“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” James 1:5
If we lack wisdom, we can go to God and ask Him, and we will get the answers we need.
But, before God will open His heart and give us the wisdom we need, there is a condition we must meet. We must have a one-on-one relationship with Him or it will be like us asking a stranger for wisdom. If we want wisdom, we must walk along side of God like close friends.
God doesn’t want to just really hand out Andrew to our problems. He wants us to come to Him. He wants us to walk alongside Him, He will open His hand and reveal everything we need to know and understand about the situations we are facing.
So often, we allow ourselves to become too busy with the affairs of life, and we fail to take time out of our busy schedules to get into the intimate presence of God. They want God to meet their need on demand, but they don’t want to fulfill God‘s desire to become close to Him.
We rush into the presence of God, and stay just long enough to make a request known to Him before we rush out again and resume our busy schedules. We don’t stay long enough for God to enjoy us and to speak to our hearts about the deeper subjects of life that may be the real root of our problems and shortfalls.
When James tells us to “ask” God for the wisdom we need, he means we can be very bold and insistent. But for us to receive the request, we must come right up among side of Him and get as close as possible, only then we can make our request to God. When we open our hearts to Him He will gladly open His hand and show us every answer we need.
But we need to prepared for God to show us any additional things we weren’t expecting to see. When we come to Him glorious light, that light penetrates us and reveal defects and dark places in our soul and behavior patterns we need to change. Most people avoid the presence of God because they are afraid of what His light might show us.
Once we fulfill the requirement of getting alongside of God, He is obligated to give us the wisdom we need. God is not the one who refrains from giving us the wisdom we need when we need it. It’s our choice to be in an intimate relationship with Him or not.
Never forget that God is a giving God who wants to meet our needs. But for that need to be met, we have to come right up along side of Him. That means we have to make a room in our busy schedules for spending time in His presence.
What’s a place you visited that felt like home? Church feels more like home more than my physical house, because it offers me a deep sense of community, unconditional acceptance, and the spiritual rest that my soul recognizes as true refuge. Along with a shared purpose.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” -2 Timothy 1:7
We all experienced times to stress, pressure, and fear, when we become a so exhausted, we can’t think straight. And we have probably asked God “what is wrong with me, I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
Even though we feel like we’re going crazy, I assure you you’re not. God‘s word declares that we have been given a sound mine that works even in the craziest and most difficult situations.
When Paul wrote the second book of Timothy, it was a very difficult time for the early believers. Due to Nero’s insanity, he was prosecuting believers everywhere and his methods of persecution for gruesome and cruel. At that time, Timothy was over the church ofEphesus. And he knew about Nero’s secret police. And how they would take pleasure in killing him in some barbaric way if they ever got their hand on him.
As Timothy considered the threat against his life, a spirit of fear, tried to grab a hold of him. That’s why Paul told Timothy that God had not “given us a spirit of fear, but a power and a sound mind.”
And one of Rick Renner’s devotions he said a “sound mind” is taken from the Greek word Sophronea which is a compound word combining Sodza and Phronea. Which means both delivered rescued and revived -safe and secure. Someone whose frame of thinking is logical and rational. A mind that is functional and can come to conclusions.
 Even if we are rescued revived, safe and secure, and we are tempted to succumb to fear like Timothy was, we can allow God‘s word in the Holy Spirit to work in us and rescue and revive us. That means our rationale, logic, and even emotions can be shielded from the illogical, absurd, ridiculous, and unfounded thoughts, that have tried to grip our minds in the past. All we have to do is grab hold of God’s Word and His Spirit.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power and love – He has given us a mind that has been delivered, rescued, revived, salvaged, protected, and brought into a place of safety and security, so that it no longer is affected biological, and found it, and absurd thoughts.
When our mind is guarded by the Word of God, we think differently. When the Word of God is it allowed to work in our minds, it’s safeguards our emotions, defends our mind from demonic assault, and shields us from the arrows of the enemy, who may try to shoot in our directions in order to bring the spirit of fear inside of us.
If we begin to believe in a life of faith, we can reach out to do the impossible. The enemy will try to assault us mentally and emotionally in an attempt to stop any progress. For instance, he may speak to our mind saying things like, “You can’t do this.” or that doesn’t make any sense -are you crazy?
