Tag: wisdom

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Prepared to Receive Wisdom :: WISDOM

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 10/12/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.

Life puts us in places where we feel unprepared. More accurately God puts us in places where we feel unprepared. A change of job. An illness. A windfall. And we ask ourselves am I ready for what is ahead?

Beliefs that are essential for receiving God’s wisdom. Believe that God is a God of grace – hesed. Believe that you are in need. Believe that the task is weighty. The tasks God gives are difficult. The tasks God gives are greatly important. Believe that nothing is more important than serving God.

This wisdom becomes accessible at the cross. You need grace. The work is too weighty for you. You can’t do this without God. Prioritize serving God.

Be prepared to receive wisdom.

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Pay Attention :: WISDOM

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 10/05/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.

Paying attention helps you live wisely. Failure to pay attention can cause drift. Failure to pay attention can bring disaster. Paying attention makes it possible to receive blessing..

Focus your attention on things that advance the Kingdom. What’s going on around us. What God says in His Word.

Hold on to what you have learned. Visit it repeatedly. Unpack it thoroughly but not creatively. Live it deliberately and dependently.

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Wisdom You Can Use :: Wisdom

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 9/28/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.

Wisdom is the centerpiece in all of life. You need wisdom in the good times. You need wisdom in the bad times.

James 1:5 (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James is talking about a wisdom that helps us stick with God. Trusting that His plan is a good plan.

As you grow in wisdom, you trust God’s plan and as you trust God’s plan, you grow in wisdom. Trust God’s plan so that you don’t get tossed around. Trust God’s plan so that you don’t get tricked. Don’t be deceived.

Receiving wisdom requires humility. The humility to revere God – to fear God. The humility to submit to God. The humility to trust God.

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Introducing Wisdom :: The Paradoxes of Wisdom

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 9/21/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.

Wisdom is a gift that must be pursued. While wisdom comes as a gift from God, you must pursue it as though it depended upon you.

Wisdom expands your life by limiting you. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Wisdom is both earthly and spiritual. Biblical wisdom protects you spiritually.

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God’s Wisdom Moves Us From Darkness to Light :: ADVENT

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 12/05/21 by Pastor Steve Shields.

Who are the Wise Men?

They are curious. They scanned the heavens looking for anything unusual, and God gave them a sign.

They are from the East, and they are wise as they pursued wisdom.

What does it look like to pursue wisdom? It is a journey of trust, worship and transformation.

Questions to ask yourself as you pursue God’s wisdom. Am I trusting God’s mercy? Am I worshiping in a sacrificial way? Am I cooperating with changes He is bringing to my heart?

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Identifying and Replacing Counterfeit Wisdom :: Counterfeits

Presented by Pastor Steve Shields at Curwensville Alliance on 1/13/2019

Have you ever done something and thought, “What was I thinking”?

The common answer to that question is that you weren’t.

But there’s a strong possibility you actually were thinking.

You were just drawing from the wrong pool of wisdom.

Much of what passes for wisdom today is counterfeit. But how do you identify counterfeit wisdom? Is there some litmus test you can use?

This podcast addresses this question with practical answers.

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