Wisdom Without Reproach - David Mitts
My brethren, count it
all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your
faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may
be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him
ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be
given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is
like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man
suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man,
unstable in all his ways. (James 1:2-8 NKJV)
I want to press in today for wisdom without reproach.
Reproach is wisdom based on past performance.
We all have that kind of “wisdom” or habits of operation that arise out
of our experience. This wisdom is the
“wisdom” of survival. James describes it
like this:
"But if you have
bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom
is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For
where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil
thing." Jas 3:14-16 (NAS77)
Listen to Wisdom Without Reproach
The wisdom from our past experience is rooted in lack. Lack produces a condition of the heart that
causes us to derive our sense of value from our sense of performance. Since we always perform based on our
perception of what “good” is we have to look somewhere for that standard. First we look to mom and dad and brothers and
sisters. This is where generational
patterns come from. We notice in the
process what is valued as right and more importantly what we have to do to
accomplish that.
This generates in our hearts a need to model, to imitate. As we imitate we compare and that comparison
generates a kind of wisdom. We don’t
know it as wisdom, but wisdom is what we believe will work to accomplish what
we see. Because, we are a unique
creation and that uniqueness is not usually being acknowledged we feel lack.
Then we go to school and the lack “seed” is amplified and nourished
by the group. Favoritism arises and
jealousy. We feel emotional pain of not
feeling right about ourselves and in that place we begin what is later called
socialization. It actually is a twisting
of our God-given sense of value and purpose into a desire to “win”, which in a
child’s mind means to feel at peace by being accepted or thought of as
good. There’s really nothing anyone can
do about this. It is the result of our
fallen nature, separate from God but it twists our identity.
This creates the wisdom that is selfish ambition based. It hungers for a power source, an authority. We are built with a need for authority. Honoring authority is an inherent built in condition
in our design. We therefore require
wisdom to function. Wisdom is both
authority’s voice, the voice that speaks in our heart that establishes our
beliefs and thus our reality and the experiences that add information to what
the voice believes. Because wisdom is a
primary need we are open to power sources that are not from a loving God but
are from the demonic realm of fallen angels and their minions who rule through
ego and pride.
All of this wisdom from the kingdom of reproach, of shame,
of lack which drives us to feel never good enough no matter what we do or
accomplish.
The Good News, is there is another source of wisdom and it
feels entirely different.
"But the wisdom
from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and
good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is
righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." Jas
3:17-18 (NAS77)
First notice the feeling emphasized of “peace”. The Gospel is the Gospel of Peace. We will go into this more later on, because
peace is the opposite of lack. The other
thing I want to point out is the statement “the seed whose fruit is
righteousness” sown in peace. Wisdom or
power and direction from the voice of God is a seed which makes us experience
the fruit of righteousness, or being exactly as we are uniquely created to
be. This can only come from God because
He alone knows what GOOD is for us. We
have a GOOD hole in us. It is our unique
nature and destiny. It is the name by
which He knows us and it belongs to us alone.
"'He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes,
to him I will give some of the
hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the
stone which no one knows but he who receives it.'" Rev 2:17
(NAS77)
This is true wisdom and it releases us from the world of
comparison, greed, selfish ambition.
This seed of wisdom comes from those who make peace or from those who
make the gospel their life’s focus. When
we realize how loved and special we are, which is the beginning of wisdom then
we function free of external traps that condition us and conform us.
Activation:
And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is
sown in peace by those who make peace.
"But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became
to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and
redemption," 1Co 1:30 (NAS77)
He is the seed, and He is the voice and He is therefore the
power source and guidance. So what we are going to do is activate wisdom in our
heart:
We are going to press in and ask the Lord for an area where
things are not working. There’s a false
wisdom operating. This could be in the
area of finances, relationships, health.
It will contain the experience of lack.
Then we are going to on purpose use meditation to activate the voice in
our heart:
Let’s close our eyes and pray: Father thank you that you
have made us fearfully and wonderfully. Thank
you Lord that we have unique names and destinies. Now Father, I ask you to expose the seeds of
lack in our lives and target one area for transformation today, a renewing of
our minds and hearts and a conformity to your will. OK Now listen and sense what is ready for
change:
This is the word of wisdom for you.
OK, now we will sow the seeds of righteousness to activate
His wisdom and peace:
Rejection:
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever
comes to me I will never drive away.
-JOHN 6:37
Provision:
My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious
riches in Christ Jesus. -PHILIPPIANS 4:19
Trusting to win:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance
from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.-Colossians
3:23-24.
Concerns about are we pray enough or right:
The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words
cannot express. -ROMANS 8:26
Open Doors to Satan:
The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you
from the evil one. - 2 THESSALONIANS 3:3
Health:
"The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed; You will
heal him on the bed where he lies." Psa 41:3 (HCSB)
Anxiety:
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
So, what we want to do is change the meditations of our
heart to acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. This is wisdom:
"My mouth shall
speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding." Psa 49:3 (NKJV)
So let’s open the
eyes of our heart to the wisdom of God, who is Jesus, He is made unto us the
wisdom of God. When we activate our
spiritual eyes, our imagination with the scripture, which is the word of God
then we transform our understanding in an area and manifest a different
speaking, a new reality. It is not just
our mind trying to be right with scripture but our heart living right and our
conversation becomes effortless.
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