Satan loves to try and convince us that we’re losing our minds or confuse us due to stressful situations and tempt us to fear so much that we can’t think straight. That’s when we need to turn to God and give God our concerns. When we focus on Jesus and release all our worries, we will find that our minds are working fine. 2 Timothy promises us a sound mind, so we have the right to tell Satan to shut up and then declare by faith that our mind is sound, safe and secure. We can declare by faith that our mind is guarded by God.
What’s one thing you wish you had started doing earlier in life? I wish I had found God earlier in life. I don’t think I would have made the stupid choices I had made.
Without a solid foundation in the Lord, life’s storms and trials can leave us drifting on sands -vulnerable to collapse.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction” – Proverbs 1:7
Many writers in the Bible view people through different frameworks. In Hebrews, people are seen as immature or mature. The Apostle Paul divides people into Jews and Gentile, from this distinction, he considers them to be justified or condemned. Jesus often distinguishes people by their faith or lack thereof, being for Him or against Him, sheep or goats, or wolves.
These different frameworks are not mutually exclusive, they represent different perspectives or intentions of the part of the person writing.
In Proverbs, Solomon organizes people into three main categories : the wise, the foolish, and the simple. These categories are not dependent on age, class, race, gender, or economic status. They are determined by one’s direction in reference to the Lord.
Three different kinds of people:
Those people who are moving toward the Lord are called wise. These are not perfect or intelligent people, but people who will gain understanding and change their life based on what they hear in scripture.
Those who are moving away from the Lord are called foolish. These are not ignorant or uneducated people, but do not want to change. They think they are doing just fine one their own and they don’t want help, especially from the Lord.
Those who are not moving at all with respect to the Lord, because of age, inexperience, or incapacity are called simple.
When these crossroads are before us we have a choice to make, however no one can remain simple forever. It’s okay for a baby to make messes, but by the time they are adults more will be expected of them. A person cannot remain still a person who does will end up clinging to wrong or false ideas being misguided, and rebellious and turn away from God.
If you could pick any fictional animal to be your lifelong companion (like a Pokémon or fantasy pet), what would it be? I would choose the character Nala from “The Lion King.” She is a brave, strong-willed leader who balances a playful spirit with fierce determination.
I thought that while we waited for the Psalm study to start over, I would share a few important lessons from the Bible every Saturday. These is a few I’ve been trying to get from my head to my heart.
This is a lesson for the doers -the ones who need a divine nudge.
If God has put a dream on your heart, don’t wait for human approval. The voice of the Holy Spirit is the only permission you need. Don’t let fear or “what ifs” paralyze you.
Bold plans requires bold faith Trusting in God gives us the courage to take action, even when it’s hard.
Many of us go through by reacting to circumstances rather than pursuing a clear direction. We might have vague aspirations, but without understanding our deeper needs, we can end up drifting without a purpose instead of running with intention.
A good example of this is Moses in Exodus. When God first called Moses at the burning bush, Moses actually reacted with hesitation and doubt rather than bold faith.
In Exodus 3:11, Moses asked, Who am I? Moses questioned his own worth and ability, asking God why he should be the one to go to Pharaoh.
Moses offered different objections and excuses to God, including a lack of eloquence, that he didn’t know enough, that he didn’t have the right answers and fear that the people would not believe him. He even bluntly asked God to send a different messenger instead of him.
God showed patience and gave Moses miraculous signs. And despite his deep fears and human weaknesses, Moses ultimately accepted the call, packed up his family, and journeyed back to the dangerous land of Egypt, trusting in God‘s promise, “I will be with you.”
We still have that promise today that God will be with us. And living in boldness and purpose. Today we need to rely on the Holy Spirit and not our own strength to walk out our unique purpose. Real strength comes from spiritual empowerment, not a personality type. Boldness is not about human arrogance, loudness, or political aggression. Instead, scripture defines true boldness as a quiet, steady and courageous obedience that is rooted in grace and truth.
We need to refuse fear and comparison. I think that’s where we all lack something. Worrying and comparing our journey to someone else’s can paralyze our calling. We need to accept who God made us to be. It can allow us to step forward without second-guessing.
