Please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of James. Book of James, chapter one. And we will be looking at verses five through eight. If you're using the Pew Bibles, you can find that on page 950. James chapter 1 verses 5 through 8. Let's hear God's word together. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting. For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let's pray. Father, as we look into your word again this morning and we consider this important topic of wisdom and seeking wisdom from you. We do pray that you would give us an understanding of what wisdom truly is, Lord, and an understanding of what we're to do when we lack wisdom. And we do pray that you would give us grace and faith to believe these things, to apply them in our lives as we continue to work through this precious epistle. So Father, please grant us your spirit and open our hearts and our minds to hear from you. We pray in Christ's name, amen. Last time we considered James's exhortation concerning how we ought to respond to all the trials that we encounter in our Christian walk. This morning we move on to consider the means of obtaining wisdom, which we will need all throughout the course of our walk as well. When the Lord humbles an individual and brings him to rely wholly upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, it doesn't take long for that individual to realize that we depend upon God far, far, far more than we ever realized when we were in darkness. Having been rescued from our former arrogance, presumption, and pride, we now know that our very life breath is in the hands of God and that every move we make must be directed by him or we will never take a step in the right direction. And so to this end, we need a constant, regular, ongoing, Holy Spirit-infused dose of wisdom if we're to make it through this very difficult journey we call life, arriving safely home to glory. To this end, James provides us with instructions for leading us to the means and place of obtaining such wisdom. And so we begin then by considering first the general statement that James makes when he says, if anyone lacks wisdom, Notice in verse five, he says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. And so we begin here by considering first the expressed need, which then secondly leads to the basic charge, followed thirdly by an encouraging motivation to keep that charge. The first three things we'll consider based on verse five here. And so first he says, if any of you lacks wisdom, and so here is the express need that leads to the choice. given in the remainder of this verse. Well, what is it then to lack wisdom? This is something that I had to wrestle with this week, and sometimes we take for granted this idea of wisdom, but it really is important as we think about lacking wisdom, first, to discern what this wisdom is that we may come to lack. What is this wisdom? While wisdom is a very general term, which can involve any sense of certainty concerning a particular direction that we would like to take in life, I believe that especially in a biblical sense, this wisdom involves understanding how to act biblically in a God-honoring way in light of various providential circumstances that currently surround us. how to act biblically in a way that honors God in light of the circumstances that surround us. In other words, it is not necessarily speaking about which path is the better path to take in any given situation. Wisdom doesn't always mean knowing what the better path is to take in any particular direction. But rather, how to be certain that whatever path we take, We are acting in a way that we can be sure is in keeping with God's revealed will, that is, in accordance with the principles that are given in Scripture. We want to ensure that we're acting according to his will. Sometimes this, of course, will eliminate various options, but that is not always the case. I say this because at times we may be called to make particular amoral decisions, that is, decisions that are not necessarily immoral or moral. There's nothing wrong with them, with whatever direction we choose to go into. with a specific direction to be taken is not necessarily something that is revealed to us, while the certainty of how we ought to conduct ourselves throughout the course of the decision-making process is what is made clear. That is where the wisdom comes in. Wisdom in this sense involves wanting to do the right thing in keeping with that which is pleasing to God, even if the direction taken is not necessarily easier or more preferable. Within the context of enduring trials, which this is in that context, in the immediate sense, as we saw last time, wisdom would involve understanding how to respond to trials in such a way that would lead us to rejoice, allowing big picture realities to control how we respond in the midst of the short-term sorrows that we must presently endure. And so wisdom should not first and foremost be concerned about whether to choose A, B, or C. We may pray to that end, but we ought not to be disappointed if none of the choices are ruled out. But rather, what kinds of God-honoring principles ought to be set in place decisions in a way that would best bring glory to God. That is what wisdom is concerned about. To this end, wisdom involves gaining the understanding of how I can best please God at any moment, especially recognizing the natural tendency of my flesh to stand in the way of God's revealed will, rather than necessarily being certain about a particular direction. Wisdom involves knowing, understanding, and applying what the scriptures teach in contrast to drawing from the deceptive influences of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Wisdom is not necessarily learning something new, so much as it is understanding what has already been given and properly applying it in the present. And that is why one pursuing wisdom must be regularly in the Word of God if he or she expects to be divinely directed in such a way that God would open up an avenue for the Holy Spirit to provide wisdom. And so