Wisdom

Wisdom: (H2451) chokmah; Root word: (H2449) chakam 'to be, become, or be made wise'

1. wisdom
   a. skill (in war)
   b. wisom (in administration)
   c. shrewdness
        ----------------> 1. Characterized by kieen awareness, sharp intelligence, and often                                 a sense of the practical.
                              2. Disposed to artful and cunning practices; tricky
                              3. Sharp; penetrating
   d. wisdom, prudence (in religious affairs)
                     --------------> Syn: discretion, foresight, forethought, circumpspection
                                        1. wise in handling practical matters; exercising good
                                            judgement or common sense
                                        2. provident
                                        3. circumspect (heedful of circumstances and potential
                                            consequences)

*Definition: 

1. The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight
2. common sense; good judgement
3. The sum of learning throughout the ages; knowledge

What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?
knowledge: 1. Information and skills acquired through experience or education; the 
                       theoretical or practical understanding of a subject
                   2. What is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information

Wisdom is knowledge, but knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom comes about through experiences, which bring knowledge. But not all knowledge happens by experience. Knowledge can be taught and it can be studied.
Wisdom goes deeper than knowledge.
Now, I'll say right here, this study is not meant to say knowledge is bad or make one better than the other. Just a study to understand wisdom better, because I feel like it is a vital factor God wants for our lives that gets overlooked. I know that knowledge is trivial to our growth;

Proverbs 19:2, "Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way."

And then there is also understanding. How is it different? I think that by learning what knowledge and understanding is, it will help us begin to better understand wisdom. Now, we've already discussed knowledge and how it is different than wisdom, but what about understanding? Let's start with the definition.

understanding: 1. N, the ability to understand something; comprehension
                         2. Adj., sympathetically aware of other people's feelings; tolerant & forgiving
understand: 1. Perceive the intended meaning of (words, a language, or speaker)
                    2. Perceive the significance, explanation, or cause of
                        - perceive: 1. Become aware or concious of; come to realize or understand
                                          2. Become aware of by the use of one of the senses, esp. sight

I know I use a lot of definitions, but to know the literal meaning of a word can change your whole outlook on it. So, understanding is comprehending. It is the first step of knowledge. Let me draw you a diagram.
understanding----produces--->knowledge----produces--->wisdom
Okay, now I'll give an example.
Like when you learn a language. First, you learn to understand how to say the letters and small phrases, but you still don't know the whole language. But overall you begin to understand how it works and flows. Over time of using it and learning more about it, you get a pretty good knowledge of the language. But then when you go to that country, you've studied it and know the culture, you experience the culture, speaking their language fully, then you become wise in that language. You picked it up, evaluated it, studied it, and lived it.
The combination of understanding, knowledge, and really living it, produce wisdom.
God calls wisdom, "more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her." (Prov 3:15)
Why is that?
And in verse 13 of that same chapter it says that we find wisdom, but understanding is given to us. I'll let you think about and process that...
It goes on to say that wisdom gives long life, and is a tree of life to those that lay hold of her and those who hold fast to her are called blessed. When these verses talk about wisdom, I don't believe it is referring to being wise in languages, or culture, etc.; not saying that those are bad; but more of wisdom in things that are pure, are holy, and are true. The wisdom in knowing God's prescence, and knowing Him well enough to not be afraid to call Him Abba. Wisdom in trust. Trusting Him that He will lead your life when at times you may seem like nothing is adding up. Wisdom in things not of this world. Wisdom in love.
Like when I said wisdom goes deeper than knowledge, you can be taught about God and know about Him, but when you EXPERIENCE Him...
And if we all grow in wisdom of who God is and seek to be like Him more and more everday, then I know that we will begin to look and be what He desires for us. His body of children is definitely more precious than jewels. Why? Because He can and will use us to change lives. To change the world. To change tomorrow. We're God's children! It's time we act like it and take hold of that truth!

You can probably look out for a Part 2 to this soon..

