The Benefits of Wisdom - Part 1

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, March 16th. Have you allowed desire to be your guiding standard in making choices? Learn to avoid this formula for disaster in part one of the benefits of wisdom. What about my future and what about my future security and so forth? And so they're interested in that.

There's nothing wrong with that. And oftentimes people are extremely, extremely interested in their financial security and their temporal security, material security. But then when those people begin to think about other aspects of their life, for example, ask them, well, what about your eternal security?

Are you interested in that? You see, there are two questions a person ought to ask when it comes to this whole issue of the gospel and being confronted with Christ and somebody inviting you to receive Jesus as your personal Savior. The first one is this. You have the right to ask this question. What are the benefits that come to me if I receive Jesus Christ as my Savior? That's question number one. And that's a good question.

It's a legitimate question. If somebody says, well, you ought to receive Christ as your Savior. Well, then if I do that, what are the benefits? But there's a second question that's just as important, and that is what are the consequences if I don't receive Jesus Christ as my Savior?

You ever thought about that one? What are the benefits? Because we'll tell you that your sins will be forgiven.

Your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that you're going to heaven when you die, that you're going to have an earthly resurrection. God will answer your prayers. And there are just so many wonderful benefits.

But you need to ask the second question. That is, but if I don't, what are the consequences? And the consequences, my friend, if you're wise at all, will motivate you to consider very seriously the idea of attempting to live your life without Jesus Christ. Well, there are lots of benefits of being a believer. Once you've trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you learn to walk in wisdom, learn to walk wisely. There are many wonderful benefits to being a child of God. And I want you to turn, if you will, to this third chapter of the Proverbs.

And I think almost all of our scriptures, except one, will be in the Book of Proverbs. If you'll notice, beginning in verse thirteen of the third chapter, he says, How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding, for its profit is better than the profit of silver and its gain than fine gold. She's more precious than jewels. Nothing you desire compares with her and personifying wisdom as a lady here. Long life is in her right hand, in her left hand the riches and honor, her ways of pleasant ways and all her paths of peace.

She's a tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all who hold her fast. Godly wisdom is the capacity to see things as God sees them and respond according to his principles. So when a person says, Well, what does it mean to walk wisely? A person is walking wisely when they are living out their life daily in their thinking, in their perspective of things.

They're seeing God and looking at things the way God sees them because they are interpreting their life on the basis of the principles of Scripture. And therefore, if I interpret those things around on the basis of Scripture, then I'm going to be seeing things as God sees them and I'm going to be walking wisely. So now what are the benefits? And so the number of benefits, and let's begin with number one, and that is simply this. First benefit of walking wisely is that we gain in our knowledge of God. We gain in our knowledge of God.

Now think about this. Our understanding of what life is all about is best viewed as the result of our knowledge of God. The more you and I know about God, that is, we know genuine truth about God, the better we're going to be able to interpret life. Because one of our greatest treasures, if not the greatest treasure we have, is the treasure of knowing God.

That is, not only knowing about Him, but having a personal relationship with Him which came as a result of receiving Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Because the moment you did that, He opens your eyes, He enables you with the power of the Holy Spirit which came to indwell you to begin to see and to understand God from a whole different perspective. You see, God wants us to see Him in everything. If I'm walking wisely, I'm going to be interpreting all of life from the perspective of God living on the inside of us and giving us direction through the principles of Scripture. So one of the first benefits of walking wisely is that we gain in our knowledge and understanding of God.

And here's what will happen. The more you understand who God is, what He's like, the more you're going to understand how much He loves you. The more you're going to understand how much He desires the best for you and has provided the best and planned the best for you.

The more you understand Him, the more you're going to love Him. The more you're going to want to be obedient to Him, the more you're going to want to worship Him and praise Him because you begin to think the way God thinks. And you see, walking wisely says that you and I are beginning to think the way God thinks because to walk wisely is to view life from the perspective which God sees it. Which means that you and I will make decisions the world will not understand because they're not looking from God's perspective.

They're looking at what gratifies them, satisfies them, what pleases them, what brings them the most pleasure at this moment, the most security. And God wants us to see things from His perspective. Benefit number one, a deeper understanding and knowledge of God. Benefit number two is simply this, and that is when you and I walk wisely, we get clear guidance from God's direction.

We get clear direction about our life. Now I want you to look at a verse or two here. Let's look in chapter four of the Proverbs.

He says in verse ten, Hear my Son and accept my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. I have directed you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in upright paths.

