Keys to the Kingdom
By Carolyn Tucker
Squirrel with a Mission

It was a beautiful day and I was walking down my lane when I heard a strange noise. It was in the rhythm of using a handsaw but with a squeaking sound (E e E e E e). I didn’t see anything on the ground, so I looked up and there he was. One of my cute furry friends sitting on a limb, working on a hard black-walnut shell trying to get to the nut goodie. He was on a meal mission and nothing I did or said caused any reaction from him. Yes, I talked to the squirrel in a loud voice and he totally ignored me. (That’s how I know he was a male and not a female. A female would have chattered back to me.) I was impressed with his razor-sharp teeth and undeterred determination.

Christ followers need perseverance like my little friend. He was holding a treasure in his tiny hands and he would not stop gnawing on that nut! He could not be distracted or scared away because he knew he was safely out of my reach. I could have yelled at him until I lost my voice but it wouldn’t have done any good. So I gave up and left him alone.

The Book of Job is not one of my favorite books in the Bible, but it does have valuable lessons for us. I like the very beginning where Job is described as a blessed man of complete integrity who feared God, stayed away from evil, and was the finest man in all the earth. The middle section wears me out with 40 chapters of deep depression and worthless friends. And Job admits to speaking amiss: “…I was talking about things I knew nothing about. …now I have seen You with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance” (Job 42:3-6 NLT).

Satan and Job’s not-so-brilliant wife did their dead-level best to get Job to curse God and die. But even when Satan destroyed everything and struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot, Job proved himself to be true to God. Two times, Job proved Satan to be a liar: “Satan replied to the Lord, ’Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’” (Job 1:9-11 NLT). But scripture proves that Job did not sin by blaming God for what Satan did.

Again, “Satan replied to the Lord, ’Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’” (Job 1:4-5 NLT). Satan did his worst and Job did his best. Obviously, God knew Job better than Satan did. The only way to go through calamity is to stick like glue to God. When we’re run through the ringer and come out standing, God is glorified.

The final chapter of Job’s misery (which Satan caused) ends when Job obeyed God and prayed for his three friends. “When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before. So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning“ (Job 42:10,12 NLT). We see the awesome power of prayer right here. Job lived 140 more years and died an old man who had lived a long, full, and blessed life. And he probably got a new wife too.

The Key: Come hell or high water, be an undeterred Christ follower.

I find it difficult to be around married couples who constantly correct each other’s stories.  Recently, Dave and I spent a couple of days with such a twosome. They both love the Lord and are bold in their faith, but that didn’t keep them from annoying me.

Conversations went like this:

He: So, we were on a 32-foot houseboat when we nearly rolled over.  We were…

She: It was a 30-foot houseboat.

He: Okay, but we were terrified that the storm—that came fast and out of nowhere…

She: We had a warning.  We saw the clouds in the distance but didn’t know it was as bad as it was.

He: You’re thinking of the time we were in our sailboat and we…

She:  No.  Remember, we had Jenn with us and she was five years old and she was hiding under the kitchen table.  The sailboat was another time.

He: No, it wasn’t.  When the lightning flashed, we were alone on the 32-foot houseboat.

My head was ping-ponging back and forth as I attempted to make eye contact with the person speaking.

The fact was, I didn’t care what kind or size of boat they were on.  I could see the frustration in the husband’s face who couldn’t say anything without being admonished.

The wife, for some reason, didn’t seem to mind as much when she was set straight.

But I did.

I understand that we are to love those who frustrate us, but is there a point where we speak up…in love, of course?  Usually, I can make a joke to point out other’s offensive behaviors, but if they aren’t close friends, is that my place?

Our goal is to become more like Christ.  To “nit-pick” makes us nothing like him. So, shouldn’t I help this couple by pointing out how annoying their pattern is and how they will never have really close friends because they are so irritating? I need wise counsel on this.  I turn to God’s Word.

As I search Scripture for answers, I am directed to Matthew 7:3-5: Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Not the resolution I’m seeking, but I shouldn’t be surprised.

It seems that every time I set out to correct someone else’s flaws, I have to look in a mirror.  This time, however, I can disregard Matthew’s writing because correcting my hubby is not one of my problems.

Dave and I are to go to dinner with this couple tonight.  We discuss ways we can address this annoyance.

“Dave, maybe I could just come out and say, ‘Remember when you brought up the 32-foot houseboat that almost rolled over and were immediately set straight?”

“Well, Patty, you could do that, except the conversation started with his wife talking about an almost-accident she had on a jet ski when the storm came in.”

“Absolutely did not happen that way.  Remember she said it was 30-feet long?

“Maybe we’re not the ones who should try and help.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

In 50 years of driving, only one vehicle proved to be a disappointment. She looked good on the outside, but the problem was under the hood. In my opinion, this vehicle should never have rolled off the assembly line! The car was just fine sitting in the garage doing nothing. But when the rubber met the road, she had no power for passing gear. She couldn’t run a quarter mile much faster than a tortoise because the body was too heavy for the itty-bitty engine, making her performance annoying and unsafe.

Christ followers are in a race, not a competition of comparison against one another, to cross the finish line just inside the pearly gates. There are no tricks or shortcuts in this race, but there is a participant’s handbook known as the Holy Bible. The writer of Hebrews states, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1,2 NLT). We should be encouraged to know that Jesus has done everything necessary to ensure that we can cross the finish line by grace if we persevere in faith.

Do we realize that the Old Testament saints have passed their batons to us and they’re  sitting in the grandstands cheering us on? My brother, who finished his race over a year ago, has a track record that was never broken at the Stockton High School. The only casual race I ran and won was in PE when the coach told us to run to the first boat dock and back. I remember seeing the finish line and giving it all I had. It was just enough to break Patsy’s record by only a few seconds. Physical and spiritual races are run with enduring perseverance without any weights to hold us back.

In World War II, Doolittle’s Raiders had to strip those heavy B-25s down to the bare necessities in order to get them off the carrier. They did something that had never been done before, and it worked. The pilots and crew members understood that their lives were at stake if they didn’t remove the weight that would actually kill them. We don’t want our lives to be too cluttered and clunky in order to move forward in a satisfactory manner. We need clean hands and a pure heart to run this race — in fact, we’ll be disqualified without them. “Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies…will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their Savior” (Psalm 24:4,5 NLT). The blood of Jesus, pure motives, right actions, exclusive dedication to God, and inner integrity are qualifiers to enter the race.

Only you and God know what specific junk could be weighing you down, holding you back, and cluttering your spiritual race. Be aware that believers are sometimes weighed down with trying to do too many good things which can cause us to lose our joy. We must use wisdom in order to experience the freedom to run victoriously without collapsing from exhaustion.

The Key: Strip off any weights dragging you down and finish the faith race you started.

My sorority reunion was last week in Grove, Oklahoma. Catching up is always fun, but it had been a tough year for two of the other five gals, as one is struggling to keep her business open, and two months ago, “Sharon,” our wheelchair-bound friend, had watched her husband, “Bryan,” choke to death on a piece of steak at her independent living, five-star restaurant. We knew about his death but not all of the facts surrounding his death.

The recently-hired administrator apparently had instructed all the dining personnel never to use life-saving measures.  Only the nurses on duty could do so.  The trouble was, he had fired 30 of them when he took over–in order to save money–and none were on duty.

My friend screamed for help as she watched her husband slump in his seat.  The chef was called but also refused to help. Finally, a porter ran into the restaurant and attempted to pick Bryan up under his arms, but that only caused more problems because of a recently-installed pacemaker.  Within four minutes, paramedics arrived, but it was too late.  The E.R. personnel were able to dislodge the piece of steak.

In the care facility, news spread that Sharon’s husband had suffered a heart attack.  She knew the administrator was trying to cover his hide because of his irrational policy.  Two weeks ago, a scheduled meeting was held to discuss any issues residents had.  My friend attended and asked why they weren’t telling the truth about her husband, that he had choked and not suffered cardiac arrest.  The question was avoided, but the next day, when Sharon tried to watch the YouTube recording of the event, her question had been edited out.  Apparently, residents not present at the meeting were not to know the truth.

My girlfriends and I sat stunned as we learned of the horror our friend had witnessed. She shared that since then, all restaurant personnel have had training in C.P.R. and the Heimlich.  Life-vacs have been purchased and are in each of the five dining rooms. Sharon was grateful for that.  She also has contacted an attorney about the lies being told.  We were grateful for that.

Some of you readers might have a story of someone’s incompetence (maybe even your own) that changed your life forever. The memory of it makes you shudder. The fact is, this is a fallen world.  I picture Satan celebrating when Bryan died, hoping it would destroy Sharon’s faith. It hasn’t worked.  She, a devout Christian, knowing that her husband was a Christian, has found peace, as she is confident that she someday will see him again.

Yesterday, I texted Sharon and asked how she was doing.  This was her response.  “Sometimes, I sob, but I cling to 1 Thessalonians 13,14: Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

May we all have that kind of faith.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

If I wake up during the night, I don’t usually look at the clock. But when I wake up later in the morning and feel that it might be time to “get up and at ‘em,” I’ll check the time. One morning I turned my head to see what time it was and I saw 6:35:35. I thought, “Oh my stars and garters, I’m cross-eyed like Clarence the lion on Daktari!“ I hadn’t thought of that TV show since the last time I saw it in 1969. I loved watching Daktari because of my two favorite characters Clarence (the cross-eyed lion) and his adorable cohort Judy (the mischievous chimp). I don’t know why I was seeing cross-eyed other than the fact that I’ve celebrated a lot of birthdays since 1969. Since I don’t sleep with my glasses on, maybe I should buy a digital clock with bigger numbers.

The older I get, the more I appreciate this scripture: “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT). Sometimes believers have a tendency to get hung up on what we don’t know rather than what we do know. So why did the cookie crumble that way? Well, when push comes to shove, does it really matter?  The cookie still crumbled and I can’t do anything about it. It’s done, it crumbled, and I’m not God.

If we stay the course and practice living and loving like Jesus, scripture tells us we’ll understand all things by and by. If we focus on things we won’t ever understand in this life, that prevents us from focusing on the things we do understand. When the expert in religious law asked Jesus a question, it was supposed to be a trap; however, it turned out to be one of the most profound impromptu question-and-answer sessions in the Word of God. “’Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?’ Jesus replied, ’You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:37-40 NLT).

Jesus spoke many times in parables, but this legalistic man’s question was answered in straightforward transparency. Jesus’ answer was so easy, even a cave man can understand it. It’s doubtful there’s one person on planet earth that totally understands everything in the Book of Revelation. However, those two most-important commandments can be seen with perfect clarity through the eyes of a receptive heart. The Good Shepherd’s words recorded in the passage of Matthew can’t be misunderstood, but they can be ignored.

Certainly there are things that have happened in the lives of my loved ones that I don’t understand. However, I do understand that I have finite thinking and my ways are not always God’s ways. I’m not on His level, and that‘s why I use my faith to completely trust Him. Some day I’ll know why things happened as they did, so for now I focus my spiritual eyes on the two most-important commandments and my personal calling. And that, dear friends, is a full-time assignment with a retirement that‘s out of this world.

The Key: Keep focusing on Jesus and, in the end, you’ll eventually know everything you ever wanted to know.

When I was young, I loved reading “Dear Abby,” especially advice on how to deal with a rude neighbor or an inattentive boyfriend or a bratty child.

I, of course, didn’t need Abby.  I had my friends.  “You don’t have to put up with that.” “Try out for cheerleader.” “Get a credit card.” “Just call in sick.” “Stop being so nice.”  “Don’t let your mom know.” “Marry for money; love will follow.” “Stick up for yourself.” “You’re better than that.” “Let’s sneak away to Oklahoma.”  “It’s just marijuana” (one piece of advice I never, praise God, followed). “It’s the thought that counts” (said by a friend, consoling me over the weed eater Dave bought me for my birthday).

I wasn’t exactly a wild child, but I sure did some bone-headed things, and rarely did I seek wise counsel.  (By the grace of God am I alive to write this article.)  How times have changed!  Now that I am older, I am very careful about the advice I receive. Now, I am picky about whom I ask for help.  Now, I make sure my advice-givers are God-followers. To do that, they need to know the Bible.

For good reason, the Bible is called a “lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” My friends who know scripture guide me according to its principles, principles that instruct me about forsaking pride and choosing love. Psalm 32:8 is a reminder of who  should mentor me: I (God) will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.  But let’s face it—bad advice is not in short supply.

My book A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection came out a few weeks ago.  In it, three women tell their stories, women who were advised by our high school counselor that they weren’t smart enough to attend college, much less major in their desired fields.  All graduated with advanced degrees but never forgot the degrading “tip” they had been given.  Only because they had encouraging parents did they forge ahead, ignoring what they had been told.  But what about those who had no such counsel?

The problem with advice, of course, is that well-intentioned people can make mistakes.

There is one story in scripture that reeks of poor advice.  Job, tempted by Satan, is being counseled by his pals and wife as to why God turned against him and forced him to suffer. Not once do his pals admit that they might not really know the answer. They are adamant in their criticism. They are wrong.  Pastor Andy Cook studied Job and recommended we always ask these questions of human counsel:

1.  Is it biblical?

2.  Is it factual?

3.  Is it necessary?

4.  Is it teachable?

5.  Does it acknowledge the imperfections of human counsel?

6.  Is it spoken in love?

I’m wiser than I used to be. I understand the importance of good advice. I now know how little I know, so I am reluctant to tell someone what to do…unless, of course, my answer meets those six qualifications…or it involves a weed eater as a gift.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

In the ups and downs, little or much, laughter and tears, joy and sorrow — through it all, I‘ve never been or felt abandoned. I’m certainly acquainted with sorrow and grief, but they’re not my friends. I don’t hang out with them, nor invite them to pull up a chair and stay in my heart. I’ve learned how to biblically journey through stuff and experience joy again. I’m just going to go out on a limb like a squirrel with a nut and say that if you live long enough, you’ll have ample opportunity to get burned by the heartaches of life.

We understand the difference between getting burned while removing brownies from the oven, and ultimately being burned up. The following scripture has been a favorite of mine since I was in my early 20s: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2 NLT). Notice there are three “whens” and no “ifs.” So when life runs us through the ringer, we can come out standing up while holding onto the Savior’s nail-scarred hand. Remember, if we never had any trouble, we wouldn’t need any faith.

No matter what season we’re in, we’re not alone. Believers are always cradled in the arms of Jesus. It’s possible to come out of the tough seasons not even smelling like smoke. It’s one thing not to catch on fire, but it’s ramped to the next level to not even smell of smoke after walking through the fire of trouble. “So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!” (Daniel 3:26-27 NLT). These uncompromising boys weren’t kept from the blazing fire, but they were lovingly preserved through the fire.

There are several striking lessons in this Old Testament account but, for me personally,  that Fourth Person that showed up in the fire is the best. The Hebrew boys were in the fire, but they weren’t alone. Jesus was right there in the middle of the heat with them. This is a visual of reassurance for us today that we’re never alone or abandoned in our darkest and hottest hour. When the roaring flames are licking at our soul, the One who died and rose again to make us whole is as close as the mention of His Name.

Jesus is always bigger than our troubles and trials. But it’s our job to lay hold of this truth and tighten our belt of sweet trust in Jesus. So, if nothing is too big for Him, why allow Satan to kick us when we’re up and kick us when we’re down? It’s an unwise decision to side with the enemy and just roll over and play dead with our front teeth missing.  Focusing on Jesus and magnifying His power puts our eyes on the Problem Solver rather than the intense heat of the circumstances. And when the trial is over and times are good again, it’s important to keep that death grip on Jesus because we need Him through thick and thin. My late husband had underlined the following scripture in his Bible:

The Key: “Here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Don’t give up; don’t be impatient; be entwined as one with the Lord. Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep on waiting — for He will never disappoint you!” (Psalm 27:14 TPT).

Keys to the Kingdom

One morning, while it was still fairly dark outside and my mind was fuzzy, I was making my bed by a dim light. Standing by the window, I peeked through the curtains and was confused that I couldn’t see anything. Then my brain kicked in and I realized the shade was still pulled down. Duh! I couldn’t see the reality of anything outside.

As believers, we cannot allow the devil to take advantage of us and pull the wool over our eyes. It’s a good day in hell when our enemy deceives an unsuspecting Christian who’s asleep at the wheel. Satan will tempt us to doubt that God loves us unconditionally, hears our prayers, or is even interested in anything that’s happening in our day-to-day lives. Doubting these basic truths will cause us to lose our trust in God’s unfailing faithfulness.

What the imprisoned apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus is still the truth for us today. His letter is meant to ground, shape, and challenge all believers in their daily Christian walk. “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called — His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:18-20 NLT). The goodness and greatness of God flows through Christ Jesus into the hearts of every Christ follower. If it’s hard for you to believe that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is inside you, then decide right now to believe and accept this vital truth.

When a ripe-for-the-picking believer is lured into questioning and doubting, it’s because he/she has been sideswiped by the devil. Lucifer the Devious can’t be trusted any further than you can throw him because he hates, lies, cheats, deceives, and destroys.  Everything he touches turns to misery. Christians can’t afford to spare one minute listening to his slimy rubbish. “Don’t give the slanderous accuser, the Devil, an opportunity to manipulate you!” (Ephesians 4:17 TPT). Where I come from, we say: “I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole.” Yep, Eve should’ve just walked away from that trap.

The apostle Paul knew there would be times when believers would face disappointment and frustration in their spiritual growth. He wrote to remind us that most of the progress we make comes little by little. Our spiritual battles are won through the light of practicing God’s Word. Even when we slip and miss the mark, the Lord  helps us to see clearly as we get up and continue walking in His marvelous light. “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23-24 NLT).

