First Things First

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding." Proverbs 4:7

God’s Word teaches wisdom Is the number one thing we should pursue in life - not human wisdom, but the wisdom that comes from God. So how do we get God’s wisdom? How can we know the difference between His wisdom and natural wisdom? And why is wisdom so important anyway?

Believe it or not, the Bible has a great deal to say about wisdom. Do you realize wisdom has a real voice that is calling out to you? 

Instead of wearing yourself out in the pursuit of success, if you understand the power of prioritising wisdom you will be empowered to see your way through to a successful and fulfilling life. Rather than trying to get rich, get wisdom! The wisest and richest man in history said it this way:

"Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit." Proverbs 23:4 (NLT)

God desires to bless you. It’s not a question of that. God can do so much to build your life, but you can tear it down through a lack of wisdom. Even though God is able to restore what has been stolen or lost to you, without wisdom, whatever you may gain will be torn down. 

"A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands." Proverbs 14:1 (NLT)

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to get ahead in life, the key is to make sure you have the correct priorities. First things first. Otherwise life has a way of unravelling.  

For all the effort you may be spending trying to get what you want or need, the answer is to change your focus and get wisdom. This will mean a paradigm shift, a fundamental change of thinking and living. 

So, where does God’s wisdom begin? Where do you start? Solomon leaves no doubt. 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)

The ‘fear of the Lord’ is not a cowering fear but an awe-filled reverence for Who God is. Basically, if you fear God, you have decided that nothing in life is more important than knowing Who He is. 

Ultimately, blessing comes to those who build their life on a foundation of obedience to God. Are you prepared to put God first with your time, your commitment, your passion and your call? Are you prepared to say Yes Lord, and apply the wisdom to make a way in life? If you do, you can expect victory over opposition, blessing and prosperity, increasing influence and abiding peace.

PRAYER:
Lord, I recognise the importance of building my life on the foundation of Your wisdom, and that begins with putting You first in everything. I ask for Your grace and the guidance of Your Holy Spirit as I choose to pursue Your wisdom from this day forward.

Test Your Thoughts

Test Your Thoughts 

The thoughts you keep in a loop determine the direction of your life. — Steven Furtick 

We have a lot of thoughts every day. In fact, many experts believe we think somewhere between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts per day. That averages out to 2,500 to 3,300 per hour. Remarkable, isn’t it?

It would be great if our thoughts were all good. But many of them are negative and toxic. The good news is that we have a guide to help us test our thoughts. Philippians 4:8 is a great test as to whether we should think about something. The verse tells us to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Consider each word listed below.

True
One of the most important things to consider about our thoughts is, “Are they true?” Too often our thoughts are just not true. We need to focus on what is authentic, real, and lines up with God's Word.

Noble
Because we are children of God, we’re in the highest of ranks! Our thoughts should be royal and regal. Not in an arrogant way but in not allowing ourselves to think in an unkind or repulsive manner.

Right
So many people want to be right—to be the one who is never wrong. But often, we don’t allow that desire for being right to permeate our thoughts. Thinking right thoughts means allowing accuracy and appropriateness to guide us.

Pure
To be pure in heart and thought is not as difficult as it seems. It’s simply choosing to think on ethical, good, upright, and honest things.

Lovely
This is a word that isn’t used much, but it should be. To think lovely thoughts means to see the beautiful and stunning in life and allow our minds to think upon those things.

Admirable
To be admired is something most people want. But do we want admirable thoughts? Thoughts that are credible and distinguished and allow us to live in such a way that is commendable.

Excellent
The best of the best is what excellent is. When our thoughts are excellent, they are superb, exceptional, and fabulous. Excellent thoughts lead us to live excellent lives.

Worthy of praise

What thoughts are worthy of praise? Thoughts about God. His ways, His plans, and His creation, to name a few. It’s safe to say that when our thoughts are on Him, that’s a good thing.
We can test our thoughts every day. As we do this, eventually we won’t have to test many of our thoughts because we will already know if they meet up to the standards in Philippians 4:8.

We will never be able to adjust every negative thought that approaches our awareness, but we can certainly try to free our minds from toxic thinking…one thought at a time.

Lord I come to you today to pray for help, help with knowing the thoughts we have and choosing which ones are really godly.

God we thank you for all the thoughts that we have every day!  we pray that you would help us to take control of those thoughts and not allow them to run our lives, but in-fact help us to control our thoughts.  we know that not all of our thoughts will be great, or even good so help please help us to know when they are not righteous.  God we pray that you would help us follow the guidance you provide in every scripture in the bible.  today help us to truly in our hearts follow Philippians 4:8.  Thank you for everything you do for us every day.  Amen.

Will you Pray with us?

Mankind throughout the world for our current situation

Terese for quick and proper healing from her surgery 

Kurt and Melissa, For continued strength through the adoption process 

Red, for strength through harder times 

Stephen and Hope, for continued health throughout their pregnancy 

Ray for his son, continued healing 

Chloe for continued support and encouragement 

All Law enforcement and emergency response personnel 

For all military personal serving our country and their families 

Those in Leadership positions throughout the world