If you had to switch lives with a fictional character for a week, who would you choose? I would choose Mariam in the book “The Red Tent.” She is a strong, influential woman who embodies themes that resonate throughout the Bible. She is portrayed as a healer. She uses her knowledge of herbs and traditional medicine to help those in her community. Her wisdom makes her a trusted advisor among other women, allowing her to guidance support them through challenges. But Mariam‘s role extends beyond that of a healer, she is a crucial figure in the lives of people around her. Her influence helps shape people’s lives.
I am beginning a new Bible study at church on Revelation. But we can never understand the book of Revelation without first seeing the prophetic thread between it and the Old Testament. So, naturally, I thought I would bring you along in my study. This is what I found in the Bible Study Toolbox online.
The books of Daniel and Revelation are two of the most discussed and debated writings in Scripture. Both overflow with symbols, visions, and time markers. Because of this many people struggle to see how the two books connect. They are often read through the lens of partial preterism, which is the thought that Daniel refers to events that happened in the past and Revelation as something coming in the future. But a clear pattern emerges. The visions of Daniel are not abandoned or rewritten in Revelation, they are brought to fulfillment.
Jesus, Peter, and Paul all spoke of events that would happen in their generation. Revelation echoes this urgency. Daniel set the prophetic foundation, especially with his visions of four kingdoms and the coming of God’s kingdom. Revelation builds on that foundation, showing how the final pieces fell into place.
The four kingdoms of Daniel and the Beast in Revelation.
Daniel’s visions of four kingdoms in Daniel 2 and 7 sets the stage for Revelation’s letter images. In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar sees a great statue made of different materials.
“As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze. It’s legs of iron, it’s feet part of iron, and part of clay” -Daniel 2:32-33
These parts represent a succession of kingdoms. Most scholars agree they are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Daniel’s later vision in chapter 7 matches this timeline with four beasts rising from the sea.
“For great animals came up from the sea, different from one another” -Daniel 7:3
These four beasts correspond to the statue’s metals, ending with a terrifying fourth breast -Rome. Revelation picks up this exact imagery.
“The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority” -Revelation 13:1
John’s beast blends the earlier ones. This symbolizes Rome as the final earthly kingdom before God’s full judgement comes. The beast is not a new vision but an expansion of Daniel’s fourth beast. It rules with terror and opposes the saints (saints are any person who has put their trust in Jesus and has been set apart). Yet it cannot overcome them.
Because Daniel’s fourth kingdom aligns with Rome, and Revelation’s beast also aligns with Rome, we can see a consistent timeline. The church faced Rome’s persecution in the first century. Because this beast is active during John’s timeline, it matches both prophecy and history.
The Time of the End: Not the End of Time
One of the most important points in Daniel and Revelation is the use of time. Many reader readers assume these books speak about the end of the world. But Daniel is clear about “the time of the end,” not the end of time.
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many will run back and forth, and knowledge will be increased” -Daniel 12:4
Daniel’s visions were sealed because they were for a later generation. But Revelation speaks of things that must “soon take place.”
“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near” -Revelation 22:10
This contrast is powerful. Daniel is told to seal His book. John is told not to. The implication is clear. They were not thousands of years apart, they fit perfectly with Jesus’s statements in Matthew 24.
“Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished” -Matthew 24:34
When we read Daniel and Revelation together, we see that Daniel’s “time of the end” becomes John’s near fulfillment. The fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 marked a major shift in God’s covenant dealings. It was not the end of time, but it was the end of the old covenant age.
[I would like to get a little off topic here. There are people in America who are preaching “Replacement theory”: that God has replaced the Jewish people as His chosen. If God has replaced his chosen people in Jerusalem, doesn’t that mean any of his children can be replaced because they sin? If so then none of his covenants with anyone are true and he can reject anyone at any time. That is not who God is, and none of his Bible is true.]
The Abomination of Desolation and the Great Tribulation
Daniel introduces a mysterious phrase: “the admonition of desolation.” Jesus quotes it directly in His warning to the early church.
“On the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, and even to the full end, and that determined, wrath will be poured out on the desolate” – Daniel 9:27
“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand” -Matthew 24:15
Jesus interrupts Daniel’s prophecy. He places the fulfillment in His generation. The abomination is tied to the destruction of Jerusalem, Revelation echoes this judgment in the fall of “Babylon the Great.