if we're seeking wisdom about something in our lives, we're seeking wisdom about difficult matters, we ought not to be surprised if we don't get any wisdom if we're not in the Word of God. We're looking at wisdom in a wrong way. We're just looking for God to give us an answer to something. And that's not necessarily how God works. He's going to give us from his word what we need to understand so that we can act best in keeping with his will wherever this direction goes. And that will, at times, eliminate, obviously, different options as well. In fact, the book of Proverbs, we know, is specifically called wisdom literature. But we recall that in Proverbs 9-10, we're told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That's the beginning. You can't even begin to have wisdom, right? In the biblical sense, unless you fear God first. Unless, from the Christian standpoint, we are converted and we are in Christ and we are now walking in a way where we desire to please God and that our relationship with God affects how we live and act in life. You don't even have wisdom until you begin there. Well, having considered a general sense of what wisdom is then from a biblical standpoint, we're better suited then to consider the need that is here expressed, that James addresses here. Notice, he says, if anyone lacks wisdom, And so what then is the matter of concern here? What is the need? There is a lack of wisdom concerning a matter or concerning some type of matters in your life. There's a lack of wisdom. That is to say that there's a lack of understanding how to best apply God's revealed will to any given providential challenge that you've come to face. That's what wisdom is seeking. How do I apply the will of God to this situation? How do I see in God's revealed will what is there to help me act in such a way that will glorify God through this difficult time? That's what I'm seeking when I'm seeking wisdom. And it may be that you're not certain of what God's revealed will has to say about the matter. Or if his revealed will even directly addresses the matter. Or if there are general principles that ought to come to mind as you work through the matter. And so there is a lack of wisdom on your part and you want to ensure that all that you do, how you respond and act, is in keeping with the wisdom that is from above and not informed or directed by the world or the natural inclinations of the flesh. That's the goal of wisdom. You don't want to be directed by the flesh and the world, or by the opinions of society, or modern-day psychologists, or others who are surrounding you. You want to be directed by the Word of God. And while you desire this wisdom as a means of helping to inform any decisions that you have to make, your greatest desire is to ensure that all that you do is pleasing to God and within the confines of His revealed will. His will as revealed, in other words, to us through the scriptures when I speak of His revealed will. And so you might be in somewhat of a quandary. You're uncertain about a matter, or about matters, and you need wisdom. That's the expressed need that James is here addressing. He's saying if any of you lacks wisdom, Well, what then is the basic charge now given by James here? We know the issue, the lack, is we lack wisdom. We lack an understanding of what God's revealed will, how it would inform us so that we know how to best act as we're seeking to address certain matters that have troubled us or have confused us in life. Well, secondly, here is the charge then. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God. Let him ask God. And so what do we do if we lack wisdom concerning any given matter, particularly as we desire to ensure that we are acting within the confines of God's revealed will? Let him ask God. Simply put, pray about it. Bring it to the source of all wisdom, namely God himself. And brethren, the benefit of doing this is that we have constant access to at least three key resources that God will use to provide that wisdom. This is important. So we go to God and ask him for wisdom, but we have to understand there are three key resources at least that he uses to answer us as we go to him for this wisdom. We of course have the Holy Spirit of God in us if we are in Christ, that's one key resource. The Holy Spirit is the one who directs us, right, according to the will of God. But secondly, which you cannot separate from the Holy Spirit, we have the scriptures which provide us with everything that we need to ensure that we are living within the confines of God's revealed will. So you have the Spirit of God who directs us and brings the scriptures to mind, and helps us to apply them and open our hearts to understand what's in there. And then we have the scriptures themselves, which give us everything that is revealed about God's will. And then we also have other believers. who are also given the Holy Spirit or who have the Spirit in them as well. And they are able to assist in helping us think biblically and without any natural bias as we might be tempted to allow our own natural desires to overshadow the work of the Spirit and the Scripture. So other believers, counsel from others who have the Holy Spirit helps provide a third means of being able to ensure that we are receiving wisdom from God when we pray to Him. Those are the tools that He will use. But with all three of these resources at hand, we have the resources, we find access to biblical wisdom, and as we seek God in prayer concerning any given matter where there is a lack of wisdom, we will set ourselves in the position of making the best use of the resources that God has provided without anything to contaminate our judgment as we seek to make good use of those resources. In other words, having the resources, right, the scriptures, the Holy Spirit, and other believers in themselves is insufficient. Not because the resources are insufficient in themselves, but because we are making use of these resources through a lens that still bears the effects of sin. We still have the flesh, so we have great resources, infallible