the heart of wisdom...

I recently had a friend express to me that she needed wisdom. I in turn told her that I felt every bit of the wisdom I've gained came through the trials & heartaches I had endured. You see I believe wisdom is priceless. It can not be bought but in a sense it is sought out. We can ask God for it James 1:5. It's so valuable that we must live through life's darkest hours to obtain it. I didn't wake up with the gift of wisdom. Every sigh, every tear, every lesson learned. Wisdom is built when life is faced with faith in God & then based on the Word in light of His truth. It is costly & by far one of the single most valuable gifts God has ever bestowed upon me. It didn't come any other way than facing difficulties & the only choice being to survive…truly trusting God. Wisdom will cost you everything you have every wrongly learned into your brain. If will require you to replace all that you are for all that He is. It will be painful in every sense of the word. In your pursuit you will learn exactly who God is & who He isn't, what He's like, and why He so desires for you to possess it. Wisdom has a way of directing you through confusion towards the light of His truth. Through heartache when all you want to do is give up. Wisdom will assist you in leading others towards the Father too…what a gift we have the opportunity to give others. The beginning or foundation of true wisdom as stated in Psalm 111:10 is the fear of the Lord. Fear not as in scared but as in reverence or deep respect. The scripture goes on to say that.. A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. When I looked up the Hebrew meaning of fear it was yir ah,(yir-aw), it usually refers to the fear of God & is viewed as a positive quality. This fear acknowledges God's good intentions. This fear is produced by God's Word and makes a person receptive to wisdom & knowledge. I began to really become interested because I had never really put two & two together to see where wisdom came from for me. But I do remember deciding in my mind & heart that I would purposefully choose God's way as shown in the Bible & make it my foundation for my life. Every decision I would make I purposed it would line up with the Word of God. It was over time…but it came. I believe wisdom comes ultimately from the awareness of our complete dependence upon God. It's available to all of God's children if they want it & it lay before you ready to gain by seeking God, wisdom is an attribute of the very essence of God. It's He that gives it to those who follow Him in obedience, to those who depart from evil. To those who choose God despite their present circumstance just like Job when He lost everything. My favorite depiction of wisdom is in Isaiah 33:6 "In that day HE will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure." Wow! Treasure! It's no wonder that the enemy tries so hard to distract us with petty things on our journey through life. That is why it is so extremely important to lean on God & His Word for all our direction. We get off the path to our treasure when we forget Who is in ultimate control or when we try to go it all alone with only our own understanding. Choose God's way & wisdom comes…. Proverbs 8:22-31 (AMP) 22 The Lord formed and brought me [Wisdom] forth at the beginning of His way, before His acts of old. 23 I [Wisdom] was inaugurated and ordained from everlasting, from the beginning, before ever the earth existed. 24 When there were no deeps, I was brought forth, when there were no fountains laden with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth, 26 While as yet He had not made the land or the fields or the first of the dust of the earth. 27 When He prepared the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there; when He drew a circle upon the face of the deep and stretched out the firmament over it, 28 When He made firm the skies above, when He established the fountains of the deep, 29 When He gave to the sea its limit and His decree that the waters should not transgress [across the boundaries set by] His command, when He appointed the foundations of the earth— 30 Then I [Wisdom] was [a]beside Him as a master and director of the work; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always, 31 Rejoicing in His inhabited earth and delighting in the sons of men. Psalm 90:12 "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Job 28:28 "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." James 1:2-18 " Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. 9 Believers who are[b] poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. 10 And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. 11 The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements. 12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong,[c] and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. 16 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.[d] He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.[e] 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.[f] Katie

Real freedom...

I'm awake with the rooster this morning but today is different. I've taken the opportunity to sit out on my front porch & breath in the smell of rain. Thunderstorms have been off & on all night and right now it's cool with a little breeze, my idea of perfection. I can hear thunder coming from a distance, the lightening reminding me that a storm is near. But above all of the sounds I hear it's the sound of freedom ringing loudest. Birds of various different breeds calling out so rhythmically as if to announce to the world their location, the vibration of crickets, the singing of the song birds, and even the random butterfly that just perched itself onto my hanging basket of pretty red flowers to get some nourishment. The amazing thing is they aren't worrying, or asking anybody what to do next…their just being..living while they can, without a care in the world. I am overwhelmed & can hear rather loud that God's mercy is NEW every morning. Yes, another day is the opportunity to start over again, to cherish every moment you've been given, to really live! It takes no effort to hear all of natures sounds this morning, I haven't spoken one word, yet I've received so much refreshing inside my Sprit. God & His creation echoing His sovereignty and reminding me that if He will feed the birds in the air how much more, as a child of the King, will He take care of me. That my friends is freedom, REAL FREEDOM!! Taking God at His Word. Believing Him for ALL your needs according to His riches in glory. This is my heavenly daddy I'm talking about & He desires to withhold no good thing from me, from any of His children for that matter. He sent His Son Jesus to purchase this & I am very reminded that He LOVES & with AGAPE love. C. S. Lewis said in his book Four Loves that he believed the highest level of love known to mankind was a selfless love one that was passionately committed to the well being of another person. In a season of loss that's often marred with grief I see the beauty in this all. Oh if it meant that I would have never been able to seek the Lord out had it not been for the trials of life then I would say push repeat. It's the most precious, intimate time I ever recall spending with my HIM. There have been moments when thought I couldn't find God & I allowed myself to battle my flesh for a time. It just made me dig in my heels to seek Him even more…I found Him. He hadn't moved, it was my doubt that separated me for a moment. Hence the grave importance of putting Him first, the connection between Father & child is ridiculously important to a life lived with peace & joy. I'm glad I awoke so early this wonderful Sunday morning…I've been with my Beloved & His love indeed is better than life. (psalms 63:3) God is love, He is ALL you will ever need. He simply desires communion with His children as would any loving parent. Abraham comes to mind today…"In the same way, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith."~Galatians 3:6 My goal: Ever trusting, endlessly loving, always abiding, Katie