Effortless Change.
by Andrew Wommack.
Introduction.
Effortless change-it sounds impossible. Yet, that"s what the Word reveals about how the kingdom of G.o.d works.
Most people view change as a difficult, painful, and laborintensive process. To their way of thinking, it takes a huge amount of effort to change their thoughts, actions, and circ.u.mstances. Due to this, change is something they resist. It"s hard to change routines, traditions, and longstanding problems. People get stuck in ruts-ways of thinking and doing - therefore, there"s just a natural resistance toward change.
In this book, I want to share with you some truths from the Word of G.o.d that can totally transform the way you understand and approach change. If you receive these truths into your heart and apply them to your life, you"ll be able to see change take place in your life effortlessly.
While many people don"t recognize their need to change, others are very aware, and have a strong desire to change. If you"re sick, you probably desire to walk in health. If you"re in poverty, it"s likely that you want to experience more of G.o.d"s financial provision. You may realize that you would like certain changes in your life externally. However, all true change begins internally. It starts with what"s on the inside of you.
On January 31,2002, the Lord spoke to me in a personal and powerful way. He told me that I had been limiting what He wanted to do in and through my life because of my small thinking. This word literally shook my world, so I spent about a week or so really meditating on this until it became a revelation in my life. Then I called my staff together and told them what G.o.d had convicted me of, saying, "I don"t know how long it will take to change the image that"s inside me. It may take a week, a month, a year, five years-I don"t know. But I am going to change, and we will start seeing increase!" I remember that within one week, things started happening so quickly that it just amazed me. became a revelation in my life. Then I called my staff together and told them what G.o.d had convicted me of, saying, "I don"t know how long it will take to change the image that"s inside me. It may take a week, a month, a year, five years-I don"t know. But I am going to change, and we will start seeing increase!" I remember that within one week, things started happening so quickly that it just amazed me.
Before I even had time to write a letter, send it to our mailing list, and receive a response (which normally takes at least three months), we saw a huge financial increase. All that had changed was inside me-my att.i.tude, thoughts, and expectations. Other than that, we weren"t doing anything differently. Yet, we immediately set records three months in a row in receipts from people. This was before my letter on this subject went out-before the people had a chance to even hear what G.o.d had said to me and respond! When I changed on the inside, immediately everything in my life began to change on the outside. This example is just one of many I have personally experienced. External change began to manifest on the outside when I started to change the way I thought on the inside.
If you want to see change outwardly, it has to begin on the inside. That"s what this book is all about-how to start changing on the inside. If you can change the way you think-the way you are on the inside-then you"ll see a change on the outside....effortlessly.
Chapter 1.
It Begins On The Inside The Word of G.o.d clearly reveals that as you think in your heart, so are you.
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7 If you can"t-or should I say won"t-change on the inside, then you aren"t going to see change on the outside. You can pray, beg G.o.d, and get other people to intercede for you all you want. They could even lay hands on you until they rub all the hair off the top of your head, but you aren"t going to see change in your life externally until you change internally.
Many people say, "But I do desire to change. I"ve done everything I know, yet it seems like things are just continually the same." G.o.d"s Word is true. As you think in your heart, so are you. (Proverbs 23:7.) This is a law of G.o.d. Romans 8:6 confirms this truth, revealing that: To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Before you take offense at my words, resenting and disagreeing with what I"m sharing, consider this truth. Of course, everyone has a b.u.mp in the road now and again, whether they are walking with the Lord or not. We live in a fallen world, and we have an enemy that comes against us. Not every single problem is a direct result of something flawed on the inside of us. However, if your overall life is spiraling downward, if nothing ever works and problems are all you seem to experience, then you should stop and consider that perhaps your inner man may need some work.
WHAT HAVE YOU PLANTED?.
People typically respond to tough circ.u.mstances and situations by blaming someone or something else. "It"s the color of my skin. It"s my family background. I was disadvantaged." They"ll blame anybody. "This person mistreated me. It"s my employer who"s the jerk, not me." It"s always somebody else"s fault.
However, the Word makes it clear that your experience, your surroundings-everything about you-is basically a result of the way you think. As you think in your heart, that"s the way it is. When you think spiritually minded thoughts, you get life and peace. When you don"t, you get death. (Romans 8:6.) You may not like that. You might be saying, "No, that"s not true," but it is.