resources in the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. But we're processing these truths and seeking wisdom through a lens that is still infected with sin. And so that's why James says what he says here. We need God by his spirit to help us overcome the obstacle of our flesh in order to properly make use of his resources. So we're praying God to overcome the lens that is contaminated so that we can make proper use of what he has already given us in the resources that provide wisdom. You see, apart from God, we can twist and manipulate the scriptures to say what they don't really mean, can't we? We can take texts out of context and make them say what we want them to say so that we can go in a direction that we want to go, not really being concerned about the wisest path or the path that brings glory to God. Without the work of God in us, we can equate the work of the Holy Spirit with our feelings and emotions. How many people say, well, God told me to do this. I did this today because God wants me to do this. God wants me to leave this church and go to that church because he told me. And you say, okay, where did you get that from? I felt it inside of me, right? There's a way that we can actually manipulate and misuse the spirit and confuse him with our own emotions. And there are a lot of people who confuse emotions with the spirit. They're two different things. Spirit can work in great ways sometimes and you might not feel like it at all. That's why it's important that we seek the Lord. And then we can be selective with the counsel we receive, can't we? In other words, even with other counsel, we can find voices that will agree with our own desires and not with the teachings of Scripture. We see that go on all the time. I've seen it happen. It's happened right now with my former co-elders in New York are going through a very difficult season because there's an individual they were counseling in the church who we all love dearly, who's been in the church for so many years, who is making a very poor decision. And even though they're showing them scriptures and showing them how she's contradicting the will of God, she's managed to go find all kinds of other counsels until she found one or two that would agree with her. So you can get conflicting counsel. So there is that danger as well, where you can look for a voice that agrees with your desires. And this individual really is going after her desires. We need divine intervention. As we pursue wisdom from God, we need divine intervention so that we can properly use the resources that he has provided for us. The resources are great, but we are not. And so we need divine intervention. And so if we lack wisdom, we need to ask God for it. But then notice how the author adds some very encouraging words that ought to compel us to all the more seek God for the wisdom that we lack. He says some very encouraging things here to encourage us. If you lack wisdom, ask God, but then there's some very encouraging things. He says, if anyone lacks wisdom, ask God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given. Wow, what a promise, what a promise. What a powerful motivation for seeking God for wisdom. Notice three encouraging factors that are given here in verse five. First, we're told that God gives wisdom generously to those who ask. In other words, God gives wisdom bountifully. He gives it liberally to those who ask him. The idea here presented is that God, not only doesn't he withhold wisdom to those who ask, but rather he gives freely and abundantly to those who ask. He is very inclined to release the waterfalls of wisdom upon all who humbly come to him for it. The implication is that God desires to reveal and not conceal when it comes to wisdom. He wants us to ask. He bids us to ask, he's ready to answer, and that to the full when we ask. He gives generously to those who ask. But then secondly, he adds another statement here as well, to this encouragement as well, that even takes it a step further. God gives generously, he says, generously to all without reproach. In other words, not only is God very inclined to provide a full measure of wisdom to those who ask, but furthermore he does so without criticizing or disparaging us because we have asked no matter how many times we come to him and no matter what the subject of that wisdom relates to. Isn't that wonderful? You can have the rich uncle who you go to and you say, hey, can I have some, can you help me? I'm in a situation where I'm in some debt, can you help me? And the uncle may be very generous, but when he gives you that generosity, he can do it in such a way as to belittle you, right? Say, oh, here you go again, you need more money, don't you? What did you do now? How did you squander it? Right? You don't even want to go to somebody like that. But God gives liberally without reproach. He's not like that uncle. God doesn't get tired of our asking. He's not like us at times when we would get annoyed and perhaps belittle someone who comes to us for what we might consider to be silly advice or that which seems to address the obvious. He doesn't grow weary about coming as if God would say to us when we come to him for wisdom, oh, it's you again. No, God welcomes us at all times, no matter how simple or complicated the matter might be. In fact, our humility in any regard is desirable to God. When we come to Him, even about the alleged small matters, it's desirable to Him because it shows that we have a better understanding of just how vulnerable and dependent upon Him we really are, and we are. And when you come to God for wisdom, like a child goes to a parent, it's not that God in some way is proud of that in himself, none of that makes him any better, but he delights when we see the truth and we depend upon him, because we do. And so we don't have to shy away from approaching God at any time concerning any matter, or even about the same type of matter a thousand times. Well, I've come to God with this before, I've come now, and it's like I'm checking again, he's gonna be angry. No, he says, come. He will not