— Christian Living —

Seeking Prudence Over False Experience

What does experience get you?

In faith, people focus on experiences with God. People look at what the Spirit makes them feel, what they think the Spirit propels them to do, and what outcome they believe was through these actions caused them to look like. Feelings… experience.

Then they want more. Feelings matter and create an experience of elation in faith and life. They go searching, digging, and creating more space for these encounters to manifest. Connecting to people with these same goals are a must. It doesn’t matter if Scripture backs them up. If it feels good, and causes an elevated experience, then it must be from the Spirit.

But is it? Are we convoluting something over Scripture because of our own man made ideas and twisting of truth so that we can try hard to pad our testimonies?

Experience means nothing in a Christian walk if wisdom and prudence is tossed to the wind of self-righteousness behaviors. Do we have the mind and actions of Christ when we seek out these things or we after a story that gets likes, fan-girls and an intoxicated adventure?

Ephesians 5:1 ESV 

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

Do we want to be excited in our faith? Absolutely. Do we want to experience the benefits of being a child of God? No doubt. Do we want to go out and witness and work for the kingdom to draw others in? That’s the goal. But in these things, are we misappropriating the wealth that the Lord has given us and acting a fool outside of the fruit of the Spirit?

Remember who you are in Christ, and the way we should be imitating Him in our daily walk. That experience will shine a light on true and abundant faith.

2 Peter 1:5-7 ESV 

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

When we seek the things of God and not the things of man, our testimonies will reflect the kingdom and love of God. Click To Tweet

It’s all about self-control in love. When we shine a light on Christ with actions and truth, we draw people in with our prudence which will lead to wisdom. When we seek the things of God and not the things of man, our testimonies will reflect the kingdom and love of God.

Let’s focus on some true treasures that the Lord has given us. Hide these things that the Spirit has laid on our hearts and use them as a guide in actions and truth. This is the true wealth of the indwelling of Him.

Galatians 5:22-23 ESV 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

7 thoughts on “Seeking Prudence Over False Experience”

  1. Amen! Being a follower of Christ is not about having one “experience” after another, but about humbling ourselves before a holy and gracious God who chose to send His Son in our place when we were least deserving. This one act alone is more than enough to bring me immense joy that doesn’t require experiences to bring fulfillment. So thankful for His gift of pure grace! Thank you for sharing this, Maryann <3

  2. Love this, Maryann! —> “Experience means nothing in a Christian walk if wisdom and prudence is tossed to the wind of self-righteousness behaviors.” So true!

    Pinned & tweeted.

    Thank you for linking up at InstaEncouragements!

  3. It seems so many things in our Christian walk come back to self control. And moderation, not swaying to much one way or the other. Like Susan, who commented above, I grew up in a church that was devoid of any experience with God. We don’t want to be all one way or the opposite.

  4. We are an immediate gratification society today. Conjuring up those feel good moments satisfy that desire. It’s only when we focus our thoughts, word, actions, and yes, feelings on the things of God, that we will be truly satisfied.

  5. O, where are you, Prudence?
    Where can you ever be?
    With your sister Common Sense,
    you’re strangers now to me.
    To say that I’m impulsive
    would be to gild the lily;
    some ideas were constructive,
    but some were rather silly.
    Still and all, I have had fun,
    and thought it seems my race
    has, at long last time, been run,
    I won’t give up the chase
    for that last real big score,
    that knock on opportunity’s door.

  6. I’m at a church that is the opposite of what you described. No one wants to experience God, and they say God doesn’t interact with us today. Their walk with the Lord is imply intellectual. True connecting with God (through worship, for example) causes the fruit of the Spirit to shine through our lives. A real relationship with Jesus is connecting, not simply studying.

  7. To walk in the light, we have to follow the rule of thumb. It is a work in progress just like you have highlighted all through your article. We want everything good so we have to do everything in the best way to gain divine wisdom that leads us to the Lord. It reminds me that I need to live in the spirit and not in the world.

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