If I came over to your house to see your garden, I wouldn"t have had to be with you in the beginning when you sowed the seeds to know what you"ve planted. All I"d have to do is observe the plants that are growing up. If you have corn growing there, you planted corn. If there are peas, you sowed peas. You may claim that someone else came in and planted something in your garden you did not intend. However ultimately, it"s your responsibility to guard and protect your garden. Whatever is growing there is what you"ve planted or what you"ve allowed to be planted there.
Just as this is true in the natural realm, it"s true in the spiritual realm. Whatever is growing in the garden of your life is what you"ve planted or allowed to be planted in your heart. Before you can really see change, you must quit using excuses and blaming anybody and everybody else for what is wrong in your life. You have to stop saying, "It"s just fate," or "bad luck," or "nothing ever works for me." Scripture reveals that as you think in your heart, that"s the way you"re going to be. (Proverbs 23:7.) If you think spiritually minded, your thoughts will produce life and peace. (Romans 8:6.) THE KNOWLEDGE OF G.o.d.
Second Peter 1:2 further substantiates the principle that your thought life produces a harvest in the natural realm, when it says: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of G.o.d, and of Jesus our Lord.
Many people want grace and peace to be multiplied to them. They desire peace in their life, and they"re praying for it. They may even be asking other people to help them get it. Actually, they"re looking for peace to come externally-from outside them-into their circ.u.mstances. These words in 2 Peter 1:2 reveal that peace comes through the knowledge of G.o.d.
Peace in your life isn"t the absence of problems or challenging circ.u.mstances around you. G.o.d"s kind of peace is there even in the midst of a storm. It resides on the inside. Then, eventually, that peace on the inside of you will begin to change your circ.u.mstances on the outside.
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and G.o.dliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.
2 Peter 1:3 This verse says that G.o.d"s divine power has (past tense) already given to us all things. Most people want G.o.d to just come with His power from the outside, in. They pray, "Oh Lord, stretch forth Your mighty hand and touch me!" They"re looking for G.o.d to send a spiritual bolt of lightning to hit them and then-BOOM-they"re healed, prospered, delivered, or whatever they need. However, this scripture says that all things that pertain to life and G.o.dliness come through the knowledge of G.o.d. This includes healing, prosperity, deliverance, joy, peace, success in business, good relationships, and anything else. Everything that pertains to life and G.o.dliness comes through the knowledge of G.o.d. This means that the born again Christian already has the peace of G.o.d in their spirit. As they renew their mind to who they are and what they have in Christ, they draw that peace out into their experience.
The dominant experience of your life is a reflection of the way you are thinking on the inside. (Proverbs 23:7.) Instead of looking for a change to take place externally in everybody and everything else around you, the first thing you need to do is recognize that change begins on the inside of you. This occurs according to the knowledge that you have of G.o.d. (2 Peter 1:2-3.) REALITY.
This is a simple truth we are discovering, but it"s profound. In fact, most people miss it because it"s so simple, thinking, No, it must be more complex than that. My present reality can"t just be the result of not thinking properly about things. G.o.d"s Word is true. You can turn any circ.u.mstance in your life around by getting G.o.d"s perspective and starting to think His thoughts. Some people call this by different names, but I believe this is what the Bible calls faith.
Faith is simply seeing things from G.o.d"s perspective. When someone does something to you, instead of just reacting in the natural, physical realm, based on your emotions, faith considers, "What does G.o.d"s Word say?"
So you take a scripture like Ephesians 6:12, which says that you aren"t wrestling...
... against flesh and blood, but against princ.i.p.alities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Instead of just focusing on the fact that a person has pushed your hot b.u.t.ton, because of G.o.d"s knowledge that you have through His Word, you recognize that the devil can speak through people and use them to come against you. Instead of just seeing things in the natural, you have a different perspective because of the knowledge of G.o.d. You think differently on the inside. You realize that your struggle is not really with that person who is angry at you, but with the one who is resisting G.o.d who is inside you. Because of this, you are able to respond differently to these situations than other people do. You turn around and love those people who are against you instead of getting into strife, and it produces different results. All of this begins with you thinking differently.
