Walking in Wisdom: Living Wisely in a Distracting World

Music. Welcome to the Thankful Homemaker podcast, a podcast to be an encouragement and blessing to each other in the role God has called us to as women.

I'm so thankful you've stopped by, so grab yourself a coffee or tea and sit with me a bit as we talk about how God's Word impacts every area of our lives as Christian women. Hello, friend. I'm Marci Farrell from Thankful Homemaker, and I'm so glad to be with you today. And I'm also glad to have this time because we're going to begin a three-part series on walking in wisdom. My last series I did was on the Sermon on the Mount. It took me about three years, and there were 30 episodes.

This one is feeling quite a bit more manageable to me, and I'm really hoping to have them just a week or two apart so you don't have to wait a whole month for the next one to come out. But I find myself quite often just thinking about what it means to walk wisely as a Christian. And I'm sure as a believer, this crosses your mind quite often too, because we all have busy days, our lives are distracting, and there's a zillion things that are always vying for our attention.

And some are really good things, right? Things within our homes and our families and our churches and just the responsibilities we have. But then there's some that aren't always so good. And I'm saying not always, because some of these things can be good, but some of them can take away from our time. Things like social media. We can also feel just the draw of the noisy world around us. And in all of it, how do we stay focused on what truly matters?

So that's what we're going to explore in this series. We're going to spend time in Ephesians 5, 15 to 16, where Paul urges us, look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of time because the days are evil. I do love this passage, and I refer to it a lot. Well, I'm coming back to it again in this series, but this passage reminds us that wisdom isn't just about knowing what's right.

It's about living it out in our daily choices. It's about being intentional with how we spend our time or how we approach our work, how we respond to challenges, and how we glorify God in every season of life. So in today's episode, and this is episode 170, and I titled it Walking in Wisdom, Living Wisely in a Distracting World, we're going to lay the foundation here. So we're going to talk about what biblical wisdom is and how it differs from worldly wisdom.

We're going to talk about how wisdom shapes our daily decisions, our routines, our relationships. We're going to talk about the importance of seeking wisdom from God and trusting Him in the everyday moments, and then we're going to talk about the example of Christ, who is our source of true wisdom.

And then we're going to take some practical steps so we can begin walking wisely today. Then in the next two episodes, we're going to dig a bit deeper into the practical side of wisdom and how it impacts our priorities and our time and our relationships and then how we can live with an eternal perspective.

So here we go. Whether you're right now, whether you're folding laundry or you're driving or I love the thought of y'all just sitting with a cup of coffee or tea and just hanging out with me, but I pray that our conversation will really encourage you to just slow down and reflect and realign your heart with God's truth to truly walk carefully, making the most of the time he's giving us. I do wanna remind you, I always have these episodes as a partial blog post over

at the blog at thankfulhomemaker.com. So I put a pretty good portion there in blog post format, but obviously you get a lot more content by being here with me and listening in. And then also I want to let you know that as a thank you to my monthly Patreon supporters who I just love, thank you ladies so much for that. I also offer a PDF now for each of my longer podcast episodes, and the PDFs, they just dive a bit deeper into this content that we're talking about today.

It has reflection questions and some practical application, kind of summarizes the episode. It gives some Bible verses if you want to dig a little bit deeper to meditate on or read through or study through. The PDFs are really just a way to help you go further in your walk with the Lord and apply what we're learning together here today. So if you'd like to get access to that, you can learn more on my Patreon page. I'll link to that in the show notes.

And my Patreon support is I love you. I'm so grateful for your support. So let's dig in first with our first aspect we're going to talk about is what is biblical wisdom? Because we hear the word wisdom used very often, right? We do. People talk about wise investments and wise choices or seeking wisdom and decision making. Sometimes we equate wisdom with knowledge, being well-read or intelligent or having good judgment.

But biblical wisdom is much deeper. It's not just about knowing the right thing to do. I know I stated this earlier, but this is really important. It's not just about knowing the right thing to do because so often we can know what we need to do, but we don't do it, right? Biblical wisdom is about knowing what it is and also living it out in a way that honors God.

I'll be honest though, there was a time for me when I really measured my days by how much I just accomplished and got done in a day, right? If the house was clean, the meals were made, kids were taken care of, every box on that to-do list was just checked off, I felt really productive. But if I didn't get everything done, I felt like I had failed in some way. I came across a booklet, and I share this in an older podcast episode,

and I don't remember what it's called specifically. I feel like it's episode 111. How I remember that and not the title, I don't know. But it's sort of, it was called Getting Things Done, so this is similar. And I used this booklet in that episode, but this booklet by Esther Engelsma, it was called How Can I Feel Productive as a Mom?

