God Promised To Give Wisdom (James 1:5-8) [2025-9-14]

All right, good morning church family.

You as you guys find your seats, if you would open your Bibles to

the book of James. We start a new study last week

after finishing the Book of Numbers.

We have been going through numbers for almost a year and

last week we started the book of James.

So if you're visiting this morning, you've only missed one

week of the series. We looked at the 1st 4 verses of

James and this morning we're going to look 4 verses, James

152, 8. The title of the sermon is this.

God promised to give wisdom. So let's read the text openness

and a word of prayer and then we'll jump into the sermon this

morning, James chapter 1 beginning in verse 5.

James 1 · chapter mention

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously

to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

But let him ask in faith with no doubting for the one who doubts.

It's like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the

wind. For that person must not suppose

that he will receive anything from the Lord.

He is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.

If you will pray with me. Got to pray this morning that

you would please give us the gift of faith to believe that

when we need wisdom and when we come to you and ask for it, you

will give it. Give us faith to believe God

that you have promised this. It is not a maybe.

It is not a on some days, but that you have promised your

children that if any of us lacks wisdom, all we have to do is

come to you and ask and ask in faith and you will give it.

Help us to believe that this morning.

Lord I pray in Jesus name, Amen. Yesterday I was helping my son

Ezra with his one of his essays. I don't normally get involved in

the school work, Lauren usually does that, but I was being him

with his essay. He did not know that I was going

to help him with his essay. And one of the the essay

question was something along the lines of it.

It was like if you have 3 wishes, what would you wish for?

And that was the assignment that his teacher at the Co-op.

If you have 3 wishes, what would you wish for?

You know what his wishes were number one, that he would

glorify God #2 God would give him wisdom and #3 that he would

be able to accept God's will as a dad.

I there are a few things you could be more proud of.

You know, we that's a very common question, right?

If you had three wishes and and you know, there's always that,

but you can't ask for more wishes.

It's in the movie Aladdin, right, That that idea.

Sometimes, you know, we may wit, you know, wish ourselves like

well, I would love for that to happen.

This actually did happen to someone one time, except it was

one wish. God came to Solomon and he said

to him, ask what I shall give to you.

In other words, he basically told Solomon, you have one wish,

name it, I'll give it to you. Out of all the things that

Solomon could ask for, do you remember what his request was?

He said, give me now wisdom and knowledge.

Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern

your people, that I may discern good from evil.

You may read that story and think I would love to have that

opportunity. I wish God would give me one

wish. I wish God would say name it and

it's yours. Well, we may not get that offer,

but here's the thing. We do get access to the very

same thing that Solomon asked for and that God gave him,

because God in this verse has promised to give us wisdom.

And that's what the sermon is about this morning.

God promises to give his people wisdom as we work our way

through the text. I'm going to start with the next

position of the text. I'm going to break it down,

break down these 4 verses into 9 parts and so and then I'll give

application at the end. So let's start looking at verse

5A where James writes if any of you lacks wisdom.

Now last week James had said that God gives us trials and

these trials are to produce steadfastness in our life.

And then he says let's steadfastness have its full

effect. And the reason for this is that

we will then be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,

lacking in nothing. But then here James says, if any

of you lacks wisdom, we must remember that when James says

lacking in nothing, that is on the day of judgement, he is

saying that on the day of judgement we will lack nothing.

We will be perfect and complete. Until then, we all lack in

things, all of us lack in multiple things, and one of the

things that we lack is wisdom, James writes.

If any of you lacks wisdom. Let's break this down.

He says if any of you. Now, the reality is that all of

us lack wisdom. Nobody is perfectly wise except

Jesus Christ. If any of you lacks the word for

LAX, here is the same word in verse 4, same exact word.

It means to be deficient in something that ought to be

present for whatever reason. If you LAX.

What wisdom? Not every question.

What is wisdom? Well, we could we take the whole

rest of the sermon on that topic, right?

I'm going to give my personal definition.

I'm not saying you need to go with this definition.

I'm not saying it's the best definition.

Through the years I have tried to come up with the definition

for this. There are multiple definitions

of wisdom, but this is how I understand the term being used

in scripture. Here's my personal and I've

shortened it from the way I traditionally defined it.

Here it is. Wisdom is the ability to discern

right from wrong and the good from the best.

