The "How-To" Guide III

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:15-20

This verse follows the intention of "making the most of every opportunity" with the rebuke to "not be foolish" by doing something with your time (the stuff life is made of) that is outside of "what the Lord's will is".  It is imperative to know then what is foolish or as other Bible versions interpret, unwise.  This is answered by the 2nd part of the sentence, anything outside of "what the Lord's will is" is foolish or unwise.  The contrast to "understand what the Lord's will is" to "not be foolish" seems to define foolish or being unwise for us.  And this fits my understanding of how to live as wise as I had said previously that "God Himself is the only provision for wisdom that we can obtain."

Okay, so I got that.  I need to live every moment understanding what the Lord's will is.  Sounds good.  Preaches and teaches well.  But where's the "how-to" in that?  How do I carefully live wisely redeeming every moment in understanding of God's desire (will)?  

First, to live wisely you have to live with God since He is all wisdom.  Further, to live at all means you are with God, otherwise you just exist.  As you live with God you are in conversation with Him.  This is why He allows His Spirit to come to us once we accept His reality as truth.  Second, we have to listen to Him.  If we don't listen we can't hear His directions.  Third, we have to look for Him.  He is working around us at all times.  

Can we imagine how our GPS would lead us to our destination if we turned the sound and screen off?  It would be of no use at all!  If we do not listen and look for God's guidance at all times, how can we be guided?  It will only be by our best experience and the world's wisdoms.  Since the opposer leads the world's wisdoms, then to listen to that means we are following him.  May that not be!

We must be careful to allow God's Spirit to dwell richly within us and to be in constant communication with Him at all times so we can only think and act to His desire with our energy.  This is the Lord's will for us.