Wednesday #5

I want to welcome you tonight, and thank you for being here as we continue to seek the Lord and the leading of His Spirit. I know the Lord is honoring our commitment to pray, in fact after this past Sunday, I am convinced more than ever that God is responding to our desire for empowerment.

Because the truth is, there is no way we could have orchestrated what happened Sunday morning. In fact, when I came up to the church Sunday morning, everything that could go wrong on a baptism Sunday did go wrong.

To begin with, when I walked in the Sanctuary at 5:00am Sunday morning, I quickly realized that the entire area in front of the stage was completely soaked with standing water. At first I thought there had been a leak, but then realized a hose had backed up and dumped about 25 gallons of water on the floor.

So, instead of spending time preparing for the message, I spent the next hour and a half cleaning up the mess. And as you can imagine, it rattled me a little bit.

Next we discovered that our middle screen wasn’t operating correctly. Something that’s not the end of the world, but definitely an irritation. So after messing with it for about 30 minutes and finding no solution, I found myself starting to get rattled.

It was at that point I began to realize that the devil had beat me to church and he was trying to mess with me and get me off quilter.

That’s when I knew that something big was going to happen. That’s when I realized that it was time for Brad to quit relying on his own ability and allow the Holy Spirit to take over. So I prayed, “Holy Spirit, I’m rattled, I don’t feel prepared, so I’m asking you to empower me to do what only you can do through me. Holy Spirit I’m stepping aside so you can take over.”

And He took over. And as you all probably know, through the first and second service this room was electrified with the presence of God as the Holy Spirit moved and 35 people were baptized. It was an amazing day.

I share all that to say, what we are doing here on Wednesday nights is making an impact. I truly believe had we not done the Wednesday night prayer focus, this past Sunday wouldn’t have played out like it did.

So, I guess a good question would be, “With tonight and next week left, where do we go from here in the prayer meeting?”

Well, if you weren’t with us last week, last week we talked about the gift of prophecy. A gift that God uses to communicate a message of hope, encouragement, and strength to His church. And not only did we talk about it, but we witnessed it in action as several of you gave a word of prophecy.

If you weren’t with us last week, last week we practiced

And so what I’d like to do tonight is go back to what the Lord shared with us last week, and spend some time responding to it. Because I think if we truly want to be led by the Spirit, then we need to respond to what the Spirit is saying.

So, what I want to do is read what the Lord spoke to us last week, and then I want to respond in three ways:

First, I want to focus in on a couple key aspects of the message the Lord gave us.

Second, I want to look at what the Bible says concerning it.

Finally, I want to spend some time in prayer as we respond to what the Lord has said.

So, to get us started, I’m going to read the word the Lord gave us last week, and then we’ll break it down from there. So, with that said, here’s what the Lord said to us last week:

Prophecy:

As you pray to Me, seek wisdom and understanding and I will provide peace for you.

Be confident and know that I’m going to heal you spiritually, physically, emotionally, as I fill and refill you with my Spirit.

My desire is that you would grow in unity as a family as you love and care for one another. And in doing so I will pour my joy upon you as I heal, save, and transform you. For I am with you to give you strength and power for whatever you need.

You are who I made you to be, so don’t be discouraged, I can and will use you. I see your heart and your desire for me, and I will respond and empower you.

So, put me first, love one another, and I will bring these blessings.

Be still and know that I am God.

What I want you to notice first is that the Lord encouraged us to seek wisdom and understanding. And in doing so He would provide peace to us.

Now, the first question we need to ask ourselves is, “Why would God want us to seek that?”

Well, to answer that we need to go to God’s Word, because the Bible has a lot to say about the importance wisdom and understanding and why we should seek it.

Proverbs 3:13 ESV

13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,

Solomon says the person who finds wisdom and understanding is blessed.

So, why are they blessed? Why is the person who gets it blessed?

I would suggest 4 reasons:

Wisdom and understanding are valuable.

Solomon writes:

Proverbs 8:

Proverbs 8:10–11 ESV

10 Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, 11 for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Solomon says that wisdom and understanding are more valuable than gold, silver, and precious jewels. In fact, he says there is nothing in this life that you would desire that compares with her.

What that means is wisdom and understanding are of more value than any material object you could ever possess. There’s no amount of money that could buy it or replace it. What Solomon is saying is it’s the most precious commodity in existence. Nothing compares with it.

Which leads to a great question. If it’s so valuable, how does one get and where do you find it?

The Apostle James answers that question. Listen to where he says wisdom and understanding can be found:

James 1:5 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James says if you want the most valuable commodity in existence, then all you have to do is ask God for it, and He’ll give it to you, and He won’t charge you for it because it’s free.

So, think about that. The most valuable commodity in existence is wisdom and understanding. It’s more precious than gold, silver, and jewels. And if you want it, you can have it for free. All you have to do is ask God for it.

2. Wisdom and Understanding bring peace into our life.

The Apostle James writes:

James 3:17 ESV

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Some of you are here tonight and your life is full of turmoil, and you are searching for something to bring peace and security into your life.

Maybe it’s financial turmoil, and you think the peace and security you need would be found if God would just give you more money. If God would give you a better job or get you that raise you’ve been praying and asking for.

And maybe for some of you, you think that peace and security would be found if God would just give you more money. If he would give you a better job or get you that raise you’ve been praying and asking for.

The truth is, some of you are here tonight, and you’ve been trying to

Some of you

Maybe for some it’s a lack of a material need. And tonight your convinced if God would just give you the desires of your material heart, that all would be good. You think if you just had that worthless piece of plastic, or drove that car, or lived in that house, that you would have peace and security.