Her words just really made me stop and think, because it was one of those moments where I felt the Lord gently shifting my perspective again, reminding me that my worth isn't found in how much I accomplish, but in how I walk with Him. This is really important to remember that, in how I walk with the Lord. She shared here, she said, God's call to you is not to get things done, but to use your time well. God's will for you is not to get things done, but to grow in sanctification.

And God's purpose in creating you is not to get things done, but to glorify Him. So our reminder is that the goal isn't to get everything done, but to honor of the Lord in the midst of it. So again, whether I was folding another little laundry or making another meal, each task became an opportunity to see what it looked like to walk in wisdom, right? It was an opportunity to serve him with joy, not just something to chuck off my to-do list.

And Proverbs 9, 10 gives us the foundation here of true wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. That phrase there, the fear of the Lord. It's not about being afraid of God, but it's about having a holy reverence for him. It's a deep awe and respect that it leads us to submit to his authority in every area of our lives.

It's recognizing that he is sovereign over all things, that our lives are not our own, and that we are to serve him and to trust him and obey him. So coming back here, when we talk about walking in wisdom, we're talking about living in a way that reflects this reverence for God. We're going to seek his will. We're going to submit to his word. We're going to make choices that align with his truth. We're not just going to get through our day to get things done. We are going to do that, right?

Wisdom isn't just about making good decisions, but it's about making God-honoring decisions. So let's talk a little bit about the difference between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom. James 3.17 gives us a beautiful picture of what godly wisdom looks like. You all know this verse already. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

I really love this verse because it reminds us that true wisdom, it's not about being the smartest person in the room or having all the answers, neither of which describes me. And I do not say that out of a false humility, but simply because it's true. And that's why I'm so thankful for this reminder. True wisdom is about having a heart that's submitted to God. It's a heart that's pure, and it's peaceable, and it's gentle, and it's merciful, and it's sincere.

It's wisdom that produces grace and humility. It's wisdom that produces a willingness to listen and to learn. But James also, he contrasts this worldly wisdom, which is self-seeking, which is often driven by pride or ambition or the desire to be in control. That's a worldly wisdom. Worldly wisdom prioritizes our comfort and our success rather than God's glory. It tells us to trust in ourselves, to follow our hearts, to seek what makes us happy.

But godly wisdom, It calls us to something greater. It's calling us to seek his will above our own. So as we're, you all here listening to me are probably mostly homemakers. You're caring for your homes and your families. And I wanna give us some questions here to kind of pause and reflect. And I will try to make sure these are all in the show notes too, over in the main post when I put that together. But as we begin to think about it, what it means, we can ask ourselves some questions like.

Am I making decisions based on God's truth, or am I relying on my own understanding? Am I seeking to please the Lord, or am I more concerned with what others think? Or is my heart humble and teachable, or do I resist correction? And again, these aren't always easy questions, but they help us evaluate whether we are truly walking in the fear of the Lord, which is, again, the very foundation of wisdom. Because walking in wisdom is a daily pursuit. It's a continual turning toward

the Lord. We're asking him for guidance in our mundane day-to-day activities. At times, we're asking him for our guidance. And I don't mean that we pray about, you know, what cereal you're having for breakfast or those types of things. You can. There's nothing wrong with that. But I just mean in the things that we're doing, we're continuing to ask him for guidance. We're continuing to choose to live in obedience to his word, even when it's hard.

Because, again, it's not about having all the answers, and we're not going to. But it's about trusting the one who does. So as we're continuing here, I want us to keep this in mind. Biblical wisdom isn't about what we know. It is about what we know, God's truth, but it's not about worldly wisdom is where I'm going with that. We want to have the truth of God's word to be ingrained in our hearts and minds, right?

And then from there, it's about how we live that out because true wisdom starts with a heart that's surrendered to the Lord. So walking in wisdom, it means that we're going to live intentionally. And Paul's words in Ephesians 5.15 are so clear here. He says, look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise. So the phrase there, look carefully, that really, that always stood out to me when I read it even, look carefully.

