We have now arrived at the final blog post of this series in which I have attempted to distinguish between knowledge, understanding and wisdom. In this second post on wisdom, let’s explore the practical side of how to operate in God’s wisdom. In the New Testament, wisdom is often spoken in terms of having the mind of Christ. Operating in the mind of Christ gives believers the truest sense of biblical wisdom, but what does it mean to operate this way and what does it look like?
Operating in the Mind of Christ
Having and knowing how to operate in the mind of Christ is like having a smartphone or computer that operates on its installed apps. Then when you connect those apps onto a Wi-Fi system; then boom—you now have access to the Internet with millions, if not billions, of more information points that could never be stored on the small memory of your phone.
This analogy can be used to describe what happens when we connect with the Holy Spirit and start to access the mind of Christ. We can literally tap into the Infinite One who knows all things! It’s like plugging into God’s Spirit, who is eternal and has all knowledge, understanding and wisdom from the past, present, and most importantly, the future. The Holy Spirit is the Truth above all truth, the Genius above all geniuses, the Mechanic above all mechanics, and the Scientist and Physician above all scientists and physicians. The list can go on. He is the Maker and Owner of true brilliance and has a redemptive answer for all areas of life.
A Practical Example of Wisdom – Noah
Just a thought to ponder about divine wisdom and solutions: how did Noah even build the most incredible floating zoo? Think about it. He didn’t have the wood just lying around and about on the ground. He would have needed to firstly grow a forest of trees to cut down to even make it. He didn’t have the tools. He didn’t have any architectural know-how. He didn’t have a CAD system or even algebra and scientific equations to fathom all of the weight, buoyancy, load- bearing structure. These wouldn’t be available for thousands of years into his future! He wouldn’t have known how to make a waterproof structure or even how big to make the ramp or doorway to fit some of these huge animals through.
So, what do you think happened? Yes, you guessed it: God gave him the blueprints and the know-how to build this incredible structure on dry land while he waited for the heavy rains, which had never fallen from the sky, to that point. Did you know, reader, that modern-day ships and vessels are based upon this original plan? Now that’s mind blowing to me. Nothing about God has changed from the days of Noah to our days. We are able to receive the same divine downloads and solutions to face the challenges we have today!
4 Steps to Get Wisdom
1) Fear God
The first practical step to receiving His wisdom from Scripture is to fear God.
Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
This is a filial fear, which is typified by a deep respect and love a child has for their parent, a fear of offending the one they most adore and trust. This is in contrast with servile fear, which is typified by the fear of a prisoner for his jailor.
So, as we come childlike before our Father God with reverence and the right fear of Him, in this true humility, we are able to seek His heart and mind on all things. It is received by just spending time in the presence of the One who wants to spend time with us and reveal to us the deep, hidden things.
2) Desire Wisdom
Secondly, receiving wisdom comes by desiring it, as I described in the last blog post, with all of our hearts. As Solomon said we must, “look for it as for sliver and search for it as for hidden treasure” (Proverbs 2:4).
3) Ask God
Thirdly, wisdom comes by praying for it.
As James clearly instructs us in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Again, the way to receive wisdom is simple, but a lot of us don’t do or even spend time asking the Holy Spirit for His truth and wisdom when we face a challenge or a problem.
Somehow, we think we know and have all the information we need to act on something. Then, when for some odd reason we fall flat on our face, and we wonder, “How has this happened to me?”. I know I’ve done this far too many times in life, and unfortunately, still occasionally do! LOL. But our God is so loving and gracious that He lets us run off and make a mess of things until we come back to Him and ask for His help.
Instead of scolding us or speaking to us in a condescending manner, He is always so faithful in providing us the solution. He responds to us only from a place of love. We could avoid many of these bumps and bruises if we just learn to co-labor with His Spirit right from the outset!
4) Study His Word
Now we arrive at the last most important of points: wisdom comes from the study of His Word. This is the complete and living book for our lives based on the heart and words of God. This should be our go-to resource every time we need information and inspiration! Studying the Bible is studying and meditating of what He has already spoken.
Just look at Psalms 19:7 in the Passion Translation: “God’s Word is perfect in every way; how it revives our souls! His laws lead us to truth, and his ways change the simple into wise.”
It also says in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Now that’s simple wisdom if ever I’ve heard any! We shouldn’t merely lean on our own past experiences or understanding but lean on the wisdom provided in His Word for our daily lives.
Let’s Live in True Biblical Wisdom!
True biblical wisdom is living our daily lives with a God who knows all things! To me, wisdom does not come from having endless college degrees, reading or even writing countless books (even though this can be useful), having loads of letters after your name, or being a mathematical genius. Wisdom is reflected in our day to day living, regardless of who one is or what position one has in life. The source of all wisdom is God, who gives it as a gift to anyone who wants a relationship with Him.
Conclusion
As a final statement on wisdom, I truly believe that Solomon operated in what we call sagacity, which is what we all should and can do when we operate with the mind of Christ and walk with the Spirit of Truth.
Sagacity means “quickness of perception, soundness in judgment, foresight into a situation, operating in astuteness and sharpness. Having insight, wisdom, profoundness, penetration, thoughtfulness and discernment of what is going on around oneself and others.” Now that’s a good wisdom to stand on and believe to receive from God.
I pray that all of you who have taken the time to read this blog will start to operate at a far higher level in the mind of Christ and have a sagacious heart and nature that abounds more and more to glorify Him! Amen.