sneer at us. He will not look down upon us. He will not be critical of us. He will always welcome us with a genuine and warm smile, as it were, even as a father would do for his young child. Isn't that what the Lord Jesus Christ said? What a wonderful thing the Lord said. He said, if we fathers If you fathers being sinful, yet desire to give good gifts to your children who ask, right? My own child comes to me and asks for something, and I'm still a sinful person, yet I still want to do good to them. I want to bless them. I want them to have understanding. I want to provide for them. How much more, if I will do that, will my heavenly Father, who is without sin, give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? Give the Holy Spirit. God gives generously and without reproach. But then thirdly, and finally, we're told that the wisdom will be given to us. So it's not just that God is generous to give, it's not just that he gives without reproach, but he will give it to us. He's going to give it to us. He will open up our understanding. Again, what a compelling reason to come to God for wisdom at all times and regarding all matters. God gives generously, God gives without reproach, and He will give us the wisdom that we ask for. He will, by His Spirit, lead us into the truth of His Word that will provide us with the biblical principles that we need in order to respond and act in a way that is in keeping with His revealed will. That's what He's going to give us. Sometimes we come with the wrong expectations. We have desires in life and we're losing sight of the big picture and God has an answer to us according to those desires. But that's not what he promises to give. He promises to give wisdom. That is, he promises to open up his word to us in such a way that we know how best to act and respond in a way that will glorify him in whatever the situation is that we face. And so we're motivated. If anyone lacks wisdom, ask God. That said, there is also a warning attached to this exhortation as well, specifically related to the way that we ask God and the attitude that we have toward God, especially while and after we ask, when we ask him and after we ask. There's an attitude that he would expect of us, and rightly so, and we'll see why. Notice, secondly, So if anyone lacks wisdom, ask God. But then he says, let him ask in faith. And so we're more than welcome to come to God at all times for wisdom, but let us come with the right heart, attitude, and mindset if we expect him to answer. Notice verses six through eight. But let him ask in faith. With no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. And so here we find that while the Lord is more than willing to give wisdom to those who ask, he expects us to approach him with a proper attitude and mindset. Simply put, he expects us to come to him in faith. were to ask in faith without doubting. Hopefully, we have come away from the book of Hebrews with the firm conviction that God always expects us to relate to him by faith. In fact, all of scripture teaches us that from the time that man was created to the end of history, as we know it, God always relates to mankind through the vehicle of faith, and it is impossible, impossible to please God without faith. And so, we ought not to be surprised then that God expects us to make requests of him without doubting what he can and will do. There is no greater insult than to doubt God when coming before him with our requests. In fact, it would be better not to come at all than to come with that kind of a heart. And so the author bids us to come freely and as often as we desire, but to ask in faith. But let him ask, we're told, in faith with no doubting. We don't give God a shot or cross our fingers and hope for the best when we come before God with a quest. You ever see those expressions even to people when they're unsaved? Give God a shot, give him a try. Don't use that in your evangelism. God commands us to believe. God commands us to come to him and to repent. He willingly receives, but don't play this, well, you know, let me just roll the dice and see if this God is even real or true. Right? Rather, we come recognizing that he is our heavenly father, who delights in hearing and answering our prayers, and that when he delays answering, or when he doesn't answer according to our desire, he is absolutely doing what is best and to be most preferred by any creature who understands that God will do and always does what is best. That's where the wisdom comes into, right? What is wisdom, what God provides in wisdom is not necessarily always what we desire. That's a problem with us, isn't it? And concerning a request for wisdom, we can assume that God will always answer and provide because that is what we're told here in God's word. He will give us the wisdom that we need. One who doubts God when he asks is one who exhibits the fact that he believes that God is either A, not trustworthy, B, he's incapable of answering, or C, he doesn't have the best interest of his beloved children in mind. That's what you're doing when you're doubting in that sense. You say he's not trustworthy, he can't really do this, or he really doesn't have our best interests in mind. It is a deep insult, and brethren, here's why this is so important. It is a deep insult, especially to the God who has gone to such a great extent to redeem us through the offering of his son. When you doubt God and come to him requesting wisdom, it's a slap in the face to what God has already done at the cross. In many ways, doubting God as a Christian is like spurning the cross where God has already affirmed the magnitude of love and concern that he has for our well-being. This is in keeping, in fact, with what the Apostle Paul stated in Romans 8.32. He says, he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will you not also with him graciously give us all things? So he ties that to the cross. He's already done the greatest thing for you. Why would you doubt that he wouldn't give you all things that you need to survive and to make it? And so when we come to God for