Heather Cofer

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Faith and Wisdom: An Exquisite Duo

11 Mar

Do you have a theme that seems to continually stand out to you as you read in Scripture, or one that feels very close to your heart?

For me, that would be wisdom. I’ve read through the book of Proverbs more times than I can count, and it still comes alive for me with each new perusal (maybe more so every time). I never tire of hearing about, studying, or learning to live out this topic. Wisdom applies so directly to practical, daily life, which is probably why I gravitate toward this so much; I definitely tend to be a practical sort of person.

I’m sure this contributes to the fact that one of my most cherished “lifeline” verses is James 1:5 (and if you’ve been a reader here long enough you’ll almost certainly have seen it in other posts). 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” 

I don’t like this verse just because it sounds good: this verse has proven to be true again and again as I have asked God for wisdom in every sphere of life. He has shown Himself to be faithful to His word. 

Wisdom, Faith, or Both?

It struck me recently after reflecting on a number of conversations throughout the years that there seems to be a trend: Christians have the proclivity toward focusing more on either faith or wisdom. Those of us who lean toward the wisdom side can sometimes downplay the importance of faith in everyday life (again, going back to that practicality element). Conversely, those who are drawn to the subject of living by faith can sometimes downplay the role wisdom is supposed to have practically in the life of a believer. 

In short, we can either tend to be over-practical or over-spiritual.

But are these two at odds with each other? Absolutely not. 

If you continue to read past James 1:5 (above) to verse 6, it says,

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

This is a wonderful illustration of how faith and wisdom work together. True wisdom can only come from God, and begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). But this ultimately starts with being grounded in faith: believing God is who He says He is and placing our trust in Him (Romans 1:16-17). For the believer, faith and wisdom go hand-in-hand. 

Without faith, there can be no true wisdom. And faith is evidenced by a life full of God-given wisdom.

So, how do faith and wisdom work together in our everyday life? 

Defining Faith and Wisdom

First, let’s define faith and wisdom according to the Bible.

Faith is: “The assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith is believing and walking in the reality of truth we cannot see: that there is a triune God, that Jesus died for our sins, that the Holy Spirit dwells inside followers of Jesus, that God is going before us and will never leave us on our own, and that one day we will see Him face-to-face (to name a few). We believe these not because we have tangible evidence in front of our physical eyes, but because we believe the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God. And, as we choose to believe and walk in them, we experience the realness of these unseen truths more and more with each passing day. 

It’s a bit harder to find a verse that defines exactly what wisdom is, but I think Charles Spurgeon summarizes it quite well: 

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.”

In essence, wisdom is taking what we know, and applying it correctly to everyday life. Someone can be very, very knowledgeable about a certain subject, even knowing many facts about something like the Bible. But unless we are diligent to seek God for wisdom, we will veer from applying this knowledge—or any knowledge—correctly.  

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.”

Charles Spurgeon

What Walking in Faith is Not

Judah and I have had many conversations with others who are wrestling with what walking in faith really means (we’ve had to wrestle through it ourselves, too). Often, these people feel directionless and stagnant because they are waiting around for God to drop a lightning bolt showing them what the next step in their lives is supposed to look like. They are afraid that if they choose one of a few good options that are in front of them without being absolutely certain it’s the right choice, they will be in disobedience to the Lord. But that’s actually not what walking in faith means. Walking in faith often requires taking steps forward; unsure of exactly what the outcome might be, but spurred on and motivated by the fear of the Lord (Hebrews 11 is a great passage on this). 

Where Wisdom and Faith Meet

When walking in faith requires us taking two roads that both seem as though they would be honoring to the Lord, this is exactly the time when God wants us to apply the knowledge He has given us—both through His Word and in the world around us—with wisdom. Too often we think in terms of right and wrong when, really, neither might necessarily be wrong. In these situations we should instead be thinking in terms of “which of these seems wiser?” 

I often use the following example: 

When I am going about a normal day, I have a list of things that need to be accomplished, all of them good and important tasks. These might include folding laundry, picking up groceries, replying to an email, and changing the sheets on the beds. But I don’t sit back and wait for a “sign from the Lord” as to which of these I should do first, or second, or third. I’m not afraid that I’ll be disobedient if I choose to go grocery shopping when, maybe, I should have folded the laundry. That’s because, I know that all of these things I’m doing are under the banner of a life of faith. They are good tasks that I am called to in this season of my life. It is wisdom that informs my decisions as to what the next right thing is in that moment. This doesn’t mean God can’t step in supernaturally and make it exceedingly clear that He wants me to do one of these things over the other – sometimes He does. But that isn’t the norm, it’s the exception. 

