God's Gift of Wisdom
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy In Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful servant of the Lord, Elder Sarita Bernadette. Long before podcasting existed, a promise was spoken. That one day, Sarita's voice would bring comfort, clarity, and understanding through the word of God. Years later, when God opened the door, Sarita took the next step in faith.
Introduction:What began as a leap of faith has become a weekly invitation to walk more closely with God, discover the joy found in his word, and receive fresh revelation for every step of the journey. Whether you're walking through the valleys or standing on the mountaintops, Sarita's heartfelt messages will guide you back to God's promises with wisdom, warmth, and the gentle reminder that he cares deeply for you. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy In Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and welcome back to Joy In Every Step. I'm glad you're here. Godly wisdom is a divine characteristic that empowers us to understand, adopt, and apply God's Word in our daily lives. It's beyond human intellect or academic knowledge.
Sarita Bernadette:That's important to remember. It's not enough to be smart, beloved. It's more than how well your brain works. It's a moral and spiritual way of living that reflects the very character of Jesus Christ. Beloved, this kind of wisdom is a godly attribute given to believers who seek it, Those who ask for it.
Sarita Bernadette:There's a beautiful proverb that gives us some insight into the value of godly wisdom. It's Proverbs eight. I would encourage you to read it in its entirety, all 36 verses. It is simply beautiful writing. King Solomon depicts wisdom as a woman in this passage of scripture.
Sarita Bernadette:And one of the reasons given is that the Hebrew word for wisdom, chokmah, is grammatically feminine. Chokmah, Hokma, I think is the pronunciation. It's grammatically feminine which naturally calls for the use of feminine pronouns and descriptors in the original language. Lady Wisdom, as she's called, teaches that wisdom is not only a gift but also an acquired skill. Listen to the first 11 verses of Proverbs eight.
Sarita Bernadette:Proverbs eight verses one through 11. Does not wisdom call and understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way at the crossroad, she takes her stand. Beside the gates in front of the town at the entrances of the portal, she cries out. Verse four.
Sarita Bernadette:To you, oh people, I call and my cry is to all who live. O simple ones, learn prudence, acquire intelligence, you who lack it. Here for I will speak noble things and from my lips will come what is right. For my mouth will utter truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
Sarita Bernadette:Verse eight. All the words of my mouth are righteous. There is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straight to one who understands and right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction, instead of silver and knowledge rather than choice gold.
Sarita Bernadette:Verse 11, For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. Lady Wisdom sends out an urgent call to the public, giving notice that anyone can access the truth of God's Word. It's not a secret kept behind closed doors. It is readily available. She tells us, it's at all the different places people hang out and make decisions.
Sarita Bernadette:She says, on the heights, beside the way at the crossroads, beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals. Think about the places mentioned in the spiritual sense, beloved. Wisdom is accessible wherever you are in life. The passage tells us she, Wisdom, speaks to all mankind, but she specifically addresses the simple and the foolish in verse five, urging them to use good judgment and to get understanding. The passage tells us wisdom always speaks the truth, and she gives reliable advice.
Sarita Bernadette:She says her words are plain and clear. Verses ten and eleven implore all to choose wisdom over material things because it is extremely valuable. As I was reading these verses and the rest of Proverbs eight, I had a few flashbacks. We all have them from time to time, right? An old adage came to mind.
Sarita Bernadette:If I knew then like I know now. Most of our do overs entail decisions we've made. We gain wisdom as we continue to live and as we grow in faith. Wisdom teaches us to allow God's Word to influence our decisions. That's how we make wise choices in our daily living.
Sarita Bernadette:I have a friend who sends out a daily prayer. She always ends it with, Stay focused, make wise choices, and seek the will of God. It's an excellent reminder. In the Bible, there are many examples of believers who accessed the wisdom of God. Daniel is someone who made wise decisions based on the wisdom of God.
Sarita Bernadette:To sum up the front end of Daniel's story, Daniel one records king Nebuchadnezzar's attack on Jerusalem and how the young Jewish noble named Daniel and his teenage friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were taken to Babylon as captives. You probably know these boys as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego because they were renamed with Babylonian identities. The four teenagers refused to compromise their faith or eat the king's ritually impure food. Instead, they chose to eat a simple diet that did not compromise their faith. Because they held fast to their beliefs, God blessed them with exceptional wisdom, making them 10 times wiser than the king's own magicians.
Sarita Bernadette:So in the second year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he had a troubling dream about a giant statue made of four metals, gold, silver, bronze, and iron, representing future world empires, which was ultimately smashed by a divine rock representing the kingdom of God. But the king either could not or did not reveal the dream to his servants, and he challenged them to tell him the dream in its interpretation. They stalled for time, but they failed to do so. When Daniel got news of what was happening from the king's chief executioner, he went to the king and he asked for some time to interpret the dream. Then then Daniel two verses 17 through 23 records.
Sarita Bernadette:Daniel went to his home and informed his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel said, blessed be the name of God from age to age, for wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons, deposes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
Sarita Bernadette:He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness and light dwells with him. To you, oh God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise for you have given me wisdom and power and have now revealed to me what we asked of you, for you have revealed to us what the king ordered. Note here that Daniel's faith was already activated. Daniel and his friends went to the Lord first.
Sarita Bernadette:He knew his God would hear the prayers of his children. He acted on his faith and made a wise choice. He and his friends prayed and pleaded for mercy so that the God of heaven might reveal the mystery to them. If Daniel and his friends could tell the king what he wanted to know, then they would not be put to death along with the other wise men of Babylon. It was a life and death situation.
Sarita Bernadette:They sought the Lord, and he answered, beloved. Daniel then lifted up the name of the Lord. He gave God profound praise and gratitude for revealing the secret of King Nebuchadnezzar's forgotten dream. Whether Nebuchadnezzar actually forgot the dream or was working to expose the fraud of his wise men, we come to the same conclusion. Human wisdom has limits.
Sarita Bernadette:God's wisdom is limitless. Daniel addresses the king in verses 27 through 28. He says, no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, my Lord. James one and five reads, If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly and it will be given to you.
Sarita Bernadette:The Amplified Classic version of that same verse says, If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God who gives to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, listen, without reproaching or fault finding, and it will be given to him. I'm a witness. God unveils secrets to those who believe. Many of us are looking for answers in this season of our lives. Beloved, seek God's wisdom above all others.
Sarita Bernadette:There isn't a social media thread or chat GPT session in existence that can match the wisdom of our Lord. To confirm, let's look at James three seventeen. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. In this verse, James lists seven traits that help believers see how wisdom shows up in our daily lives. He says, wisdom loves peace and works for harmony as opposed to discord.
Sarita Bernadette:He says, Wisdom is gentle, reasonable and kind when dealing with others as opposed to illogical or hostile. He says wisdom is flexible, willing to listen and easy to talk to as opposed to being dogged or stubborn. Wisdom is full of mercy and good fruit, swift to forgive, caring, and showing up where people are in need. He says, Wisdom shows no partiality and treats others fairly and equally as opposed to choosing favorites. He says wisdom is sincere and genuine as opposed to being duplicitous or sanctimonious.
Sarita Bernadette:God's wisdom leads us into harmony, kindness, and genuine love as we go through this life. Tap into that wisdom and make wise choices, beloved. This is Joy In Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it.
Sarita Bernadette:You can find Joy In Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.com. See you next time.
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