Seeking to know, understand and live out wisdom from God. What is wisdom? Real wisdom.
Similar to my previous update about success, what real wisdom is, is not determined by mankind. Wisdom is determined by God and what He says wisdom is.

I have been so encouraged this month with what God has been showing me about myself, others and His word. Leaning on the Lord for absolutely everything isn’t always easy, but it is worth it. When we lean on Him and His word, His wisdom, His provision, His power, we get to experience His eternal faithfulness to not only take care of us in ways of provision, of food, of housing and clothing, but also we get to experience more in the way He teaches wisdom, faith, gives understanding about ourselves and others, the way He teaches us love and what our own gifts and strengths are.

The more we rely on Him, the more we see Him move in our lives and those around us often times using us in that.

Story:

A few weeks ago, I was at “The Rock Café” (YWAM Café for English conversation and preaching the gospel) and met a young man who was a new believer but hadn’t read much of the Bible yet or had much guidance in faith. He was a bright guy who loved photography and had been self teaching himself how to use Photoshop by watching YouTube videos. He began to open up a bit in our conversation and told me that he only goes to God when he feels absolutely desperate for something and he didn’t think God wanted him to rely on Him.

I silently prayed asking God to give me the wisdom and right words to encourage this young man.

Then I started sharing with him and God led me to tell him about King David, about Gideon, about Solomon, Abraham, Paul, etc. about all these people and the lives they lived in submission to The Lord and how they completely relied on the Lord to guide them in their steps throughout life.
David relying on God for his very life and relying on God to guide him into battles, Gideon defeating thousands of men with only an army of 300 men by the power of God, Abraham the father of our faith willing to make such a huge sacrifice, relying on God to still fulfill His promise, Solomon asking God for wisdom to lead the people of Israel, and Paul relying on God completely and absolutely for everything from the day that Jesus called him till the day that he died.

I then began to tell the young man about how God has been providing for me for over 2 years in the mission field and how God is so so faithful in all things and all ways and that God truly wants us to rely on Him for everything. To have faith and use the wisdom that He provides in that.
The young man was stunned.. He responded… “Really?…. God really wants me to rely on him all the time?”
I said “Yes, that is what the bible teaches”
His face got brighter and I could see a light in his eye as He processed for a moment and then asked me to sit down and answer some of his questions about the bible that He has…. The conversation went on the whole night long.

Near the end of the night, he told me that before we talked, he was doubting in faith and considering turning away from God and faith in Jesus, but now he was filled with anticipation and excited to read the bible more and to have faith in God. He had fears about the difficulty of faith but I reminded him that difficult things are worth doing. It will likely be very hard but it will be worth everything.

 

Before that evening, I was considering what my strengths were and I would have said before that I am not the strongest in “naturally encouraging people”. That evening, God revealed to me that the thing I thought was one of my weaker gifts, was actually more likely my strongest gift. I went home so excited for this young man to be closer with the Lord that I couldn’t even sleep lol.

This is just one of the many ways that God has been growing me and showing me who I am in Him. It all started with asking God to give me the wisdom in what to say to this young man.

I have another story about last night with 3 other people and again God revealing another gift of mine to me that I didn’t know I had but I didn’t know that this was going to end up being this long so I will save that for another time and move on haha.

God is so good. He is so faithful. I seriously could sit down and tell stories for hours about how God has been so faithful to me and grown me so much. It seems like its someone else’s life that I am watching when I replay the stories in my mind and I see that my life is just that. It is not mine, it is His. God has done these things in my life by His will and my willingness to submit to His hands.

I truly need a lot more wisdom in many areas of my life and pray that God will guide me in those areas so I can make good choices which will bring Glory to His Name and encouragement to those around me.

A book that I have been reading currently by John Piper is called “Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood”. I really want to encourage everyone to read this book. I have been growing in this area as well and pray that I will have the courage to continually walk out my identity in God and His word. Awesome thing too is that it is available for purchase online but John Piper makes it available for free to download from his website as well!

http://www.desiringgod.org/books/recovering-biblical-manhood-and-womanhood

In 10 days, I will be traveling to Mongolia for a week to teach the Epistle 1 Corinthians in a bible school there as they asked me to come to teach there. For the past 2 and a half months I have been studying 1 Corinthians and preparing this teaching. It is an honor to be able to go there to teach such a wonderful book and God again has blessed me abundantly in understanding and wisdom throughout the preparation of this book.

The very day that I accepted the request to go to teach the book in Mongolia after asking God about it, God literally in one shot, provided all the money needed for the plane ticket to go there without my asking or telling anyone about it. I just want you to hear again and again and again how good and how faithful and how awesome God is.

I can’t express the blessing I have in living in the mission field and preaching God’s word. It was so cool a week ago a friend of mine from Hawaii sent me a gift package in the mail with a few treats from America just to bless and encourage me! She even sent me Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal haha! Love it! Getting mail and/or letters is such a fun surprise!

I am so encouraged by the email responses I get from you. Please know that it really makes a difference for me to hear from you. If you have a moment and think of it, please just pray that I would have continued wisdom in this life that God has given me to live. Also, another prayer request is with regard to my sister. She has recently had a 12cm mass grow on her right ovary that could be cancerous and she is afraid of what that means. Please if you have a moment, pray for it to dissolve and be healed and that she would be comforted in this time.

Love always and in Jesus,
Your brother in Christ,
Jacob

Love is the answer, humility is the key, Jesus is the way.

P.S. If you need a reminder of the gospel and you don’t know how to share it or you need to hear it yourself, read 1 Corinthians 15:1-10.

1.         Christ Jesus died for our sins to be forgiven
2.         He was buried and 3 days later was raised from the dead
3.         He appeared to many people
4.         He works in our lives today still