And there was 2 parts of this. Wisdom is the big you don't

think of. Wisdom is making like good

decisions or but but really wisdom is the ability to discern

right from wrong right? Can I discern what's right and

what's wrong? What is God's will and what is

not God's will? It also is the ability to

discern what is good from what is best.

Often there can be two choices where both right but one of them

is better than the other right. God laid 2 choices before you.

Neither of them will be disobedience.

Wisdom is the ability to discern what is a good decision and what

is the best decision. That's what I'm going to go

with. It's OK if you define this

differently. Let's look at 1st 5B.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.

Let him ask God. Now, as I frequently like to

point out, we should always notice what the text doesn't

say. James doesn't say.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him research diligently.

If any of you lacks wisdom, make your best possible decision.

If any of you lacks wisdom, ask a wise person.

Now, none of those are wrong, they are just not the best thing

that we can do. If we need wisdom, the very best

thing that any of us can do is to ask God.

I want to point out that this is not a suggestion.

Ask in the Greek is an imperative verb.

It's a command. In fact, there's only one other

person in the New Testament that actually commands us to ask, and

it is the Lord Jesus Christ. Three times Jesus commands us to

ask our Father. Now, why should we ask God?

5C Who gives generously to all without reproach?

I want you to notice 4 descriptions of how God gives #1

continuously. Continuously gives is a

participle, which means it's an ongoing action.

It's not as though God gives one time where you ask God for

wisdom and he gives it to you that once and it's like a one

time deal and that's it. You used up your your wisdom

card for the for all of the rest of your life.

God gives wisdom continuously through the Christian life #2 He

gives generously, generously. This is not the normal Greek

word for generously. It's a Greek word.

It means straightforward, simply, above board, sincerely,

openly. It really carries the idea that

God gives with a simple mind. The best translation might be a

sincere mind, a sincere heart. God gives wisdom with a sincere

heart #3 He gives to all. All.

Not just the pastors, not just the elders, not just the

deacons, not just the teachers, not just the missionaries, not

just to the leaders, not just to the mature, but to all.

All who ask, everyone who ask, He gives children.

And four, He gives without reproach.

What does that mean? Without reproach, Literally

without finding fault, without reprimand.

Other words, God doesn't shame us that we need wisdom.

He is not like an earthly father that when your 25 year old son

ask you, dad, how do I change a tire?

What's wrong with you? You don't have to change a tire.

You're 25 and some of you are like, I don't know how to change

a tire. He is not like that where he

reprimands us, shames us, that we don't know something, looking

for 5D, and it will be given him.

It will be given him. The verb here is a future

passive indicative. All of those matter.

It's not just a grammar lesson here.

It's a future passive indicative.

All of those matter. First, it's a future verb.

What does that mean? It means God will give this

wisdom at a later time. He might give it right then and

there, but it's important that we not think of God as a

computer where we just simply go and download wisdom right when

you pray, it's not as though God right then right there downloads

it to you. Doesn't work that way.

God gives wisdom when he's ready to give it.

Future verb. It's a passive verb.

Why is that important? It means wisdom is not achieved.

Wisdom is not earned, it's not learned.

It's given. It is a gift and it is future.

It is passive and it is indicative.

Indicative is the mood of quality.

What does that mean? It's a promise.

James is is saying if you ask God for wisdom, he will give it

to you. Not he might not.

He'll think about it. He will give it.

Now if you read just verse 5, it seems like there are no

conditions to this. But verse 6 clears this up.

Look at verse 6A. But let him ask in faith.

So there is one condition to this, asking with two sides, one

condition, two sides. The first side is this.

Let him ask in faith. Now 2 questions to that.

Number one, what does it mean to ask in faith?

What does that mean to ask God for wisdom, Faith?

It means this. It means to believe verse 5.

It means to believe verse 5. Remember the two blind men who

were crying out to Jesus. Do you remember what Jesus said

to them? Jesus walked up to them and he

said this. Do you believe that I am able to

do this? And they said yes.

To ask in faith means two things.

A, it means to believe that God is able to do anything that

we're asking him. And B, it means to believe that

God will give me his very best, even if his best is no.

That's what it means to ask in faith #2 why do we need to ask

in faith? Why faith?

A lot of humility. Ask sincerely.

Ask persistently. Why is it faith?

Why does he say ask in faith? Because, as the author of

Hebrews writes, without faith it is impossible to please him.

For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists

and rewards those who seek him. You must believe that God

rewards those who seek Him. 6B with no doubting the other side

of the condition. Remember I said one condition,

two sides. The other side of this condition

is this with no doubting. Now 2 questions with this number

one, what is doubt? What it says no doubting.