Now, I know there are some life decisions that hold far more weight than whether we choose to fold laundry or pick up groceries: who we marry, vocation choices, whether we do overseas missions, and so on. However, we can still take this same principle and apply it to these bigger choices we’re faced with. We examine ourselves to be sure we’re walking in biblically-defined faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), and then we ask God for wisdom as we move forward. God will usually bring clarity, but often it is after we have chosen to take a step in faith informed by wisdom. 

Here are a few ways I’ve found to be very helpful in deepening in my understanding of how faith and wisdom work together.

1. Fix Your Eyes on Christ, Not on Your Decisions

When we have significant decisions to make, it can be very easy to become hyper-focused on figuring out that decision. But some of the most valuable advice my husband and I have received from godly mentors in our lives is to fix our eyes on Christ, not on the decision. When our focus is primarily on the decision, it can cause anxiety, confusion, and spiritual near-sightedness. But when our eyes are on God, we can rest in His faithfulness, love, and direction. When He is our focus, we remember the ways He has led us in the past, and believe His promise to make our path clear as we trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Practically, how might this look? For us, it has often meant a deliberate choice to commit the decision to Him, then do the next right in front of us right now (which usually is a “normal” thing like changing a diaper or making a meal). It might then include intentionally expressing gratitude for His displays of goodness. It may be purposefully meditating on the Gospel, returning to the fundamentals of our lives as believers. It also probably will include delighting in the practical joys of life like time with friends and family. And, most likely, it is some mix of all of them! 

Ask the Lord what fixing your eyes on Him in this season looks like on a daily, practical level as you anticipate upcoming decisions in your life.

When our eyes are on God, we can rest in His faithfulness, love, and direction.

2. Study Faith and Wisdom

We hear the words “faith” and “wisdom” used in a myriad of contexts and ways today that can cause confusion as to what they truly mean. But we need look no further than the Bible to give us a correct understanding of these topics and how they apply to our lives. 

You could start by doing a word study on each of these (in the ESV there are 278 uses of “faith” and 213 uses of “wisdom.” That will keep us busy for a while). 

Note the various ways these words are used. Consider the contexts. Ask God to sink these truths deeply into your heart and mind, and to give you understanding. He will not leave you hanging. 

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Proverbs 2:1-6

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6

One of Judah’s and my favorite sayings is, “Do what you do in faith.” And I’m gonna add something to that: “Do what you do in faith informed by wisdom.” 

God is the one who grants us the grace to walk by faith, and the one who provides wisdom as we seek to live in faithful obedience in every sphere of life. It is all from Him, through Him, and unto Him. And He will be faithful to sustain us and guide us until the day we see Him face-to-face.

Your friend,

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This past weekend Judah and I had the immense priv This past weekend Judah and I had the immense privilege of witnessing our five-year-old daughter surrender her life to the Lord.

God has used the salvation of my children to remind me of the Gospel that will never grow old, but that too often loses its wonder in my mind’s eye. What a gift that, in a world filled with evil and upheaval, God is quietly revealing that He is at work in the lives of those most precious to me.

I’m brought back to the reality of what Christ has done on our behalf, simple enough for a child to grasp, yet so profound we’ll never understand the half of it (at least not this side of heaven).

[Read the full post from my rejoicing heart at the link in my bio💕]
I’ve been mulling on this 👆🏻. I’m sure t I’ve been mulling on this 👆🏻. I’m sure there will be a multitude of voices today, but I’m going to chance it and add a few comments to the throng.

I’ve been seeing the argument over and over by pro-abortion advocates that we cannot be truly pro-life unless we’re personally adopting every child who is in foster care, providing childcare or tuition fees for every teen mom who chooses to keep their child, or rallying for every social cause. But this is simply not true. Can we not be against human trafficking without personally going and rescuing every single victim? Can we not think sexual assault is wrong without personally investing in every person who’s experienced it? We can and must hold fast to objective truths about right and wrong according to Scripture. When God gives us opportunities to personally give of our time, resources, and energy to love and care for those who are affected by an unexpected pregnancy—whether that’s providing diapers or adopting a child—we should wholeheartedly obey. But if what God is asking of you today is to get on your knees for those babies, mamas, and daddies who are touched by an unexpected pregnancy, remember that this is no less important. God moves when His people cry out to Him in prayer.