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded, and if you run, you will not stumble. That is, God gives clear direction when you and I are walking in wisdom. Look if you're in the tenth chapter, and let's look, if you will, in the thirteenth verse. He says, On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found.

But a rod is from the back of him who lacks understanding. Wise men store up knowledge. As we said a few moments ago, we will have a discerning spirit. When you and I are living out our life, sensitive to the purpose and will of God for our life, walking wisely, looking at His viewpoint, always uppermost in our mind, what's the Father's will, how about He have us view this, you know what's going to happen? We're going to learn to be very discerning. We're going to begin to get sharpened in our perspective of things. We're going to begin to see things that are not seen, hear things that are not heard, listen to someone talk to us and get both messages, the one that comes verbally and the one that comes unspoken, because oftentimes people send us two messages when they speak.

Likewise, we're going to be able to look beyond what the human eye can see and see what the world does not see and what man's naked eye cannot see. That's God's perception, God's intuition, God's viewpoint, God's sight. God looks on the inward man. He looks on the inside. He sees our heart. He sees every situation and circumstance that you and I face in life. He sees all the corners. He sees the top and the bottom and all the sides. He sees all the decisions that could be made. He sees all the mistakes that could be made.

He sees the wrong view. He sees the right view. And He has the power and has promised you and me to give us clear guidance. He says, lean not to your own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledge Him. He will direct your path. That is, God will give clear guidance if you and I will walk simply in wisdom.

That is, looking at things from His perspective. Now, it's easy, especially if we want to go in a particular direction, to look at something and say, that's the direction I want to go in. And not even asking God, what is your direction?

How do you see that? You see, you and I can only see part of the way. But God sees the ultimate consequence out there.

We have to ask the question, if I choose that direction, what's the ultimate consequence? God is always there to show us the way. One of the benefits of walking wisely, sensitive to His will and to His plans, sensitive to His viewpoint. How does He look at things?

How do I find that out? Look in the Word of God and every single circumstance that you and I come to, we're going to be able to find a principle somewhere in the Bible that will give us direction. He will never lead us to do the wrong thing or lead us in the wrong direction under any circumstance in life. So when you ask yourself the question, here's the decision you have to make. Well, what should I do?

Ask yourself this question. What is the wise thing to do? What is the wise thing to do?

That's always the right question. What is the wise thing to do? You say, well, how am I going to know what the wise thing to do is? What does God's Word say?

Well, I don't know what it says. Then get in the Word of God and find some principle. Find a Scripture that relates to what you are facing to. God will give you clear direction. He says in all your ways acknowledge Him, He will direct your path. One of the benefits is that you and I can have clear direction for our life.

Well, there's another benefit. And when I think about all the ways that God would guide us and lead us and show us and the things He would bring us through, think about this for a moment. One of the benefits of walking wisely is God's divine protection over us. God wants to protect us. He wants to protect us from a number of things. And so, if you'll also look in the twenty-eighth chapter and look, if you will, in this twenty-sixth verse. He says, He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.

And He's simply saying what? And that is that you and I cannot trust our own emotions in making decisions. We must trust our Lord.

Because the Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Therefore, if I'm going to walk wisely, I can't walk by my feelings. If I'm going to walk wisely, can't walk by hearsay.

Must absolutely ignore the world's standards if we're going to walk wisely because the world is walking unwisely. Then I ask Him, God, what do You want? God, what is the best? What is Your way? What is Your will? What is Your purpose? What is Your plan?

The world's not interested in that. But men and women who walk wisely are continually asking, what's the wise thing to do? What fits Your will and Your purpose and Your plan for my life?

What is the best? What are the consequences of this decision? What are the benefits of this decision? God, who is committed to giving us direction, desires to protect us. Now there are many things here in the book of Proverbs that you and I could turn to where God is talking about protecting us from this, that, and the other. So let's just look at two or three of them here and ask ourselves the question, what is it that God wants to protect us from?

Well, let's look at three of them. In chapter fourteen, beginning in verse fifteen, he says, the naive, the person who's careless, indifferent, the naive believes everything, but the prudent man considers his steps. A wise man or woman is cautious, turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless. That is, a person who's walking wisely, God's going to protect them from evil because they're asking the question, how does God see this? How does God see this opportunity? How does God see this offer? How does God see this appeal? How does God see this invitation? We are going to be protected from those things that are evil.

That's exactly what he's saying here in this particular passage. And so, as you think about your life and think about temptations you face, trials, difficulties, how are you going to respond? He says He certainly will protect us from those things that are evil. The second thing I want you to notice here is this, and that is He will protect us in our relationships.

