100%: God Grants Wisdom When We Ask

100% Session 1

God Grants Wisdom When We Ask

By Kuya Jeremiah Sanchez

Ever had what we called an 'Oopsie' moment?

An Oopsie Moment refers to unfortunate incidents in our lives due to our carelessness or foolishness.

Imagine that you can now drive. You're about to park inside your house. But before you can even park, there's this sneaky curve you must avoid in order to maintain the beauty of your car. You've seen your parents park carefully every single time but to you, you think it's pointless. You say to yourself: Eh, I'm a better driver naman than my parents. I can so park this in without a scratch and even faster.

So, you do it your way.

And then-

CRASH!

Next thing you know, you're standing in your living room, scratching your head as you face your red-faced mother and dad whose rolling his eyes out. What do you tell them?

I didn't know it would end that way.

Oopsie!

Regret. We're not that fond of regretting, are we?

Which explains why we need WISDOM.

What is wisdom? How can we define this word?

There are two definitions for the word wisdom:

First, there's the world's definition:

- knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgement as to action

And then, there's the biblical definition which could be located in the book of Proverbs, chapter 9, verse 10:

¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

Fear of the Lord. The fear in this context is not negative, rather it's positive. Your fear of the Lord does not force you to hide and simply run away from Him. Instead, this fear is out of love. If you love God, you fear of hurting Him. You want to live your life according to the way He set it for us because you love Him as much as He loves you.

We should acknowledge the fact that wisdom from God is better than any other wisdom this world offers us. Why?

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

God knows more than we do. His ways are far superior than ours, which is why we need His wisdom in the big or even in the little things we do in this life. Wisdom is knowledge applied! If we apply God's ways (which are far better than ours), we are sure to make the wisest decisions!

When we ask for it, God will grant it!

⁵ 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.

James 1:5

Notice the word if at the beginning of the verse. The former verses before the fifth explain why we crave for wisdom:

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds,³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

Let's face it: every one of us experience trials. At school, we're faced with mounds of exams, unreasonable teachers and classmates we simply could never understand. Inside our homes, we deal with conflicts and arguments between ourselves and our siblings or parents. Even in the littlest things, we face trials.

Everywhere we go, there's always a challenge!

With all of these happening, it's only right for us to ask our Heavenly Father for wisdom, even if the situation is tiny or bigger than a whale.

HOW?

How do you ask for wisdom?

 ⁶ 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. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

James 1:6-8

First off, we should ASK IN FAITH! We should believe that God will hear our requests. Remember: God is our Dad and He surely wouldn't turn a deaf ear to us because He loves us. He wants us to trust in Him and His word. We shouldn't doubt His ability. Let's assure ourselves that our Heavenly Dad is true to His word! :D

Another thing, when we ask in faith, it goes to show that we are totally dependent on God. We acknowledge the fact that we can't do things on our own and we need His wisdom. 

So, what aspects in our lives do we ask for wisdom? :)

1. Family

No family is perfect. Our mothers tend to nag us. Our fathers may sometimes be insensitive. Our siblings may bug or annoy us every day. No one is perfect in this world. We should ask for wisdom on how to fulfill our specific roles in the family. Ask God to help us restrain ourselves from disrespecting our parents because as it was mentioned in Ephesians 6:2-3, we should honor and obey our parents. Same goes for settling conflicts! Let's pray for wisdom in settling them peacefully :)

2. School

School is a major stress cause (yes, which is why most of us have eyebags and pimples). We should ask God's guidance in our managing our times for academics and extra-curricular activities. We're no Supermans (or Superwomans). Ask for wisdom as you study for the exams. Remember, we're doing it not for ourselves, but for Him.

²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

Colossians 3:23

If we do it for the Lord, it won't be in vain! 

We can also ask for wisdom when it comes to choosing the college meant for us. Where does He want us to be? Where would we grow in His presence?

Ask God for wisdom :)

3. Friends

Lately, we can only trust a few. When it comes to choosing our friends, we can ask God to help us land within a good set of people. Ask Him to lead you to people who will be good influences in your life. 1 Corinthians 15:33 does say that we must avoid bad company. We should be sensitive to God's leading.

Also, when it comes to settling conflicts between friends. Rather than argue, which eventually leads to an end of a friendship, stop and ask God first. How should you solve this? How do you forgive?

4. Self

Do you know that you can also ask wisdom when it comes to buying things? We should become good stewards of our money. Rather than buy things in an instant, we should pause for a moment and consult God. 

Desiring those new designer shoes when you've still got a perfect pair? Ask God first.

You're on a diet. The chocolate cake in the fridge seems to be calling your name. What should you do? Ask God first.

Even in love life, asking God is really applicable.

Should you or should you not reply to his/her text?

Should you or should you not assume?

Should you or should you not spend too much time with them?

God cares for you and He wants you t make the right decisions! Which is why we should never forget to ask Him, especially to matters concerning us, His children.

God gives us wisdom through our thoughts and ideas. Usually, insights from Him can be conceived from the Bible, His Word. We should practice reading God's book of reminders for us in order to avoid making foolish decisions and regrets in the end.

Let's remind ourselves that as much as possible, God doesn't want us to undergo Oopsie Moments. Doctors would usually say: Prevention is better than cure! So, before we can make a mistake that we're most likely to regret, we should pause and ask God!

GOD GRANTS WISDOM WHEN WE ASK! :))