”These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1Corinthians 2:13-14). 

All that is called wisdom may be lacking the potency to change one’s life for the better. There is practical wisdom that may assist in one coping or even managing what is already there. But for a permanent change to occur there has to be the instructions in wisdom that comes from above. Wisdom that comes from above has no earthly references. Nothing can be compared to the depth and wealth of spiritual things. These are the intangibles that affect all that is seen, heard, or experienced. The teacher is the Holy Spirit Himself. He instructs the heart so that it embraces what would otherwise be foolishness to those who think they already have the answers. He first must raise new questions and spiritual inquiries must be made. Without the hunger and thirst for righteousness, God’s standard for living, even His Word will be reduced to what is manageable by man. Because the Holy Spirit has dealt deeply within the heart, there is the pursuit for wisdom that God will never ignore. He gives it liberally and does not reprimand the individual making the request. He walks in the wisdom of God and is over time, transformed into a living expression of it. 

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4). 

There is a position in Christ where His love, and the benefits of His love, are made known. The greatest of these is for what is from Him to be given expression through us without any fleshly interference. The competition between the flesh and the spirit remains while we live our lives daily. There are many things vying for our attention. A steady diet of the Word of God is required to purge us of the thoughts and passions that would otherwise mislead us. To be raised with Christ is the prerequisite of the soul’s condition. 

Only those who are born again are enabled to see that there is a Sovereign God to rule the soul who has positioned them in a different place. They seek those things which are from on high because they have obtained wisdom from Him who rules the heavens and the earth. Through Him we attain wisdom and a discipline to pursue righteousness, rather than selfish endeavors. Only those who are delivered from self are able to understand this. True understanding is veiled to unbelievers since wisdom is hidden from those who think themselves to be too wise and prudent to open their eyes, minds, and hearts and believe. Yet, Christ will provide the evidence of true wisdom and His enduring treasures in the fullness of time. 

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily” (Isaiah 28:16). 

With all that the Church and the believers must suffer in these last days, doubt may enter into the minds of many. Evil appears to triumph over good and support for what is wrong outweighs the support of the truth. Yet God has made a promise to His people. His foundation is sure for He knows His own. The foundation stone or touchstone of the Lord has been laid in Zion which represents the Church. It is the support of all that God is erecting. He will hold His Church together to weather the storms of adversity because His very life is invested in her. This is the hope of the believer, not to be a reactionary to the sudden storms that may arise from time to time, for our lives are anchored in the hope of His promises. God will have the final word, but we must endure to the end. The time will come when what in the past has been ignored will be greatly treasured. People will flock to hear the Word of the Lord when all that they have heard in their past has failed them. Not only will they hear but also see the glory of the Lord rising upon His people. 

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). 

Those who are drawn to Jesus by the Spirit are kept by the Spirit. The mysterious attraction of the cross of Christ produces within the heart of the believer a willingness to follow after Him even when circumstances are difficult. They see the sacrifice that He has made in contrast to the challenges that lie before them and compare all in light of what Jesus Christ has already done. This is not the easy belief(ism) of our day where many are attracted to the trappings of success in this life and the praise that comes from others. It is a heart commitment to fully follow Christ in all that He may assign as a part of our journey. They lifted Him up as an enemy to their doctrines and lifestyles by crucifying Him. He transformed what would have been defeat into victory. Now the message of the cross of Jesus must be preached throughout the world in order for many to be drawn by dimensions of love never known before. Love was the motive for Him to die for our sins which were many. It is the acknowledgement of sin and its effect upon our lives and our world that would bring one to understand the necessity of His sacrifice. Are you drawn to Christ today? He was lifted up and His message is now being preached throughout the world providing an opportunity for you to be delivered out of the bondage of sin and its affect to the glorious liberty that only He is able to provide. 

“Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, ’Sir, we wish to see Jesus’ ” (John 12:21). 

Religious activity today has been involved with many causes. They tell us to be more relevant so that the Church may establish her position in society. Many leaders have risen to the occasion with the valor and courage to fight for what they believe, while others have affirmed the humanity and self-existence of mankind having rights and privileges given to them by God to enjoy life, or rather exploit this planet and its inhabitants for the sake of personal pleasure and gain. We have the selfless heroes of our day and the selfish demagogues who only seek fame and fortune for themselves. Yet in their pursuits for what they want to achieve they remain vain and left without any eternal merit because Jesus would not have His place of prominence established among them. In the midst of the hurrying crowd looking for a reason to embrace something that will give life meaning, we wish to see Jesus. He alone is able to provide what we really need. He guides us to ask the right questions so that in our seeking answers we may discover what really matters. Preachers, preach Jesus! There are too many options before us to choose when we are in preparation to address the crowd who has come to hear us. As we say to ourselves, He will take His rightful place among us and do what He alone is able to do. 