We must be on guard against the sly lies and strategies of Satan. Believers have the courage and strength to live boldly for God because all the forces of hell are anemic  compared to the supernatural power that is in us through Christ Jesus. This is a truth we need to grasp, activate, and practice every day.

The Key: Let’s pick up our sword (Bible) and kick some devil.

Recently I was introduced to the word “self-aholic, a word that describes those whose lives are centered around being comfortable and seeking the next “feel good” adventure. In other words, probably too many of us. That term does not describe John Pounds (whom I first read about while researching for another article).

John Pounds, a tall, muscular teen-laborer at the docks of Portsmouth, England, slipped and plunged from the top of a ship’s mast, pitching headfirst into the deck of the vessel. Witnesses were sickened by what they saw, and when fellow workers reached him, he was a mass of broken bones.  Bedridden for two years, his bones healed crookedly. His pain never ceased. Out of boredom, he began to read the Bible.

After some time, John crawled from bed, hoping to find something he could do with his life. A shoemaker hired him, and day after day, John sat at his cobbler’s bench, a Bible open on his lap. Soon he had asked Jesus to be the Lord of his life. Over time, John gathered enough money to purchase his own little shoe shop, and one day he developed a pair of surgical boots for his crippled nephew Johnny, whom he had adopted. Soon John was making corrective shoes for other children, and his little cobbler’s shop became a miniature children’s hospital.

As John’s burden for children grew, he began receiving homeless ones, feeding them, teaching them to read, and telling them about the Lord. His shop became known as “The Ragged School,” and John would limp around the waterfront, food in his pockets, looking for more children to tend.

During his lifetime, John Pounds rescued 500 children from despair and led every one of them to Christ. Moreover, his work became so famous that a “Ragged School Movement” swept England, and a series of laws were passed to establish schools for poor children in John’s honor. Boy’s homes, girl’s homes, day schools, and evening schools were started, along with Bible classes in which thousands heard the gospel.

When John collapsed and died on New Year’s Day, 1839, while tending to a boy’s ulcerated foot, he was buried in a churchyard on High Street. All England mourned.

In my book A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection, I write much about how God uses broken hearts and lives more than He does those who never have suffered physically, emotionally or spiritually.  Last night, I received a text from an acquaintance who was on chapter six and wrote about her life of brokenness that was masked in sarcasm and a “false wall” to hide her feelings. Reading about the multitude of ways I covered my insecurities had given her great comfort as she saw how much she was doing likewise.

Hebrews 6:10 tells us that God “will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” 1 Peter 4:10 is more specific:  “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

John Pounds refused to be a self-aholic.  He did not use his pain or his limp as an excuse; he served in spite of his ailments.  Whatever our “limp” might be (not smart enough, not holy enough, not talented enough, etc.) we need to remember that every one of us has a gift.  The question we need to ask ourselves is this: How am I using that gift to bless others and not just myself?

Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

My long-time friend and animal lover has pet donkeys. When he and his wife moved here  from the State of Washington in 2002, the donkeys (Paco, Cupcake, Biscuit, and Bullet) came too because they were part of the family. They were meticulously transported in a tractor-trailer rig that was specially built to haul race horses. Although donkeys are generally known as “beasts of burden,” these cute and curious animals never worked a day in their life. They’ve been carefully maintenanced, faithfully fed, lavishly loved on, and provided with toys to entertain them in their pampered life on the farm.

Man is usually smarter than a donkey, but in the Old Testament, we find that Balaam is  three bales dumber than his donkey. As he set off on a journey riding his donkey, “…God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff. Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. ’What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?’ it asked Balaam” (Numbers 22:22-28 NLT) .

“Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.” The angel of the Lord said, “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey” (Numbers 22:31-33 NLT).

Because of His unfailing love and mercy, God will go to great lengths to get our attention when we‘re heading in the wrong direction and acting dumber than a box of rocks. We shouldn’t be surprised that He’ll use whatever is available to get His point across. God used a meek-and-lowly talking donkey to get through Balaam’s thick skull. God’s bound and determined to get us to stop, drop, and roll in the right direction.

Wisdom comes from the one and only true God. Book smart is certainly beneficial, but it’s not enough to walk the Kingdom journey. We must honestly admit that we don’t know it all, and constantly seek God’s life-changing truths. “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you” (James 1:5 NLT). We need all the wisdom we can get and it’s available just for the asking! Christ followers simply need to acknowledge that we’re not as capable (by ourselves) as we often think we are. “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:7 NLT).

The Key: Keep your spiritual eyes and heart open to God’s wisdom and leading.