Author: John Page 158 of 167

Acts 22:10 “And I said, What shall I do, Lord?  And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.”

Once Saul confirmed that the Lord was the One giving him the orders, he was an eager volunteer.  In a flash of light, Saul went from proud self-sufficiency to humble servanthood.  Like Isaiah, he wasn’t concerned with the details of his assignment, because he trusted the assignor.  He didn’t quibble over the directions, because he trusted the director.  He didn’t hold out for a better offer, because he trusted the offeror.

Saul’s new attitude was much like the Marine Corps slogan “We don’t accept applications, only commitments.”  He was committed to following the Lord, wherever the leading would take him.  Saul recognized that the Lord’s direction comes with personal responsibility to faithfully follow.

American Christians need to eagerly follow the Lord’s call for personal commitment and responsibility.  The Lord needs us to humbly say “What shall I do, Lord?” and then we must obediently follow whatever the answer may be.  PLEASE PRAY THAT INDIVIDUAL AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD BE HUMBLY COMMITTED TO SERVICE AS THE LORD DIRECTS.  Every one of us has a Damascus where the Lord will lead us.  Obediently follow him there and beyond!

Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?  Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

We need more American Christians who will act like Isaiah.  Before he even knew what the Lord wanted him to do, Isaiah was a volunteer.  He was personally committed to serve the Lord.  Isaiah didn’t wait for others to take the lead; he took it himself.

It is simplistic to pinpoint widespread revival as the solution to our national problems.  It is easy to passively expect others to correct our culture.  It is a sterile platitude to demand a return to the values of our forefathers.  It is agnostically academic to sit ideally by and critique the failures of our population.  It is ignorantly idealistic to expect change without individual effort.

It is naïve to presume change … apart from your involvement.  Revival begins at the personal level.  Change originates through individual initiative.  Values shift when people consistently demonstrate them in their own lives.

Groups are comprised of individuals.  We is made up of me; us is made up of you.  If I don’t get to work, then there is nothing we can do.  If the Lord can’t count on you, then He can’t count on us.   PLEASE PRAY FOR A VOLUNTEER SPIRIT THAT RECOGNIZES YOUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO FOLLOW WHEN THE LORD LEADS YOU.  American Christians can only make a difference if we are composed of individual Christians would will say “Here am I; send me.”

Proverbs 22:29 “Seest thou a man diligent in his business?  He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.”

The last three posts about Godly wisdom are not meant to detract from the necessity for Christians to prepare themselves through diligence and hard work.  Daniel and Joseph thrived based on both spiritual and professional preparation.  While we should always humbly recognize that only the Lord can give us true wisdom, failing to prepare properly to succeed in life can limit our potential for influence.  Sadly, some Christians eschew education, shun scholarship and dodge development just to be counter-cultural.  It is then no surprise that they are unable to stand before kings with a credibility that compliments their testimony.

Wisdom should be approached like a typical prayer request.   ‘You should work as if it is all up to you, and pray as if it is all up to God.’  Doing so does not deny wisdom’s ultimate source, but provides a personal context within which to assimilate wisdom.

We need American Christians who can stand before kings with sterling testimonies AND resumes.  We need American Christians who can stand before kings with unfaltering faithfulness AND expertise.  We need American Christians who can stand before kings with stellar humility AND pedigree.  We need American Christians who can stand before kings with distinct levels of faith AND accomplishment.  We need American Christians who can stand before kings with unwavering reliability AND credibility.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD FAITHFULLY DEVELOP ALL ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES.  We must impact our land through all avenues available to us, and stand before kings with multi-dimensional distinctiveness.

Proverbs 3:4 “So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”

Based on commands regarding wisdom, it is obvious that faithfully clinging to God’s wisdom will bring us favour in His eyes.  Yet, God’s promises regarding wisdom go far beyond this.  In fact, faithfully clinging to Godly wisdom will bring us favour in the eyes of man.  It is through this favour that we can deflect glory to the Lord.

Because of the distinctness of their testimonies, based largely on Godly wisdom, Daniel and Joseph found great favour in the eyes of worldly rulers.  These men refused to become part of their ungodly cultures in order to reach them.  Indeed, their strong stance for the Lord combined with an amazing level of insight possible only through provision from God Himself, caused them to change their lands without compromise.  Indeed, compromise would have undermined the powerfully distinctive understanding that brought them favour to begin with.

As followers of the Lord in our ungodly land, we need to cling to distinctive Godly wisdom in order to impact our nation.  Clinging to anything else, as we have errantly done in the past, will further undermine our ability to impact America for the Lord.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS, CLINGING TO GODLY WISDOM, WOULD FIND GREAT FAVOUR IN OUR LAND.  Godly wisdom greatly impacted Egypt and Babylon through favour found by faithful followers.  If we trust in it now, then according to God’s promises it can do the same in America today.

Proverbs 3:7 “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”

James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

We love to be wise in our own eyes.  We gather degrees, study philosophies, and read self-help books while we neglect our regular devotions.  We are impressed by scholars, leaders, and pundits while we criticize our pastors.  We spend time listening to the news, watching television, and tirelessly texting while we skip our prayer time.  We seek wisdom from everywhere but its real source.

I am as guilty of this as anyone.  I fret over the topic of my PLUS posts throughout the week, wracking my brain for something worthwhile to write.  More often than not, this leads me nowhere.  Yet, without even thinking about it, the next topic will come to me just in time during a period of regular prayer or daily devotions.  Each time I’m surprised, but I shouldn’t be.  Nothing that I have to say is wise, but everything God has to say is.

Abraham Lincoln wrote the following in his journal in 1829:  “I feel humbled and mortified by the conviction that the Creator has gifted me with intelligence almost in vain.  I am almost twenty two and have as yet attained but the threshold of knowledge.”  Lincoln’s thoughts help reveal the difference between knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom.  Knowledge can be attained through studies and intelligence is a characteristic gifted by God.  The application of the combination of these, wisdom, is in vain without the Lord.

American Christians need to stop seeking wisdom apart from God.  Man’s wisdom is not wisdom at all.  PLEASE REGULARLY PRAY THAT THE LORD WOULD HELP AMERICAN CHRISTIANS RECOGNIZE OUR DEPENDENCE ON HIS WISDOM.  More than anything, this nation needs citizens who zealously seek the Lord’s wisdom.  Gaining true wisdom is not a tedious chore; it’s there for the asking.