God’s Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom

SPEAKER 01 : 0:09

Welcome to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. This is Jimmy Lakey, and I’m delighted that you are joining us for this half hour. You can reach Call to Freedom at Box 370367, Denver, Colorado 80237, or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org. If you want to leave a message or order a Word Power Daily Reading Bible Guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address, including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number, 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let’s join Barbara in the studio.

SPEAKER 02 : 1:04

Welcome to Calda Freedom. You are at a tremendous advantage knowing the Lord Jesus. So live, love, laugh, make every day a celebration of who you are in Christ. And today I also want to remember the families of the students that were killed at Columbine School. That was 27 years ago, folks. Wow, it was just like yesterday. Darren and I came into the studio and I remember Jimmy Lakey stayed for 24 hours on KLT because he wanted to have anybody who called in with grief that he would pray with them. It was a really somber time. And I just pray for the families. God bless you, those who are left. Yes. And this weekend, Kimberly, I watched a lot of sports. Yeah, you did? Oh, I watched the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105. They’re playing again tonight, so you know what I’m going to be watching. And then the Avs beat the LA Kings yesterday 2-1, and it was exciting. I mean, if you can call hockey for as long as it was exciting, but they do know how to skate. Wow. When I was thinking they’re trying to make a goal and they’re trying to stay on their skates and I’d be falling all over the place, but they were so good. Oh, so, you know, if you like sports, that’s great. If you don’t, that’s great too, because the world is full of so many different people, but I particularly enjoy watching some of the sports and we are a sports state. It seems like, and we are, And the Rockies, I think the Rockies won also this last weekend. So we’re going for the playoffs. That’s good. Let’s do our Monday Bible slogan. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I do what it tells me to do. This is my Bible. It has given me new life. It is the word of God. And you are blessed to dispense for in him you live and move and have your being. I know this morning I was in the office and you were doing some Spotify. And you’re learning how to get into that.

SPEAKER 04 : 3:11

Well, yes, I upload these radio programs to Spotify. So look for us on Spotify. If you are familiar with Spotify and if you’re not familiar with it, you can type that in on your computer or on your smartphone or your iPad. Any device that has the capability of searching for things like that, searching for new apps.

SPEAKER 02 : 3:32

Yes.

SPEAKER 04 : 3:33

And look for us on Spotify.

SPEAKER 02 : 3:35

Yes, freedomstreet.org. Or if you’re looking for them specifically on Spotify, it’s Freedom ST, right? Radio. Yes, Freedom ST Radio.

SPEAKER 04 : 3:46

So it looks like Freedom Stradio.

SPEAKER 1 : 3:49

Okay.

SPEAKER 02 : 3:50

Freedom Stradio. So many things to learn in this day and age. And you’ll find us on Spotify. That’s right. Or you can go to freedomstreet.org and click on resources, listen to past radio programs. Oh, those Friday programs with Darren are so good. You can also donate online. That’s a great place to give your alms and your charitable giving online. online to Freedom Street, I mean to Calda Freedom and Freedom Street. So you want to stay with us and actually look at the blogs that Kimberly has put up and also the teaching that Darren has done in the past. So I invite you to do that. Our memory verse for this week is James 4 verse 7. We’ve been in the Old Testament for a while and I thought it would be a fun idea to get back into James, especially since we’ve been in James and Oh, Kimberly, James is such a great, great book. Yes, it is.

SPEAKER 04 : 4:46

I spent yesterday afternoon just reading it out loud. It’s so good. If you haven’t let yourself or chosen to read the word out loud, it’s powerful. It does something in your heart and in your mind to be able to not just look at the words, but hear them as they’re coming out of your mouth. Yes.

SPEAKER 02 : 5:10

So James 4, 7 is submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee. That’s a promise. That’s a promise from the Lord. And in the message translation, I love this message translation. So let God work his will in you. Yell aloud no to the devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sins. purify your inner life quit playing the field hit bottom and cry your eyes out the fun and games are over get serious really serious get down on your knees now this happens kimberly when we have we know we have sinned and we know there there’s this conscious can sometimes come with that consciousness of sin clammy hands and sweat rolling down your back because you know you’ve done something heart palpitations anxiety contrary to God and his words so you’re now in a serious mode get serious really serious get down on your knees before the master it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet

SPEAKER 04 : 6:22

and have a clear clear wonderful relationship with god you know i think the hardest part for me i’ll speak for myself the hardest part for me about resisting the enemy and saying that that loud no to him is that so often My old habits and my ways of doing life are what the enemy is using because they’ve become old routines, old habits. They’re old patterns that happen in my mind right away. And so I might react in any given situation. Yes, they’re companions. They’re familiar companions. Yes, because they’re so familiar, the hardest part is saying no. No to you. I’m saying no to you. It’s recognizing that that pattern has not worked for you all these years and choosing to say no to that. And sometimes that saying no to self-pity when you’re crying and something has gone wrong and it really you’re really hurting being able to say no when you’re crying. Yes. is hard it’s hard that’s been the hardest part for me but you know what it really works it really works if you can stop yourself in the middle of an emotion that is not doing you any good if you can stop yourself in the middle of a reaction that is not doing you or anyone else any good if you can stop yourself right there and say no no this is not god’s way i have his wisdom in my heart I have his ways in my heart and I choose him over my old patterns. What’s hardest also about that is those old patterns are taught to us by our parents, by our communities, the people we’ve grown up with, our peers. They’re taught to us. And so everybody else is doing it that way. This is how I grew up. So it seems pretty normal that I would cry like this or that I would react with anger and yell at somebody. or that I would have pride. That seems really normal. And those familiar normal feelings are hard to say no to. You feel like you’re almost betraying yourself. You feel like you’re talking to yourself and people can talk themselves out of that. Well, that’s also the enemy saying, hey, this is stupid. Don’t try that. Yes, do try it. I’m telling you, try it. Try saying no in the middle of a reaction that you’re having that is it’s just going to take you down. It’s not going to build you up or anyone else up. Try saying no. And God help me.

SPEAKER 02 : 9:05

No. So good. God help me. God help me. Yes. Yes. Do this differently. That’s right. We were talking about when people are down, they’re depressed or they’re feeling really sullen. They go to food because food is a comfort for them and they eat food. And a lot of people, they. make their lives out of food. And so we have to say sometimes to those temptations of food, no, I don’t need any more. I like your idea, Kimberly. about I eat when I’m hungry or I eat when I feel like my system needs to fill up. Like we go to the gas stations to fill up the cars because they’re empty. And a lot of people just they have breakfast, then they have lunch, then they have dinner, and it’s all food piled on food piled on food. And then we have a problem with the digestion, the colon, the intestines. And so it’s important that we – Don’t become familiar or lean on those things. On those comforts?

SPEAKER 04 : 10:06

Yes, on those comforts. I believe that too. It’s really important. And I admit, I’ll be real transparent. I have had a real tendency to let food be comfort for me because I have a pretty high metabolism. So nobody would notice, right? Nobody would know that I am feasting on things that I, and I need to quit now. I need to stop now. And so that has been a big pattern in my life. And I’ve been asking the Lord for years now. Please help me. I want to hear you. I want you to guide me in my eating. And what I have found really interesting in the past year or two, maybe it’s been longer than that. I don’t get hungry now when I need, when I feel like I need the comfort. It is more and more likely that I just go to prayer because he has led me to himself. When we ask him, For that, he answers that prayer. Yes, he does. When we say, I am stuffing myself full of other ways to be comforted, and I don’t want that. I want you. I want you to be my comforter. The Word says you are the great comforter. You’re going to be greater than anything else I could grab for. So please, would you be that for me? Lead me out of these routines, these habits, these patterns. Lead me out of these patterns. Lead me to you. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Yes.

SPEAKER 02 : 11:44

That’s what David said in Psalm 42. As a deer panteth. Now the deer is hungry. He’s panting for water. And he looked to God. David is like a deer panting for the water brook for food. And he says, I’ll go to you, Lord, as a deer panted for the water. So my soul long after you. And it’s so important. We were reading in James, James three, Kimberly, about the different kinds of wisdom. There are two different kinds of wisdom. And if we can look at a couple of them and you say, well, why are there two kinds of wisdom? What does that mean? And I looked up, I was looking through the word of God because I wanted to believe that God was telling us to go to the wisdom. He is wisdom. And if we want new things, we’ve got to go into the wisdom toolbox and get out a spirit of wisdom and walk in that wisdom. And Job 11, verse 6, speaks of two different kinds of wisdom. Sound wisdom has two sides. The phrase two sides of wisdom implies that wisdom encompasses both the understanding of God’s justice and the recognition of his mercy in each and every one of our lives. I hadn’t really, boy, all these years I’ve been reading in the Bible and I hadn’t really concentrated on the two sides of wisdom. But God is a God of justice because he punishes sin. Yes, there are consequences for our sins. And he also is merciful in his love towards us in showing us great bounds of mercy, of wisdom in our human frailty. So the two sides of wisdom suggest that human understanding of wisdom is is limited. While Job may perceive his suffering as unjust, and boy, there were times he did, and I would do the same thing, Kimberly. I would feel unjustly treated by not only my friends, but God, are you there? Are you there? There’s a deeper wisdom at play that Job can’t fully grasp, as in such the case in every one of our understandings of God. God’s thoughts and ways are higher than human understanding. I just wish we could all get that. Well, no, human technology, it’s great. God’s wisdom is far greater than that. Far greater. And we can go to Isaiah 55, 8 and 9. That’s such a familiar and dear, dear passage. My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. These scriptures state that God is compassionate toward even the wicked. Listen to Isaiah 55 right before 8 and 9. Let the wicked leave behind his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return. That’s what we were talking about. Return to God in James 4, 7. And he will have compassion and mercy on him. Our God will abundantly pardon. So here’s a God. There’s two wisdoms here. And we’ve got to get familiar with those two different wisdoms, Kimberly.

