Wise in your own eyes

I started writing this post about two months ago but never quite completed it because the Lord moved me to write on something else. Today however, it has been made clear to me that this is the time and season for this message.... for me, and I hope for you.  I truly pray that it ministers to you as it does to me. Here goes.......

Yesterday I had a lazy morning. Yes, one of those mornings when for the life of me, I would truly rather have stayed under my very warm blanket than go to work. Alas however, work called unto the worker in me so I really did have to go. But, that yesterday morning, I was going to milk every extra second at home that I could. Yup! There must be some perks to being the one who has to worry about the wages and salaries of my many staff (let’s not think about their wives, children, aged parents and relations that are also counting on this payroll of mine. No, please let’s not mention them  ....oh, the pressure, the pressure!!!)

Anyhow, where was I?  Yeah, so there I was chilling over my morning coffee, savouring the sense of peace and comfort I get from cradling a warm (okay, I admit... it’s more like closer-to-boiling- point) cuppa in the palm my hands. Pastor Taffi Dollar came on live on TBN and I turned up the volume a notch. She had been on air three days in a row now, dealing with some very ‘real’ issues – you know the kind that makes you think someone leaked your innermost secrets to her? Well, yesterday she was sure speaking to me and work was obviously going to have to wait another 30mins, lol.  Halfway through her message, Pastor Taffi  began speaking about the original sin and how despite the abundance of trees in the garden, satan was able to convince Eve to eat of the ‘one’ tree, on the strength of argument that she would then become as wise as God. This singular act begged the question of why was Eve not content enough in the knowledge that God is all-knowing, all-seeing; that God is wisdom Himself? Why was Eve not content with the knowledge that God had nothing but good plans for her life; that He had actually provided her every need - past, present and future?  What was that ‘extra’, that ‘other’ thing that she so needed to know that caused the fruit of the ‘one’ tree to draw her in such a compelling manner? Pastor Taffi then reminded us of a passage in the book of Proverbs where God tells us clearly not to be wise in our own eyes.  Her message gave me serious food for thought, I tell you sis!

I find that it always helps my understanding to put Scripture in the context of my own realities of the day and girl, was it easy to begin to find many a fault with Ms. Eve or what? Mmm hmm! It certainly was. God was at work though and it became clear that I certainly didn’t find myself listening to this message by coincidence. Nope, it was certainly a God-incidence and it didn’t take too long before I had a check in my spirit that beyond castigating Ms. Eve and trying to figure what her issues might have been; why she wasn’t satisfied with the apparent abundance of blessings she had been given; etc,  I should turn the spotlight right smack on myself. Ever had one of those moments where the Holy Spirit gives you a not-too-gentle nudge and you do your best to pretend you didn’t notice? Well, yours truly tried to ignore the big guy but failed woefully at my attempt to make my cup of coffee of greater interest than the message I was listening to. God is God and when He wants to say something, you are going to have to ‘hear’ Him sooner or later, whether you want to or not.

So, next thing I know Pastor Taffi brought the message down real-time and said ‘Ask yourself how many times you have tried to sort things out in your own strength and power? How many times have you heard from God and yet you have taken time to talk yourself out of the conviction that God actually spoke to you; especially when His mandate is contrary to your proposed line of action? And how many times have you moved and taken action without even hearing from Him at all, simply because you have certain results you want to see in the now, rather than wait for His time? How many times have you acted and/or reacted in your flesh rather than listen to the voice of reason within you which is the Holy Spirit?' How many times this... How many times that..... You know, I could almost hear her call my name at the beginning of each question. I don’t have to tell you that that cup of coffee went cold and stale in my hands as each question resonated within me. Lost in thought, I did leave late for work... only not for the same set of reasons.

Flash-forward to today....

I was reminded about this incomplete article because as I rode home in my car today, I was listening to a message in the ‘6th Sense’ series, as preached by Pastor Dharius Daniels of Kingdom Church, Pennsylvania (www.kcnj.org). Pastor Dharius, in my view a truly anointed minister of the gospel, started to speak on being wise in our own eyes. In his words, ‘I am determined that I am not going to be wise in my own eyes because I know that God’s Word does not contradict reason. Rather, God’s Word transcends reason! It is not that my own way does not make sense by my own human logic. That’s not the issue. What it is, is that God’s way of thinking is so far beyond the capacity of the human mind that I can’t even begin to comprehend the rationale that God is operating from’. He went further to declare that God is saying to us ‘My ways are higher. I have a vantage point you don’t have. I see 5yrs down the road. You can’t see that. I see eternity. You can’t see beyond the moment. So My promptings make sense based off of what I see. And what I see is beyond your senses. You can’t lean on your sense. You have got to lean on ME! Trust in My wisdom, for you really have none of your own My child’.


No one needed to tell me that this was a Word-in-due-season. All through my ride home, I had to step back and think hard through some of the decisions and choices that I have made of recent. Of a truth, I can clearly see the difference between the results of steps I tried to take in my own strength, and the results in areas where I fully yielded – albeit painfully in some cases, to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I can’t help but wonder why among the best of us, we continue to try to take control when we truly have none. Bottom line? We truly are not smart enough to make decisions regarding a future that we know nothing about. In and of ourselves, we are totally unable to comprehend the depth of God’s plans and purposes for every single situation or circumstance that we face. Only God knows! And He is totally in control and able to work all things out for our good.  We just need to stay in that place of His presence, guidance and leadership over our lives and daily actions/decisions.

I wish I could say with certainty that I will always get it right; but that might be stretching my current realities a bit. To say anything more would be unduly pretentious. I may kid you, but I certainly wont be kidding God.  I am a work-in-progress; unapologetically so! And He just loves me like that doesn’t He? What I do know with certainty though, is that as long as you and I have an intentional focus on operating at zero; at listening out for the voice of God; a determination to yield to His will; then we will be growing daily until we get to that place where we can truly say that we operate fully in the wisdom of His eyes and not our own. The Lord will help me sis. He will help you. We will make it in Jesus name, Amen.

Be blessed......... for you surely are!