Without understanding, there can be no wisdom. Without understanding, no one makes progress.
This was the crux of Pastor Femi Megbope’s message during the first service on Sunday, September 11, 2022, at The Fountain of Life Church (TFOLC) headquarters, Ilupeju, Lagos State.
Speaking on what he titled “Get Understanding”, Pastor Megbope took his main text from Proverbs 4: 1-7 and noted that there is understanding without knowledge.
He defined knowledge as “facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education. Whereas understanding is the ability to comprehend something and connect what is being read and what one already knows.
“It is based on the understanding one gets that one can act wisely or make wise decisions,” he said during the service.
While citing a personal example of his life when he was a student, writing his O’level exams, he narrated how, after attending classes and studying. However, he still failed his Physics paper.
Initially, the preacher said he blamed his failure on his teacher’s inability to teach well. But years later, after thinking through that incident, he realised that it was never the teacher’s fault but his failure to understand what was being taught.
Pastor Megbope further noted that without understanding, one cannot act rightly because they have not processed the information the way it should be.
In other words, for anyone to get wisdom and act wisely, they must first get understanding. According to the clergyman, “understanding is the bridge between knowledge and wisdom”.
The cleric further explained that human beings (both believers and unbelievers) will face tests, trials, and various exams in their everyday lives. Therefore, they must make choices based on the information around them and act right based on their understanding.
He said, “we must get understanding. All man can do is teach us. The effort is left for us to pay the price to understand.”
The preacher noted that people have made foolish decisions because they lack understanding regarding some issues. But understanding, he said, puts one in a position of strength.
“Everybody can learn, but not everybody can understand,” he noted.
Pastor Megbope also referred to the sons of Issachar recorded in 1 Chronicle 12:32, noting that they understood the times they lived in; hence, their brethren and other people were subject to them.
He also alluded to the fact that people who understand the times and act with wisdom will make progress in life. The cleric also urged them not to abandon the use of their reasoning, even when they choose to pray for God’s help in any of their life’s challenges.
The preacher said this is to let them know that they (believers) compete in the same environment as unbelievers. As such, he said, they would be required to study, work, and be diligent even while they pray to have the edge over their unbelieving counterparts.
Also, reading Proverbs 3:5-6 and James 1:5, Pastor Femi Megbope urged his listeners to commit their endeavours to God’s hands and trust Him for wisdom.
“As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to help us understand things. When He helps us understand, he helps us act rightly,” he added.
“We have no excuse to fail because we have God with us. We have the Holy Spirit who will help us understand and make sense of all the things around us, and He will direct our paths the way He wants us to go,” the Pastor posited.