But the truth is, none of those things will give you the peace and security you’re looking for. But I know something that will. According to God’s Word, if you’ll ask God for his free gift of wisdom, you can have the peace and security you’re looking for, and it won’t cost you a dime.

James 3:17 ESV

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

James 3:

James says the wisdom God gives brings peace and is full of mercy and good fruits.

That’s what some of you need tonight. You need a wisdom that brings peace.

3. Wisdom and understanding give us a deeper understanding of who God is.

In , the Apostle Paul prays this for the church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 1:17 ESV

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

Ephesians 1:17

Pauls says the wisdom that comes from God gives us a deeper knowledge of Him. In other words, as God pours His wisdom and understanding upon you, you get a greater understanding of who He is.

The truth is, some of you are here tonight, and you want to go deeper with God. You want a deeper understanding of who He is. If that’s you, you’ve come to the right place. Because if you’ll ask, God will open your spiritual eyes.

So, if you want to move from knowing about to actual knowing, then just ask, and He’ll open your spiritual eyes to who He is.

The truth is, we all need that tonight. We need a deeper understanding of who God is. Because the more we understand about Him, the more we will be like Him.

4. Wisdom and understanding help us find answers we can’t find.

Paul says this about it in :

Romans 11:33 ESV

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Paul says the wisdom of God gives us access to an unsearchable database. In other words, God’s wisdom gives us insight and understanding that we can’t look up on a google search.

You see the problem for a lot of Christians, is we go searching for answers in the wrong places. We search for answers in places where the answers we need can’t be found.

And what Paul is saying is, “Listen, if you’re looking for heavenly answers, quit trying to find it on google or in the world and start asking God to give you answers that can only come from him. Ask God to give you what no earthly search engine can find the answer to. Paul goes on to say:

Romans 11:34–35 ESV

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”

The truth is, some of you are here tonight and you need answers. Answers that a google search can’t give you. Answers that a friend can’t give you. Answers that even I can’t give you. Answers that can only be found in the database of God’s Wisdom. A database we can’t search unless we ask him to give us access to it.

5. Wisdom and understanding protect us from the enemy.

Jesus says this in concerning persecution and attack:

Luke 21:15 ESV

15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

Jesus says if we’ll ask for wisdom and understanding, he will give us words that our enemies will not be able to stand against or counter.

I don’t know about you, but I’d like to have that kind of wisdom. Because the truth is, as we seek the empowerment of the Spirit, and as the Lord continues to work, the enemy isn’t going to just sit back and watch. He’s not happy with what happened on Sunday. He’s going to try and discourage those who got baptized. He’s’ going to attack those who cheered.

And so we need wisdom to withstand that attack. We need wisdom to counter the attack.

Some of you are here tonight, and you’re already facing that attack. Something in the past few days has happened. Someone said something. Somebody tried to discourage you. An attack came against you. And tonight you need a supernatural wisdom to withstand and counter the attack.

The good news is, God wants to give you that wisdom. He wants to give you what you need to withstand and counter the attack of the enemy.

Are you beginning to see why God wants us to seek wisdom and understanding? He wants us to seek it, because without it we can’t go much further in our journey. Because it’s so valuable, that without it:

We won’t be able to find the peace we’ll need to weather the storm.

We won’t be able to grow in our understanding of who God is.

we won’t be able to find the answers we need and only God can give.

We won’t be able to withstand the attack of the enemy.

Without wisdom and understanding, we will be stuck spinning our wheels.

So, tonight, that’s what we are going to ask God to give us.

So, here’s what I want to do. In a moment we are going to pray for wisdom, but first I want to give you a little instruction on how to pray for this:

First, I want to encourage you to ask with faith. James writes:

James 1:5–7 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

James 1:5–9 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,

James says when we ask for wisdom, we need to ask in faith. So, what does that mean? It means we need to ask recognizing that He’s the only one that can give it.

This goes back to what I said a few minutes ago. Because the challenge for many Christians is to view God as the secondary source, and not the primary source. That’s why James says the person that doubts is a “double-minded” man. He asks God for help, but in the back of his mind he’s got a back up plan.

So James says, “When you come to God asking for wisdom, don’t have a back up plan in mind. Come to God with the mindset that He’s the only plan. He’s the only one with the answer. He’s the only one that can give you the direction you need.

Second, when you ask, be specific.

Tonight, some of you need wisdom for specific challenges. You need answers for specific problems. You need understanding for specific situations.

For some, it’s wisdom for your marriage. You’re not sure how to overcome the marital challenges you’re facing. You’re not sure what to do.

1 John 5:15 ESV

15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

In this passage what Jesus basically says, “Whatever you ask God for, he

For some, wisdom in your finances. You’re not sure how to dig yourself out of the financial hole you find yourself in. You’re not sure what to do. You need wisdom.

For some, wisdom concerning your children. You have a child that is being rebellious. You have a discipline issue you’re not sure how to handle. You’re not sure what to do. You need wisdom.

For some, wisdom in how to handle a difficult situation at work. There’s a difficult person you’re trying to deal with. You’re not sure what to do or say. You need wisdom.

For some, wisdom in how defend your faith. You have a friend, co-worker, or family member that is challenging your faith. You need wisdom on what to say and how to handle the situation in love.

The fact is, we all come tonight with specific needs for wisdom. So, I would encourage you to pray specifically for wisdom when it comes to that need.

To help you with that, you recieved a handout when you came in. And we’re going to do two things with these handouts.

First, I’m going to to give you a few minutes to write out your need for wisdom.

Second, we’re going to do exactly what the Spirit directed us to do. We are going to pray for wisdom. We’re going to take 10-15 minutes to pray for our needs.

So, grab a pen, write out your need for wisdom and I’ll be back in a minute to direct our prayer time.