What does it mean to doubt? What is doubt?

Here's the definition of the Greek word to be uncertain, to

be at odds with oneself to waiver.

Waiver is actually the best translation there.

We just, but you know some more, it literally means like to

waver, right? You're kind of just wavering

like, you know, somebody, Hey man, you want to go hiking this

weekend? That's, that's the idea.

It's to waver. Doubt can come in many forms,

doubting God's ability, God's wisdom, God's character, God's

discernment, God's judgement. Doubt can come in many forms #2

Second question, Why must there be no doubting?

Why do we need to ask in faith with no doubting?

Here's why. Because doubt is the enemy of

faith. They will not coexist.

They might coexist for a short period of time, but one of them

will squeeze the other one out. They won't stay together.

One of them will eventually push the other one out.

That's just how it works. Verse 6C For the one who doubts

is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the

wind. What does James mean by this?

The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and

tossed by the wind. James is making the point we can

either be a wave or a rock. If you ever watch the sea on a

stormy day, the waves are extremely unstable.

They're currently unpredictable. They just, they're just going

left to right, up and down. The wind blows and the waves

just go all over the place, right?

Contrast this with a giant rock in the ocean.

Stormy, it gets, it doesn't move.

You see, the enemy has all kinds of wind currents, currents of

anxiety, wind currents of fear, wind currents of anger, wind

currents of worldliness. And what doubt does?

It raises A sail and gives the enemy something to work with.

That was when we doubt, we have raised a sail.

The enemy, we'll just toss you back and forth.

Belief, doubt, trust. I don't know.

I like God. I'm not sure I like God's plan.

I don't know. That's what doubt does.

Look at verse 7. For that person must not suppose

that he will receive anything from the Lord.

Now he says that person, who is that person?

It's the doubting person in verse 6.

That person is the Doughty person in verse 6.

James says he must not suppose, could also be translated as

think or expect. He must not think or expect.

He must not think or expect that he will receive anything from

the Lord. Now I want to be clear.

James is not saying that we'll never answer our prayers if we

have doubt. He's not saying that God is

merciful. God is gracious, and he may

choose to give us something in spite of our doubt.

He may very well do that. But James is saying we shouldn't

expect to receive it if we have doubt.

Now, why would God withhold? Because we have doubt.

Or if I ask God for something, but I doubt whether he's

actually going to give it to me, why would God withhold it?

Because I have doubt? Well, think of it like this.

Imagine if God always gave us what we asked for despite our

doubt. How would we ever grow?

How would we ever learn to trust Him?

Look at verse 8. He is a double minded man,

unstable in all his ways. What does it mean to be a double

minded man? The Greek word is die psychos.

You can see like psychos can mean soul or mind and then die

meaning double or two. A lot of commentators think that

James invented this word. This Greek word literally 2

souls or two minds. Another word has one mind for

the Lord and one mind for the world.

One mind for the Lord, one mind for the world.

This reminds us of Jesus words when he said no can serve 2

masters. Here's what it it's like this.

I trust God, I do, but what about this?

I know God will give me what I need, but what if he doesn't?

If he doesn't, I know God is able.

Matt. Yes, yes, yes, I know God is

able. I just need a backup plan just

in case. James says This is a double

minded person and their double mindedness makes them unstable.

It can also be translated. Restless, in other words,

reduces rest for our souls. Doubt produces anxiety.

I have never met someone who was I would call to be an anxious

person who I thought rested in the sovereignty of God and vice

versa. I have never met someone that

rested in the sovereignty of God who was just constantly anxious

all the time. Application of the text.

I have 7 points of application #1 the beginning of wisdom is

this get wisdom, IE acknowledge that we lack it.

It's one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

The beginning of wisdom is this. Get wisdom, IE acknowledge that

we lack it. You ever heard the phrase?

The more you know, the more you realize you don't know.

You've heard that idea right? The more you know, the more you

realize you don't know. The idea is that the person who

boasts in their knowledge ever meeting somebody who like how to

boast and how much they know, all they are actually are

testifying to is their ignorance.

If someone boasts in what they know, all they are testifying to

is their own ignorance, because the truly knowledgeable person

knows how much they don't know. The same is true for wisdom, the

wise. No, they are not wise, not in

and of themselves. They recognize that in and of

myself, I am not wise. That's why Solomon wrote The

beginning of wisdom is this. Get wisdom.