“Fallen, fallen I’d Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and s prison of every unclean and hateful bird” -Revelation 18:2
Babylon is a symbol, not a city on the Euphrates. The evidence within Revelation points to Jerusalem, the city where the Lord was crucified (Revelation 11:8 ) as a symbol of Babylon. The judgment described in the book is plagues, trumpet blasts, and bowls of wrath that culminate in the destruction of the great city.
So Daniel’s abomination marks the beginning of the final judgment. Revelation shows the outcome. Together, they represent one story of covenant judgment fulfilled in the first century.
The Son of Man and the Coming of the Kingdom
Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man coming with the cloud is central to both books.
One Story, One Fulfillment
When we study Daniel and Revelation side by side, we begin to see a single prophetic story. Daniel provides the blueprint. Revelation confirms the building is finished. They do not point to the end of the world but to the end of the age. That age. The age -the old covenant system centered on temple worship – was brought to a close in AD 70
Revelation is not a rewrite of Daniel. It unveils how Daniel’s visions were fulfilled. Jesus came as Son of man, received His kingdom and will never be shaken.
Prompt Question: How do you celebrate the holidays?
Our holidays start on October 31, which is my husband’s birthday. I usually have a pumpkin and caramel birthday cake professionally made. For Thanksgiving, we have a big turkey dinner with all the fixings. Everyone in the family brings a different type of pie. Thanksgiving night we decorate for Christmas. Then it’s time to get out and buy gifts. Christmas time is usually getting invited to a lot of parties, and everyone is tired of cooking by the time Christmas gets here. So, Christmas dinner is another potluck for the family because no one wants to spend hours in the kitchen. And it’s homemade candy time. By New Year’s Eve is time to take all the decorations down. Time for everything to get back to normal.
There are two ways to state the ultimate goal in life, one positively and one negatively. Positively we could say: the ultimate goal of life is to glorify God by enjoying Him. Or negatively, we could say the ultimate goal in life is not to sin. They both say the same thing because sinning is falling short of glorifying God by embracing other things as more enjoyable.
If we could learn how to glorify God by enjoying Him, we would know how to not sin. And of we could learn how to not sin, we would know how to glorify God by enjoying.
Psalm 199:11 tells us one of the keys to not sinning. “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” The way not to sin is to treasure the word of God in our hearts. This means we succeed in life’s ultimate goal by living for the glory of God and enjoying Him forever. That is the way to treasure the word of God in our hearts.
I think Psalm 119:11 is King David’s way of saying he doesn’t just want God’s word written on a tablet or scroll, he wants it inside his heart. He wants God’s word to be something that will be treasured, thought about, and felt. The fact that David wants God’s word hidden and stored up there means he thinks it’s valuable -like a treasure.
I think there are two things that can keep us from sinning and move us to glorify and enjoy God. It’s not just about having His word stored in us. Nor is it just valuing His word. It is both. Both are crucial. When we value God’s word and want it hidden in our hearts it can give us the power to stand against the temptations to sin. It is a superior treasure that is present and active, that conquers sin.
Psalm 119:72 says, “The law of your (God’s) mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.” I don’t believe we can overcome Satan without the present treasure of the previous words of God.
One of the greatest truths in all the Bible is found in Hebrews 13:8.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Think about that for a moment. If Jesus healed back then when He was walking the earth as a man, then He still heals today. If He delivered people then, He still delivers today. If He set captives free then, He still sets captives free today. His power has not diminished. His authority remains exactly the same.
In Mark 1, Jesus entered Capernaum, and from the very first day, everything changed. He taught with authority. He cast out unclean spirits.. He helped Peter‘s mother-in-law. By evening, the entire city had gathered at the door, bringing their sick and afflicted to Him -and Jesus ministered to them.
What strikes me is that Jesus never viewed impossible situations as impossible. Whether confronting darkness, disease, or despair, He moved with divine authority -and the same Lord who walked the streets of Capernaum is alive today.
In every challenge we face that seems beyond our strength, whether it’s healing, peace, or needing a breakthrough in any circumstance we need to remember what Jesus did when He walked the earth, call out to Him, and obey what He tells us.