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). 

There is an unfathomable degree of both wisdom and knowledge made available to any who would be willing to seek after it. Paul on other occasions spoke of height, depth, and breadth, indicating that there are dimensions awaiting exploration by those who would remain discontent at any level. His love is the basis for all that He knows and provides. Simply speaking, Jesus Christ has an abundance of ways to express His love towards us. He clears the path of sin thus revealing His true nature by judging it. He allows the disobedient and misguided to mercifully remain for a while even though their works are counterproductive. His patience is expressed over and over again towards the worst of us. His exceeding goodness and glory extends beyond the limits of the best of us. We cannot explore all there is to understand in millions of lifetimes. Therefore throughout all eternity God will be revealing to us His wisdom and knowledge that we may know what is seen today only through tinted mirrors. When He appears, we shall see Him as He is and know the dimensions of His wisdom applied to situations that we may have thought were unknowable. Yet even today we have the opportunity to consider Him as our Sovereign and submit to His ways. 

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). 

What God began in you required your dedication to His cause. He saw you struggling in your own strength, trying to make life make sense. When your attempts to hold things together began to falter and your goals for the future began to crumble, He took the broken pieces of your failures and fallen world and replaced them with a new and living way. He wanted to sanctify you. He wanted the whole of you to be given over to the whole of Him. When He is given your whole spirit, He gives it new life. When He is given your soul, He lifts your countenance with a lively hope. When He is given your body, He uses it as seed for a glorious, resurrected body fit for eternity. He says to you now, “Let Me have your life. Only when it is set apart for My exclusive use will it ever experience the peace that you so desperately pursue.” 

“For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them” (Ecclesiastes 9:12). 

Action taken without any knowledge of our time is the entrapment of the enemy. We would lose sight of all the benefits provided as a means of remaining on the path of freedom. What were the habits and where were the pitfalls of the past that once held us in their grip before we were enlightened. They are still there even though we may have been once delivered from them. But when we get out of step with God and begin to take matters into our own hands, in no time they can recapture us. We must be a step ahead of ploys that could so easily cause setbacks. God reveals the strategies and schemes intended to dismantle His work in us and through us. Therefore it is required of us to walk in the Spirit in sync with the Lord’s timing that we do not succumb to weakness of the flesh and the wiles of the devil. 

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). 

Is it our works that qualify us for heaven or a faith that translates into efforts that are pleasing to God? Many among the professors of religion have believed that no evidence is necessary. The right language without evidence may be impressive but does not possess the power to preserve one’s life for all eternity. In this life we are transformed into willing servants of the Lord. When His life enters into our souls, we wish to know what pleases Him that we may do what we have been enabled by His Spirit to know. The prideful would merely wish to parade around with knowledge left unapplied. They are held responsible even though they never tapped into the power that could have been used for the continuance of the works of Jesus Christ on the earth. Their professing Him as Lord is a signal to others that they are equipped and skilled for spiritual battle. When we enter into His kingdom, the power that resides there, reaches the earth through us to confirm our subjection to His Lordship. 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). 

The knowledge of God is complete in itself. The expanse of His knowledge reaches from eternity past through time into the farthest regions of eternity future. It cuts through the knowledge of man leaving him exhausted of both mental and physical strength and remains unfazed by man’s futile attempts to disprove what He knows is true. It is with this knowledge that He knew the Prophet. It is the same knowledge in which each of us is known. He is aware of His intentions for our lives. There is a place personally reserved for each of us to fill. That spot may be vacant now, but in time the Lord expects us to occupy that place and fulfill our calling. His was to speak prophetically to the nations. Ours may be to touch one life. But each person is ordained by God to step into that place where God is able to take us where we need to go. None can excuse their apparent deficiencies as a reason to rescind. He knows each man’s weaknesses but calls him just the same. Our healing and future wholeness is predicated upon our willingness and obedience. We must take our places and leave no place vacant for the enemy to invade. This is what God knows about us and He is willing to allow us to see within ourselves.