Wisdom From Proverbs Part 4 - Strategic Planning

Wisdom is competence with regard to the realities of life.”

Gerhard von Rad ‘The Wisdom of Israel’

 

Wisdom is proficiency in understanding how life really works.

Wisdom assumes knowledge.  Wisdom is knowing what to do with knowledge.

 

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.

Wisdom is not putting a tomato into a fruit salad.

Is Wisdom just obeying the rules?

Is it just being moral and good?

If you believe that God created the universe and showed us the way it works and what He thinks is best for us, then disobedience to His commands is not wise, it is simply stupid.

So much of the Bible doesn’t address many of the life issues we face.

What job should I do? Whom should I marry. Where should I live? What shall I eat for dinner? Where should I invest my savings?

Wisdom is more than just following the rules.

 It’s navigating the realities of life that often fall outside the rules.

It is competence in the realities of life.

“Wisdom is knowing what the right thing is to do in the 80% of life situations which the moral rules don’t directly apply.”   Tim Keller

 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

Fear: yirah

1. reverence, fear, i.e., a state of piety and respect toward a superior; 

2. fear, terror, i.e., a state of great anxiety and alarm;

3. worship, i.e., the act or speech of showing profound reverence toward a superior.

 4. awesomeness, i.e., that which causes wonder and astonishment

                                     Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew

It is through an appreciation of the awesomeness of God that we will discern the right thing to do in those 80% of life situations that the moral rule don’t cover.

Let’s turn our attention to one area where the moral rules don’t apply:

 

Strategic Planning: Why Did God Put Me On Planet Earth?

 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away (or lifts up); and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

 ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

 ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

¹⁶ You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. John 15:1-5, 16

 

Jesus says that we are here to “bear fruit”.

This Fruit, Karpos, has two aspects.

First there is personal growth:

⁹ Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:  immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,  factions, ²¹ envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:19-25

Second is the fruit in the mission of Making Disciples:

All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Therefore, proceed on the journey you began with me and make disciples of all the various ethnic groups that you find yourself with, baptizing them in my Father’s name as well as Mine and Holy Spirit’s, teaching them to obey all I commanded you. Remember I will always be with you as you do this.

Matthew 28:18-20 GMB translation

 

Paul had a desire to visit Rome and participate in making disciples there.

I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴  I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. Romans 1:13-15

 

A foundational principle is found in Ephesians 2:

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

 

God has a specific purpose for your life that will result in bearing much fruit for the Kingdom.

What is this purpose? What specific things did God plan for me to do?

How do I discover God’s specific plan for my life?

How do I prepare for these works?

What must I do to equip myself for these specific “good things”?

 

Here is where the wisdom from the Book of Proverbs helps us.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

 

As we approach these questions, we must realize that God has a plan that may go against our inclinations, our desires, and our natural thinking.

He may have things planned for us that we have never done, nor think we could ever do.

Therefore we must constantly lean into our awesome God, and follow his inclinations, not our own.

My own experience of asking God what specific things did He have planned for me had a specific answer: “Get Ready”.

 

The first step in discerning and accomplishing these “good works” is found in Proverbs 4:

²³ Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.
²⁴ Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.
²⁵ Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil. Proverbs 4:23-27

 

We must commit ourselves to walking out each day with the Lord, committing our thinking and behavior to Him and His ways.

 As we stay on the path, we should be asking God for greater revelation on His specific plan for our life.

Man’s steps are ordained by the LORD,
How then can man understand his way? Proverbs 20:24

 

The next step is to be part of a community where friendships are formed, especially with more mature followers of Christ.

A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding draws it out. Proverbs 20:5

God often speaks to us through our Godly brothers and sisters.

Our inner desires are often clarified by transparent conversations with trusted friends who hear from the Lord.

Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

 

A key element in knowing God’s specific will for your life is service:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ¹²  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the  knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13

There is a dynamic in works of service to one another that causes maturity to happen in your life.

Your pastors, elders and small group leaders are charged with teaching you how to joyfully involve yourself in helping others with physical needs as well as spiritual growth. As you do these works for the Lord, to others, something changes within you, and you become more like Christ.

Karate Kid: Paint fence Wax car, Sand Deck 

Daniel thought he was just painting a fence, waxing cars and sanding decks, but in reality he was learning all the moves necessary to defend himself.

 There was a time when James and John came to Jesus with a request to sit beside him in places of honor next to His throne:

⁴¹ When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. ⁴² So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. ⁴³ But among you it will be different.

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:35-45

 

Service is the pathway to spiritual maturity and the gateway to actualizing God’s specific plan for your life.

Service is the perquisite to God’s anointing and empowerment for accomplishing those things that He planned for you long ago.

 As you involve yourself in serving others, opportunities will arise for further, expanded service. It is at this point that having relationships with wise brothers and sisters is critical.

Prepare plans by consultation,
  And make war by wise guidance. Proverbs 20:18

 Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory. Proverbs 11:14

Without consultation, plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they succeed. Proverbs 15:22

 We should surround ourselves with mature Godly people who have experience in the issues of life, who have faced relational issues, financial strategies, emotional challenges, and walked in the anointing of the Lord for their specific “good works.”

As we live in Christ’s community and have solid relationships with mature brothers and sisters, and as we involve ourselves in the ministry of our local church and Body of Christ, constantly asking God to lead us forward in our spiritual transformation, it should become apparent how the Holy Spirit has empowered us to accomplish His plan for our lives.

 1 Corinthians 12 and Romas 12 give us a list of these supernatural empowerments of the Holy Spirit.

⁷ A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. ⁸ To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. ⁹

The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. ¹⁰ He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy.

He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.

¹¹ It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

⁴ Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, ⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.

 ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.

 If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:4-8

 

These are some of the Supernatural Empowerments

Word of Wisdom, Words of Knowledge,

Faith to see things accomplished, Performing Miracles,

Speaking God’s specific words, Discernment of spirits,

 Speaking and understanding foreign languages,

Serving others, Teaching, Giving words of Encouragement,

 Leading others, and Extending Kindness.

 

What Has the Holy Spirit empowered you to do?

 Many plans are in a man’s heart,
But the counsel of the LORD will stand. Proverbs 19:21

Ask your brothers and sisters what they see happening in your life.

Discerning and walking in God’s specific purpose of your life is a progressive revelation.

As you walk out daily making small decisions of obedience to the things God has shown you for your personal life, and as you develop the disciplines of loving God with all your heart, will and mind, and as you abide in Him, something exciting happens:

His plans for you will be established.

Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:1-3

 Daily decisions of obedience result in the establishment and actuation of God’s specific plan for our lives.

 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

 Let God plans for you be established through those small decisions of everyday life.

How am I going to earn a living?

How do I handle this relationship with a potential spouse?

How can I resolve disagreements?

What do I do when bad things happen to me?

How do I be a good steward of the resources that you have given to me?

How can I best exercise my supernatural empowerments?

How do I best manage my time?

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17

 

As God’s plan unfolds, remember that flexibility is essential in seeing success.

The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

 We can count on God to show us “ His path”, and we should be willing to make changes from ‘our path”

 So enjoy the adventure that God has designed you for. Have confidence that He will provide all you need, and give you great joy and peace as your adventure unfolds.

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6