Godly Friends, Godly Wisdom

......Tracie Miles

“Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” Proverbs 19:20-21 (NLT)

I didn’t know where to turn, what to think or what to do. My emotions were running high, and I feared they were getting in the way of making wise decisions.

Over several months of dealing with a difficult circumstance, I received a lot of godly counsel from beloved friends and family. Yet I found it hard to heed their good suggestions at times, because my feelings seemed to be in control of my thoughts.

Recognizing this struggle within, I bowed my head and prayed: “Lord, please help me see with eyes that are wise, not eyes blurred with overwhelming emotions. Help me act out of a heart that follows You, not a heart heavy with worry. Help me think with a holy perspective, not a mindset based on my own opinions or feelings. Give me wisdom and discernment, and the ability to recognize and follow wise instruction when I receive it.”

I opened my eyes and reached for my Bible, and immediately came across today’s key verses, Proverbs 19:20-21 …

“Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”

My heart quickened at the thought of God whispering the comforting answer I had just prayed for. I sensed His assurance that it was okay to accept and trust wise advice that aligned with Scripture, because His plans and purposes would always prevail even if my decisions weren’t perfect.

As the primary author of Proverbs, King Solomon obviously grasped the importance of listening to the advice of trusted, God-fearing believers. The book of Proverbs gives numerous wise instructions and advice for living an effective and faith-filled life based on the authority and direction of God. He even referred to the passages in this book as the “sayings of the wise” (Proverbs 24:23a, NIV).

Obviously my first place for wisdom and guidance is God’s Word and prayer, and I had been anxiously seeking His direction for weeks. But as I read this verse, I felt prompted to ponder all the people who’d offered me loving wisdom.

I thought about their relationships with the Lord, and how much I respected their faith and advice that was always laced with holy truth and love. I suddenly realized these people had been divinely designated in my life — long before I needed them — to be the voice of the wise during my trial.

With grateful humility, I bowed my head again to pray, intentionally thanking God for all the people who continually poured wise instruction into my heart and seeking discernment about the best advice to follow.

God sends people into our lives for many reasons, and in many cases, it is in response to a need we have — whether it’s now, or yet to come. No relationship happens in the Kingdom of God by circumstance or without reason, whether it’s to provide friendship, help us through a season of difficulty, provide wisdom or inspire us to stand strong in our faith when we feel weak and unsure.

Throughout Scripture we are instructed to choose our friends wisely, because with godly friends comes godly wisdom — just when we need it most.

Lord, thank You for the people You have divinely placed in my life who speak holy truth, love and words of wisdom. Give me a heart of discernment to know when You are using someone to speak instruction into my heart and my circumstances, and give me the strength and courage to follow through with that advice, even when it’s hard. Fill me with peace in knowing that even if I take a wrong turn, Your purpose will prevail. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

- See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/godly-friends-godly-wisdom/#sthash.atFUL9Kc.dpuf

When Shame Weighs You Down ..Sharon Jaynes

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me … Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead …” Philippians 3:12b, 13b (NIV)

I sat on my back porch, wrapped in my fuzzy worn robe. The birch tree leaves shivered in the cool morning crispness, and the daisies that slept beneath the soil through the winter stretched their faces to the sun.

Then I heard him. The rooster.

ER-er-ER-er-ERRRR. I’m not sure where he lives, but it’s within earshot.

ER-er-ER-er-ERRRR. I thought of Peter. I thought of me. I thought of you.

Maybe you know the story. On the night before Jesus went to the cross, He had a chat with his friend Peter. He referred to Peter in his pre-disciple-days name — Simon, as we read in Luke 22:31-34.

“‘Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’”

“But he replied, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.’”

“Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.’” (NIV)

A few hours later, Peter did deny he even knew Jesus. Three times. And then the rooster crowed. ER-er-ER-er ERRRR.

Peter went outside and wept bitterly. He cried and cried and cried. The next morning, the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered his failure. And the next, and the next and the next. And Peter remembered all over again.

I have been there. I have failed. I have cried and cried and cried. And I have remembered. Shame has poked drain holes in my Spirit-filled confidence, and I have hidden behind the wall with Peter. And even though I asked God to forgive me, and I knew He had, the rooster still crowed in my heart, and I remembered failing all over again. I wonder if you have too.

I have been stuck like a trapeze artist who refuses to let go of the first bar — trying desperately to take hold of grace, but not quite letting go of the shame.

And God calls to me … Let go. Move forward. Live bold. It’s the only way.

And Paul tells me how … “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me … Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead …” (Philippians 3:12b, 13b).

And I see it clearly. For me and for you.

When we finally take hold of, grasp and make our own all that Jesus has already prepared for us, we begin to experience life to the full — the faith we’ve always longed for.

But taking hold of what’s new is not enough. We’ve got to let go of the past.

• Let go of shame-filled ponderings, and take hold of grace-filled pardon.

• Let go of crippling bitterness, and take hold of radical forgiveness.

• Let go of weak-kneed worry, and take hold of sure-footed confidence.

• Let go of insecurity, and take hold of our true identity as a child of God.

God has placed lavish promises in my heart. And letting go of shame and taking hold of grace is where it all begins.

What did Jesus say about Peter’s failure? Three strikes, you’re out? Hardly. Jesus removed the shroud of shame hanging from Peter’s guilt-weary shoulders and called him to get back to ministry.

Jesus does the same for me and for you, but the rooster still crows.

The question is, What will we remember when we hear that crow?

May I suggest, not the sin … but the grace.

Let’s not let the enemy accuse us of what God has already forgiven! Don’t let him fool us into thinking that Jesus’ death on the cross was not enough. Take hold of what Jesus has already taken hold of and place it in you.

Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiving me and removing my shame. I’m so sorry I listen to the rooster crowing in my heart — telling me I am guilty and shameful. I know what Jesus did for me on the cross is enough, and there’s nothing I need to do or can add to his sacrificial gift. Thank You for wiping away my sins and loving me unconditionally. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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