It's a reminder that wisdom requires intentionality. It's not something that happens automatically. It's something we need to actively pursue. A wise person, she doesn't just drift through life, reacting to whatever comes her way. She thinks ahead. She makes decisions prayerfully. She remembers that she is dependent upon the Spirit for all things. She aligns her steps with God's Word. Because if we're honest, and I know for me it is, it's really easy to just slip into autopilot mode,

right? I'm just getting through the day. I'm just checking off tasks. I'm just responding to whatever comes up. And I'm not really thinking about whether or not I'm walking in wisdom. But God calls us to something more. He calls us to live with purpose.

So I always think when I live with purpose, I'm living with an eternal perspective. And one of the key ways that we walk in wisdom is by keeping eternity in view. Colossians 3, 2 tells us, set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. That means that we don't just live for what's temporary. We live for what matters. Forever, right? Forever matters. It's so easy to get caught up in the demands of today, the responsibilities that we have, the schedules to us that are just overwhelming.

But when we just stop and pause a second and we ask ourselves, how does this decision or this response or this moment, how does this fit into God's bigger picture? It shifts our perspective because we can start to see that every moment, every conversation, every task, every opportunity are opportunities to honor the Lord.

Psalm 90.12 gives us a powerful prayer. When we realize that our time here is short, that we only have so many days to serve the Lord and love the people that he's placed in our lives, we start to live differently. We become more intentional. We begin to treasure those moments that we have with our husband and our children and our friends and our loved ones. We think more about our responses and our attitudes and our actions. We look differently at the chores and the things we're doing.

They're not just chores. They're ways that we're serving and loving on others. So another way that wisdom shapes how we live is in how we speak. All right. So Proverbs 18, 21 is a great reminder. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. That's a very sobering thought, isn't it? Because the words we say, they can either build up or tear down. They can encourage someone in their faith or they can discourage them.

They can glorify God or they can reflect impatience or frustration or selfishness. How often do we do that with our kids, that we say something that we're busy in the midst of things and they come to us and instead of just pausing and responding lovingly and patiently, they get frustration and impatience in their response. But walking in wisdom means that we guard our words. We're going to choose to speak truth in love, right?

If we need to speak our truth, it's going to be in love. We're going to offer encouragement instead of criticism, and we're going to use our speech that our speech is going to reflect Christ's kindness and grace. And again, I don't know about you, but again, I can just get easily caught up in getting things done. Again, I'm a checklist kind of person. That's just my mentality really from, since I was a little kid, I was the kid making lists on index cards.

So I was that odd child, but, and I still do that. I want to just check off the list, like whatever it is, getting the house in order, just going down. And I want to make it to the end of the day with all those little boxes checked off, but that doesn't always happen, right? But wisdom, wisdom calls us to pause and to think and to live with purpose.

So instead of simply reacting to life as it comes or rushing through our day, wisdom asks us to step back and ask ourselves, and this is a great way to start our day before we make that to-do list, am I making choices today that align with God's truth? Am I setting my heart and mind on eternity today? And am I being intentional in how I use my time, my words, and my energy?

And again, this doesn't mean that we need to have every detail planned out, right, or that we're never going to make any mistakes. I totally get that. I am not talking about perfection here ever, ever, ever, because that's not a reality in my life. I know how often I fail, but I also know I serve a God who is so merciful. But this simply means that we're seeking to walk carefully and we're seeking to be thoughtful and prayerful and we're always keeping our eyes on the Lord as we go.

So as we, again, are just thinking about in our own lives what it means to walk wisely, we wanna pray and we wanna ask the Lord to help us live with intention and to make decisions with eternity in mind. We want to be women who are mindful of the words we speak and use each moment as an opportunity to glorify Him. So walking in wisdom, again, it's not just about the big life-changing decisions. It's these small everyday choices that we make, the way we spend our time, really where we live.

What I love to say, we live in the mundane. That's the reality of our lives, right? So the way we spend our time, the words we speak, the way we respond to others, again, these things might seem small in the moment, but over time, they shape our lives and reflect what truly matters to us. We're building habits as we respond and do these things, and I pray that we're building godly habits. Sometimes we think of wisdom as something we just need for those big decisions, right?

Whatever, or big crises or big challenges. I, you know, you're going to need wisdom when you're thinking about moving or a job opportunity your husband is taking or whatever, or school choices for your kids. Those are the big moments we always think about that we need wisdom. And we do, we do. But biblical wisdom is meant to shape our daily lives, that it guides us in our ordinary moment-by-moment choices we make. So what does it look like?

How we use our time, right? Are we using it for things that matter for eternity? Or are we just getting through the day? How we speak? Are our words building up and encouraging, or are they careless and tearing down? How we respond. Are we patient and kind, or do we react out of frustration and exhaustion? And how we love others. Are we serving selflessly, or are we focused on our own comfort?

