God desires us to walk in wisdom and He has made it available to us (Proverbs 2:6). But how can we tap into it? The Bible is the Word of God and it contains all the wisdom that we need for the things we face in our lives. We have to ask God for His wisdom: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (James 1:5). The following verse instructs us to "ask in faith, with no doubting" (James 1:6). We have to seek God's wisdom, and then, in order to truly reap the benefits, we have to put it into practice.
There is earthly wisdom and there is godly wisdom (James 3:13–17). If the wisdom we are hearing, whether from ourselves or others, is motivated by jealousy or is rooted in selfish ambition it is not the wisdom of God. James 3:17 says: "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." We can use these criteria when we are trying to determine what is the wisest approach to take in a given situation.
Having knowledge is the first step, but wisdom takes knowledge to the next level. Wisdom is the ability to know how to harness knowledge and put it into practice. The first step to being willing and able to gain God's wisdom is holding Him in highest esteem, showing Him the respect He deserves. Having a healthy fear of the Lord opens our hearts to receive His wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7). As we invest in our relationship with God, He increases our wisdom and insight: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" (Proverbs 9:10).
The book of Proverbs centers around the topic of wisdom and discusses how we are blessed when we seek and find it (Proverbs 3:13–18). Listening to and receiving advice is equated with having wisdom (Proverbs 12:15; 19:20). We need to listen to the voice of God through His Spirit and His Word. These are our truest sources of wisdom. As we get to know God through reading and meditating on the Scriptures and through prayer, we will operate in His wisdom if we obey His instructions. When we have the wisdom of God, we are able to walk in it and use it to encourage others (Colossians 3:16).
Jesus came to earth and "became to us wisdom from God" (1 Corinthians 1:30). When we are saved, the Holy Spirit fills us and we have the mind of Christ. God imparts His wisdom to us through His Word and His Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 1 Corinthians 2:9–16). We have God's wisdom available to us because God's Sprit is in us and enables us to have spiritual wisdom and understanding: "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:12–13).
So, in order to tap into the wisdom of God, we must seek it. We do this by asking God for it, studying His Word, listening to His voice, and living in obedience and submission to the Holy Spirit.
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