Fasting: The Purpose

For the past day, I have felt the Holy Spirit pull me to do a study on the topic of fasting, and I just thought I would share it. Not many people know the true purpose of fasting and why we do it. So hopefully this will help, you know what, this will help, because these words I am going to write come from God, not me.




Isaiah 58:5-12 is the perfect description of why fasting is necessary. Now I'm going to write the scripture down, then I'm going to break it down for you and what it means.



< -- Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? [Is it] to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?-->

- Okay, so the original Hebrew meaning for afflict literally means to weaken. When we fast, it is to weaken our flesh so our Spirit becomes stronger. We can't do anything God wants us to do if our flesh has rule over our lives. The rest of this verse is describing humbling ourselves. Laying down our pride and flesh, and humble ourselves before God.



<--"[Is] this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?-->

- Now this verse tells our reasons for fasting, to loose the bonds of wickedness literally means to throw open those bonds that are holding not only us down, but if God leads us to fast for someone else, their bonds. Once we start getting freed up other people are going to start getting freed up just by being around us (Acts 16:26- ALL the doors were opened, and EVERYONE's bonds were unfastened). To undo means to set free, and heavy actually translates to oppression, and burdens translates to binding. So that part translates to: to set free the binding of oppression! Then break every yoke translates to: to tear apart and drag away every oppression! How awesome is that! Fasting weakens our flesh, bringing us closer to God and making us more powerful in Him, not only reaching full freedom, but freeing others as well!



<--[Is it] not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?-->

- We can't sit around just in prayer and the Word and spending time with God, but also, while we are fasting, and any other time for that matter, it is our responsibility to get out there and help others in need. Jesus did it all the time, so giving what we have to those in need does not need to stop with Him. We are called to do even greater than He did (John 14:12).



<--Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.-->

- This is what comes from our fasting; Translates: light of life, prosperity, and instruction will break through as the morning breaks through; to cause healing to grow abundantly with speed, and your righteousness (justification, deliverance, victory,prosperity) shall cause to walk (or proceed) in your prescense; and the glory of the Lord shall gather(harvest, take away) and be your rearguard. The definition of a reargaurd is to stand upright and to watch over and protect. By humbling ourselves and weakening our flesh it brings us closer to God, and He takes away all the bad in our lives, helping us prepare our soil getting it ready for our harvest, and He makes us stronger, and puts His protection around us.



<--Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I [am].' "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,-->

- More results from fasting; It will makes us more sensitive to the Lord's voice, because of our fasting, all our oppression has been removed, and it makes us clean and pure. Fasting purifies us. Back before Jesus, no one could enter the temple if he was unclean or he would die. Shouldn't it be the same today? The answer is simple, yes. It says in Matthew 5:8 that the PURE IN HEART shall see God.



<--[If] you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall [be] as the noonday.-->

- By fasting, when our sould is weakened, instead of tv, music, food, whatever we are fasting from, instead of all that feeding us, it is God feeding that part of us, making us more like Him. All the darkness in our lives shall not prevail, and we will have victory over it! =]



<--The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.-->

- When it says "satisfy your soul in drought", when you are without what your are fasting from, instead of that being what satisfies you, God does. He fills up that emptiness and hunger, and we will begin to hunger more for Him and His prescence. It says that we shall be like a spring of water. We are so filled with God and so like Him, that His prescence falls on to others, bringing them to Him, to the true and living Water. It even goes on to say that our waters never fail! Think about it! We have Jesus in us, and He is the Ultimate Water! Really, think about it!



<--Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.-->

- Once we humble our selves to God and put more dependence on Him while fasting, we shall be all these things unto people, because we know who can really satisfy our true hunger and desires. Hunger you never realized existed.



In Matthew 17:20-21 it says,

So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

However, this kind does not go out except by prayerAND fasting."



Fasting deepens our faith in God. We can never know the fullness of God without ever fasting. We can never reach our full potential where God wants us without fasting.