I could give you hundreds of testimonies from my life and the lives of others who have personally experienced this truth. This is reality. The world is full of people who want change in their circ.u.mstances, but few recognize that the change begins on the inside of them.
INSANITY.
At each of our Gospel Truth Seminars, I tell people about our Bible colleges. During my remarks, I often ask, "How many of you realize that there"s more? How many of you desire more and want change in your life?" It"s not unusual to see eighty to ninety percent of the crowd respond. Most of these are Christians-Spirit-filled believers-who recognize that there needs to be change in their lives. They aren"t satisfied with where they are and they want something more.
After all these people admit, "Yes, I want change," I come back and ask, "What are you going to do to effect change? What is going to be any different?" One of the definitions of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again, and expect different results. If you want something to change on the outside, then you"re going to have to start by changing something on the inside. You cannot keep the same internal thought processes and believe that your external circ.u.mstances will change. That, by definition, is insane! First of all, you must change in your heart. Then you"ll have to take some steps to cooperate with that change. Change isn"t going to come from the outside. It begins on the inside. If you want change in your life, then you"re going to have to do something differently in your spirit.
The moment I bring this up this truth, I instantly meet resistance because people are afraid to change. I"ve actually met people before who were in terrible, miserable situations, yet they had adjusted to them. They knew they could survive. It may not have been what they wanted-their dream or goal-but they had been in their situation a long time. They knew that they could survive, and they were afraid of failure should they try to change their reality.
If that"s you, one of the things that must happen in order to effect change in your life is you"re going to have to get to a place where you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. You have to really reach a place where you say, "I"m going to do whatever it takes to see these changes externally happen in my life. I"m going to start changing the way I think. I"m going to start taking some risks." Unless you"re willing to do these things, you"ll never see this external change.
"HOW LONG?".
The Bible relates the story of when the city of Samaria was surrounded and besieged by the a.s.syrian army. (See 2 Kings 6:24-7:20.) The Samaritans were starving to the extent that they were eating their own children. Animal dung, being sold as food, was commanding a high price. This city was suffering terribly from the siege, drought, and famine. The people were just about to be completely destroyed, yet they couldn"t do anything about it because the Syrians had Samaria completely surrounded.
Four lepers sat at the gate of Samaria. As they talked to each other, they said, "How long are we going to sit here- until we die? If we stay here, we"ll die. If we go into the city, the famine will destroy us. Let"s go out to the Syrians. If they kill us, we"re just going to die here anyway. We don"t have anything to lose. Perhaps they"ll show us mercy." (See 2 Kings 7:3-4.) So these four lepers got up and went into the Syrian camp. It turned out that the Lord had already been there. He had caused the Syrians to hear a noise. They thought the Israelites had hired another nation to fight against them, so they had fled in terror, leaving behind all their food, animals, tents, provisions, gold, and silver. The Syrians had fled for their lives and left everything behind!
These four lepers, who were facing starvation just a few minutes before, experienced a tremendous personal deliverance. They went out to the camp and discovered food that was still warm. They began to eat their fill. They found clothes, gold, and silver. After finding all these things, eventually they were the ones who brought the good news back to the city of Samaria. They became the heroes who actually proclaimed deliverance to the entire area. All this happened because four lepers, shunned by their city, sitting out at the gates, starving to death, finally made a decision. Even though their outlook seemed terrible, they declared, "We"ve got to do something. We"re going to die if we stay where we are. We must head in some direction." So they considered their options. Even though this option to go to the enemy camp didn"t look real good, it was better than sitting still and dying. And because they did something different, they experienced tremendous deliverance.
CHANGE IS NEEDED.
Right now you may be dying like the four lepers. If not physically, then perhaps emotionally. You know you"re dying. Your marriage is falling apart. Things aren"t going right. You"re keenly aware that something is wrong. You know there"s more, yet you are fearful to take any steps because you"re afraid you might fail. If you would just look at things properly, you"d realize that you"re failing now. Even if you have a guaranteed income, live in a relatively nice house, and your circ.u.mstances are going well, if you aren"t satisfied and fulfilled in your heart, then you are dying on the inside and change is necessary. If you don"t wake up in the morning and feel like, "Praise G.o.d, another opportunity to do what the Lord has called me to do and make a difference in this world," then whether you realize it or not, change is needed.
