond me to teach you how God trusted God. But that is what happened when Jesus became flesh and lived among mankind. His life was marked by difficulties, temptation and suffering – in some measure like all of us encounter. Can you imagine what His prayer life was like, God communicating with God? He lived with a humble trust in His Father, even as He journeyed to the cross. Now, it is a given to me that Jesus would have trusted the Father, even though I cannot understand the depth of that trust. But why did God see fit to place that trust relationship before us in His Word? Simply stated: because we need it.

If it was good enough for Jesus to have absolute trust, even on His way to the cross, how could you and I ever think of not giving heed to our Father’s care, wisdom and counsel? Is He any less trustworthy to us than He was to Christ? Absolutely not! Reflecting on the fact that we can trust Him completely without fear should give us all great comfort. However, the noise of our world, failures of our parents and our internal pride prevent us from enjoying our best relationship. And it’s the only relationship that can always give us the complete freedom to share our heart and have absolute trust.

Don’t you want your children to just trust you? How much pain and frustration could they avoid, just by giving heed to your experience and counsel? In my finite mind, I wonder how the Father must feel when His children refuse to seek His counsel. Oh, what pain and frustration you and I could avoid. You may be facing a life issue right now that would be best handled by just seeking and trusting the Father. And remember, if it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us. Trust Him!

What a day! I was out of my hotel room last Friday morning by 4:30 a.m. to catch a flight home … or at least, that was my plan. I finally arrived home almost 14 hours later. No amount of creative thinking or pleading would have made my adventure any shorter. When my life is put in slow motion, as it was Friday, I always feel that the Father has something in mind for me. However, I still battle with the emotional annoyance that my schedule has been re-worked. Accepting His control over our lives will always help us gain perspective on ordained delays. God has a purpose for our lives, and built within His purpose will be unplanned and unexpected daily events…. even delays.

Before boarding my last flight of the day on Friday, I had a quick conversation about sports with a young man. Then I was surprised to find that he had been assigned a seat right beside me for the trip home.  I had the great opportunity to be a listening ear and encouraging voice to someone who is facing critical issues. I know that in the purpose of God for my life, encouraging others is to be a primary source of ministry. If ordained delays are a part of that ministry, so be it.

All of us should heed the admonition that the apostle Paul gave to Timothy to fulfill his ministry. His words can be found at the end of  II Timothy 4:5:

But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 

We accept the fact that our ministry will be different from Timothy’s, but what the Father has purposed for you and me is important just the same. All believers are living and laboring in the full view of heaven, and one day we will give an account of our lives. Paul was at a point in his life where he could say: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. If we fulfill His ministry objectives for us, one day our journey will be defined by a good fight, a finished race and faith well-kept.

It is my opinion that if you and I are to fulfill His ministry purpose for us, it will take a conscious effort. There will be emphasis on His Word, prayer and others. We tend to think of His purpose or His will for our lives in the big picture. But each day has a part to play in fulfilling our ministry. None of us are perfect, but if you were to give an honest assessment of your journey today, what needs changing? Our Father has a purpose for us, and we can fulfill it. If you are struggling, renew your desire today. Let His Word become fresh, start praying like you believe He will answer, and be assured that others need you.

On one particular day, I had an ordained delay. But that day was important to the Father and important on my journey. If the encounter with my young friend will help him with life issues, then what a great way to spend a day (even though I did get annoyed).  Each day is a part of the picture, a part of His purpose. I believe that you and I will have more ordained delays, and if that’s part of fulfilling our ministries, so be it!

It all seems so simple. Just believe what Scripture says, apply it, and trust God for the results. There is no doubt that most readers of this post believe Scripture. I am sure that you are willing to stand on the authority of God’s Word for life and eternal life.  But application of His truth, and “trusting in the moment” are often sources of conflict for all of us. Sourcing a simple, yet profound passage may give clarity to my premise. Wisdom from God is available for all Christ followers, but He gives conditions for “wisdom’s direction”. Easy-to-believe words, with capacity in Christ to apply them … so why don’t we trust?

Let’s begin with the Word(s):

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

Life was so simple when our daughter was small. Trust was easy, and she didn’t have a reason not to trust her dad. However, her trust for dad came into great conflict when I started teaching her to swim and ride a bike. She still believed me, but emotions fought against her trust for dad’s words. The good news is … Her trust finally overcame emotions.  And our quest for wisdom should be no different. It can be that simple.

Set in the context of trials, James tells us that when wisdom is lacking, we should simply ask God for direction. Stop for just a moment and think of some specific trials in front of you this week. James is telling you to simply ask God for wisdom. It may be difficult to wrap your arms around how God will choose to work in your particular circumstance, but that is not for you to worry about … just start asking. God desires to give you His wisdom without finding fault … so why hesitate to ask? It may be that letting circumstances and emotional distrust override simple faith is thwarting your wisdom connection.

The above-mentioned passage gives clear direction. If you are asking, believe that He will give you wisdom. No Doubting! It can be that simple. For most of us, the truth is that we have mastered the discipline of doubting. Satan will continue to attack your thoughts with sometimes subtle, yet always deadly, doubt.  But by a choice to submit your will, determine to believe that wisdom is available for every circumstance. Our Father understands the attacks, and will honor your simple trust.

Without saying it, you may be thinking, “you don’t know what I am up against!”  And in that, you are likely whole-heartedly right.  And if this was about my words, or my encouragement/challenge to you, then your thought might end the discussion.  But praise God, He does know exactly what you are up against (Isaiah 53:3)!  And He wants to give you wisdom. He gives us a simple pattern, and wants us to simply trust Him. There will always be a new circumstance to confront, and wisdom will always be available to Christ followers who ask and don’t doubt. It can be that simple!

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault….