Without Criticism

The Bible makes the remarkable statement that God desires to give us wisdom – discernment to understand situations and people and insight to make the right decisions. In fact, He can give us this wisdom in abundance, “liberally.”

But there are conditions. First, we must ask Him for the wisdom we need. Many people count on their own experiences or focus on the world’s experts. We need to remember that God promises a generous outpouring of wisdom when we ask Him.

Second, we need to be patient. This is so essential that the Bible tells us we should “count it all joy when you fall into various trials” because the “testing of your faith produces patience” (v. 2-3 NKJV). We need this patience, so we can take our time to study His Word, pray, and listen carefully.

We need to ask in faith, believing Him when we ask. We need to be single-minded, asking “without wavering” (v. 6). We cannot expect to receive an abundance of wisdom if we are “double-minded” (v. 8). We must be resolute and focused.

He also promises to give us this wisdom “without criticism.” In short, “He will not rebuke you for asking” (NLT). We are to “ask and keep on asking…Seek and keep on seeking… Knock and keep on knocking” (Matthew 7:7 AMP).

Cry out to God for the wisdom you need. Focus on Him. Don’t allow doubt to creep into your heart and mind.