Nuggets of the Wise

Let us consider available nuggets of wisdom from the Word of God that will aid and accelerate our growth in the things of God. Let us first unpack Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. This was one of the more charismatic churches of the time, not only alive with the gifts of the Spirit, but also alive with all manners of the manifestation of the flesh. One such incident is the man who had an incestral affair with his step-mother. After sending a letter admonishing the church to shun this offending member who seemed to have no remorse for his sin, Apostle Paul came back to this same issue to now release the man from the punishment of the church. He said, “But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:5-11). Here we see the Apostle teaching the church the importance of forgiveness, noting that excessive punishment can cause more detriment than good, leading the offender further and further away from their redemption, a loss that benefits no one! Further, the devil is able to use harbored resentment and unforgiveness to further his agenda in our midst if left to his own devices, and forgiveness and reconciliation are ways we can employ to shut all doors and leave him without a leg to stand on. This is another factor of importance brought in by the apostle, the importance of not being tricked by the devil through the door of ignorance. This is not to advocate for obsessive demonology studies, but instead, an encouragement to fully know the God we serve and who He has made us to be in Him, that we are able to identify masquerading decoys and traps set by the enemy. 

Another nugget to consider, is found in Proverbs 18:21, reading, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit”. This is one of the kingdom’s most underutilized weapons, the mouth is not just for eating, but it is to bring all things in our surroundings and life to the obedience of Jesus Christ, speaking the Word of God until we see it come alive in the flesh. However, it will be hard to speak positively when all we consume is the world’s negativity, yes, stop listening to every single thing the mainstream media pushes down your throat! This is not to advocate for social ignorance, but it is counsel to manage the dosage of everything you intake that does not come from the counsel of God. Apostle Paul said, “Do not be deceived: “Evil communication corrupts good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). This is what happens, garbage in, garbage out. Manage what you feast your eyes and ears on, because before long, it will fill the contents of your heart and will become the confession of your mouth. And we cannot afford for the enemy to capture our mouth because our words are our weapon of warfare, our sword in the Spirit, we cannot be careless, saints!

Our next consideration comes from 2 Peter 1:2, which says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord”, showing us that in this Kingdom, it really is not about God doing anything, because He has done it all (Ephesians 1:3), instead, it all begins and ends with how much access to knowledge of this truth we have. This knowledge of the truth is what makes us free, because Christ has already set us free! Believe it church, the Word of God is the highest form of deliverance, the devil and his demons use ignorance to form convictions and strongholds that then begin to torment well meaning believers, but the church today will hunt for delivery services all around the world instead of diving into the Word! There is no blessing a man of God can give you that you can keep unless you have mastered the mental dexterity of that Word, your vibrations will repel it, and it will be lost as quickly as it was found. Invest into your mind, get the truth, feed on it, and change the way you think! Apostle Paul wrote, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). A carnal mind is one that continually deliberates on anything contrary to the Word of God, and the Bible shows us that the end of such a one is death, but he who keeps his mind on God finds life, peace and rest. Peace is not the absence of turmoil, but it is instead the presence of God even in the valley of death. This is the life we have in Christ!

Prayer 

Father, we thank You for Your Word, which has assured us that You give wisdom liberally to Your children, and that You do not scold anyone coming to You earnestly. We decree and declare, that Your Word dwells in us richly, that Your Word informs everything that we do, and that Your Word continues to transform us into the image of Your lovely Son! In the name of Jesus, Amen!