Tag: wisdom

Sword Fighting Class – The Best is Yet to Come

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

In our Sword Fighting Classes, we are memorizing God’s word together.  God commands us over and over in his Word to store his commands in our hearts, to write his words on our minds, to never forget his teachings.  We are being obedient as we review our verses daily and God does the hard part of engraving them on our minds.

With God’s help,  we have memorized James 1 and Proverbs 2 so far.  Isn’t that amazing!  God is now pointing us to Proverbs 3….more wisdom.  Let’s get started with verse 1 and 2:

“My child, do not forget my teachings but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.”Proverbs 2 -13-3-11

How appropriate that God starts out again with his command about not forgetting his teachings.  It’s really hard to forget his teaching when it’s etched on our brains.  Its part of how we think, how we feel.

God tells us that his teaching will prolong our lives many years.  I have been reading a lot about God’s teaching about food this last year and I believe, if we follow his guidance on this, it really will prolong our lives.  Lower our blood pressure.  Take us out of the danger zone for other diseases.  Help our heart to be more healthy.

God promises us that his teachings will bring us prosperity.  His form of prosperity is not the empty prosperity taught by the world where we never have enough…never content.

God’s prosperity comes in the form of things money can’t buy – peace, and purpose and love and completeness and more.

Much more.

You are more than enough, Abba Father.

Audio file of me sharing the verses I’ve memorized so far in Proverbs 3:

 

Sword Fighting Class – Saved by Wisdom

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

We are memorizing Proverbs 2 together!  Good job!

‘My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God.Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.  He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.  Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.  For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.  Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.’

Yeah, God!  And we’re adding the next verse:

‘Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse.”

Wisdom will save us from those whose words are perverse.

I looked up the definition of perverse and was surprised to read that a couple of the definitions are being resistant to discipline or guidance.  Another one is being stubborn or contrary.

Wow!  I was wondering why God had me memorizing verses about wicked men and now I know.  Sometimes I need to be saved from myself!

What about you?

Thank you, dear Father, for the wisdom you are writing on tablet of our hearts as we memorize your word.  Open our eyes to our own behavior when we are stubborn and resistant to discipline.

Audio file of Proverbs 2:

 

Sword Fighting Class – We are Protected

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

Listen to God’s promises in the verses we have memorized so far in Proverbs 2:

‘My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God.  For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless’.Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

Wow!  The fear of the Lord, the knowledge of God, wisdom, understand, victory and a shield!

Here’s our next verse:

‘He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.’

God’s grace makes us the ‘just’ in his eyes – amazing, isn’t it?  He promises to guard our course.

And if only one thing can be said about me after my dust has been blown off of this planet, I want to be remembered as being faithful to God.

Devoted.   Loyal.  Reliable.  Consistent.  All of these words show up in the definition of being faithful.

He protects our way when we are faithful to him.

It is promises like these that give me peace.  God’s peace.  He is in control.  I just need to do my part of obeying and seeking and looking and search and committing his words to my heart and turning my ear to his wisdom.

Then he can do his part of guiding and teaching and guarding.

Thank you, Abba Father.

 

Audio file below of my memory verses in Proverbs 2 so far:

 

The Search

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

She was searching for wisdom.  She was looking for the truth like it was silver and searching for it like it was hidden treasure.

The Queen of Sheba took a dangerous journey of 1200 miles on camels through a hot desert to check out the wisdom of King Solomon.  She came prepared with some hard questions.  And she was awed by the wisdom in his answers.

As we read and memorize Proverbs, we are being presented with this same wisdom.May 15 b The search 2015

Wisdom about:

dealing with fools,

patience,

the value of wise advice,

discipline,

love and compassion,

pride and humility,

selfishness,

jeolousy,

self-control,

patience,

wise and foolish talking,

flattery,

slander and gossip,

meddling,

wealth and poverty,

patience,

generosity

and more. (Did you notice one that I mentioned more than once? :))

We know that all of Solomon’s wisdom came from God.

And that wisdom is available to us as we cry aloud for it, as we store it up in our minds and as we apply it to our hearts.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Sword Fighting Class – Where Do We Get Wisdom?

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“My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God.”Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

Awesome!   It’s it amazing how God partners with us as memorize his word?  The vast majority of us could never do this on our own so it’s a special blessing to be able to see this how obviously God is working in our minds as he helps us memorize verse after verse….after verse.  I have started attaching an audio recording (below) of me as I repeat my verses – it’s not perfect.  But it’s close!  That’s what counts 🙂

And we hit treasure in our next verse!

‘For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.’

Do we want wisdom?

Knowledge?

Understanding?

Well, we know where to go to get it.  The Lord gives it.  It comes from him.