If you want different results, then you"re going to have to do something differently. To keep doing the same thing over and over again, while praying for different results, is insane. If you want different results, do something differently.
True change begins on the inside. You can sit there and pray for G.o.d to just supernaturally do something. Many people are praying to win the lottery, or have their circ.u.mstances change on some other roll of the dice. If that"s what you are believing for, you aren"t following G.o.d. That"s not the way He"s going to meet your need. The odds of that happening are millions to one. n.o.body is going to walk into your office and out of the blue ask you to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. That"s not how life works. Change doesn"t happen that way. If you want change on the outside, it begins on the inside.
Chapter 2.
Meditate On The Word.
I remember when the Word of G.o.d first came alive to me. It was immediately after my life-changing encounter with the Lord on March 23,1968. The Bible was no longer just a book about what G.o.d said. As I read it, I knew the Lord was speaking directly to me. I just fell in love with the Word. When I studied it, the Lord imparted truths to me. I could tell that change was happening in my life.
I remember one instance when the Lord spoke to me and gave me a vision of what He wanted to do through me. He had already impacted my life, and I felt called to the ministry. I was in my bedroom at home, and still single at the time. I saw in my heart some of the things that G.o.d wanted to do in my life. While kneeling down beside my bed and praying with my Bible open in front of me, I was just overwhelmed when I thought about seeing blind eyes opened, deaf ears hearing, people raised from the dead- all kinds of miracles. I knew that G.o.d had called me to teach His Word and that people"s lives would be changed. As an eighteen-year-old young man, I was praying over all these things.
Then I remember having a kind of a vision of many different things happening, including me ministering to people on television, just like I do now. I saw these things, and knew they were going to happen. Yet, I was an introvert. I couldn"t even look a person in the face and talk to them. How was an introverted hick from Texas ever going to be on radio or television? I surely wouldn"t have chosen me for that responsibility.
"HOW DO I DO THIS?".
So there I was, seeing in my heart a vision of all these things that G.o.d was calling me to do-seeing the absolute impossibility of it all in the natural realm. I was kneeling by my bed, praying, and asking, "Lord, how do I get from where I am to where I know You"re telling me I"m supposed to go? It seems like such a huge distance, and I don"t have a track to run on. I don"t know how to get there. How do I do this?"
As I was praying, I just opened my eyes and looked. There was my Bible laying open on the bed in front of me. When I saw it, I heard the Lord say, "If you will take My Word and meditate on it day and night, then My Word will teach you everything you need to know. My Word will change everything."
I know that sounds really simple, but if it hadn"t been so simple, I wouldn"t have been able to get it! I took that word as G.o.d"s direction to me. From that time forward, I just poured myself into the Word of G.o.d. I didn"t think about all of the things that needed to happen for that vision to come to pa.s.s. I didn"t keep asking, "Lord, how do I overcome my shyness? How do I get the money? How do I overcome this and do that?" I just forgot all of those issues, and immersed myself for long periods of time in G.o.d"s Word. Up until the time I got married, I was spending anywhere from ten to sixteen hours a day studying the Word and learning the truths of G.o.d. As I took G.o.d"s Word and meditated on it day and night, it began to change me.
G.o.d is no respecter of persons. If you put His Word first place in your life and meditate on it on a consistent basis, it will change you.
JOSHUA.
That"s what G.o.d told Joshua to do. He was about to take over the leadership role from Moses. Now, if you stop and think about it, Moses would be a hard act to follow. Joshua must have been struggling with this new a.s.signment, and asking, "G.o.d, what do I do? How do I lead these people?"
The Lord said to Joshua, "The same way I was with Moses, I will be with you. Wherever your feet trod, I"ll give that land to you." (See Joshua 1:3,5.) G.o.d gave Joshua several promises, which are recorded in Joshua 1:1-7. Then He continued, saying: This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth.
Joshua 1:8 Now, at this time all the people had were the first five books of the Bible, the ones that Moses had written out. Today because we have the completed scriptures, I believe that instead of "this book of the law," we can say, the Bible, the Word of G.o.d...
