Asking For Wisdom

ASKING FOR WISDOM

By Pastor Russell Henderson

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

[James 1:5-8 NIV]

Wisdom is something that God loves to give to His people.  Wisdom is important to the life of a Christian because it keeps us on the straight and narrow.  Wisdom is the ability to discern between right and wrong, and wisdom is the ability to say or do the right thing at the right time.

You and I need the wisdom of God to stand in this fallen world.  If you’ll notice this teaching on wisdom comes immediately after a teaching on perseverance and maturity.  The only way that we are going to be able to persevere through trials and temptations is through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.  The only way that we are going to be mature and complete is through Godly discernment.

The bible says that when we ask for wisdom God will give generously to all without finding fault.  That means God will never rebuke us for asking for wisdom.  He will never criticize us because we don’t possess as much wisdom as we should, but God is happy to pour out wisdom to us over and over again.

The wisdom of God is powerful; no one can stand or speak against Godly wisdom.  Acts 6 talks about the disciple, Stephen, being full of wisdom:

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia--who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

[Acts 6:8-10 NIV]

Wisdom is directly related to the power of the Holy Spirit.  Many times scripture refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of Wisdom”.  Another reason God loves it when we ask for wisdom is because, whether we realize it or not, we are asking for more of the Holy Spirit.  God will never hold His Spirit back from those who earnestly seek Him, and He always fills those who ask.

But there is a caution when asking for wisdom.  We must have faith and believe that God will do it.  How many times have we asked God for wisdom to get through a trying situation, only to miserably fail?   Our response in those times is usually something like, “Well, I figured I was going to mess that up.”  Or “I knew I was going to fail.”  You see, even though we asked, we had more doubt than faith.  Doubt always sabotages faith.  James tells us that the person who doubts should never expect to receive anything from the Lord because he is double-minded and unstable.

Wisdom is available to you today.  MUCH wisdom.  Feel free to ask the Lord for as much wisdom as you need, and then believe that God is going to give it to you exactly when you need it.  Trust Him and know that He is growing and maturing you as you grow in wisdom and discernment.

Mature And Complete

Mature and Complete

By Pastor Russell Henderson

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

[James 1:2-4 NIV]

James is one of my favorite books of the bible.  If you didn’t know, it is known as the wisdom book of the New Testament.  There are so many golden nuggets of truth all throughout this book.  James kicks it right off by teaching us how to mature in our Christian walk.  But maturity doesn’t always come like we might expect.  While it’s true that we do grow and mature through daily prayer and bible study, there is another key ingredient to growth that we often overlook—trials.

We don’t like to think about facing trials.  Trials can be painful.  They can be long and drawn out.  And they typically are no fun.  This word for trial literally means temptation.  Let’s look at how the Amplified Bible states verse 2.

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.

James said, that we should be glad when we find ourselves surrounded by temptation.  How can we be glad in the midst of temptation?  I heard someone say once that the devil only comes after those who are doing something for God.  The enemy will do anything to try to get you to stumble because he knows what you are capable of.  So you can be glad in the midst of your temptation because you know that you have the potential to do great things for the Kingdom.

You might be saying, “But temptation is so hard to overcome.  Why would God allow me to potentially fall into sin.?”   1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us…God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.   God knows our limits, and he would never allow us to face a temptation that we were not strong enough to face with His power.  You also need to understand that temptation is not sin.  Jesus was tempted, but he never succumbed to that temptation.  But those temptations and trials prepared Jesus for his next three years of ministry.  God also has greater plans for you and me, and if we are ever going to realize those plans, there has to be a testing and a proving of our faith.

Have you ever listened to a minister that had such an anointing that you felt like Jesus, himself was in the room?  95% of the time that type of  minister did not get there on his own.  There was some testing and proving that he had to endure, but God allowed him to face situations that would make him stronger.

Friend, God has great things in store for you, and wherever you find yourself right now, He wants to take you even higher.  You can’t get there just by snapping your fingers or clicking your heels together.  It’s going to take some trial and testing.  During those times, hold on to Jesus, stay on your knees, and keep your face in the word.  If you are faithful to do that, you will find yourself on the other side more mature and complete and not lack anything.