Do you feel his wisdom and understanding growing in you as you etch his words on your heart and mind?

I do.  It’s subtle…..but steady.

I meditate on the words as I memorize them.  And I apply them to my life right now.

I’m amazed at how often I get to use them in my conversations.

God is good!  All the time!

Thank you, Abba Father.

Audio file of Proverbs 2:1-12:

 

Sword Fighting Class – Search for It

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting Class3 Comments

My Child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,

and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding….”

God is helping us memorize Proverbs 2.  It’s all about wisdom and understanding – good stuff!  Here’s the next verse:

“and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,”

If we knew for sure there was a pile of silver hidden in a certain place, how hard would we look?  How much time would we take?  How much effort?

If it was me and I had a pretty good idea of where to look and if I was guaranteed that the treasure would be there, I wouldn’t stop until I found it.

Here, God is guaranteeing us that there is very valuable treasure in his word to us.  We just need to read it and accept it and store it up inside of our hearts and minds.  We need to cry out for it and cry aloud for it…..and look for it.  Search for it.

It’s there.

We’re on this journey together – growing in our relationship with God.  As we grow in our ability to hear him.  As we grow in ability to soak up his truth and apply it to our lives.

Thank you for helping us grow, dear Father.

Audio file of Proverbs 2: 1-6:

 

Sword Fighting Class – It Takes Effort!

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

‘My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,”

We are memorizing Proverbs 2 together – one verse a week.  We know this is possible with God’s help.  Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

The next verse is:

“and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding…..”

This verse has very active words in it.  Calling out!  Cry aloud!

This doesn’t sound like it’s describing me sitting here quietly, reading my Bible.

This sounds like I need to be seriously and intensely asking for insight and understanding.  These words indicate a significant effort on my part.  Growing wise, increasing my insight and understanding is obviously not a passive activity.

It’s evident that God’s wisdom isn’t going to just doesn’t ‘sink in’ as I sit in a chair at church or turn the pages of my Bible.

We’re calling out and crying aloud, dear Father!

 

 

Our Foolishness

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

Our bad choices.

Our rationalizations.

Our blind spots.

How do we react when we realize that we’ve been foolish?April 26 2015 our foolishness.

One of King David’s redeeming qualities was his ability to admit his foolishness and genuinely repent.  He sometimes had trouble seeing his sin because he was lost in his own head – focused on his own plans.  So we read that God brought people into David’s life to help him see his bad decisions.

When David finally realized his foolishness, he was always repentant.  And we see God forgiving David over and over….and over.

Just like God forgives us- over and over…..and over.

Dear Abba Father, Please help us to be quick to recognize our sin and foolishness and quickly repent from those choices.  We know that repenting means to turn away, to stop doing what we’re doing.  We need your strength for that, dear Father.  And perseverance.  We are looking for wisdom and insight like it as silver, dear God.  We are searching for understanding and knowledge like it was hidden treasure.  We know all wisdom and understanding comes from you and you generously give it to us when we ask.  We are asking now.  Thank you.  In the awesome name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Sword Fighting Class – Turn Your Ear

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

“My Child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding…”

We are just starting the journey of memorizing Proverbs 2 together and I’m trying something new.  I’ve added an audio file below of me sharing what I’ve memorized so far.  It’s not perfect, but it’s close.  Hopefully we can encourage each other as develop this habit of writing God’s words upon our hearts and minds.  I also included James 1 if you’re still working on finalizing that.

Do you feel a ‘frizz’ of anticipation as we begin to store up within us these significant words from God about Proverbs 2 1st page - this onewisdom?

What is God going to reveal to us on this journey through Proverbs 2?

I am confident that we will have more wisdom when we’ve etched these words on our minds.  That’s what God is promising us – if we memorize his words, turning our ears and applying our hearts – we will find understanding and wisdom and knowledge and insight.

Amen, let it be so, dear Father.

Audio file – click the square on the left to get it started:

 

A Wise Woman

On By Judy GlasserIn April2 Comments

We’ve been hearing a lot from God about wisdom lately, haven’t we?  James 1 was full of directions to us regarding wisdom.April 15 2015 a wise woman

And now, in 1 Samuel, we read the story about a wise woman who saves a city.  How does she do that?

She was wise in her approach to Joab, she didn’t let emotions get in the way, and she had a good suggestion which she was willing to follow-through.

She speaks truth into the situation.  Joab is going to ‘take down’ the city in order to get one man.  The wise women spoke to Joab, reminding him that this was a peaceful city with a strong history of faithfulness to Israel.

And Joab agrees to just take the man and leave the city alone.

Just like that.

A wise woman speaking truth saved the lives of the people living in that city.

Please give us wisdom, Abba Father.