wisdom, we are always to come anticipating that God, who is faithful to his word and who has already proven his worthiness of our trust at the cross, will always provide us with the wisdom we need, we need, at just the right time so that we can be certain that we will remain within the parameters of his revealed will as we seek to move forward. That's the promise. We gotta make sure we have the proper wisdom in view, right? We don't confuse that with desires, because that makes things messy, doesn't it? And we recognize that he's going to give us the wisdom, he will absolutely do so generously, without reproach, that we need, that we truly need. For one who doubts, we're told, is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed. by the wind. One who doubts God is unstable in his faith and susceptible to being driven about by teachings and traditions that compete with and contradict the will of God. Think of the example here given by James. Think of a wave in the ocean that is battered about by winds during storms. One moment, the wind drives right that wave, it drives it one way. And then the next moment, a wind comes from a different direction and it drives it another way. And it remains unsettled and unstable. You don't know where that wave is going to wind up. It has no firm resting place. You never know where it's going to wind up because another wind, a gust, may come and drive it in the very opposite direction from where it's presently flowing. James describes the one who makes requests of God and doubts in that way. Such an individual has no real grounding in what God states in his word. No real confidence in the integrity of the God who has given his son for us. His life does not rest on the solid foundation of God's word. And so being unsettled, unconvinced, and not resolute, he is oftentimes moved in another direction when some other source of alleged wisdom offers him a shorter route to his desired destination. There is no patience. There is no waiting. There is no endurance. There is no perseverance. There is no steadfastness. because there's no uncompromising faith in God. And regarding trials, an easy way out that quickly eliminates the suffering, the discomfort, and the confusion is taken, even when it offers a course that is contrary to the revealed will of God. The severity, in fact, of James' warning to this end is found in what he states in verses seven through eight. He says, for that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. If you lack wisdom, go to God, who is more than generous, who is ready and willing to provide wisdom liberally and without reproach to all who ask. But he says, don't come doubting. Come believing that he will provide. being willing to patiently, here's the key, wait upon him as he works in and through you by this very means, and be ready to receive the wisdom according to God's will and not what your desire is. And if you come doubting, unwilling to trust God, he says here, then don't expect God to answer. Indeed, don't expect God to answer any of your requests when you come with such a heart. He says, for such a person is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Such a person has no singular foundation in the word of God and is unstable and driven about by those teachings and ideologies that compete with God. You cannot put God in the mix with other voices. He must be supreme and you must trust in Him at all times, seeing that those that contradict God as false and to be rejected. And trusting God means leaning not, not even on your own understanding, but acknowledging Him in all your ways, trusting that He will direct your paths, He will make them straight. Trusting God means coming to him on his terms, recognizing him as having supreme knowledge and as being omnipotent and all sovereign. You have to receive God in this way at all times when there is confusion or clarity, discomfort or comfort, difficulty or ease, pain or delight, willing to stay firmly committed to him at all times, whatever road That takes you down in life. There must be the firm commitment to stay on track with him. A double-minded person is someone who tries to live within the sphere of two different mindsets. The Greek word is di-psychos, right? Double-minded, di-psychos, like two psychs, like two different people. and he is generally driven toward whatever path is smoothest and most to be preferred to the natural desires. Such a person is committed to follow God as long as God's ways line up with his own natural comforts and desires, but the moment he is called to supper, to sacrifice, to endure, to wait, or to simply be patient, He searches for another voice that will lead him around or away from the necessary trial. His concern is to get out of this trial rather than learning what God's will is and seeking to endure it and to grow by that means in understanding the revealed will of God. Someone truly seeking wisdom from God desires not to find the easiest and quickest way out of a trial, but rather to know and understand the will of God so that he might act and respond in a way that will glorify God, wholly trusting God to bring about the good and necessary fruit from the trial. Seeking biblical wisdom is to seek this end. A double-minded individual seeks rather his own natural temporal desires and will never endure what is necessary to bring about what God is after because he is not after what God is after. And so competing voices that offer what he is after will most certainly drive him to compromise when his immediate interests compete with God's long-term interests. You have to be in it for the long run when you're seeking wisdom from God. Such an individual cannot stand firm unto reaching God's blessed eternal destination when his heart and his treasure are in this world. And so he doubts and asks not in faith because he does not believe that God seeks his best interests because he believes that his worldly interests are his best interests. See, that's the problem. He says God's not after my best interests because he is consumed with his worldly interests. And so God's