Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Applying Truth From Knowledge

"The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue godliness. A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash." -Proverbs 15:9,14 God's Word makes us wise. True wisdom is something that is overlooked, and misinterpreted and misrepresented. My goal through this new blog, Pursuing Wisdom, is to grow in all knowledge and wisdom, and share the truths I am learning in my life. That true wisdom is not amassing knowledge, but applying knowledge in a life changing way. Wisdom comes from allowing what God teaches to make a difference in our life. Wisdom is based on knowledge which are facts then "knowing how" and living them out. Not all knowledge is good, there is bad knowledge; there is a good way to use knowledge, and a bad way to use knowledge. It's not knowing good AND evil, as Adam and Eve found out, that is Satan's wisdom, rather God's wisdom says knowing good FROM evil. Proverbs are straight up wisdom, and the cool thing is that in the name: ProVERBS, there is a grammatical function called a "verb" which means action; it's what you do. The proverbs are verbs it not only encourages us to do things, but it shows us what wisdom looks like, and what unwise (folly) looks like. Folly is stupidity. Stupidity isn't sin, it's just not wise. That's why I like to say, "A proverb a day keeps stupidity away." So basically Solomon is saying if you want knowledge and wisdom here's what you need to do, and if you want to be a stupid fool here's what you look like. Remember too, as I posted on the right side that Proverbs are: practical not theoretical, truisms and not promises, principles not methods. Also, it doesn't matter how old you are, how smart you are or how educated you are it doesn't make you wise. If you have no knowledge the good news is that Proverbs 1:7 starts right off saying "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline." Fear of the Lord is one of the big ideas in Proverbs as it is mentioned 12 times throughout the book. All this term means is showing the Lord: reverence, honor, respect, humility, obedience, teachability, and being submissive. Now that you have that knowledge, you can now begin to apply it to your life, and become wiser because of it. Here are a few examples of where these applications can be used in our everyday lives: 1. Sleep: Proverbs 6:6-11- Are you lazy? Are you productive? The foolish sleep too much, but the wise use their time wisely, from the moment they get up, to when they go to bed. 2. Learning: Proverbs 1:7-Utilize the people around you. Learn! God gave you a brain to think out things. Ask people questions you come in contact with, prepare yourself to learn throughout the day, take notes on things you've never known. This is where you gather tons of knowledge and begin to apply their truths to your life. 3. Counsel: Proverbs 12:15- Intentionally looking for advice. Seek out people who will lead and guide you in right things. Asking questions again. 4. Discernment: Proverbs 14:15- This is not believing everything you hear, read, come in contact with. Especially on the internet, or you end up going out with a "french model" who really isn't a French model like in the commercial. Listen and consider, but weigh everything in your mind. This goes back to knowing good FROM evil. 5. Friends: Proverbs 13:20- Who do you hang out with? Are you under good influences? Are your friends foolish or wise? Who your friends are impact who you are. Are they following everything listed above? 6. Humility: Proverbs 11:2- Pursuing humility. You can say you are humble because that just automatically makes you prideful, but we can suggest that we are pursuing it. Foolish people are prideful. Pride is the sin of all sin, it's what got Satan kicked out of Heaven with 1/3 of the angels! 7. Change: Proverbs 3:3- Are you willing to make changes in your life that potentially are harmful and destructive? Are your behaviors lining up with the Bible? Your relationships? Money? Have people come along and told you to think about changing some things yet you continue in the same mistakes, not ever turning around. Furthermore, this not only affects us alone, but many who surround us. 8. Self-Control: Proverbs 29:11- Are we holding back rash and over emotional responses to things through our behavior and tongue? 9. Wisdom: Proverbs 26:12- Wisdom says every morning to God, "Father, I know I am capable of being a fool, but help me exhibit these principles when the moment arises." Seek out these situations in your everyday life and before you know it you'll experience Spiritual growth, nourishment, and knowledge which leads to wisdom.

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