In Ezra 8:21 and in Esther 4:16 they both proclaimed fasts before they went into an upcoming battle, and they conquered.

Prayer and fasting are important when it comes to being closer to God and conquering the attacks of the enemy.You can't have one without the other.

Fasting makes us more dependent on God, and shows Him what is more important in our lives. That tv show, or Him? That soda or Him? Which are you mmore dependent on to satisfy you?



Whenever the Holy Spirit leads you to fast, or whenever your congregation is facing something corporately, fast. You'll always conquer. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. So if fasting was important to Him before Jesus and after Jesus, then it is imporatant now.



So, to close I'll leave you with this:



2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."


 

Starting a ministry? Wanting to make yours better?

Well I've been studying the gospels lately and Jesus gave us everything we need to be His disciple. We walk and do as He did.
I know so many people always ask mans' opinion on how to make their ministry better or how to start one, and that's all fine and grand, that's you. I'm not saying it's a bad thing by no means, but have you checked the gospels for how Jesus did it? Because His ministry was BOOMING!

"And He went through all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them. And great crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan."
Matthew 4:23-25

I've gotten to much revelation and learned so much just by studying and seeking for myself.
And usually I would share some of what I learn, but it's always better for God to give it to you and not man.

So go seek Him!!!

And always remember, quality is always better than quantity

What is Real Salvation?

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God. ALL things were made through Him (Jesus), and without Him was NOT anything made that was made. In Him (Jesus) was Life (Holy Spirit), and the Life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5

O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
Psalm 56:4

And after my skin has thus been destroyed, yet without my flesh I shall see God.
Job 19:26

And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Ezekiel 36:27

But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were not born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13

When you are truly saved, not just so you can't go to hell (that is a motive of fear of the flesh), and not just because a man says you must (that's legalism), but when you are truly, you are born of God! You are NEW. Like it says in Ezekiel 36, only when you receive His Spirit, is it a lifestyle change. You aren't following Him and "rules" because you feel like you have to, but because you want to.

For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
Romans 7:5-6


Once we are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, we have died from our flesh, like it says right here! We are now ruled by the Spirit and not the flesh! (Ez 36:27) And so like it says in Psalm 56:4, What can flesh do to me? It has no power over us anymore because we were bought at a price and no longer belong to ourselves(our flesh) but to Jesus Christ! (1 Cor 6:19-20) So don't give your flesh power over you when God has given you the power to defeat it!

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Romans 13:14

[ 1 Cor 5:5 - destruction of flesh]

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh!
Galatians 5:16


In Ephesians 6:12, it says we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, because when we became saved and have His Spirit in us, we should automatically have power over the flesh. But we wage war against satan and his craft workers and with the Spirit we have power to defeat them! In 1 Peter 2:11 it says that the flesh wages was, but we don't wage war against it. If we walk in the Spirit, like in Rom 13:14, we make no room for flesh in our lives even if it is warring against us trying to make room for itself.

Sorry it's been so long

With graduation and college and the ministry I'm a part of, I've just been so busy. But be expecting new posts soon!

Kaitlin

A Call to Holiness

So I just began reading a book called A 20th Century Apostle, The Life of Alfred Garr by Steve Thompson, and I came upon this: but soon he discovered that holiness could not be maintained without obedience. See, before this, Alfred had been resisting God's call on his life because he was so consumed with the world. Part of him hungered and longed for God, but the other part was engulfed in this world. And he got sick of it. He wanted to God to become fully real to him. And once God answered his prayer, God called him into the ministry. Well, Alfred resisted the call because he still wanted to do what he wanted to do. Here's the full quote of what it says after God revealed to him his calling into the ministry:

"Soon after I felt the call of God to preach the gospel. I resisted. Time after time God marvelously delivered me from being killed (he worked on the railroad), but still I would not yield. By my disobedience I lost God. All this time I was running on the road. One day I was led to a Holiness camp meeting, and there the Lord revealed to my soul I must preach or go to an everlasting hell. I would never make another trip on the railroad." Alfred had found sanctifying power, but soon discovered that holiness could not be maintained without obedience. By resisting God's call to the ministry, he lost the sense of God's pleasure and presence. While seeking to appease his conscience, the Lord spoke again to him at a Holiness meeting. After this encounter, Alfred never shrank back from following God. In Fact, he hardly ever walked again. Now he started to run.

