The Wisdom of God - Proverbs 3:19-26
Proverbs 3:20-26 (pg. 450) says:
19 By wisdom
the LORD laid the earth's foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in
place;
20 by his knowledge the deeps were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son,
preserve sound judgment and discernment,
do not let them out of your sight;
22 they will
be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you
will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;
24 when you
lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be
sweet.
25 Have no
fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26 for the
LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared.
·
God created
the Universe and everything in it through His infinite________________________(wisdom),
___________________________(understanding) and
___________________________(knowledge). V. 19
19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in
place;
20 by his knowledge the deeps were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
·
This passage
refers to God creating streams and rivers out of the oceans.
·
·
With his
knowledge, God opened up the springs and streams.
·
·
Rivers and
streams are vitally important because moving water carries fresh oxygen,
nutrients and food sources to animals, fish and wildlife.
·
·
Likewise….
·
God knows how
to open up waterways and doors – He still ___________________(creates) an _______________________(abundance)
of _______________________(provisions) for his children today!
·
When you ask
God for a provision, He _________________ _________ (opens up) waterways, byways
and doors so He can ______________________(deliver) His ______________________(blessings)
to you - God ___________________(makes) a ____________(way) where there was
previously no way!
DECLARE: “GOD YOU MAKE A WAY, WHERE THERE
IS
V. 20 - Dew – Probably
also includes rain.
Deut 33:13 says:
13 About Joseph he said:
"May the LORD bless his land
with the precious dew from heaven above
and with the deep waters that lie below;
2 Samuel
21 "O mountains of Gilboa,
may you have neither dew nor rain,
nor fields that yield offerings of grain .
For there the shield of the mighty was
defiled,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with
oil.
·
God opens
things up and ___________________(makes) a _________________(way) where there
was previously no way – He will __________________(rain) down his
_________________________(blessings) on you.
·
·
God is his
infinite wisdom knows __________________(when) and _________________(how) to
rain down his _____________________________(blessings) on you.
Matthew 6:25-34 (pg. 685) says:
25"Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about
your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the
body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of
the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who
of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And
why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do
not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon
in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If
that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and
tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we
eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For
the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you
need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
·
Just like God
provides rain and nourishment for the flowers, the trees and the animals, God
will __________________________(provide) for all your needs _______________(right) on
_____________________(time) if you ___________________________(corporate) with
God by using your ___________________(faith) and by relinquishing your
________________(fear).
·
·
When people
came to Jesus for miracles, He often responded, “let it be done to you
___________________(according) to your ___________________(faith).
Matthew 9:27-28 (pg. 687) says:
27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed
him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
28When he
had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you
believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied.
29Then he
touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done
to you";
·
What you
__________________(desire) from God will be given to you in
_________________________(proportion) to your faith.
Mark 11:22-24 (pg. 717) says:
2"Have[a] faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain,
'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes
that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore
I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours.
Jesus gave us the formula for answered
prayer:
1. Ask – Precisely
______________(know) what you desire God to do for you.
Jesus asked people: “What do you want
me to do for you”.
2. Believe - __________________(visualize) the
_________________(results) and thereby__________________(receive) what you ask
for in your __________________(beliefs).
2. Receive - You must _____________(see)
the final results in your _________________(mind), heart and soul on a
____________________(perpetual) on going basis until it shows up in ____________________(physical)
form.
·
Jesus modeled
this when He changed Simon’s name to Peter.
·
·
Jesus also modeled this when he called Lazarus
and the servant girl asleep and not dead.
·
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TO THE SECRET
TO ANSWERED PRAYER IS SEEING SITUATIONS NOT FOR WHAT THEY ARE TODAY BUT IN _________________________(ACCORDANCE)
WITH HOW YOU ___________________(DESIRE) THEM TO BE AND THEREBY “_______________________”
(CALLING) THINGS THAT ARE NOT AS IF THOUGH THEY __________________(WERE) – THE
KEY IS TO ________________ __________ _______(ACT AS IF) YOUR DESIRES WERE
ALREADY HERE IN THE PHYSICAL REALM.
·
Be careful
not to cancel out your prayer request with doubt and fear.
·
·
Fear is the
polar opposite of faith and when you tap into fear, you will receive the what
you _____________(don’t) _________________(want) like
“_______________________________”(unanswered) prayers.
NOTE: When you pray “God if it is your
will” it brings doubt into your prayer which gets in the way of faith.
·
Jesus only
prayed the “if” Prayer once and that was in the Garden when he prayed a prayer
of surrender.
Mark 14:35-36 says:
35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and
prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36"Abba,[a] Father," he said, "everything is
possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you
will."
THEREFORE: Know God’s will before you
pray, then pray with absolute certainty.
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW GOD’S WILL PRAY FOR
WISDOM – IN FAITH.
James 1:5-7 says:
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who
gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he
who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
·
God is not a
God of disorder, but of __________________________(order).