That is, all of us have relationships, church and your business, your world, your family, whatever it might be. And I want you to turn to this second chapter for a moment. Notice, if you will, in this second chapter, let's begin with verse ten. Listen to the ways that God says He will protect us now. He says, For wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will be pleasant to your soul, discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you, to deliver you from the way of evil, because there are many offers of evil. He says God will watch over us, wisdom will take care of us. From the man or the woman who speaks perverse things, deceitful things, things that will lead us astray. He says protect us from those who leave the path of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness. Those who delight in doing evil, rejoice in the perversity of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. He said that those who would lead us astray, says God will protect us in our relationships. And He says there is evil, there are those, for example, who would lead us astray in some way or the other.

There are those who are living immoral lives, who would have some impact on us. And so, God's wisdom is always there. What is the wise thing to do? What would God have me to do in this particular situation? What is the thing that pleases Him? How does He look at this? So God protects us and He gives us wisdom and understanding as we walk wisely to discern what's the mind of the Lord. What's the mind of God? How does He see these things?

What would He have us to do? Likewise, He protects us, I think, when you're really walking wisely, He protects us from making serious mistakes. Let's look in chapter two, verse eight for a moment.

And these first few chapters are so full. He says in verse eight of the second chapter, He says, He guards the paths of justice, wisdom does, and He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity in every good cause. For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. That is, He will protect us from making serious mistakes.

Why? Because if you and I are walking wisely, think about this, we're asking the question, how does God see this? What's the wisest thing to do? He's certainly going to show us what is the wise thing to do. Therefore, we will come to some particular decision in life.

We won't know what to do sometimes. But God, listen, as we learn to walk wisely, we will know more and more what to do when we face given situations. And He will give us discernment. He will give us intuition.

What He really has given us from a scriptural point of view is the Spirit of God who does what? Who prompts us to do the right thing. Who prompts us that something is evil. Who prompts us about the wrong direction.

Who prompts us about wrong relationships. Who prompts us in the right decision. Who prompts us to make wise investments. Who prompts us to do those things that are pleasing and honorable to Him.

Why? He's committed to guiding us, committed to giving us wisdom. That's one of the benefits of walking wisely and that is He is a protector of every single facet of our life.

There's a fourth benefit and that's simply this. When you and I think in terms of what it means to walk wisely and what the benefits are, certainly this is one of them. Walking wisely provides us strength and power from God.

Strength and power from God. Look, if you will, in the twenty-fourth chapter. Twenty-fourth chapter, listen to what He says in this fifth verse. He says very clearly, a wise man is strong and a man of knowledge increases in power. He says, for by wise guidance you will wage war. In abundance of counselors there's victory. Wise men and women are stronger.

Now, you say, well, how do you, what do you mean strong? Simply this, remember, when you and I are walking moment by moment wisely asking, what's the will of the Father? How does He see this? What does God do? He enables us to see this challenge, for example, from His perspective. When you and I begin to walk wisely, there is a flow of divine energy. There is a flow of divine wisdom. We begin to see things as God sees them. What is extremely weighty and overbearing over here, from God's perspective, is like a feather.

It's not weighted to Him. And what will He do? He will enable us to face, to accomplish, to achieve, to succeed, and whatever He's called us to do. When we walk wisely, we're not walking in our own strength, we're walking in the strength of God.

We're thinking God's ways. We're drawing our energy from Him, drawing our strength from Him. We're dependent upon Him. We're relying upon Him. We're looking to Him.

We are feasting on Him. It is Christ living on the inside of you, enabling you, strengthening you, governing you, guiding you, guarding you, enabling you to do whatever He wants you to do. How foolish to live without God.

When you and I can live our lives and acknowledging moment by moment that my Heavenly Father who loves me unconditionally will enable me, will strengthen me, will guide me, energize me, whatever I need, it's going to be there because that's the kind of God He is. What happens? Life takes on a whole different perspective. And so somebody says, well, it's walking wisely. I don't know about that.

Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that if you can gain an in-depth knowledge of God? You mean to tell me that if you can have clear direction for your life and God's divine protection? You mean to tell me that if all of this is a part of walking wisely, submitted to, yielded to, surrendered to, seeing things from God's perspective and responding appropriately and responding according to His biblical principles and having His energy and strength to live by? Tell me something.

Give me any other lifestyle that can promise you that you cannot. Thank you for listening to The Benefits of Wisdom. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.