It implies that to be wise, you already have to have some

measure of wisdom to know that you need wisdom, James writes.

If any of you lacks wisdom, we all lack wisdom.

There's only one who is perfectly wise at all times, and

we all need wisdom as a result. Common when young men finish

seminary this was this was true of me too.

I'm I'm It's very common when young men finish seminary to

think that they know something. But knowledge is not wisdom.

Doctrine is not wisdom Bible competency is not wisdom.

Experience is not wisdom. You see, in the economics of

wisdom we are all running a deficit #2 there are two AIS.

There is artificial intelligence, and there is the

author of intelligence. There are two AIS.

There is artificial intelligence, and there is the

author of Intelligence. I was watching a YouTube video

several years back, this is several years ago, and it was

discussing how there is a growing disconnect between young

adults and their parents and especially their grandparents.

There's a growing disconnect, right?

And what this video was saying is that one of the reasons for

this is that people, young people, no longer need their

parents or grandparents for advice.

One of the examples that gave was that if something was broken

in your car or something was broken in your house, and years

past, people would call up their dad or call up their grandpa and

they would help you or they would give advice.

Or if you're baking something and it's just not turning out

the way that you want it to turn out for whatever reason, they

would call up their mom or their grandma and they would help you.

But now we have YouTube. Need to change out your brake

light. There's a YouTube video for

that. I realized I was guilty of this.

If I have a question on how to fix something, I just go to

YouTube. There's a video for how to do it

now. This was several years ago.

How much more is it true now with AI?

People look up on AI. People look up marriage advice.

I that's fascinating to me. People look up marriage advice.

I actually saw an article yesterday.

I this is this is after I wrote the sermon.

I saw an article yesterday that said people are turning to AI

for financial advice. People look up marriage advice,

they look up financial advice, they look up career advice, they

look up health advice with AI. And I'll be honest, if you think

I'm just like a curmudgeon grumpy old man, listen, it's

impressive. I'm a fan.

I like it. My wife, I can't, cannot

convince my wife. She refuses to use it.

I'm in. I'm for it.

But here's where I want to caution us.

Here's where I want to caution us.

James doesn't say. If any of you lacks wisdom, let

him ask ChatGPT. Let him ask Gemini.

Let him ask copilot. I mean, anybody's asking

copilot. Sorry Microsoft people, he says.

Let him ask God. There are two AIS, Artificial

intelligence and the author of Intelligence.

You see, the world can give us knowledge.

It can give us information. It can give us facts.

It can give us statistics. It can give us methods.

It can give us ideas. It can give us advice.

But here's what it cannot give wisdom.

Only God can give wisdom. AI may take the place of your

mom or dad or grandpa or grandma.

I hope that it doesn't, but it may.

Do not let it take the place of your God.

You will never. I don't care how good they get

this, you will never outgrow your need to ask God.

Three, our God gives continuously, generously, and

partially and ungrudgingly. We looked at those earlier

continuously, generously, and partially and ungrudgingly.

And this is so important. Why?

Because I find that sometimes we are tempted to believe that God

gives occasionally, sparingly, arbitrarily, and begrudgingly.

We ask God for something and we think maybe he'll give it, maybe

he won't. If he does give it, it'll

probably be the bare minimum. If he doesn't give it, it's

probably because I'm not on his good side.

This week probably presents me for asking him in the first

place. It's very easy for us to have a

warped view of who our Father is, and yet James tells us we

are to ask God, who gives generously to all without

reproach. He gives 4 descriptions in that

phrase. I'm going to look at them

briefly #1 He gives continuously.

Gives is a participle as I mentioned, which means he

doesn't just give once, He gives continuously.

He did not give his people mana for the first year in the desert

and tell them, all right guys, y'all figure it out from here.

He gave them mana all 40 years in the desert #2 he gives

generously. Jesus did not just give wine at

the wedding, He gave 6 stone jars of it.

He didn't just give a few pieces of bread and fish, He gave them

enough until they all were satisfied.

He didn't just give them fish in their Nets, He gave them so many

fish that their Nets were beginning to break.

Our God gives generously #3 He gives impartially.

God doesn't play favorites. He doesn't play favorites.

Jesus took the time to heal the bleeding woman before he went to

the ruler of the synagogue's house at 4:00.

He doesn't give he he gives ungrudgingly.

When we ask God for something, God never thinks What's wrong

with you? You're asking again.