. ..shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Joshua 1:8 Let"s start at the end of this verse and work back. Most people want to be prosperous and have good success. Yet, I find it amazing that the vast majority of people bypa.s.s the first part of this verse. They"ll spend their prayer time asking G.o.d to "please prosper my business, please cause my marriage to succeed, please heal my body," but they won"t do what the Word says. Joshua 1:8 reveals that the way you get prosperity and good success in every area of your life is to take the Word of G.o.d and meditate on it to the degree that it saturates what you think about, what you talk about, and how you act. When G.o.d"s Word literally begins to control your life, you will prosper and have good success physically, emotionally, relationally, financially-in every area.
I"m living proof of this truth. This is exactly what my life is based upon.
FOCUSING YOUR ATTENTION.
You may be thinking, But Andrew, I work a job. I can"t meditate on the Word day and night. Or you may be saying, "I have two or three kids at home. I"m constantly running around here and there, doing this and that. I can"t just sit there reading my Bible, and not pay any attention to what"s going on with my children." Most people don"t believe that you can literally meditate on the Word of G.o.d day and night. They think that this is a totally impractical demand. They don"t understand the true definition of meditation. Meditation is simply focusing your attention on something to the point that it never leaves your consciousness.
Worry is meditation. It"s just meditation on something negative or evil. Whatever your daily demands are- watching children, running errands, cleaning the house, taking your kids places, preparing food-you"ve gone through days accomplishing all of these activities, while at the same time your mind was fixed on thinking, How am I going to pay for this? What are we going to do? Is my spouse running around on me? Are they with someone? Are we heading for a divorce? You were able to do all the things you needed to do, yet your mind still worried about those other things.
In your career, you could be doing whatever kind of job you do, yet in your mind you may still be thinking, How is this situation going to work out? You could be sitting there working, yet have something else occupying your mind. You"re worrying about this issue day and night. If you"re honest, there have probably been times when certain problems have bothered you to the point where you dream about them. You experience a fitful night of sleep because your mind was still stayed on, What am I going to do? How am I going to get out of this situation ? That"s worry, which is a form of meditation.
The part of you that worries is the exact same part of you that meditates. Meditation is just focused on positive things.
If you have children at home or you"re working a job, it"s wrong for you to sit down and study the Word sixteen hours a day. This is not being faithful to your family, boss, or employer-to the responsibilities you have been a.s.signed. But you can take a pa.s.sage of scripture, read it, and then meditate on it the rest of the day and night while attending to your responsibilities. You can be thinking on the Word of G.o.d and considering, How does this apply to me? while you"re going about your daily activities.
BELIEVE!".
Last week I was studying the account of King Jehoshaphat found in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat had been faithful to the Lord and had served Him, yet three nations came out against him. The armies of these three nations joined together into what seemed, to King Jehoshaphat, to be an overwhelming force. There seemed to be no way for him and his people to win. So Jehoshaphat built a platform, a.s.sembled all of the people together, and addressed them. He stood up on the platform, lifted his hands to heaven in front of all the people, and began to pray. He said, "G.o.d, we don"t have any help, any power, against this great mult.i.tude that has come against us. Our only help is in You. We"re standing here. We"re waiting on You. G.o.d, we need You to do something!" (See 2 Chronicles 20:12.) At the conclusion of King Jehoshaphat"s prayer, a prophet stood up and prophesied, "You won"t even have to fight in this battle. In the morning, a.s.semble yourself. You will go out and find that it has already been won." (See 2 Chronicles 2:17.) After this declaration from the prophet...
.. .Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your G.o.d, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
2 Chronicles 20:20 Jehoshaphat spoke powerful words of faith, saying, "Believe the word of G.o.d!" They arose very early the next morning and went out to meet these three armies that were coming against them. They didn"t just say that they believed G.o.d; they proved it by acting on their faith and putting the singers up front. (See 2 Chronicles 2:21.) As I"ve been meditating on this pa.s.sage of scripture, I"ve thought, What a miracle! Some people read Bible stories like they didn"t really happen, or maybe they do believe that these events actually took place, but they happened so long ago to somebody else so far away that they just don"t connect. Don"t just read the information in G.o.d"s Word, begin to think about it. Consider, what if you were in the position of Jehoshaphat? What would it have been like to tell the soldiers to get in the back and to put the choir in the front? How must it have sounded as they sang, "Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever" on their way out to meet the three armies (2 Chronicles 20:21)-over a million people armed to the hilt? These thoughts are the beginning of meditation.
