How does a fool become wise?

Question

I became a more committed believer when I was 16, and I'm now 20. Not only have I not got the hang of growing like a weed (or even consistent, small growth) I seem to just struggle. I know I'm a fool and I hate myself for it. I don't know how to change and I feel hopeless. How do people become wise and empowered to really walk the Christian walk. I think part of my problem is I'm immature but I really want to fix that.

Also, if you look at the different kinds of fools, as explained on this site I am like the naive / self confident fool. I seem trapped in it. Thanks for the proverbs, thats speaking to me. I'm just scared I'm going to screw up my life.

Answer 1

The answer is in Proverbs chapter 2:

My son, (or daughter) if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,

3 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,

4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 He holds victory in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.

10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,

13 who leave the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,

14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.

16 It will save you also from the adulteress,
from the wayward wife with her seductive words,

17 who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.

18 For her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

19 None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.

20 Thus you will walk in the ways of good men
and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21 For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;

22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

Answer 2

consult the Tarot. The major arcana ("greater secrets"), or trump cards, consists of 21 cards without suits, plus a 22nd card, The Fool, which is often given the value of zero: The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgment, and The World.
Forget fortune telling that's only the mask left over from the dark ages. The cards show the path from fool to a world of understanding. Follow that path and you will reach enlightenment.
Nothing of any importance can be taught. It can only be learned, and with blood and sweat.”
Robert Anton Wilson
Breaking with the church is a good first step to a real relationship with God. Study all religions. Read all the arguments pro and con for each one and like a buffet pick and choose the parts that make sense to you. Religion is a map (albeit a somewhat outdated one that only points out the permanent points of interest) Spirituality is the territory. Do not mistake the map for the territory! Once you get there it'll be different from what the maps tell you 'cause you'll have your baggage along and be looking at it through your eyes not anyone else's. God's waiting for you but God is very patient God has all of eternity and so do you.

Answer 3

I agree that reading Proversb will make you wise.

Also start associating with wise people. You may or not think they are hip but you become like the people with whom you associate. Who do you respect and why?

Meanwhile, associate with the book of Proverbs. Yes. Just read it daily (even if just a chapter). You will find yourself making better decisions.

Also, don't be so hard on yourself. You are wiser than you think. Most fools think themselves wise. Wise people are humble and consistently seek wisdom and/or wise counsel as you have today.... it never ends. But you become more confident in it as you know how to get the results you need.

The fact that you called yourself immature and followed by saying you want to fix that shows much wisdom.

Answer 4

Stop hating yourself and learn to love yourself for the very fact that you are a fool. You can be God's Fool or the Devil's Fool, in a manner of speaking. As a Christian, you must know how to discern evil from good, at least in a rough way. Hone that skill. Don't return evil for evil that is done to you. Just do good and don't hold grudges, even against yourself. Immaturity can be corrected, but a sure sign of it is impatience to grow out of it. Patience is essential to wisdom.

Just set out on the path to wisdom and enjoy the scenery instead of asking "are we there yet?" I left the mainstream Christian faith at around 20 and have been striking out on many paths for as many years, but there are certain truths that allows us to continue towards wisdom, and I keep looking for signposts and try not to make life harder for anyone if I can help it. I seek to do good without pushing philosophy or religion on anyone else. The right path for you is the one you find yourself. Don't be forced onto the wrong one by someone claiming to have all the answers.

Answer 5

Never call yourself a fool.
Never hate yourself.
That is a start!

All humans in the beginning act foolishly.Yet they are not a fool!
A fool is one that does not learn from their mistakes and allows them to become repetitive. Now that is a fool!

If a person wants "Wisdom", they must understand just what it is! They must understand that "Wisdom" must be safeguarded or it will become fleeting (lost). There is great responsibility when "Wisdom" dawns in man.
"True Wisdom" is realizing that man must treat all lives as though they were there own life. "Wisdom' allows a human to see things that few other humans see!

If a person wants to walk as Jesus (PBUH) walked then they must follow in his footsteps. "Faith" is the key, and it must be made unshakable and unwavering. A person must slowly remove all the doubts! Be strong within yourself, and never allow the mind to become closed, this is called being stiff-necked.
Jesus (PBUH) warned his followers concerning being stiff-necked. Keep your mind open and focus on education.

Two things are necessary to walk through this world safely:
One must carry a sword and a shield,
1. The sword that man must carry is "Wisdom", for it can cut through the Illusion.
2. The shield that man must carry is "Faith", for it has a quality within it that cannot be defeated, and this quality is called "Gods Grace".

"Wisdom" will find you, you cannot find it!

Be ever patient, be ever aware, and never lose "Hope".

"May the Peace of God always be with you."

Answer 6

Read Proverbs 23. To grow in the stature of Christ, you MUST read, study and pray. Think about it like this, can you go to school and take a test in calculus and ace it if you have never learned about it by reading and then studied it. I don't know how much you do or don't do these things, but the more you do them, the more you will grow. You must also keep all His statutes or laws. There again; read, study and pray because there are more than just the Ten Commandments.

God bless you on your journey for wisdom in Him. Think about Solomon. Of all the things he could have asked from the Lord, he asked for wisdom. Pray for wisdom, read the Word, and study it out. Find out what things mean in the Greek and Hebrew because their meanings for words are different than ours on many things.

I will pray for your growth and dedication in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

A fool who acknowledges they are a fool is not a fool. Don't sell yourself short. You know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad? Your smart enough to be able to make informed and productive decisions in life? You can learn from your mistakes? If you can answer yes to at least these questions, then you are no fool.

Answer 8

Jesus wants to torture people forever if they don't say or think the right magic words. That's not love; that's extortion. The mythical story of Jesus' crucifixion is a horrible, sadistic story of human sacrifice. Christians even celebrate it by ceremoniously drinking his blood and eating his body. This is ritual vampirism and cannibalism. The idea of blood sacrifice for vicarious atonement (i.e. the mythical Jesus dying for other people's sins) is immoral -- punishing the innocent to free the guilty. But, it's good marketing.

Answer 9

Some say knowledge is power and true power is in the words of our lord hence seek yea the power in these holy texts of the bible - I prefer the older King James Versions.

Answer 10

I know that the scriptures say that the fear of the Lord is the begining of wisdom.

Seek and you will find, knock and it shall be open to you, ask and you will receive and I will say you are asking, so you are headed in the right direction.