3 Keys to Effective Prayer

3 Keys to Effective Prayer

by Pastor Russell Henderson

Have you ever wondered if there was some secret formula to praying and seeing answers?  Is there a specific method by which we are to pray effectively?  Well, I think Paul gives us a great formula for prayer in Colossians 4:2.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

In this short, simple verse Paul gives us three keys to living an effective prayer life:  be devoted, be watchful, and be thankful.

BE DEVOTED

Paul’s first point is to “devote yourselves to prayer”.  Two words best describe this phrase:  to be constant and to persevere.  Paul said in Romans chapter 1, “…how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times….”  He also said, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.” (Eph 6:18 NIV).

If you want to see answers to your prayers (the result of effective prayer), you must be whole-heartedly devoted to praying on a continual basis.  You cannot allow yourself to waver or grow faint.  Hebrews tells us that God is a rewarder of those who seek him.  He always honors an unwavering and devoted prayer life.

BE WATCHFUL

The next step to seeing our prayers answered is being watchful.  Being watchful means to be alert and vigilant.  It also means to be awake.  This means we always have to be looking; our eyes always need to be open.  What should we be looking for?  We should be looking for the answer to come at any moment.  We need to be expectant that God is going to answer our prayer.  The problem comes when we turn our eyes or stop looking.

Psalm 73 gives us a great example of this.  In verse 2, the worship leader, Asaph, makes a statement that his foot had almost slipped.  In other words, he almost blew it; he almost fell into sin.  Why?  For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (Psa 73:3 NIV).  Asaph recognized that there was a moment when he took his eyes off of God and off of the things he was praying for, and he began looking at things of the world.

As you pray, you cannot allow your eyes to wander.  Your faith will wane as your eyes wander off of the things of God.  Keep your eyes on the prize.  Be alert and watchful and expect that the answer to your prayer is coming.

BE THANKFUL

The last point in seeing your prayers come to pass is having an attitude of thankfulness.  Yes, it is possible to be thankful while you are praying.  Be thankful that God listens to the righteous prayer.  Be thankful that he will never leave you or forsake you.  And you can even thank him in advance for answering your prayer.  That’s where faith comes in.  Faith is being thankful for something that you have yet to see.  Are you praying for that lost family member to come to Jesus?  Thank Him that his heart is softening.  Are you praying for your finances to turn around?  Thank Him for provision.  Are you praying for your body to be healed?  Thank Him that He is the healer.

One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Anytime we are instructed to come before the Lord, both in the Old and New Testament, we are first told to come with thanksgiving.  God honors those who are thankful.  Thankfulness is the first step to come fully into the presence of the Lord (Psalm 100:4).  That tells me that we can’t even come near to God unless we are first thankful.

I don’t know what it is that you are praying for.  But God is looking for praying people who are devoted, watchful, and thankful.  Don’t give up.  Don’t quit on God.  Be vigilant and watch as he works everything out for your good.

4 Keys to Unity

4 Keys to Unity

 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

[Col 3:12-14 NIV]

Have you ever wanted to know the secret to developing unity with others?  It doesn’t matter if it is your friend or enemy, God desires us to live in unity with those around us.  In his letter to the Colossians, Paul gives us some wonderful keys to developing and maintaining unity with those that we deal with every day.

The first step is to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Notice the instruction to “clothe yourselves”.  That means you have to make a conscious effort to put on those qualities every day, just like you would your shirt, pants, and shoes.  And just like your clothing, you need to wear these five qualities all day long.  These five things:  compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, all deal with our treatment of others.  Jesus summed it up best in Matthew chapter 7 when he said, “treat others exactly how you want to be treated”.  Notice, also, that scripture uses these words to describe how God is toward us.  The first step in developing and maintaining unity is to make a purposeful effort to treat others the way that Christ treats you.

The second step in developing unity is support.  Paul said, “bear with each other”.  That literally means to hold them up, support them, and suffer with them.  How do we do that?  First, we can hold them up through prayer, but then as we pray for them we can be there for them, encourage them, and even cry with them.  You’ll find that it is much harder to keep up a wall of division when you are suffering with them.

