Life Solutions
Discovering the Riches of God’s Wisdom
13. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come.
14. He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.
John 16:13-14
You Shall Know Him
None of us were born with the fullness of knowledge. While we acknowledge that there are many gifted people, talented people and as fast learner, there is no one that has come to this planet possessing all wisdom. Wisdom must be learned. This implies that there must be a teacher and that the person being taught must pay attention to the lessons. Let me repeat, not a single soul that came to this world in human form has possessed all knowledge. That includes the Lord Jesus Christ.
Before you tune me out, please hear me out. The Bible says of Jesus, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared … though He was the Son, yet He learned obedience from what He suffered … (Hebrews 5:8-9). We are all comfortable with the fact that Jesus suffered, but totally unfamiliar with the fact that Jesus also learned in His suffering. Yet the verse is clear that Jesus “learned.” If the Son of God learned, then learning must be the model for the Church of Christ. Jesus was demonstrating to us a couple of key things regarding the Knowledge of God. First, prayer is essential. Secondly, prayer gives us access to Kingdom Knowledge. We must not think of prayer as an escape hatch from our problems but rather a means of knowing God’s plan of how to work through the problem. Jesus demonstrated that as He prayed for the Father’s Will to be carried out. Yet, there is a third demonstration that our Lord shows us. We should learn in order to prepare for action. Learning means nothing if the student is not willing to perform what is learned. This is the key to the effectiveness of all God’s people. We must not only learn but we must apply what we have learned in order for God to be glorified. With that in mind, let’s explore Life Solutions.
Please understand that Jesus is and always will be Lord of Lords, King of Kings, has all the Wisdom of God in bodily form. Don’t get the mistaken idea that somehow Jesus is not All Knowing and All Powerful. He is truly God. The key is that while He was in the flesh on earth and particularly while He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, there were certain things that the Father would teach Him. It is also critical to note that when Jesus rose from the dead, He possessed All Power in Heaven and in earth. Matthew 28:18. The point is, that as believers, we must learn from God; in learning we are granted access to Kingdom Wisdom that is hidden from the world.
We have all heard the adage it is not what you know but who you know. Let me modify that saying and conform it to God’s Word. From a Biblical perspective, it is Who you know that determines what you know. Those who are in Christ have been called to know Someone who knows all that we will ever need to know. He is the Spirit of God that is sent to indwell every believer. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come. John 16:13. It is truly amazing that God did not entrust our soul teachings to anyone other than Himself. God sent the Holy Spirit to guide us into ALL TRUTH. He sent the Holy Spirit to show us THINGS TO COME. That pretty much covers all the knowledge that is needed for now and eternity. So, the question is: why haven’t we learned? This starts with another personal question that must be dealt with. Do we really want to learn the truth? Until that question is addressed, it makes very little sense to teach the lesson. For the sake of this message, let’s assume that every child of God wants to learn. With that, let’s see what the Teacher has to say about Life Solutions.
You Get to Choose Your Teacher
In Southside Virginia, where I attended elementary school, there were three classrooms up to the sixth grade. The first and second grade classes were taught by Mrs. Dorothy Blanks. The third and fourth grade classes were taught by Mrs. L.T. Wilborn. The fifth and sixth grade classes were taught by Mrs. Harriet Bailey. I remember these teachers primarily because they taught more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. They taught us hygiene, old fashioned manners, and how to stand and sit in a chair. These teachers were dedicated more than academic achievement. They wanted every student that went through their classroom to succeed in life. A funny thing happened when I got to High School. There I had the opportunity to choose my teachers. My choices were to get all easy teachers and to choose all the easy classes so I would not have to study. But something happened to my plans; Momma got involved and demanded I take the classes that would help me in the future. What teachers were those? They were the tough ones that believed in discipline and difficult lessons. In the long run, they were the right teachers that prepared me for the life ahead.
In much the same way, we choose our life teachers. You can either choose the Truth Teacher or the Teacher of the Lie. Let me caution you, the teacher you choose will determine your success or your failure in life. In choosing the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we make the choice to be guided in every facet of life. We make the choice to allow God to correct us when we are wrong. We make the choice to accept the homework and the added assignments that those on the path of the lie refuse to take. It is all a matter of choice. Jesus instructed His followers that He would not be with them much longer but would leave them and go back to the Father. Rather than Him simply reminding them of what He had taught them, Jesus knew how forgetful and prone to error His Disciples could be, so He assigned them to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. God in the Flesh would soon depart from them, but this would make way for God the Spirit to enter their lives. It is the Holy Spirit that is actively teaching believers how to live and walk the spiritual road to Glory. When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth.
How does the class instruction process work? Please recall that the goal of spiritual wisdom is not simply to learn the lesson, but to also apply the lessons learned. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom in much the same way as we would take prescription medications for our bodies. The medication must be applied to the area where needed. It must become a regular regimen in most cases. Lastly, the prescription must be refilled. This is what I refer to as “Life Solutions.” When the Spirit guides us into ALL TRUTH, He is guiding us in the path of righteousness for His Name Sake. It becomes our “Life Solution when we apply it to the area of need. Please note that this is a very different concept than most religious teachings. We think of “learning about God” as learning for the after-life and about Heaven. Please read the verse carefully. The Holy Spirit comes to guide us in ALL TRUTH. There are things that need to be learned now before I get to Heaven. If I don’t have a Great Teacher, I will not be able to make it to Heaven.
The key to getting the Wisdom Prescription of Life Solutions to work is to know when you need it. This prescription is not good and will not work if you simply take it to impress others. This prescription will not work that well if you only want to feel better and just want to “hang in there.” Nor will this prescription work if you try to take it to avoid things happening. (Your being a Child of God does not exempt you from suffering).
This is a guaranteed prescription and must only be taken as prescribed by the Great Physician, Jesus Christ. Life Solutions are the answers you need for the problems you are facing. Life Solutions will show you how to walk. Life solutions will be with you to strengthen you when you get weak. When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Life Solutions will be a sedative to calm your fears. When facing sickness, hardship, persecution, or peril Life Solutions will show you the way. The key is knowing when you need to take it. James tells us that it is when you lack wisdom. If anyone lacks wisdom, let them ask God who gives to all men generously and without reproach. James 1:5.
Throughout the Bible, the Saints have relied on Life Solutions to help them through their tough times and in their times of distress. David found that Life Solutions were like a rock in a weary land. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, found they not only had Life Solutions, but also a Way-maker in the fiery furnace. Daniel discovered he could apply his Life Solutions in the lions’ den. That same Holy Spirit that guided many saints safely to their place in Heaven is here today. The Spirit of God will guide all believers through this life. He is our Life Solution. When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth. Trust Him today. Obey Him today. Follow Him today.