SPEAKER 04 : 15:02

Yes, not so that we can wield them both. God alone wields both of those wisdoms.

SPEAKER 05 : 15:10

That’s right.

SPEAKER 04 : 15:11

He alone is the one who is a God of justice. And I love that you brought that out that Isaiah 55 verse 7 says, And I don’t know what version you’re reading from there, but I’m looking at the New Living Translation. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. So good. The only way we can do that is to call ourselves out on it and to say, okay, no, no to that. I’m going to stop that pattern because it’s not helping. And let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes. Turn to our God. He will forgive generously because he is saying my thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. It flows right into that. He is a God of mercy. He wants us to learn mercy. We’re reading in James and um if we go back to james in chapter two uh i and i like i’m going to go ahead and read this from the passion translation yes james 2 verse 13 remember that judgment is merciless for the one who judges others without mercy god alone knows how to hold judgment and mercy perfectly We don’t know how to do that. Human beings don’t know how to do that. So if we are judging other people, it’s going to be merciless for us.

SPEAKER 02 : 16:43

That’s right. We will not have mercy. And judgment is going to come back on us. It’s going to be a boomerang. Yes. Really.

SPEAKER 04 : 16:50

So it goes on to say in James 2, 13, by showing mercy, you take dominion over judgment. Mm hmm. And our familiar way of reading that scripture is that mercy triumphs over judgment. If you think about triumph, you’re thinking about a victory. Mercy is the way we end up with victory, not judgment. Mercy triumphs and has dominion over and is victorious over judgment. When we walk in mercy toward one another, we let the Lord take care of the judgment and the justice. That’s right. We must stay focused on the mercy, on the love, the kindness, the compassion, just like you were reading out of Isaiah 55. When we read Isaiah 55 in verses 6 and 7, Just getting the thought of judgment and wrongdoing out of our minds and letting them turn. Let these people turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God for he will forgive generously. Do we do that? Do we know how to forgive generously? We need to learn how to forgive generously and show compassion and mercy because that is the word of God is telling us that is how we are victorious. That’s how we take dominion over the enemy is by becoming the mercy filled and compassion filled person that is reflecting who God is.

SPEAKER 02 : 18:28

Yes. Because our idea of wisdom is so limited, Kimberly. It really is. I was looking at 1 Corinthians 3.19. The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. So not only the two sides of wisdom of God, but there’s another wisdom that we can’t go to, and that’s the wisdom of this world. And a lot of people have gone through college and have their master’s and their doctorate and all of that. And for some of you, that is fine. But for me, it never was. because my Bible is my wisdom. It’s my wisdom factor from God. And so if you go to James 3, Kimberly was just in James 2, judgment will be merciless to the one who has shown no mercy. We’re going to go to James 3, 13 through 18. And it says, do you want to be counted wise to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do. You live well, live wisely, live humbly. Now we just have read James 4, 7, submit to God. That’s humbling yourself before God and resist the devil and he will flee. It’s a way you live, not the way you talk that counts. And you’ve heard for so many years, Kimberly, that so many people talk the talk, but they just don’t walk the walk. Right. And so the mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom. It’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the other’s throats. We see that a lot in this world.

SPEAKER 04 : 20:14

We do because we’re not thinking of where that other person might be coming from and what their dynamics are, what they grew up with and what their culture is like. And when we’re not thinking of that, we’re judging them according to what we have been raised with, what we have learned. But we are just such a small drop in the ocean of God’s image that we cannot, we can’t be boasting of what we think might be right for them. It’s not good for us to approach people that way. It’s good to approach in humility and in mercy with compassion and to just feel with them, to weep with those who weep, to rejoice with those who rejoice, even if it doesn’t feel like it’s something that I would rejoice over. Yes.

