SOAP Devotional 2014-02-07
Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer
Scripture:
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (James 1:5-8 NLT)
Observation:
If you need to know the wisest way to do something or deal with a situation, all a believer has to do is to ask our generous God and he will give it to us. He will not get mad for the asking or refuse an answer as long as you ask as a committed believer. People who are not fully committed to God have their loyalty divided between the world and the Lord and they will receive nothing from God. They are unstable in all they do and unable to act on Godly wisdom.
Application:
To have wisdom is to have experience, knowledge, and sound judgement combined. Obviously I cannot naturally have all three in every situation. Even though I might be able to get knowledge about almost anything, I can only have experience in the things I have actually done. Without both knowledge and experience, truly sound judgement is virtually impossible. But God understands and knows it all. When I need this kind of wisdom, I need it supernaturally. That is where this passage comes in. As a committed believer in our God, I can ask for the sound judgement that will allow me to do or say the right thing that can only be obtained supernaturally from God. However, if anyone is not a fully committed believer they might as well not even ask because he will not give them anything. Membership has it's benefits and I am a member of the family of God. Don't spend your time dancing with the devil and the things of this world and then expect God to give you the ability to make wise choices. It is not going to happen.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for so many times that you have supernaturally given me wisdom regarding situations I had no way of knowing the right thing to do or say. I depend on your gift of wisdom so often in trying to accomplish the ministry you have sent me to do. I will continue to remain fully committed to you and your cause and I will continue to ask you for wisdom in my journeys.