There is also the argument floating around that Christians talk big but act little. In other words, we aren’t actually willing to step in and help the babies we’ve wanted to protect in the womb. But if you look at the statistics that’s also false. Professing Christians are far more likely to personally invest time and resources into caring for the vulnerable than the general population (take a look at Josh Howerton’s pinned thread on Twitter as a starting place). Are there those whose lives contradict their words? Of course. God has to convict all of us of hypocrisy to one degree or another. Where we’ve failed to obey we should repent. However, we shouldn’t buy the lie that *every* Christian is failing to love the vulnerable. And, we need to remember that we’re simply responsible to do what God entrusts us with today—no more, no less. 

Lord, help your people to pray faithfully, serve faithfully, and give faithfully for your glory.
I’ll never forget a number of years ago in a her I’ll never forget a number of years ago in a hermeneutics class our teacher saying, “In Ezekiel 16, do you know what sin is listed first as reasons God destroyed Sodom? Pride.”

This struck me to the core. God had been doing a significant work in my life on this very thing. I’d grown up in a Christian home, been a rule-follower, and truly did love Jesus from a young age. That said, it was hard for me to grasp the depth of my sinfulness. I didn’t have a “past” and I’d never been a trouble-maker. But in my early 20’s I began to feel an increasing desperation to know and love Jesus more. As I pressed into Him I sensed Him speaking to my heart: 

“If you want your love for me to grow you need to see what you’ve been saved from.” 

He began exposing the depth of pride and filthy self-righteousness I’d viewed as lesser evils. It was so painful, but so freeing at the same time. I knew I was no better than those who’d committed the vilest atrocities, equally in need of the blood of Christ to “cleanse [me] from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). I truly grasped the reality that not a single ounce of my own effort had contributed to my salvation. I wept over my sin and God’s mercy toward me for the first time.

So in this month that is dedicated to celebrating pride, I want to remember—remember that Jesus can transform anyone who turns to Him in repentance. Remember that Jesus “saved a wretch like me.” 
Remember that Christ gives grace to every person who humbles themselves before Him.
Remember that we are all the same at the foot of the cross.
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#lookingtoJesus #amazinggrace #pride
Our beautiful boy is 1. All the memories surround Our beautiful boy is 1. 
All the memories surrounding his birth are filling my mind and heart today.

This time last year I was in a hospital bed adjusting to the reality of our son coming a month early. I felt so weak, so weary, so unprepared to labor another child from womb to world. It looked like a C-section would be the only option after hours of unimproved heart rate dips. My midwife (whom I’d just met that day) even cried for me (how precious is that?😭). My husband and I prayed for what seemed impossible—a vaginal delivery—and in God’s mercy He chose to grant it. Although it was by far my most painful, difficult birth I was in awe that God had shown such kindness to me. I knew He saw and heard, and was glorified to answer our audacious ask. The midwife and nurse said they’d never seen a turn-around like that in all their years of practicing. 

Little buddy still needed a week in the nicu, yet the Lord revealed His gentleness at every turn—holding my tender, reeling heart in His hands. 

Then, he was home. Yet another answered prayer (they’d projected 3-4 weeks). I’ll never forget the utter joy of his siblings upon his homecoming.

God did not spare me from pain in Jack’s birth story, but instead revealed Himself faithfully and beautifully in the midst of it. When I look at Jack Lewis Cofer, I will always see a testimony of God’s lovingkindness toward me.

Happy Birthday, precious boy. You are a gift I’m unworthy, but so grateful, to steward.
Today I celebrate my dear father. To sum up what Today I celebrate my dear father.

To sum up what I’ve learned from his life would take a post much longer than the word count IG allows. But what I admire the most about him in recent years is seeing a man who consistently grows in wisdom, humility, and joy. He’s one of my favorite people in the world to have deep conversations with—encouraging me to think deeply—and pointing me back to Jesus continually. He’s lived out the declaration in Isaiah 6:8, a passage he loves: “Here I am! Send me.” No words can capture my gratitude for such a rare gift. 

I love you, Dad. Happy Father’s Day.
It’s Father’s Day. And I wholeheartedly celebr It’s Father’s Day. And I wholeheartedly celebrate the dad of our children. 
Men of integrity, faithfulness, wisdom, repentance, and holiness are few in this world. But where they are found, it is a joy to honor them. I praise God for the one found in my own home, relentlessly fighting to fix his eyes on Jesus and obey the call on his life to love, disciple, and shepherd his family.

I adore you, @judahcofer. Happy Father’s Day.
When @naomivacaro asked me about the possibility o When @naomivacaro asked me about the possibility of coming to TGCW with her (and a nearly immediate “do it” from my husband) I was thrilled. Hands down, my favorite part was the hours and hours of time with this dear friend. It was so sweet to meet *so* many Instagram faces in-person, hear lots of messages, buy books, and drink a good deal of coffee. 