Each of these little choices, they may not seem significant on their own, but together they paint a picture of whether we are walking in wisdom or simply going through the motions. So when I first read Esther and Gelsmus, her words, I'm coming back to that now, about using time well. And she talked about not just using our time well, but that was a way we're growing in our sanctification and we're glorifying God instead of just getting things done.

It was like a light bulb moment for me because, again, I'd spent so much of my time measuring my days by how much accomplished. So did I get through all my errands? Did I even get everything done on my to-do list that I wanted to do? But realizing that wisdom isn't about productivity, that it's about faithfulness changes everything and how we see, how we go about our days. Because it's about seeing every moment, no matter how small, as an opportunity to reflect Christ.

So folding laundry, that's an act of faithfulness. I'm serving my family well. Making another meal, I'm nourishing and serving my family. And I serve a good God who has provided the food for my family. So I have much thanks to give there. What about having a hard conversation with a loved one when I need to do that? That's a moment that I can pray about being able to speak with wisdom and grace and much love towards that person.

So when we shift our focus from productivity to faithfulness, our daily lives, they become acts of worship because wisdom calls us to slow down and ask. And this is a question so many times. I've shared it before and I'm always sharing it with women that I counsel for marriage or whatever that is, to just pause and ask yourself in a difficult situation, whether it's with your husband or your children or a friend, whatever that is, am I honoring the Lord in this moment?

That'll make you stop in your tracks with how your response comes out. And just pray and ask the Lord to help you to respond in a way that honors Him. Because instead of getting caught up in how much I can accomplish, we want to live with an awareness that each task we are doing, and when I say task, it could be a conversation, it could be whatever's included in it, whatever we're considering a task there, whatever it is, big or small, it's a way to walk wisely and bring glory to God.

So how do we live this out daily? Really, if we want to walk in wisdom, we have to learn to see our small choices as being significant, that they too are moments that make up our days and ultimately our lives, right? It's really the small things. It's the big things aren't happening usually on a daily basis.

We need to be mindful to ask the Lord for wisdom in the ordinary, wisdom to use our time, wisdom to speak words that reflect his grace, wisdom to respond with patience, wisdom to serve others with a heart that glorifies him. Because at the end of the day, Wisdom isn't measured by how much we do, but by whether we are walking in step with the Lord and seeking to glorify Him in all things.

And one of the most comforting promises in Scripture is found in James 1.5. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. This verse reminds us that wisdom isn't something we have to strive for on our own. God invites us to ask Him for it. He does not withhold wisdom from us. He's not waiting for us to figure out everything by ourselves.

Our God is generous. He delights in giving wisdom to his children, who he loves very much, when they come to him in humility and seek him on it. Because sometimes when we face a difficult decision or we feel uncertain about the next step, we can really get stuck in our own thoughts, right? I'm one of those, I can be going over every option in my head, trying to figure out the best way forward. Instead, scripture reminds me that

wisdom doesn't come from my own understanding. It comes from the Lord. So how do we seek wisdom from God? What does that look like? Very simply, you know this already, through his word. Psalm 119, 105 says, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The more we are in God's word, the more we align our thoughts with his truth. And that's going to help to continue to discern what is right.

And then through prayer, instead of trying to figure out everything on our own, we can bring our decisions and our concerns and our struggles before the Lord. He is faithful to guide us. I can't tell you how many times, again, I've had a pause in the middle of a moment and just.

Lord, I need your wisdom right now. Maybe I was navigating a difficult conversation or I was just feeling overwhelmed with the decision I had to make or maybe I was simply trying to respond with grace instead of impatience. And I just remember a specific time. I was just feeling really stretched. There were a zillion things pointing at my attention and I can get distracted on what to do next. My daughter helps remind me even, the Elizabeth Elliot word,

do the next thing. I need to think about that more often than I do. Simple, right? But in the midst of all these things pulling at my attention, I could feel myself getting short with my family. And instead of pushing through in my own strength, I just stopped. I stepped into another room and just asked the Lord. I just prayed and asked for wisdom and grace. It wasn't this long, eloquent prayer. It was just, Lord, please help me to respond in a way that honors you and to know what to do next.

And he was faithful to meet me in that moment. James 1.5 reminds us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God, and He gives it generously. That means we don't have to have all the answers. We don't have to figure everything out on our own. Our Lord is so kind. He invites us to bring our struggles to Him, and He promises to equip us with the wisdom we need exactly when we need it. And maybe today you're facing something that just feels beyond you.

