Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 941 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Standing in the Council - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today is Day 941 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday.

Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical worldview, you also have to have a proper understanding of God’s word. Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors. In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s word, we are investing each Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.

What does it take to be a Prophet of God? Today’s essay will lay out the qualifications as we explore…

Standing in the Council

Most people think a prophet is someone empowered by God to foretell the future. No doubt, prophets announced God's intentions, but forecasting future events wasn’t their primary job description. A prophet's chief task was to serve as God’s mouthpiece to His covenant people Israel and to her enemies. So how did someone become a prophet? Was there some sort of heavenly qualification? In fact, there was.

You might think the standard for a prophet was whether their words came to pass exactly as uttered as described in Deuteronomy 18:15-22. That is actually a by-product of the real litmus test, which we read about in Jeremiah 23:18 & 22.

“Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence (or the council (sod))

to hear what he is really saying?

Has even one of them cared enough to listen?

If they had stood before me (the council (sod)) and listened to me,

they would have spoken my words,

and they would have turned my people

from their evil ways and deeds.”

What does it mean to “stand in the council”? The one essential test of a prophet—that preceded their ability to deliver a divine message was that the prophet had to see and hear God in His council or presence.

In the Bible, God and His heavenly host were thought to live and conduct business in the divine throne room. This assembly, with God as its Judge or CEO, is called “a divine council or heaven’s court” (Psalms 82:1: 89:5-7). God chose prophets and commissioned them directly for ministry. When a prophet “stood in the council,” he had a direct encounter with God in His throne room. This motif of “standing in the council” is a repeated pattern in the Bible.

In the case of Isaiah, the prophet was transported to the throne room of Yahweh (Isaiah 6:1-6) to receive his call to service (Isaiah 6:8-9). For Ezekiel, the circumstances were reversed, with the throne of the Lord coming to him (Ezekiel 1:1-14. 26-28). Jeremiah was also commissioned via a direct encounter with God. At the beginning of his ministry, the “word of the Lord” came to him (Jeremiah 1:4) and appointed him a prophet. The “word” is identified as Yahweh (Jeremiah 1:6-7) who has come in human form. He reaches out His hand to touch Jeremiah's mouth (Jeremiah 1:9). It was this encounter that distinguished Jeremiah from false prophets.

The pattern began with the first man Adam, as Job 15:7-8 indicates.

"Were you the first person ever born?

Were you born before the hills were made?

Were you listening at God’s secret council (sod)?

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 940 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Daily Review Your Progress – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from John C. Maxwell, and it is, "Allow time for acceptance. Head into action. Expect problems. Always point to your success. Daily review your progress."

Daily Review Your Progress

There are certain steps that must be taken to ensure success in any area of life. When you initially come up with an idea you will need to accept the fact that this idea could be successful. Once that kernel of truth is firmly planted in your mind, then you must take action on your plan.

When the action is taken, you must expect and realize that you will run into problems on your journey to success. Don’t allow those problems to distract you from your plans and goals. When obstacles do fall across your path, find a solution over them, around them, under them, or through them.  When you successfully navigate through the problems, large or small, celebrate those victories.

To sustain and maintain your path towards your ultimate success in this area you must  review your progress daily to make sure you are still on the correct path and that your destination remains the same. If these steps are followed consistently with persistence, then you will achieve success in any area that you choose in life.

You must faithfully prepare the ground for success, plant your seeds of success, and till the garden for success before you can ever reap the harvest of success.

Hebrews 12:11 - No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward, there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 939 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 939 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Work Is Holy – Meditation Monday

Thank you for joining us today for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This is Day 939 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday.

Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy. For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and in praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body.  As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

Work…most people either hate it or barely tolerate it. As a Christ follower, our work is to be holy, regardless of our occupation or calling. In our Meditation Monday, today I want us to reflect on…

Work Is Holy

Heaven’s calendar has seven Sabbaths a week. God sanctifies each day. He conducts holy business at all hours and in all places. He makes the uncommon into the common by turning kitchen sinks into shrines, cafés into convents, and nine-to-five workdays into spiritual adventures.

Are you speaking of workdays, the daily 9-5 grind? Yes, workdays. God ordained your work as something good. Before he gave Adam a wife or a child, even before he gave Adam britches, God gave Adam a job. “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it,” Genesis 2:15. Innocence, not indolence, characterized the first family.

God views work worthy of its own engraved commandment, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest,” Exodus 34:21. We like the second half of that verse. The emphasis on the day of rest might cause us to miss the command to work, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work.” Whether you work at home or in the marketplace, your work matters to God.

And your work matters to society. We need you! Cities need plumbers. Nations need soldiers. Stoplights break. Bones break. We need people to repair the first and set the second. Someone has to raise kids, raise cane, and manage the kids who raise Cain.

Whether you log on or lace up for the day, you imitate God. Jehovah himself worked for the first six days of creation."But Jesus replied, 'My Father is always working, and so am I,'" John 5:17. Your career consumes half of your lifetime. Shouldn’t it broadcast God? Don’t those forty to sixty hours a week belong to him as well?

The Bible never promotes workaholics or addiction to employment as pain medication.  God unilaterally calls all the physically able to till the gardens he gives. God honors work. So honor God in your work. "So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God," Ecclesiastes  2:24.

Here is a big idea:

Use your uniqueness (what you do)

to make a big deal out of God (why you do it)

every day of your life (where you do it).

At the convergence of all three, you’ll find your sweet spot.

Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 938 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Enneagram System - The Continuum of the Levels of Development - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 938 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason are unable to.  No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas.

Today is the fifth episode in a new series delving into what makes each of us respond as we do to life situations. Understanding ourselves and how others may interpret life through their paradigm will allow us to interact with each other with more love and compassion. We can do this utilizing a profound tool call “The Enneagram.” If you have missed any of our past four Friday series, I would recommend going back and listening to them or reading the Wisdom Journals.

As a review, the tool that we refer to as the Enneagram (Any-a-Gram) is a circle with 9 interconnected points (Ennea refers to 9, and Gram refers to a drawing). Check out today’s Wisdom Journal for a representation of it. I have also included a copy of “The Enneagram At-A-Glance” below that was compiled by Suzanne H Eller. If you would like a PDF copy of it, click on the link.

I would also recommend a recently released book The Road Back to You written by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile. It is an excellent book about an enneagram journey to self-discovery.

When I discovered the depth of the Enneagram, it opened up a new horizon of understanding of myself first and also helped me to understand others better. The Enneagram is the most useful tool of this type I’ve encountered for personal growth. We are exploring this tool in detail, and I would recommend also reviewing the diagrams presented in the journals each week.

If you have any questions or would like additional resources, please send me a message from the Wisdom Journal page, and I will reply. As helpful as the Enneagram is, keep in mind though, it is still only a tool, and cannot replace or usurp the precepts that are found in God’s Word. All decisions and actions that we make in life must be in harmony with God’s precepts.

So the questions for the next several weeks or months will be…

“Hey, Gramps, why do people act and react to situations and circumstances in life differently? How can I gain wisdom to better understand myself and others so that I can love, serve, and minister to them on a deeper level?”

The Enneagram System – The Continuum of the Levels of Development

The continuum is comprised of nine internal Levels of Development—briefly, there are three Levels in the healthy section, three Levels in the average section, and three Levels in the unhealthy section. It may help you to think of the continuum of Levels as a photographer’s grayscale which has gradations from pure white to pure black with many shades of gray in between.

On the continuum, the healthiest traits appear first, at the top, so to speak. As we move down the continuum in a spiral pattern, we progressively pass through each Level of Development marking a distinct shift in the personality’s deterioration to the pure black of psychological breakdown at the bottom. The continuum for each of the personality types can be seen in the followin...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 937 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

To Kiss or Not to Kiss – Humor Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 937 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged. Our Thursday podcast will provide a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life - something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life.

We are told in  Proverbs 15:30, "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health." We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength." Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s funny which is titled...