not going to lead him in that way, in giving him wisdom and leading him in the right direction. And so he thinks God doesn't have his best interests in mind because they're not in line with his worldly interests. And so for the genuine Christian whose heart and mind are fixed, first and foremost on pursuing the divine will. For those whose greatest concern is not their own personal comfort, but their personal sanctification, this exhortation is of great value. If you lack wisdom, ask God. He is generous and very inclined to give wisdom without reproach. Only ask in faith, trusting God to lead you on the course of his revealed will, which is best without doubting. Well Brethren, I think that's a proper exposition of this text. I want to now give you a concluding two applications or one for the believer and one for the unbeliever in conclusion as we seek to apply this in our lives. First, brethren, our search for wisdom as we trek through the course of this life will carry us into an innumerable host of practical ways of applying what James is exhorting here. In other words, this is a general principle that will have an unlimited means of applying it in our lives. But the overarching principle always remains the same, and that's the key. We are trying, here's the goal, We are trying with the help of God to discern the best possible means of applying his word to every area of our lives as we trek toward glory. That's really what it's all about. We are trying with the help of God, right? We are trying with the help of God to discern the best possible means of applying his word to every area of our lives as we trek toward glory. That is what wisdom is seeking, true wisdom. We have everything we need in the Word of God, and we have the Holy Spirit in us, and we have others to help counsel us, to help us properly apply the Word of God, but we need wisdom. We need divinely empowered and directed wisdom. We need divine intervention to enable us to make proper use even of those blessed means. We need God to act, or we will misuse and abuse those means. Sometimes such wisdom can be very clear and directly articulated in God's Word, and sometimes it needs to be mined out in the form of principles. Some things in God's Word are very clear, direct, and it's black and white, done. Sometimes it's not always so clear, it's a little bit grainy, so to speak, and it needs to be mined out, at least principles need to be taken before we make a particular decision. we need to use principles. In all cases, the general principle remains the same. Ask God and avail yourself to his resources. This principle meets all of our needs for wisdom. Who do I marry? Should I move? And where? What job should I work? Should I leave this particular job and find another one? Am I called to the gospel ministry? How many children should I have? Should I have any children? Should I make a particular investment or not? Who do I vote for in the upcoming election? What college should I go to? How should I respond to a particular offense? that somebody has directed toward me. What limitations should I put on my children as I raise them? What is the best course of action to take for a particular illness that I now have? How do I treat my unsaved loved ones? Should we celebrate holidays with unsaved loved ones? And if so, how do we best do that? Should I divorce my unfaithful spouse? What do I do with my children or my child who is experimenting with illegal drugs? Do I kick him out of the home or do I let him stay? What about my relative who claims to have same-sex attractions or is leaning transgender? How do I deal with ungodly co-workers? What do we do with holidays at all? What do we do with Halloween, which is coming up soon? And we can go on and on and on. It's innumerable. There are all manner of trials and life decisions that require wisdom. Wisdom from God to know how to best respond and act throughout the course of our entire Christian war. And sometimes, brethren, there is not a black and white answer to a particular direction that ought to be taken. Now some of the things I said have black and white answers, but some don't. But our desire ought to be to bring God's word to bear in every sphere of our lives, seeking to apply it to the best of our abilities as a means of directing how we ought to conduct ourselves the whole way home to glory. That's the key. Sometimes, God's revealed will will rule out various options, leading us in a very clear direction. Other times, we may have to make decisions or respond to various providences in accordance with biblical principles, even when a direct course of action is not necessarily clear. We just take principles from scripture on how to act through this process, and we may have to choose A or B. We're not having absolute certainty, in some sense. But we're acting in a way that honors God. We filter it through His revealed will. At all times, we ought to desire to make the best use of God's word in governing all that we do in accordance with his revealed will. To this end, we seek wisdom from God by faith without doubting, willing to patiently follow his lead wherever we go, trusting that he will always generously, without reproach, supply the wisdom that we need to make it through the present course of our journey home. And finally, if you are not a Christian, it's so important to go back to the proverb that I mentioned earlier. It's so important to realize if you're not a Christian, that we're told the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. In other words, you will never take a step in the right direction until you begin by seeking God on his terms and by his means. Until your sin is dealt with, until your sin is covered and paid for by the blood of Christ, you have no access to God, no ability to relate to God in any meaningful way other than the fact that you will be condemned if you die in your sins. And two, you're in Christ, you will never have true wisdom. You will live like everyone else in the world. And you may advance in great ways as far as the world stands. You may make a lot of money.