Now it’s off to my husband and little people. As they say, there’s no place like home. 💕

Until next time, Indy!
Today I decided to tackle some weeding in a sorely Today I decided to tackle some weeding in a sorely neglected spot in our yard. A couple of weeks ago I noticed a little blanket of a particular weed beginning to grow, but decided to leave it to work on something else, convincing myself it could pass as nice ground-cover while I worked on “more important” projects. 

But a couple days ago I noticed it no longer passed as ground cover.😅

As I tugged at the multitude of weeds, I pondered how unassuming and rather pretty it looks when it’s small. Whimsical, white flowers bloom along it’s vine-y tendrils. But as it grows it slowly takes over everything. It wraps itself around branches and stems, making it difficult to distinguish which is which. If you take a close look at it, it’s very structure is twisted—growing to overpower and overtake.

How like sin these little weeds are—so often seeming harmless and even a delight to the eye. We let it be, thinking it can pass as part of the scenery of our lives. But it’s whole intention is to overtake. It slowly-yet-steadily wraps itself around whatever it can get ahold of, effecting every aspect of our lives. And eventually it’ll choke the life out of us.

No matter how innocent or appealing sin appears, it needs to be dealt with like these weeds: done away with. Given no room to flourish. Pulled up by the root and tossed out with the trash. The enemy of our souls wants to keep us tending these sins, or at least tolerating them. He knows that any inch we give to sin it will take a mile, keeping us from flourishing in the abundant life of Christ we’ve been given. 

Praise God for His grace that gives us the ability to say no to sin, to deal with it ruthlessly. Apart from Him we are slaves to our sin with no hope of freedom—no desire, even, for a life outside the bondage of death. What mercy, what love found in Jesus who died to free us from “the sin which clings so closely” (Hebrews 12). 

May any facade of beauty that sin might hold wither in the face of His glory.
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#lookingtoJesus #weeding #ponderings #Christcenteredwomanhood
“Lord, tether my dreams to reality.” This has “Lord, tether my dreams to reality.”

This has been a prayer I’ve continually lifted as of late.

I, as most do, have passions and interests that fall outside my family and home sphere. I have “one day” pursuits I feel quite strongly about. And the temptation can sometimes be to skimp in the “already here” and put my best efforts into those other desires (which are good things in-and-of themselves).

But here’s the reality: 

• I have one life to live. What I choose today matters.

• God’s priorities for me are worth pursuing with my whole heart, regardless of the messages the world (and sometimes my own heart) shouts at me. Why? Because He’s my Creator and only He gets to say what’s best for my life.

• My God-given priorities *today* include (but are not limited to) loving my husband and raising, training, teaching, loving, nurturing, and protecting five little people He’s entrusted to me. I alone have been granted the privilege of being called “Mommy” by these children, and “wife” of this precious man. Any other pursuits in this season must strengthen—not hinder—these callings. And, I might add, these 6 people are a dream come true.

• Some of those future dreams/pursuits are dependent on my faithfulness here and now. Why? Because every choice today is a seed planted, a stone laid. What will these say about me 20 years from now?

• I ultimately don’t want anything other than what God wants for me. He has the right and ability to change my course as He sees fit. If He chooses to allow those other dreams to come to fruition in His time and way I’ll be thrilled. But if He takes them away, blessed be His name. 

Tethered dreams have time to mature, deepen, be refined or even changed completely with age. Tethered dreams recognize that I can’t see the beginning from the end. Tethered dreams are safe with the One who can.

Lord, tether my dreams to reality.
Your reality.
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#lookingtoJesus #Christcenteredwomanhood
“The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and “The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.” - G. K. Chesterton

The moral fabric of our society is being shredded to pieces right before our eyes, and the attack on the family is right at the heart of it.

Is there anything more counter-cultural we can do than hold fast to God’s design for family—a husband and wife covenanting to one another until death, bearing and raising children for the glory of God? I doubt it. This seemingly simple stand is being showered with fiery darts. The enemy of our souls would like nothing more than for believers to cave to the pressures and lies of society.

But by God’s grace, we can hold fast to this now-radical, Christ-honoring view of husbands, wives, and children. It might feel insignificant at times. But I have a feeling this obedience in regard to God’s design family is accomplishing far more than we’ll ever know this side of eternity.
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#lookingtoJesus #family #husbandsandwives #children #childrenareagift
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