It"s one thing to read pa.s.sage, but it"s another thing to go deeper and meditate on it. I read those pa.s.sages of scripture again and again for two or three days. I"d go back to the same pa.s.sages and spend thirty minutes to an hour reading, looking up cross references, and gathering information. Then I"d spend time meditating on what I had read during the day. I was on an airplane traveling to a Gospel Truth Seminar. My eyes were closed, but I was thinking about what a huge step of faith this was for Jehoshaphat, and how G.o.d rewarded him. one thing to read pa.s.sage, but it"s another thing to go deeper and meditate on it. I read those pa.s.sages of scripture again and again for two or three days. I"d go back to the same pa.s.sages and spend thirty minutes to an hour reading, looking up cross references, and gathering information. Then I"d spend time meditating on what I had read during the day. I was on an airplane traveling to a Gospel Truth Seminar. My eyes were closed, but I was thinking about what a huge step of faith this was for Jehoshaphat, and how G.o.d rewarded him.
ALL YOU NEED.
Sure enough, when the people of Judah came over the hill and looked, these three armies that had aligned against them had turned on each other. Two of them had agreed to kill the third. Then, after they wiped out that army, they began killing each other. The very last two people standing killed each other. So when the armies of Judah came over the hill, they looked and there was nothing but corpses. They found so much gold, silver, and clothes that it took the entire nation of Judah three days to gather the spoil.
Most people read through a Bible story like that and glibly say, "Oh, there was a victory for trusting G.o.d," but you can milk this pa.s.sage for tremendous truths. Here was Jehoshaphat, his life and kingdom looked like they were just about to be snuffed out. In the midst of that, he cried out to G.o.d. The Lord gave him a prophecy. He believed it, and less than twenty-four hours after he began trusting G.o.d, the very thing that looked like it would be the destruction of the nation turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened. The people of Judah didn"t even have to lift a sword. They went out and gathered much spoil, and Jehoshaphat dedicated all of it to the temple. Prior to that time, some other people had come in and stolen all of the gold and silver out of the temple. Through faith in the word G.o.d had given him, Jehoshaphat saw this situation that looked like it was going to be his destruction turn out to be the very thing G.o.d used to supply the needed resources to refurbish the temple. It turned out great!
For days after I read this pa.s.sage, I just meditated on those scriptures, thinking about how those truths applied to my life and some of the problems that faced me that made it appear like it could be the end of Andrew Wommack Ministries. Rather than worry about my circ.u.mstances, I began thinking that in the same way that G.o.d acted on behalf of Jehoshaphat, He could do it for me. The situation that looked like it could destroy me, could very well turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.
As you meditate on the Word, faith rises. Many people miss this increase in faith because they read the Word, but don"t meditate on it. Everyone reading this may not be able to spend large quant.i.ties of time in the Word but everyone can meditate on it day and night.
Regardless of what your circ.u.mstances or problems are, you"re never more than one word from G.o.d away from absolute victory. The Lord knows exactly where you are and how to get you to where you"re supposed to be. All you need is just the slightest instruction, an impartation of G.o.d"s wisdom. All you need is a word from G.o.d!
Chapter 3.
G.o.d Speaking.
G.o.d isn"t wringing His hands and wondering how He can pull a situation out for you. There is a simple solution for every person. Our biggest problem is our inability to hear G.o.d"s voice. The way we know what G.o.d is saying is through His Word. If we would get into the Word of G.o.d and meditate on it, the Lord would speak to us. He could give us wisdom and direction.
I deal with all kinds of people all around the world. They vary greatly in maturity. Many of them nod their heads and tell me, "We know that this is G.o.d"s Word, and it has our answers." They say that because they know it"s what they"re supposed to say, but in a practical sense, most people don"t really believe that they can solve their problems at work, at home-anywhere-by the Word of G.o.d.
WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION.
In Proverbs, chapter 1, Solomon described why he wrote the book that would follow: To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
Proverbs 1:2-4 Solomon said the book of Proverbs was meant to give wisdom to the simple and understanding to those who don"t have any. Then he spoke about the good this wisdom and understanding will bring you and the bad it will help you avoid. The truths contained in the book of Proverbs alone will instruct you concerning all kinds of things.
A mans gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.