Didn't you just ask me yesterday for wisdom?

You need it again today, Matt. You're about to turn 44.

You should know this by now. God never thinks that.

Our God gives continuously, generously, impartially, and

ungrudgingly #4 Wisdom is a rare jewel, but God has promised to

give it. Wisdom is a rare, rare jewel,

but God has promised to get it. Give it.

If you want to learn the performing arts and music, you

can enroll at Juilliard. If you want to learn film and

media, you can enroll in the American Film Institute.

If you want to learn law, you can enroll at Harvard Law

School. If you want to learn medicine,

you can enroll at John Hopkins. If you want to learn business,

you can enroll at the Wharton School.

But if you want to be wise, where do you enroll?

Chinese. Southern Baptist Church?

No, Where do you get wisdom now? 1 answer is to read this book.

Here's the problem. Anybody can read this book.

Jonathan can read this book. I can go out to somebody out

there on drugs who is lost and they can read this book.

Wisdom is knowing how to use this book and how to apply it

correctly. Wisdom is a rare jewel, Job

says. Shall wisdom be found and where

is the place of understanding? Man does not know it's worth and

it is not found in the land of the living.

Job 28 Solomon writes She meaning wisdom personified.

She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire

can compare with her. You see friends, you can find

knowledge, you can find. You can find skill, you can find

success. You can find love, you can find

friends, you can find money. But where can you find wisdom?

It is a rare jewel, but God has promised to give it.

James says Let him ask God and it will be given him.

That is a promise. And brother, sisters, I got to

be honest. That's an encouraging 1 isn't

it? Because how many times do we

just feel stuck and we think I don't know what to do.

I don't know should I date? Should I not?

Should I marry this person or should I not?

Should I invest or should I not? Should I change majors or should

I not change jobs or should I not?

Should we change churches or should we not?

Should we have another child or should we?

How are you going to make these decisions?

God has promised to give you wisdom.

Don't doubt that. Don't doubt that he will give

you wisdom to make the right decision. 5 Faith is the key

that unlocks God's pantry. And no, I didn't intentionally

rhyme that, but I have to worry. I realized it was like, Oh no

rhymes. Faith is the key that unlocks

God's pantry. Verse 5 seems like an

unconditional statement, doesn't it?

In many ways it is, many ways it is.

But James gives this. But in verse 6, it's a condition

2, verse five with two sides. The first side of the condition

is this. We must ask in faith again.

I always like to read what is not there in the text.

James doesn't say Let him ask with maturity, doesn't say let

him ask with humility, a mask with patience.

Let him ask persistence. Now those are all.

But the condition that James gives is this.

Let him ask in faith. You see, God has storehouses of

mercy and grace and blessing and wisdom.

He has storehouses of it. And faith is the key that

unlocks God's pantry. Now, I want to be clear that

James faith is not just James's pet pod project.

It's not something like, you know what, man, James, he was

really big into faith. You know, I don't know why, but

he was really big into it. How many times did Jesus address

faith? Five times Jesus said, Oh you of

little, what faith? When the friends brought their

paralytic to Jesus, what did Jesus see?

When Jesus saw their determination?

No, their faith. When Jesus looked at the

bleeding woman, what did he see? Her faith.

Jesus said to the blind man, according to your What faith be

it done to you? Jesus said whatever you ask in

prayer you will receive. If you have what faith, brothers

and sisters, if you want God to work in your life, then have

faith. You're like, well, where do I

get faith? Pray for it.

You're like, wait a minute. So if I want wisdom, I need to

have faith to have wisdom. If I want faith, I need to pray

to have faith. If I need to have faith to pray,

to have faith. This, the beginning of faith is

this. Get faith.

It all starts on your knees. It's got to start somewhere.

So if you're not even there yet to say I need wisdom, I don't

believe that, then just start and say God, would you just

start with my giving me faith? 6 Doubt is like a hole in a

raft, if left unattended it sinks the vessel.

Doubt is like a hole in a raft, if left unattended it sinks the

vessel. The other side of this condition

is this. With no doubting, James says

that the one who doubt should not suppose that he will receive

anything from the Lord. Now let me clarify 2 things that

James is not saying here. There are denominations that

teach this and I want to clarify.

There are two things he is not saying this number one, James is

not saying that as long as we have faith and we don't doubt,

we will always get what we asked for.

He's not saying that faith and no doubt.

Is necessary to get what we're asking for.