To Kiss or Not to Kiss

At the end of their first date, Sam takes Sally back to her home. On the front porch, leaning against the wall with a bit of swagger, Sam decides to try for that important first kiss.

"Hey sweet thing, how 'bout a good night kiss?"

"Oh, I couldn't do that. My parents will see us!"

"Oh come on! Who's gonna see us at this hour?"

"No, please. I would just die of embarrassment if someone saw us."

"Sally, there's nobody around. They're all sleeping!"

"No way. It's just too risky!"

"Oh please, please, I like you so much, and it was such a nice date!!"

"No. I like you too, but I just can't risk it!"

"Oh yes you can. Please, Sally.”

"No, no. I just can't."

Just then the porch light goes on, and the girl's sister shows up in her pajamas, sleepy, hair disheveled. "Dad says to go ahead and give him a kiss. Or I can do it. Or if need be, he'll come down himself and do it. But for crying out loud tell him to take his hand off the intercom button!"

For Thursday’s Thought, Sam should have understood that even though he did not realize that he was pressing the intercom button, there is one who sees and knows all that we do, say and think...

Job 34:21 - "For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do."

That’s a wrap for today’s Humor Unplugged. If you enjoy these short stories, let me know so I can continue to bring a bit of cheer to your week.

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 936 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.  I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 936 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Immanuel's Mother: Virgin or Not? - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today is Day 936 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday.

Creating a Biblical Worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, it is required that you also have a proper understanding of God’s Word. Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors.

In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.

Words are important. As part of creating a solid Biblical worldview, it is important to study some key and maybe controversial words within the Bible. While the human authors of God’s word had a specific meaning in mind when they chose certain words, translating them can cause us to have questions. Especially those who want to try and dispute the Bible. So today’s essay explores…

Immanuel’s Mother: Virgin or Not?

The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 is among the most well-known passages in the book of Isaiah. It's also one of the most controversial, for many reasons.

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin (almah) will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means "God is with us").

It's difficult to get through the Christmas or Easter season without seeing one of the major news periodicals or educational television networks cast doubt about the meaning of almah in Isaiah 7:14, which is usually translated as virgin.

A favorite argument is that the Hebrew word almah cannot mean "virgin” but instead refers to a young woman of marriageable age, without respect to prior sexual activity. The more precise word for “virgin” is betulah a word not used in Isaiah 7:14. The New Testament author Matthew, we are so often told, mistakenly assumed the term meant “virgin.” The argument is that his ignorance of the original Hebrew word led to the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus. But are these assertions correct?

It's true that betulah refers to someone who has been sexually inactive, but does that mean almah never means virgin (Leviticus 21:3; Judges 21:12; Deuteronomy 22:23&28; Exodus 22:15)? Outside of Isaiah 7:14, the word almah occurs only six times in the Old Testament. In all but one of those occurrences, the context provides no clue as to the sexual status of the young woman or women (Genesis 24:43; Exodus 2:8; Psalms 68:25; Song of Solomon 1:3&6:8: Proverbs 30:10). Virginity is suggested, however, in Song of Solomon 6:8 almah occurs in the plural alamot,“Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young women.”

The distinction between queens, concubines, and alamot is important. A queen was a royal wife, which obviously entails a sexual relationship with the king. A concubine was a sexual partner who held certain privileges, but not to the level of a wife. This would suggest that the third group, the alamot, had no sexual relationship with the king. An almah in this text is a candidate to become a concubine or a wife.

This is precisely what we see in the book of Esther. Esther 2:3 reads, "Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 929 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

True Beauty – Meditation Monday

Thank you for joining us today for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This is Day 929 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday.

Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy. For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. Or you may utilize structured meditation practices.

In my life, meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind.  

What makes a person beautiful and attractive as opposed to someone who is considered ugly and unattractive? In our Meditation Monday today, I want us to reflect on…

True Beauty

We read in 1 Samuel 16:7, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"

In Western culture and, in fact, in most cultures, tremendous emphasis is placed on physical beauty. There's nothing wrong with being beautiful and keeping ourselves attractive, but if that's what controls our lives and is a cover-up for insecurity, we will be left very empty inside—and even more so as the years take their toll on our bodies.

Sophia Loren says "beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical." Sure that was easy for Sophia to say with her incredible physical beauty, but what she said was true. Better said, it would be, "True beauty is what you are inside." If we are only loved for our physical beauty, we will never feel truly loved because that is not the real person.

As Saint Exupery said, "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way, "Though we search the world over for the beautiful, we find it within or we find it not."

Furthermore, we can only ever be loved to the degree that we are known—and that has nothing to do with our external appearance, but all to do with our inner being.

According to God's word in Proverbs 31:30, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a person who fears the Lord will be greatly praised."

Look for the true beauty in everyone that you meet, and even in yourself.

Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 928 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast and Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 897 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Candy from Strangers – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 897 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged.

Our Thursday podcast will provide a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life - something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life. We are told in  Proverbs 15:30, "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health." We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength."

Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s funny, which is titled...

Candy from Strangers

As I left the grocery store, I noticed two little kids, maybe six or seven years old, selling candy bars in front of the store to raise money for their school band.  Since I try to minimize my candy intake and really didn’t need or want a candy bar. I came up with a solution that I thought would work so that I could also support the band.

"I'll buy a chocolate bar on one condition," I said to the boys. "You eat it for me."

I bought one and handed the candy back to one of the boys. He shook his head. "I can't," he said.

Puzzled by this response, I asked, "Why not?"

Looking me in the eye, he responded gravely, "I'm not supposed to take candy from strangers."

Make it a day full of cheer.As we conclude our story, let me leave you with a Thursday Thought:

How do you interact with strangers? Are you hospitable? In our western cultures, our basic reaction is to avoid them not to communicate with them. Many eastern cultures welcome strangers. We should be more like that. We are told in Hebrews 13:2, "Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!"

Sourced at: www.mikeysFunnies.com

That’s a wrap for today’s Humor Unplugged. If you enjoy these short stories, let me know so I can continue to bring a bit of cheer to your week.

As you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 896 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 896 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Divine Arrow - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 896 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical worldview, it is required that you also have a proper understanding of God’s Word.

Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors. In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. God is omniscient, which means He knows everything before it takes place. There are several passages in the Bible, though, that describe God consulting with His heavenly court, referred to as His armies in today’s passage, and allowing their input in the means to a predetermined outcome. Today’s essay explores one such incident as we will focus on…

The Divine Arrow

To set the picture for today’s essay, I will read from 1 Kings 22:1-28.

For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. Then during the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel. During the visit, the king of Israel said to his officials, “Do you realize that the town of Ramoth-Gilead belongs to us? And yet we’ve done nothing to recapture it from the king of Aram!”

 Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will you join me in battle to recover Ramoth-Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the Lord says.”

So the king of Israel summoned the prophets, about 400 of them, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-Gilead, or should I hold back?”

They all replied, “Yes, go right ahead! The Lord will give the king victory.”

But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here? We should ask him the same question.”

The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man who could consult the Lord for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah, son of Imlah.”

Jehoshaphat replied, “That’s not the way a king should talk! Let’s hear what he has to say.”

 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Quick! Bring Micaiah, son of Imlah.”

· Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab

King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them. One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!”

All the other prophets agreed. “Yes,” they said, “go up to Ramoth-Gilead and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!”

Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”

But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 895 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Preparation for Success – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 895 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Joyce Brothers, and it is,"A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success."

Preparation for Success

To be successful, you must prepare for success.  You must see yourself as successful in your mind before success will ever be achieved in any area of life.  An appropriate and balanced positive self-image, which includes loving yourself, is a requirement before any success can be achieved.  When you realize that you are made to be the bearer of God’s image, then you will realize that God desires you to be successful in all that you do.

One admonition that must be considered is that what the world considers as successful, which is usually an abundance of wealth, is not what God considers as successful. Success in God’s eyes is our obedience to His precepts, which are found in His Word, the Bible.

God shows us His pattern for success when He encourages in servant Joshua prior to entering The Promised Land in Joshua 1:7, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do."That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 894 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Pplay so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!