Can I encourage you, pause and pray and ask the Lord for wisdom. He delights in giving it to those who seek Him. Through wise counsel, Proverbs 11, 14 says, where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors, there is safety. Seeking wisdom from godly friends and mentors and pastors is another way God provides wisdom to us. And then through humility, right? Proverbs 11, 2 reminds us, with the humble is wisdom.

Ladies, this is huge. A teachable spirit, we need to have teachable spirits. They allow us to grow in wisdom because we recognize our need for God's direction instead of relying on our own understanding. We have a teachable open heart to those people, those wise people he has put in our lives, right? Our godly friends and mentors and our pastors. Ultimately, wisdom isn't something we achieve. It's something we receive from the Lord.

And the more we seek him, the more he shapes our hearts and minds to walk in wisdom every day as we do that. So at the heart of all wisdom is Jesus Christ himself.

1 Corinthians 1.30 tells us, Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God. Jesus is not just an example of wisdom. He is wisdom. So if we want to walk wisely, we need to walk closely to him. Because when we look at Jesus's life, we see the perfect example of wisdom in action. He prayed before making decisions. Before choosing his 12 disciples, Jesus spent the night in prayer. That's from Luke 6, 12 to 13. He sought the Father's will in everything.

Jesus never rushed. He lived with purpose. This is a whole podcast in itself, this next one, right? While we often feel pressure to hurry and do more, Jesus moved intentionally, always in step with God's plan. He spoke with grace and truth, Whether he was teaching, correcting, or comforting, Jesus' words, they reflected both love and righteousness. And Jesus trusted the Father's will, even when it was hard. In the Garden of Gesun-Meh, facing the cross, he prayed, Not my will, but yours be done.

It's from Luke 22, 42. So if we want to grow in wisdom, my friend, we must grow in our relationship with Christ. Because the closer we walk with him through prayer and our time in the Word and dependence on the Holy Spirit, the more our lives are going to reflect his wisdom. As we wrap up today's episode here, I pray it's been encouraging to you to think about what it means to walk in wisdom. Again, not just in the big moments, but in our ordinary everyday choices we make.

Wisdom isn't about having all the answers. It's about continuing to seek the Lord and aligning our hearts with his truth and living intentionally for his glory.

So in this episode, I really just wanted to lay a foundation by helping us understand what biblical wisdom is and why it matters. but we don't want to stop here. So in the next two episodes, we're going to continue this conversation and we're going to get a little bit more practical.

So in the next episode, we're going to talk about how wisdom, how it does shape our daily lives, how we make decisions or use our time or manage our homes, engage in our relationships with really a heart that reflects God's priorities. So if today was about understanding wisdom, the next time we're going to focus on living it out in everyday faith.

And then in the final episode of this series, we're going to take an even closer look at how to redeem the time and how to use the days the Lord has given us with purpose and intentionality. We're going to talk about practical tools for planning. Well, you know me, I love planning, right? And prioritizing what truly matters. And then the big one always is keeping an eternal perspective in the midst of daily life. So I'd love you to join me for the next couple episodes. So if you're new here,

welcome. I love having you here. If you've not yet, please subscribe wherever you listen in on your podcast catcher app so you don't miss the next episodes. And again, maybe. You've had days where you feel like you're just running from one task to the next, trying to keep up. But again, wisdom calls us to pause and ask, am I honoring the Lord in this moment? Because even in the smallest things, we can glorify God, right?

So friend, as we seek to live wisely, may we remember that true wisdom is found in Christ alone. So no matter the season or the challenges we face, He is our source of strength. He is our guide. And he, Jesus, is our ever-present help because Jesus truly is enough always, as always. I am so grateful for your time.

And the full show notes, and you can also read a pretty good portion of this episode where I'm going to try to put those reflection questions in it that I had, are at my home on the web at thankfulhomemaker.com. And then, friend, if you're still here with me right now, and if today's episode was an encouragement to you, I would love to ask you a small favor. If you've been blessed by this podcast, would you just take a moment to leave a rating and review wherever you listen in?

Your reviews not only encourage me, I read every one, but they help other women find the podcast and to also help them to be strengthened in their walk with the Lord. It's such a simple way to share the truth of God's word with others. I'm so, so thankful for you and for the time we get to spend together here. Thank you again for listening. Thank you for being a support to me here. And most of all, I'm so grateful for

your desire to grow in Christ. I do pray you have a very blessed week, my dear friend. Music.