SPEAKER 02 : 21:03

And twisting the truth, that’s stretching the truth. That’s making you feel like you have won something. a verbal war here by stretching the truth just a little bit and kimberly before you were talking about people that have gotten used to their standard of living or their tradition and sometimes people think well that’s in the bible isn’t it no no people no you know people say god helps those who help themselves and they say that’s in the bible yeah i hear that a lot yes Cleanliness is next to godliness.

SPEAKER 04 : 21:37

That’s not in there. It’s not in there.

SPEAKER 02 : 21:40

So we grow up with things that people are saying is in the Bible. They’re not. Well, in James 3, if you want to hear about wisdom, James 3 is so good because the first part of James talks about the tongue, which we don’t like to talk about, but Our tongues really get us into trouble. They do. But here, James 3, 17 and 18, this is real wisdom. Would you like to read that, Kimberly, that part of James 3?

SPEAKER 04 : 22:04

Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings. I have to stop because when I read, it’s characterized by getting along with others. Many of us hear that and we think, oh, well, that doesn’t mean I have to get along with my brother. That doesn’t mean I have to get along with my ex. It doesn’t mean I have to get along with my coworker. You have somebody in your mind, right? There’s always someone in our minds. God’s wisdom begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. OK, if you’re not getting along with somebody, then what can we do to turn that? Yes, we can pray. Let’s do that. Let’s pray. Let’s ask the Lord to give us ideas and how to reconcile, how to build a bridge, because this world isn’t going to get any better by continuing to be at each other’s throats.

SPEAKER 05 : 23:10

That’s right.

SPEAKER 04 : 23:11

This wisdom is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings. That means overflowing with mercy and blessings toward those you’re not getting along with.

SPEAKER 02 : 23:23

We’ve prayed to God for so many times and for so many reasons. Be merciful to me, God. God, be merciful.

SPEAKER 04 : 23:31

Now let’s ask, yes, be merciful to them that I’m not getting along with. Be merciful to them and help me be merciful to them. Yes, because it says that this wisdom is not hot one day, cold the next. It’s not two-faced. You’re two-faced if you’re only praying for yourself and you’re not praying for that other person. That’s right. We don’t want to be two-faced. We want to have the wisdom of the Lord that will ask for mercy, not just for ourselves, but for the others around us. you can develop a healthy robust community that lives right with god and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other treating each other with dignity and honor oh praise god wow

SPEAKER 02 : 24:22

What a wise man he was. And we’re talking about wisdom. This week, I think most of the week, we’re going to be talking about God’s wisdom. And if we want God’s wisdom, Proverbs 7, 4 is such a beautiful verse. I say it often. Wisdom, you are my sister in understanding you’re my intimate friend. And it’s so important that we include wisdom in our decision making, Kimberly, and not just looking at the contract or looking at this decision we have to make without going to God and asking him for wisdom and understanding in all of this.

SPEAKER 04 : 24:56

That’s right. And when he brings wisdom, he does it so generously. It’s so full of mercy and compassion that you feel you don’t feel like you’ve been scolded. i think that would be the world’s wisdom the world’s wisdom makes you feel like you’ve just been scolded it brings a lot of condemnation and makes you feel like oh i should have done that differently that’s right but god’s wisdom comes in and says nope this is the plan i’m right here with you i’ve got it i’m working it all out it doesn’t matter what you did before it doesn’t matter what you think you wasted wasted time wasted money doesn’t matter

SPEAKER 02 : 25:34

I am with you now it’s not a waste we’re working it all for good oh we are now in the new living translation of the 17th verse of James 3 says but the wisdom from above is first of all pure it is also peace loving gentle at all times and willing to yield to others it is full of mercy willing to yield even if you’re right yes willing to yield God’s going to bring it around and It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. When I think of pure, I think of Philippians 4, 8, Kimberly, when Paul says, think on these things. Think on purity and truth and honesty and loveliness. Think on those things. And it’s just such a great part of James. Oh, and the peacemakers who plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. Don’t we all want that righteousness?

SPEAKER 04 : 26:31

Yes, we do. We want righteousness more than we want to be right.

SPEAKER 02 : 26:36

Oh, that’s right. Oh, that is so good. And with that, we’re going to close the broadcast today. I hope that you’ve received some good from James 4, 7 and James 3. We’re kind of in James right now. We’re going to get back into the Old Testament about wisdom because wisdom was with God from the beginning. So we’re going to talk more about that. God bless you and keep you and take joy.

SPEAKER 01 : 27:19

Thank you for listening to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. You may get in touch with Barbara at Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may leave your message at 1-877-917-7256. Call to Freedom is a listener supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom ministry. Power partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. you will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom’s website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara’s daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your praise reports and heart cries by mailing them to Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may email us at barbracarmack at freedomstreet.org. Until next time, remember, Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy.