4 Ways to Walk Wisely in a World Gone Mad
My husband walked into the room and found me sitting in front of a muted television set. He raised his eyebrows to question the self-imposed silence. I shrugged my shoulders in response. “I had to turn off the sound because they are talking crazy.” I had enjoyed the first 30 minutes of the show, but the storyline suddenly took a wayward turn toward wickedness. Now, I doubted I could continue to watch and walk wisely.
What I listen to impacts how I live. If I let my mind linger in dark spaces, my actions will surely start leaning the wrong direction.
To walk wisely, I can’t let the world shape my thinking. I need to saturate my mind with God’s life-giving truth.
Maybe like me, you’ve spent more time binging on Netflix or YouTube lately than you have opening your Bible. I must confess the other day I spent several hours watching video after video without having spent one second in the Word.
Why do I do this? It’s madness.
It’s easy to think I am immune to the crazy upside-down thinking of the world. I tell myself I can watch a show that condones what God hates because “I don’t believe that way,” but I am indulging in sin anyway. I am biting the apple, gobbling up sin, wiping my mouth, and making excuses.
I am tired of wasting my time on what doesn’t matter. Mindlessly sitting in front of the TV for hours at the end of a long day does not renew my soul. It feeds my flesh.
Maybe I am just preaching to myself this week, but I want to do better.
I want to live with passion for Jesus, not plop down like a lazy coach potato.
I want to fuel my faith with intention, not fill time with the empty thinking of the world.
Just in case you are battling to stay spiritually alert in a world where everyone else seems to be in a coma, I thought I’d share my new 4-step spiritual therapy plan for renewing my thinking:
4 Ways to Walk Wisely in a World Gone Mad
Write God’s Word on your heart.
Like the people in Bible times who wore phylacteries with the Torah tied to their arms and forehead, we are called to clothe ourselves in the Word and cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He engraves God’s wisdom on our hearts. The world has a message that is blaring loudly through social media, music, and movies, but we have to turn off that noise and tune in to God’s Truth. What if we decided to unplug the TV and break up with Netflix? Think of how much more time we’d have to hear from God! We waste so much time on mindless entertainment instead of meditating on the Word. It’s futile to look to Facebook to fill us up and make us happy.
A wise woman knows only seeking the Lord truly sets her free and help her find lasting joy and peace.
“Dear friend, do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions. Do what I say and you’ll live well. My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it! Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart.” (Proverbs 7:1-3, MSG)
Incline your mind to God’s Truth as your dependable guide.
Just accept it — we all have a bit of spiritual myopia. We just can’t see everything coming ahead. We need God to guide us because the road ahead is unclear, and He alone knows the way. When we shed self reliance and seek His help, He never leaves us helpless. Step by step, He shows us which way to go as we fully lean on Him.
A wise woman embraces what God says instead of following her fickle emotions.
“How sweet are Your living promises to me; sweeter than honey is Your revelation-light. For Your truth is the source of my understanding, not the falsehoods of those who don’t know You, which I despise. Truth’s Shining Light. Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of Your word makes my pathway clear. To live my life by Your righteous rules has been my holy and lifelong commitment.” (Psalm 119:103-106, TPT)
Submit your will and humbly surrender to follow God’s way.
Greedily grabbing for “more” never satisfies. When we take off our bossy pants and stop being brats, that is when true intimacy with God begins. Wisdom never demands its own way, but trusts that God will make a way even when there seems to be no way. Even if we don’t get what we originally wanted, we get more of Him — and that is the greatest treasure of all.
A wise woman prays, “Lord, have Your way in me.”
“Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on Him to guide you, and He will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with Him in whatever you do, and He will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore Him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong. Then you will find the healing refreshment your body and spirit long for.” (Proverbs 3:5-8, TPT)
Embrace generosity to express gratitude to your God.
God modeled sacrificially giving for us on the cross, and we grow when we follow His example and live with an open handed heart. We can never out-give God, and He never leaves us empty handed. Trusting Him with what we treasure is the best investment we can make in this world.
A wise woman finds joy as she pours out her life out as a praise offering.
“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments! …It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.” (Psalm 112:1, 5-6, ESV)
Want to walk like a wise woman? I’ve created a one-page printable with 10 Blessings for the Student of the Word to help us get started. Download a copy and read through these sweet promises every morning to remind you God’s Word is powerfully at work in your life. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
When we walk wisely, the world will take note and wonder what makes us different. We will have no need to fear what man may say or do in response because God’s Word will be a shield about us, and He will always lift our head up from the shadows. His Word will be our delight and direct our steps.
With God’s help, you can walk wisely in a world gone mad.
⇓
Let’s chat: What is one step you can take this week to walk wisely?
Want to walk wisely and break up with busy?
Are you feeling overwhelmed by your commitments and constantly running on empty? CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO HELP YOU develop a plan to Refuel with rest and soul care.
ARE YOU READY TO FIRE UP YOUR FAITH?
SIGN UP TO GET WEEKLY #FAITHFUEL IN YOUR INBOX.
YOU’LL RECEIVE “4 SUREFIRE WAYS TO IGNITE YOUR FAITH” AS MY GIFT TO YOU.
YOU’LL ALSO GET ACCESS TO THE PRACTICAL RESOURCES IN OUR PRIVATE FAITH FUEL LIBRARY.
These are such important truths. Amen especially to this: “To walk wisely, I can’t let the world shape my thinking. I need to saturate my mind with God’s life-giving truth.”
Aw, thanks for this affirmation, Barb! I read a great book recently where the author talked about how some of our free time is spent on things that don’t really renew us, and it has lead me to examine how I am spending my time.
Lyli,
Step one, for me, in walking wisely with the Lord is trusting in Him and leaning NOT on my own understanding. I’ve walked long enough with the Lord to know that I’m not going to figure out His ways. Being in His word daily and watching what I set my eyes and ears upon is also key. Oh how the enemy seeks to lure us away with things that seem harmless (aka Netflix). Nothing wrong with watching tv, but seek FIRST His kingdom. I’m preaching to myself, here, by the way! Great wisdom this am.!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Yes, I am trying to not get distracted by shiny things. There is certainly nothing wrong with watching a good clean movie with family. The problem is when I sit there watching because I am unhappy with life and don’t want to deal with my problems. So, I am escaping, and I end up watching things with less discretion. It gives the enemy a foothold in my thinking, and it’s super foolish on my part. I need to be wiser about what I do when I need a break. to renew my soul.
Thanks for going there, Lyli. Disobedience has consequences that run deeper than the eyes of others can even see, so once we “gobble” the apple, we’re paying the piper before we can even wipe the juice off our silly chins.
Blessings to you as you commit to leaning into Truth. I’m with you in this struggle.
Thanks, Michele. We are called to redeem the time, and I want to do that well.
I loved this: “What I listen to impacts how I live. If I let my mind linger in dark spaces, my actions will surely start leaning the wrong direction.”
And I would add that my feelings go in the wrong direction here too!
Yes! That is the problem for me. I let my emotions rule, and that is so fleshy.
Truth in the secret places is what HE desires. This message spoke volumes to me Lyli, not in the tv / netflix part but in an area I know Holy Spirit is bringing to light in me. Confirmation. So, you see there was purpose in the pain and the being still last week. xo
Yay! I am glad to hear that God used my binge watching confession to help figure things out. I love it when. God confirms things this way. 🙂
I love this, Lyli: “A wise woman finds joy as she pours out her life out as a praise offering.” Just this morning I finally found grace to THANK God from the bottom of my heart for a door He closed this week. I still don’t understand it, but I don’t have to. All the ways of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness.
Amen, friend. A closed door today often paves the way for an open door of opportunity that is even better. HUGS
You are reading my mind today. I published something along the same lines. And I am sharing yours. Lauren sparks.net
Yay!
No, you are not alone. Thanks for the encouragement.
Distractions that keep our focus from Him can lead to destructive processes in our live. I do find television crazy compared to what I used to watch, I try to find something with a plot and moral of the story.
Yes, we do need to guard our hearts & minds because it’s a fact, once we watch something it’s always in our minds! I’m glad we can have wisdom & discernment through the Holy Spirit!
Blessings,
Jennifer
There are so many shows I’ve not seen because once I read about them – decided they weren’t what I wanted to fill my time. I’m extremely disappointed in childhood stars that were wholesome but now have chosen to be ‘out there’ to fit to the world’s standard. *shaking head*
I’ve been writing Proverbs 3:5-6 from the Message Bible on the top of my journal page for months now. I’ve realized that this well known verse is easy to quote but a challenging daily choice to live!