Trust The Spirit's Ministry

“Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:” (Pr 2:11 AV)

 

What is interesting regarding this verse the one previous to is.   “When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;” (Pr 2:10 AV)  There are several ways in which to apply these verses.  For example, discretion cannot preserve thee nor understanding keep thee unless wisdom and knowledge enter the heart and soul.  It is not enough that they enter into the mind.  However, there is a completely different tack I wish to take this morning.  That is, the inherent or learned wisdom and knowledge will not fail you when discretion is the need at hand.  We learn skills.  We learn facts.  Sometimes, those facts seem unnecessary at the point of attaining them.  However, somewhere down the line, we learn that what we learned has real-life application.  This is particularly important when we are faced with a rather new type of experience or an experience suddenly thrust upon us without any notice.  We wonder if our judgment will keep us in those times.  According to Solomon, wisdom and knowledge will.

Hunting wildlife has taught me many things.  One of them is that wild game do learn and adapt that their life may be prolonged.  One of the skills a hunter must master is concealment.  For the turkey hunter, this means concealing one’s appearance and movements.  He puts makeup on his face.  He wears the latest in camouflage technology.  He wears a mask over his face.  When he does move, he is sure no turkey can see him move.  He waits until there is an obstruction between him and the bird.  He moves slower than a sloth.  He does everything he can do to avoid detection.  The thing is, turkeys are an extremely hard quarry to bag.  They are extremely smart and rarely commit the same mistake twice.  If a bird gets spooked, it remembers the spot it was and the type of calling style used to lure him in.  He remembers the cadence of the call and the tone of the call.  To set up on the same bird more than once in a season is impossible.  To set up on the same bird more than once in the bird’s lifetime is difficult.  Different tactics, calls, and setup are the only way to gain turkey breast for supper.  That bird may not know exactly what is going on.  He may not be able to identify a human being.  He just knows by experience something is off.

We get ourselves into predicaments which we may not think we have the expertise to navigate.  Often, we don’t go looking for these situations.  These situations find us.  Here is where faith matters.  We can avoid a life of risk and opportunity because we do not think we will have enough answers.  Soul-winning comes to mind.  Each individual is different.  There is no cookie-cutter experience which following a three-step process is the wisest thing to do.  We have to learn how the other person thinks, what they believe, what are their priorities, and how they communicate.  This means we will be asked questions that we may not think we know the answers to.  This scenario is not limited to soul-winning.  We wonder if we are ready for the next step.  No one knows every answer to every parenting challenge that comes along.  No one is a perfect spouse and has done everything right.  Life is about learning.  Learning takes experience and experience takes situations.  It is at those times we need to learn and trust what the LORD has taught us and believe those things established principles of discretion of which we may not be aware.  Learn to trust the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  He will guide you unto all truth.