It is not sufficient. Now for wisdom it is, but not

for everything else. It is not to say Lord give me a

spouse and I believe it. I don't doubt you'll give it to

me at all. Doesn't mean he will.

That is a necessary condition. It is not a sufficient

condition. 2 James is not saying that if we don't get what we

asked for, it means one of two things.

Either a we didn't have enough faith or B we doubted.

If you don't get what you're asking for, it doesn't mean that

either a you didn't have enough faith or B you had doubt.

It doesn't mean that I recently sat down at a coffee shop with

someone and they were asking me how are they to think of their

doubts? They weren't sure if it was

normal for a Christian to have doubts and they thought, you

know, if I do have doubts, that maybe it means I'm not even a

Christian, right? Like, because I, I feel like,

you know, they were like, I go to church and seems like people

here, you know, like nobody else here has has doubts and I feel

like I'm the only one who has it.

Does I mean I'm not saved. I mean, I'm not a Christian.

I would give is this doubt is like a hole in the raft, if left

unattended it will sink the vessel.

Remember the Father who brought his demon possessed son to the

disciples while Jesus and the other three disciples were up on

the mountain, they brought him to the disciples the other nine

and they couldn't cast out the demon.

And when Jesus came down, he approached the Father, and they

bring the boy to Jesus. And the Father says to him, but

if you can do anything, have compassion on us.

You remember what Jesus said to him.

If you can, if you can, all things are possible for the one

who believes. Now immediately the father of

the child cried out. This I believe, help my

unbelief. Now what does that mean?

Now here's the thing. Did Jesus turn to him when he

said this I believe help my unbelief?

Did Jesus turn to him and say, sorry, you have doubt, I'm not

going to heal him. See you, You just admitted you

had doubt. Sorry.

He heals the boy. He heals him.

Now, interesting enough that when the disciples came to

Jesus, they asked, they said, why couldn't we cast the demon

out? Do you remember what you said to

them because of your little faith?

How do we make sense of that? Here's how I think we should

make sense of this. It appears to me that the

disciples were looking to themselves to heal this boy.

They thought they could do it on demand because they had done it

before and because they were looking to themselves.

Their faith was lacking. But the Father, well, he looked

to Jesus, Even though his faith is small, his faith is

struggling. It's barely there.

He looked to Jesus. How do we know that?

Because of the word help, help my unbelief.

He's basically saying my raft is floating, but it's sinking.

Help me. See Brother Scissor, Doubt can

take many forms. Doubt.

You can doubt the goodness of God.

You can doubt the power of God. You can doubt the plan of God.

You can doubt the purpose of God.

You can doubt the love of God. You can doubt the wisdom of God.

You can doubt the justice of God.

And that doubt in your heart. It is like a hole in your raft

and if you leave it unattended it will sink the vessel.

We must go to God and faith, even if we are struggling in

doubt, we must go to God and ask Him.

God, will you patch up this hole?

I've actually got a lot of holes in my raft.

Will you patch them up? Seven last point.

Faith gives you an anchor. Doubt gives the enemy a sail.

Faith gives you an anchor, Doubt gives the enemy a sail.

James says that a person who doubts is like the sea, and the

sea is totally holding to the wind.

The wind blows and it drives and it tosses this sea back and

forth and it's chaotic, right? You ever met somebody?

You ever met somebody who's chaotic?

They're calls a man without a double minded man, stable in all

his ways. We sometimes call this spiritual

schizophrenia. Think of it like this.

If your heart and your mind and your soul is a ship on the sea,

your heart, your mind, your soul, it's a ship on the sea.

Faith gives you an anchor. Doubt gives the enemy a sail.

Faith not only brings our vessel to God, but it anchors us in the

harbour of God, and no matter how much the wind blows, we are

well anchored in the Lord. But doubt gives the enemy a

sail. It gives him something to work

with. The enemy stirs up storms.

That's what he does. Last week we looked at trials.

A lot of these trials are from the enemy.

He stirs up storms and these storms will toss us back and

forth. One moment we are trusting God

and the next moment we are trusting ourselves.

One moment we are following, and the next moment we are following

the world's plan. One moment we are freely resting

in the sovereignty of God, and the next moment we are

imprisoned by our own anxiety. Brothers and sisters, there's

always a storm on the horizon. You look out of your life,

there's always a storm on the horizon.

Doubt raises A sail and it gives the enemy something to work

with. Drop your anchor into the ocean

of God's Providence and you will not be easily moved.

Let's pray.