Preserved by Wisdom: Learning to Ask Hard Questions and Walk in the Truth That Makes Us Free

Preserved by Wisdom: Learning to Ask Hard Questions and Walk in the Truth That Makes Us Free

I don’t want to say “God said” if God didn’t say it!

I don’t want to present myself in a way that creates false expectations or causes confusion.

My biggest problem in any given situation may be lacking God’s wisdom about how to move forward.

I Lacked Understanding so I Started Asking Some Challenging Questions

Proverbs 4:5-7 (NKJV) says:

Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom and in all your getting, get understanding.

Throughout my early Christian life, I experienced so much confusion, chaos, and unrest! In today’s world, many professing Christians are speaking various things, often contradicting one another. Many different heart motives are at play, whether we are aware of them or not. The Bible says that God is not a God of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). When I discovered that, I realized that I should not think of all this confusion as normal, but instead, dig deeper into God’s Word and receive God’s wisdom.

Why am I not experiencing the peace of God, promised in His Word?

Why am I having difficulty living as a functional human being?

Why am I not experiencing care and protection with those responsible for teaching me God’s Word?

These were just some of the tough questions I had to examine. The Bible says that God has thoughts to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). We will seek Him and find Him, if we seek Him with all our hearts (Jeremiah 29:11-13). Although I haven’t arrived, I thank God that He’s given me more understanding than I had before, and, in turn, more order and function than I had before! Getting God’s wisdom is the wisest thing we can do. God’s wisdom will enable us to know how to pray correctly, who to depend on for wise counsel and who not to depend on, and what steps to take to live with God-given peace and order.

We often want the easy way out.

The Bible says that wisdom is the principal thing. As believers, we have a great responsibility to search for, and find, God’s wisdom that will enable us to take the right steps to see God’s order brought into our lives, instead of depending on God to do everything and change everything for us. Although we often want things to happen quickly and easily, there are various Bible characters who faithfully obeyed God and patiently rebuilt their lives over an extended period of time. These examples include Joseph, Nehemiah, Daniel, Ruth, and even Paul! Even in the area of health and wellbeing, when God does a miracle, we still need God’s wisdom on how to continue living in a way to maintain the health and strength God has provided.

Walking With Integrity

Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV) says:

He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.

The people we choose to walk with in life can influence us in ways we may not expect. We can begin to pick up on their attitudes, ways of speaking, and habits! I’ve made a strong effort to seek out and find people of faith, humility, and integrity, so that I am mentored, encouraged, and counselled in a way that is consistent with God’s deep care and concern for me. Seeking out sound counsel can be one of the wisest things we do, since God does not want us to be left alone and isolated to figure everything out. For those in a vulnerable position (including myself), it’s especially important to be surrounded by people of God who demonstrate genuine love and care, and who offer guidance that will help us stay alert and avoid being trapped in the schemes of the devil!

Proverbs 10:9 (NKJV) says:

He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.

Biblical integrity involves ensuring that our actions are consistent with our beliefs and words. Integrity also involves doing what is right in the sight of God no matter what; living with honesty and faithfulness. 

For example, if we say we believe that through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it’s God’s will to forgive all sins and heal all diseases, our words and actions day to day must reflect this belief. Through the enablement of the Holy Spirit, we will speak the truth in love at every opportunity, and ask God how to demonstrate love and compassion to those dealing with sickness. Through the enablement of the Holy Spirit, we will ask for God to help us to purify our hearts so that our lives are truly founded on the love for God and others, and so that we are not functioning out of selfish ambition, and other motives that are not consistent with God’s heart. Since God hates pride and deceit, we will choose our words wisely to speak with humility and the fear of God, weighing our Words carefully so they work in the hearts of hearers to guide, redirect, encourage, help, and comfort. If our words are producing unrest, confusion, frustration, and a sense of being stuck/trapped in circumstances with no way forward, we must examine what may be driving the way we speak and what may be happening in our hearts. Are we speaking based on wisdom and love, or could we possibly be influenced by motives that we may not even be aware of, like pride or self-interest?

God’s Wisdom Never Fails

I encourage us to ask for God’s help to apply to our own lives what I’m about to share, because our circumstances may be different, but God always enables us to move forward and live by His abundant grace and empowerment! When I discovered that God has enabled each member of His body with special abilities, that He wills for us to prosper and be in health even as our souls prosper, that seeking counsel from those walking in the light is important, and that fellowship with people of faith and humility is part of God’s plan for us, I began to take the right steps forward. New relationships with kind believers started to form; I began to develop skills and use abilities like music, speaking, and writing in ways that honour God; and my dignity is being restored. God has enabled us to live in a way in which our faith makes us whole, and wisdom really is the principal thing! God’s wisdom corrects us, enables us, protects us, rescues us, warns us, and keeps us on His righteous path. I believe that God is pleased when we seek His guidance and take thoughtful, diligent steps of faith and obedience to get our lives lined up with the peace, order, and wholeness God wants for us. 

We will conclude with Psalm 16:11 (NKJV) which says:

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.