·
·
The universe
he created is not chaotic and disorganized –
In fact, the universe is so (consistent) and so (organized) NASA figured
out how to send men to the moon.
·
·
If the
universe was not so precisely organized, space travel would never be a
possibility.
·
·
The only way
NASA knows where to launch, when to launch and how to launch rockets in space,
is because the Universe runs like (clockwork), never out of order!
·
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God is a God
of ______________(order) and His laws that govern the Universe are always
__________________________(predictable) and always operate like
__________________________(clockwork)
·
·
One such law
that physicist, psychologist, theologians and scientist all agree exist is
called the ________________(law) of _________________________(attraction).
·
·
The Law of
Attraction states that __________________(like attracts
__________________(like)
·
·
For the
Christ Follower this means that a person
_______________________(attracts)_________________(likeness) to
them,_________________(receives) what they _________________(expect);
______________(reaps) what they _______________(sow), and essentially
____________________(becomes) what they ____________________(think) about.
Galatians 6:7-10 says:
7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps
what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful
nature, from that nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to
please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to
the family of believers.
·
The Law works
every time like clock work.
·
·
You can pray
for a miracle, but unless you believe it will happen with all your heart, you
will never see it manifest.
]Vs. 21-22 –
21 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do
not let them out of your sight;
22 they will
be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
·
Life and
Grace come through this wisdom of studying the Word of God.
·
·
V. 23-24
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;
24 when you
lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be
sweet.
·
People today
are plagued by fears – all of us have fears and anxieties.
·
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How can we be
delivered from the grasp of fear?
·
·
·
·
If you want
to be free from fear then develop you ________________(faith) which comes
through ________________(hearing) God’s ________________(Word).
Romans
17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,
and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
·
Since we
spend most of our time either walking or lying down, the assurance is given
that we will walk safely and our sleep shall be sweet.
·
·
How wonderful
it is to discover that the truth of God will hold us – it is not that you and I
hold truth, but that the truth in God’s Word will hold us.
V. 24 - “When you lie down you will
not be afraid” – Also among listed among the covenant blessing.
V. 25 – “Have no fear of sudden
disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked”,
V. 26 – “For the LORD will be your
confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared”.
·
Fear is the
______________________(opposite) of faith.
·
·
Faith
_____________________(moves) mountains, and fear ___________________(creates)
them.
Mark 11:22-24 says:
22"Have[a] faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain,
'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes
that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore
I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if
you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven
may forgive you your sins."[b]
·
It is
important not to think fear thoughts because you can _____________________(attract)
a ________________________(problem) to
you that you do not want by anxiously _______________________(dwelling) on it.
Job said, “THE THING I FEARED HAS COME
UPON ME”.
·
Your fear can
(negate) your prayers.
·
·
FEAR IS FAITH
IN THE ___________________(SEEN) WHEREAS FAITH IS FAITH IN THE
________________________(UNSEEN)!
2 Corinthians 5:7 says:
7We live by faith, not by sight.
Paul said that: FAITH THAT IS SEEN IS NO
FAITH AT ALL!
Hebrews 11:1-2 says:
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain
of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were
commended for.
·
Unless you
combine your prayer with faith, fear will ______________________(steal) your ______________________(harvest).
·
·
The Bible
tells us ________(365) times not to be afraid – one ________________(reminder)
for every day of the year.
Philippians 4:4-8 says:
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:
Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The
Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things.
·
Praying in
faith replaces fear and anxiety with God’s __________________(peace).
·
·
Reading the
Bible on a ___________________(daily) basis builds our faith and ____________________(squeezes)
out fear.
V. 26 – for the LORD will be your
confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared.
THE BIBLE TELLS US TO NOT BE AFRAID OF
SUDDEN FEAR!
·
Don’t be
afraid of the next minute.
·
·
God is taking
care of me at the present moment, and He will take care of me in the next
moment For the Lord will be your confidence and He will keep your foot from
falling.
Psalms 91 (pg. 424) says:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most
High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [a]
2 I will say
[b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my
fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he
will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will
cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and
rampart.
5 You will
not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the
pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at
7 A thousand
may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will
only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you
make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no
harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he
will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will
lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.
13 You will
tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the
serpent.
14
"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my
name.
15 He will
call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long
life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."
·
GOD IS A GOD
OF __________________(ORDER) WHO NEVER RESPONDS TO ___________________(FEAR)
BUT ONLY RESPONDS TOTHE __________________(FAITH) OF HIS CHILDREN.
HOW CAN I BUILD MY FAITH:
1) REALIZE FEAR IS
__________ ________________(NO LONGER) APART OF MY LIFE AS A BELIEVER.
2 Timothy 2:6-7
6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the
gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of
power, of love and of self-discipline.
2) _________________(READ) THE WORD OF
GOD DAILY.
3) _________________(SPEAK) THE WORD OF
GOD FEQUENTLY.
4)__________________(PRAY) THE WORD OF
GOD ALWAYS.
Ephesians 6 says:
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,