Bright Lights Set
Seven – Mtg. Four: How to Be Wiser Than
Your Enemies
Bible
reading challenge update!
What are some
tips that help you stay awake or alert as you read in the morning or at
night? Which biblical discipline is the
hardest for you to be consistent in?
What distractions or hindrances make it difficult for you to be
consistent? Share one verse that has
stood out to you recently. Name one
benefit you have seen in your own life as you have been faithful in reading
God’s Word each day. (For a great
article on Biblical Disciplines go here:
http://www.acts17-11.com/disciplines.html )
Stories and
Illustrations…
Be Wiser
Than Your Enemies!
Wisdom and
knowledge are very different. Two different people could look at exactly the
same sets of information and come to entirely different conclusions. The
problem is this – our understanding varies according to both our perspective
and our experience.
We may think
we know what a familiar mountain looks like, but when we see that same mountain
from a different direction it looks entirely different. It’s all a matter of
what our perspective is. We may set out to climb the mountain a certain way,
but discover it’s impossible to approach the summit from that direction.
Whereas the man with experience of having climbed the mountain before, may set
off in a direction that looks longer, but he will always get there first,
because he has learned from experience.
The problem
with life is that we can look at all the circumstances prevailing around us and
be at a loss as to what is the right thing to do. Our knowledge is limited, our
perspective is not perfect and we have limited experience. What we lack is the
wisdom to know what to do. We may have the facts but we don’t have the
understanding as to what to do with the facts!
But there is
One who has all knowledge, and His perspective on events and circumstances is
always just right. The Lord is not limited by the horizons of our own
experience. On our journey through life we desperately need to be taking our
instructions from Him. No wonder the Psalmist was able to say ‘your commands
make me wiser than my enemies.’ When we hear and obey His voice we will always
be on solid ground.
His wisdom
is essential if we are going to make our way through this fallen world, in
which the enemy of souls is constantly wanting to trip us up and take us off
course. With His wisdom we will always be wiser than our enemies – as we
acknowledge Him, He will make our paths straight and show us the way to go –
every step of the way.
Prayer:
Father God, I confess that many times I have depended on my own knowledge and
experience and have not listened to your voice or taken note of what you have
said in your Word. Help me, Lord, to look up to you for the wisdom that passes
all human understanding so that I will be wiser than my enemies and experience
your blessing on my path. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What could you
accomplish in an hour a day for a year?
Sword
Drill….
Deut. 4: 5-6
Joshua 1:
7-8
Psalm 19:
7-8
Psalm 119:
97-100
Prov. 2:
1-11
2 Timothy
3:14-15
Main
Concepts…
Build on our
last lesson of Delighting in God’s Word by purposing to memorize and meditate
on Scripture. Catch the vision for what
you can achieve in this area if you put your whole heart and mind into it.
Wisdom does
not come from having a lot of “head knowledge”.
There is no wisdom in boasting of your own accomplishments. The main goal of wisdom is to have hearts
that are seeking the Lord.
There is no
wisdom in what the world tells you when it says that it is ok to relax during
your youth and not worry about using your time well. Wisdom comes from listening to God’s Word,
which instructs us to do the exact opposite.
When you are
young, you are able to memorize more easily.
This is also the time of life where you have more free time than you
will later on. We should take seriously
the challenge to memorize as much as we can during our youth. It is easy to get caught up in activities
which are not wrong, but aren’t the best use of time or won’t count for
eternity.
Familiarizing
ourselves with Scripture allows us to use it to speak truth in our hearts. When Satan tries to tell us lies, we can use
God’s Word to counter those lies. The
Lord Jesus did this in Matthew 4 when He was tempted by Satan.
One of the
biggest hindraces to reading and memorizing God’s Word is laziness and a lack
of self-discipline. It is very important
to use time wisely…
“The
entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the
simple.” Ps. 119:130
Activities:
Read several
verses in Proverbs, divide into groups and have the girls act out how they can
be wiser than their enemies by applying these verses.
Memorize Ps.
1: 1-3 by experimenting with different memorizing techniques.
Have each
girl choose one Bible verse or passage that she wants to memorize and meditate
on in the upcoming weeks. Copy it onto
an index card, decorate it, and start memorizing it. Quote the verse at home throughout the next
few weeks and at the next meeting be ready to share something you’ve learned
from it.
Write a
Psalm for our Bright Lights Newsletter!
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