“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

   and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

For through wisdom your days will be many,

   and years will be added to your life.

If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;

   if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.”

Proverbs 9:10-12

I wish there was a sermon titled “Please stop thinking so rationally”.  In my opinion it would probably be one of my favorites.  

I confess I get a bit agitated when people of faith are so intertwined with providing some kind of common sense rationale for what they are trying to accomplish and not going beyond their perceived limitations.  As Christ-followers we are meant to step back from solely relying on our own understanding and seek holy wisdom to fill in the gaps.  Is that not what faith is about?  

Some of my biggest mistakes and failures are from over analyzing where I believe the Holy Spirit is leading me.  My own critical thinking has often created self-doubt and prevented me from being obedient to God.  I fail to trust God.  

Rational thinking has been dominating the church culture so much that it has taken away from the importance of prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit.  This type of thinking is so natural to humanity that we as Christians fail to recognize how much it hinders us from deeper intimacy with the Lord.  

When we listen to the Holy Spirit often we need to relinquish our humanistic thought process to prevent self-doubt and remain faithful and obedient to God.  True wisdom is not gained by self-knowledge but by allowing God to help discern what His voice is saying to you.

“For the Lord gives wisdom;

   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He holds success in store for the upright,

   he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

for he guards the course of the just

   and protects the way of his faithful ones.”

Proverbs 2:6-8