Live Wisely…Because the Days Are Evil Devotional Reading August 21, 2023
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise…” —Ephesians 5:15, NIV
God desires that we live happy and healthy lives, but He warns us that we need godly wisdom to stay on the Righteous Path which leads to eternal life. Many people proclaim that Life is good! Yet, their perception of the good life is based on human wisdom, their accomplishments, financial stability, and tangible goods.
Not only have we incorporated self-reliance into our belief system, we readily use human-made standards to make decisions and measure success. Without wisdom, we cannot know the will of God. Nor can we discern spiritual warfare and live our best lives without the Holy Spirit’s insight and guidance. But most importantly, without godly wisdom, we cannot receive eternal life, because our thoughts and decisions will never align with God’s plans.
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” —Colossians 2:9
We live in a time of mass information. So many voices and the majority are expressing their opinions based on their thought processes. Why are we so eager to embrace empty philosophies? The exclusion of godly wisdom places us in enemy territory! Without spiritual discernment, God warns us that we will be deceived by satanic false doctrines that are gift-wrapped in the appearance of God’s Divine Truth.
When we rely on human knowledge and understanding, we place ourselves in a vulnerable position. God tells us that we are being cheated! Something about the word cheat causes our emotions to become riled up—upset or angry. The definition of the word Cheat: an act of fraud, swindling, hoax, or deception. Oxford Dictionary
We are living in dangerous, evil times. The Amplified translation of Colossians 2:8 gives us [an easily understood] insight into the methods based on human wisdom used by Satan.
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ.” —Colossians 2:8, Amplified Bible
Sometimes the programs or infomercials that we watch or listen to are so absurd that our only logical response is to laugh. But Satan is not shooting fiery darts at those who can be easily deceived, he knows they offer no resistance to the deceptive intellectual babble of our era. Satan is after the children of God!
Satan doesn’t present human theories that we will easily dismiss, he develops a personalized plan using spoken words that provoke us to fall into temptation. Many believers love God but rely on their knowledge, intellectual thoughts, outcomes from prior experience, and strategies. They are intermittent Bible readers who do not have a spiritual foundation based on Biblical truth. Sadly, these are the people who, upon hearing new religious concepts, quickly accept them as true, without questioning their validity.
Yet, there is another group of believers who study the Bible and pray for wisdom from the Holy Spirit, but they hear the new concept from a reputable pastor, speaker, or social media post, and it piques their interest. They are striving to stay on the Path of Righteousness, but sometimes get caught up by Satan’s expertly deceitful tactics. God tells us to test the spirits—search the Scriptures, pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal whether or not the message is God’s Truth.
We cannot place our total confidence in the presenter. Many times personal feelings, the desire for likes, or using guesswork, results in the speaker giving inaccurate explanations of God’s Holy Word. It is imperative that we have a relationship with Christ based on our love, faith, and knowledge of the Bible which contain Holy Words breathed by God to men anointed by the Holy Spirit.
Without Exception, there is only One Truth and One Meaning to every Scripture in the Bible.
God’s expectation is that we will use the Bible to measure every sermon or doctrine. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher who always gives us a 100% accurate understanding of the Scriptures. Every believer has the opportunity to study and learn Biblical Truth. Studying God’s Truth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual nourishment, feeding our minds and souls by imparting peace, power, spiritual knowledge, and godly wisdom.
Two weeks ago, I listened to a pastor who stated that Matthias was not the twelfth disciple that replaced Judas. Because the Apostles cast lots when choosing the replacement disciple, He surmised that God would not use that method to choose a disciple. He believes that God chose Paul as the twelfth apostle.
After hearing this concept, I studied Acts Chapter 1. As I thought about his opposing doctrine, I began to think deeply because my interest was piqued. But I didn’t feel right. I prayed a simple prayer, Holy Spirit, is this true? All praises to God, the Holy Spirit immediately came to my rescue by flooding my mind with answers.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of three things: 1. In our earthly lives, we will never understand God’s ways. 2. The Bible is God-breathed and does not contain any mistakes! 3. A statement I previously heard on how to avoid the acceptance of false doctrines.
In a recent question-and-answer program by a pastor, I have listened to for many years, stated, “We are living in the last days. You will hear many new concepts of God’s Truth, pray for wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit, and use this question to measure the information with, “Is this information Biblical and does it have anything to do with my salvation?’ “
Satan knows his time is running out. None of us are above hearing false doctrines that we readily accept or ponder in our minds. Our Arch-enemy is using every deceptive tactic to attempt to cheat the very elect—those who are striving to live righteously. Stay prayerful! Diligently study the Scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit!
Because the Bible gives us God’s instructions on living righteously in these evil days, the Scriptures below provide guidance on living wisely through possessing godly wisdom.
- ” ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’ ” —Isaiah 55:8-9
- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” —Proverbs 3:5-6
- “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” —Proverbs 14:12
- “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” —Proverbs 26:12
- “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” —1 Corinthians 5:20
There is only one way for us to receive heavenly wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” —James 1:5-6
Because our hearts are carnal and our understanding does not align with God’s thoughts, the Apostle James gives us the characteristics of heavenly wisdom.
Heavenly Wisdom Verses Demonic Wisdom—James Chapter 3
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. —James 3:13-18
Prayer: God, we desperately need the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, guidance, and spiritual discernment every day. Lord, we pray for You to shelter us from the fiery darts of false doctrines and ask for a spirit of humility to permeate our minds and souls as we prepare for Your soon coming. In Jesus’ Worthy name, we pray, Amen.
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