Step number three is sometimes the hardest:  forgiveness.  The thing that we have to remember when it comes to forgiveness is that you are not alone.  How can you have the power to forgive someone?  Because Christ has already forgiven you.  When you remember that you are a sinner who is continually forgiven, it is much easier to forgive others.  You will also find that as you live your life clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, and as you learn to be a rock that people can lean on, it is not as hard to forgive.  As you live and treat others in a Godly manner, you will notice fewer occasions where forgiveness is needed.

The final step in developing unity is love.  The King James Version says that love is the “perfect bond of unity”.  That word for “bond of unity” is also used to describe the ligaments and tissues that hold our physical bodies together and keep our body working as one unit.  Love fuses all of the members of the body of Christ together so that they can now work as one unit.  Even though everyone has his own personality and characteristics it is still possible to live and move together as one.  When you put on love, you are putting on Christ, and the bible says that Christ is our peace who breaks down the walls.

Maybe there is someone at your work whom it is impossible to get along with.  Maybe there is someone at your church that you avoid every Sunday.  Remember these four steps to unity and begin to treat that person the way Christ treats you every day determine that you are going to become one with them.  

Rooted In Christ

Rooted in Christ

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

-       Col 2:6-7 NIV

A few Sundays ago I preached a message on Sowing and Reaping.  And I specifically dealt the type of seed that you were sowing, because you would surely reap in kind.  Now, I want to look at the next step in this process—the root.

Paul told the Colossian church to be rooted in Christ.  In the Greek, that word “root” or “rooted” means to cause to strike root, to strengthen with roots, to render firm, to fix, establish, cause a person or a thing to be thoroughly grounded.   It also can refer to something’s origin or source.  Taking those definitions into consideration I want to define what it means to be “rooted in Christ”.

Origin, or source: 

Once a seed is sown the first part of a plant to take shape is the root.  The root must be established in order for the plant to grow and come up out of the ground.  The root will determine whether the plant lives or dies.  The root does not determine what type of plant will grow. That comes from the seed. But the root decides the plant’s viability.

 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. (Matthew 13:6)

But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  (Matthew 13:13)

In the movie The Karate Kid Mr. Myagi told Daniel that he would make it in life because he had a strong root. (And now I have successfully used a Karate Kid reference in a message—you’re welcome.)  If you want to grow strong in the Lord, your root must be established into good soil.  That soil is the Spirit and the Word of God.  If you are not rooted in Christ you will eventually wither and die spiritually.

Firm, established:

            Not only does the root decide if the plant will survive, but it also decides how tall and strong a plant will grow to be.  A plant’s growth is limited to the amount of root it possesses.   A few months ago a tornado ripped through our neighborhood in north St. Louis County.  I think it was the first time I had ever seen huge oak trees completely uprooted and knocked over.   I was amazed at the size of the diameter of their root structures.  But I also noticed something else.  The roots, although very wide in diameter, were not very deep.  So when the storm came and the winds blew even the mighty oak fell victim.

            Friends, you can look like a spiritual giant on the outside.  You stand head and shoulders above the spiritual crowd, but the real test of your root system is in the storm.  Are your roots as deep as they are wide?  You find Christ in the depths of the soil, not on the surface.  And the deeper you plant yourself in Christ, the stronger you will become, and nothing can knock you down.

Health is in the roots:

            Finally, I want to examine the health of  the plant.   Much like its viability, the plant gains its nutrients and minerals through the soil.  Jesus talked about being planted into good soil because he knew the importance of being spiritually fed and nourished.

            When you are rooted in Christ, you are feeding off of Him, alone.  You are not looking for nutrition from the things of the world.  If you are rooted only in Christ, you WILL grow.  You WILL become stronger.  It’s just like the difference between eating three well-balanced meals or living on a diet of potato chips and soda.  One will strengthen you, the other will weaken you.  One will prolong your life, the other will shorten it.

            Who you are on the outside is solely determined  by what you are eating.  You are what you eat.  If you feed off of the things of God, you will be come more Godly.

            So, the question is simple.  Where are your roots?  Are they firmly established in the good soil of God’s word?  How far do your roots go?  Are you going to be unmovable when the storms come?  Get rooted in Christ so you will grow and live and never be shaken.