I LOVE that last quote because it is so true.

But back to holiness, God has called us to be holy and perfect, as He is. (Matthew 5:48 & 1 Peter 1:15) God gives us the power to live up to that standard. His grace (which is His power) is enough! (1 Corinthians 15:10, Acts 14:3, Acts 20:32, Romans 1:5, 2 Timothy 1:9, 1 John 5:2, 1 John 2:6)

But we can't expect to live holy without obedience. Those two go together like fire and some kind of fuel. You can't have one without the other. You are either hot or you're cold (Revelation 3:15-16). Honestly, if you are a complacent Christian I would question whether you are really saved or not. There aren't three levels like most people think. There are not Unsaved, Saved, then Burning. There is just Unsaved and Burning. I never read anywhere in the Bible where it says complacency is okay. But I have found some where it is not.(Zep 1:12, 2 Kings 19:28, Proverbs 1:22) It all depends on what do you want. What do you REALLY want. God doesn't want someone who is halfhearted. He wants our WHOLE heart. (1 Chronicles 28:9, 2 Chronicles 19:9, 2 Chronicles 15:15, Mark 12:33, Jeremiah 29:13). You have to run after Him. Press into Him. Seek Him wholeheartedly EVERYDAY. Pray and fast and study your Bible always. Especially when you don't feel like it. Always rememeber that. Don't base your faith on how you feel because trust me, you will get no where. The times you don't feel like it are the times God wants you to press in the hardest.

So what do you want?

The Disobedience Principle

This blog was posted on The RAMP's web site, and I wanted to share it.

One of the best ways to describe Israel's history is by the simple word "cycles." In reading the Old Testament, you find over and over and over again God's people falling into idolatry, consequently being in bondage, returning to God in repentance, being delivered, and then falling into idolatry . . . . The cycle goes on and on. You especially see this cycle in the book of

Judges: idolatry, bondage, repentance, deliverer, idolatry, bondage, repentance, deliverer, etc.

During one of these particular periods of idolatry, the consequence of Israel's disobedience manifests itself in an interesting way. Judges 6:3-6 describes how Israel would sow seed, but then Midianites would destroy the produce, leaving Israel impoverished and hungry. Israel was applying a Biblical principle of sowing and reaping.

However, they were not reaping what they sowed because their own disobedience. Disobedience makes null and void Biblical principles from producing fruit in our lives.

As Damon Thompson was teaching this recently at the Ramp, he asked how many times we apply Biblical principles, don't see the expected results, and then get frustrated with God when really the problem was our own disobedience the whole time. It's a Biblical principle

that the elders of the church would anoint the sick with oil, prayer the prayer of faith, and see the sick healed. How many times do we apply that principle without seeing the fruit of healing? Could disobedience be robbing the fruit?

It's wrong for us to expect God to ignore areas of disobedience and idolatry while also expecting fruitful lives because we apply a few principles like tithing and prayer. God will not ignore if we harden our hearts to Him.

Therefore, we must ask ourselves where the cycle ends. Where can we find relief from our disobedience and idolatry? Sin dies at the cross. God raising up a deliverer over and over again is a prophetic picture

of the ultimate deliverer who would conquer us once and for all. Hebrews 10:14 says, "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." Jesus' one offering has once and for all delivered us.

Today, God wants us to walk in lives of fruitfulness. He wants Biblical principles to operate in us. But more than that, He wants us wholly given to Him. He will not share us. At the cross, we are delivered, and our disobedience dies. Then, fruitfulness lies ahead of

us.

-Micah