Have you been in a situation where you didn't know what to do? May it be concerning work, family, relationship, and the like, you just needed clear direction in life.
Did you know there is a key to being able to act wisely at all times? In this video, Pastor Ted Wilson would like to share it with you.
It is found in the Testimonies to the Church, volume 5, page 43. It says: "Those who study the Bible, counsel with God, and rely upon Christ will be enabled to act wisely at all times and under all circumstances."
What a wonderful promise, isn't it? But it involves conditions to fulfill.
First, study the Bible. It doesn't say "read the Bible" but "study" it. It's that important because by studying the Word, we find God's knowledge. But we must search for it.
God says in Proverbs 2:1-6, "If you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."
Set aside time to listen to God through His Word. Accept it with an open mind and heart. It's advisable to begin with the book of Proverbs as it is a treasure chest filled with practical gems of wisdom. Also, its 31 chapters fit the 31 days of the month for daily reading.
For more information on how to study the Bible, Pastor Ted encourages you to read the Seventh-day Adventist Church's "Methods of Bible Study" document at https://adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/methods-of-bible-study/.
Second, counsel with God through the privilege of prayer. It says "counsel" which means not only speaking but also speaking. And just as we cannot rush through Bible study, neither can we rush through prayer.
In Steps to Christ, page 97, we are warned to not "take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot see clearly...But if we come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really are, and in humble trusting faith make known our wants to Him whose knowledge is infinite...He can and will attend to our cry, and will let light shine into our hearts. Through sincere prayer, we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite."
Through sincere prayer, we are brought into connection with the mind of God. Mark 1:35 says, "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed."
Third, rely upon Christ. It involves acknowledging that we can do nothing by ourselves. As Isaiah 53:6 states, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone to his own way..." but praise God, through Christ we can be "more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded," wrote the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans 8:37, "that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
To achieve this absolute reliance, we must stop relying on ourselves. Surrender our will to God, saying, "Lord, 'not my will, but Yours be done'" (Luke 22:42).
By doing so, God will work in marvelous ways. "When in humble faith we rely on Christ as our sufficiency, our strength, our all and in all, then it is that the power of God rests upon our work" (The Gospel Herald, March 1, 1901, par. 9).
Again, "those who study the Bible, counsel with God, and rely upon Christ will be enabled to act wisely at all times and under all circumstances" (Testimonies to the Church, volume 5, page 43).
May God encourage and strengthen you as you claim these promises as your own.