Are You Fit for the Fight?
An 8-day Devotional to Overcoming Fear and Living Courageously.
DEVO DAY 5 | INVITE GOD'S WISDOM TO LEAD THE WAY
“You can ask God which way to go or life will come around and show you sooner or later.” - Anonymous
I have met many Christians who take the path that makes the most logical sense. There has been no prayer or seeking God’s wisdom in the decision. They are simply taking the path of least resistance - or worse, the path that everyone else is taking!
Peter and the disciples were in a boat and saw what appeared to be a ghost out on the sea. Peter yelled, “Lord, if that’s you, bid me to come.” Jesus answered, “Come.”
Peter did what makes no logical sense: he got out of the boat and walked on the water... and he walked on water!
Somehow, as an army of Christians, we’ve got to get to a place where we ask God for his wisdom for our everyday steps. We don't need to throw our intellect or logic out the window (they were given to us by God). However, if we let “logic” or "what makes sense to us" to lead our decisions, we are leading our own lives and will miss the best for us and for God.
The Bible is full of stories where wars were won in the most odd and illogical ways - not because the people chose to do strange things, but because God instructed them to! From blowing trumpets, to cutting down armies from thousands of men to hundreds, God has some illogical ways to lead us to victory.
AND THAT’S WHY WE HAVE TO INVITE GOD'S WISDOM TO LEAD THE WAY: because logic in the lead doesn’t reveal the greater path to victory!
I really like how The Message Translation says it in Matthew 16:24-26:
“Then Jesus went to work on the disciples. ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am.’”
Three days before closing on our retreat center, the Lord spoke to my husband and said,
“I don’t want you to use your own money for the downpayment. If this purchase is really me, you’ll know it when the money comes supernaturally.”
We were thrown off by that. We received the instruction to purchase the property, but didn’t ask God what money to use for the downpayment. We didn’t think we needed to seek wisdom about that part because we had the money. Logic was in place and it didn't even occur to us that God wanted the money to come from somewhere else.
One hour and seventeen minutes before closing time, we received a text. She said that the Lord spoke to her over the weekend and he gave her a specific number to sow. A handful of generous givers at our church gave an amount to the downpayment the day before. With just minutes before closing, we added up what had been donated in just three days: it was the exact dollar amount we needed and even covered closing costs!
You see, God had a better way. Our LOGICAL way wasn’t the BEST way. But we didn’t even think to ask! This is an error to live this way.
It really stretched us to believe God for that much money in just three days! There was no time to throw together a giving campaign, no time to put a fundraiser together, no time for man to solve God’s problem. This one was on God.
Although this was irrational and made no sense, the wisdom of God comforted us. We knew in our hearts this was the right path... to back away from what we could pull off and see if God really wanted us to have this retreat center.
We learned a big lesson in this: the logical plan isn't the most powerful plan!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR DAY FIVE - 4 Steps to Winning with God's Wisdom
Today, you are going to make room in your heart for the wisdom of God for at least one area of your life.
1. Prepare Your Heart.
Posture your heart in humility and curiosity. It is great to wonder what God may want to reveal to you that you've never thought of before! This is called "being teachable." God may lead you in a way that doesn’t quite fit inside your “logic zone.” Or maybe His answer is quite logical, but you haven’t thought of it before! Be open to surprises and being stretched in a new way. Remember, His plans are good. Better than yours.
2. Ask for God's Wisdom.
Choose an area of your life that feels like it holds a little more weight in this season of your life. Maybe you’re not quite sure what to do with a situation or maybe it’s an area that you carry great passion for.
Got it? Mentally put it in the blank:
“God, what do you want me to know about _____________________________________?”
Pause. Principle of first thought: what is coming to mind first? I recommend you write down what comes first. Don’t overthink it.
3. Ask for Instruction.
"God, what do you want me to do about what you just told me?”
If you didn’t hear much, that’s okay. Write down what you heard without straining. Personally, He doesn’t give me more than one step at a time.
4. Obey.
It’s all fun and games until this step! If you don't obey, call it a day! However, if you can follow through with what you heard, you will not only be Fit for the Fight, but you will be fighting the right fight.
All the zeal in the world is useless if we’re fighting through life with what we think is the right way. You can practice walking in God's wisdom by inviting God into the decisions you need to make today!
