The Cold Hard Truth

Life Hack: Wisdom

Speaker: Brad Daniel

Most people don’t plan on screwing up their lives, but they don’t plan on NOT doing it either.

Something that lacks in our world today is wisdom.

When we think of wisdom, we think of an owl, or a really old person who has learned a lot about life. 

But wisdom is knowledge and judgement that comes from perspective, obedience, and discernment in order to do the right thing at the right time for the glory of God. 

Your direction determines your destination, and most people don’t consider that when they are making decisions in their daily lives. But ask yourself-In light of where I want to go in the future, what has happened to me in the past, and where am I right now- what is the wisest thing for me to do? 

When people are making decisions in their daily life, they think-Oh i will just cuss this one time, I will just go to this one party, I will just tell this one little lie, I will only smoke this one time, I will only drink this little bit, I will only go this far-BUT EVERY LITTLE DECISION YOU MAKE ONLY LEADS TO MORE AND MORE. And I think people know that, but choose to avoid it. Everyone always thinks that they will be the one exception!! But that could not be farther from the truth! we HAVE to be intentional with our decisions! Proverbs 7 talks about the woman that seduced the man, and he went away with her. Proverbs 7:23 says that he went with her like a snake into a snare, “Little knowing it will cost him his life”. 

We often have the mindset of, “It’s okay! I’m young! I’m a teenager! I’m supposed to have some ‘fun’!!” But--The direction you are going now determines your destination for the future, whether you want it to or not. And the direction you are going will ALWAYS trump your intentions. 

For example, you may have the intention to have a great potential influence on people-But then you make a decision or turn in the wrong direction. And when that happens, you are pushing your wisdom aside. 

Having wisdom is hard, but it will be fulfilling and your life will look so different to those around you!!

How can we do this? Be in God’s Word! Ask for wisdom and direction! Surround yourself with people who not only follow Christ, but who also make wise decisions-because those two things are often very skewed though they should be aligned. 

You can NOT live your life like Christ if you aren’t in His word! 

James 1:5 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.

If you are seeking a promising future, you must realize that your choices now affect your life! The things you choose to do now can affect your marriage in 10 years! The things you do now can affect your health in 50 years! And most importantly, the things you do now can either strengthen or kill your witness to others. 

When we are wise with our decisions and when we live a wise life, we are giving glory to God so that others can see it! 

Your direction, your words, and your relationships RIGHT NOW-THIS VERY SECOND- are determining the destination of your future. 

We must be choosing the WISE thing! Not the “fun” thing! Not the “popular” thing! The wise and God-glorifying thing!  What people think about you does NOT matter! But what God thinks about you does! 

It doesn’t matter if what you are doing is a sin or not! Even though it’s not clearly defined as a sin doesn’t mean that it’s glorifying to God. What we should be asking ourselves is, “Are we causing other people to stumble? Are we showing people the difference between living for Christ and living like everyone else in the world?” It doesn’t matter if you are with your Christian friends or you non-Christian friends! When we are with our Christian friends, we are supposed to be representing Christ, not kicking back because “we all love Jesus so whatever we do is okay”. No. No No No. 

The beauty of wisdom is that you can’t get there on your own. God will meet you where you are and enable you to live this life! And all of your friends that are making dumb choices? You’re going to escape that junk and you are going to glorify God with your life and your decisions! So start being wise, and start being intentional with your decisions right now!!