“The Lord will guide you continually…”

By Tom Shanklin

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.” Proverbs 4:7, 8, KJV.

We often talk about the blessings of God through Jesus Christ and how Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from the curse and to bring blessings into our lives. Poverty, sickness, broken families, torment, and spiritual death are all part of that curse.

Wisdom is one of the major ways that God blesses us. Many times when we are asking God for things in our lives, whether it be finances, health, or blessed relationships, what we really need is wisdom. We wonder why our prayers aren’t being answered and why our lives are filled with problems, stress, insecurity and fear, but all the time we are making all the wrong choices in life. We are sowing negative seeds which are producing a negative harvest. What we need is wisdom!

Not all problems come because we are making wrong choices, but many do. Wisdom is the answer to these problems. It can turn a sour situation into sweet. It can help us to develop our ministry or our business. It can help us to succeed in our relationships. Wisdom can help us to live a healthy lifestyle so that we live healthy productive lives. We need wisdom for:

• Health
• Prosperity
• A Healthy Marriage
• Success in Business or Ministry
• Peace of Mind…and More

How many sicknesses are caused by lack of wisdom in diet and lifestyle? How many marriages are broken up because of lack of wisdom? And how many financial disasters could be avoided by some godly wisdom about avoiding debt and managing money?

Wisdom is a Gospel benefit…because through the cross of Christ we are brought into fellowship with the source of wisdom, Almighty God. As we spend time with Him, His wisdom is imparted to us. If you are born again, wisdom lives within you. Jesus is made unto us wisdom. (1 Cor. 1:30, paraphase) But you must cultivate wisdom. You must train your mind to yield to wisdom and to not allow your emotions to overrule the Spirit of God working in your life. Study wisdom in the Word of God and pray for wisdom. Embrace wisdom, cry out for wisdom, pray that God would give you and your loved ones “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” (Eph. 1:17 KJV)

So many Christians are dominated by “worldly wisdom” rather than “godly wisdom.” As the Scripture says:

“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” James 3:13-18, KJV.

The airwaves, the break rooms, the boardrooms, and the legislative halls are full of “worldly wisdom.” But God’s house and God’s people should be filled with “godly wisdom.” The ideas, thoughts and concepts of man lead to envying and strife and every evil work. They are earthly, sensual, and devilish. But godly wisdom leads to peace, healthy relationships, and victory.

We see these same problems also manifested in the world’s monetary system, where debt is tearing apart the fabric of the nations of world. The answer is repentance, a true turning back to God, and seeking Him for wisdom. Man is confused and full of every evil work. He is desperately trying to keep His confused Babylonian system working, but true peace and prosperity can only come as we surrender to Jesus Christ and His Lordship and choice to walk in His ways.

The Scripture says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33, KJV. Make a choice today to put God first and to seek Him for the wisdom you need in your daily life. Train yourself to live by His principles, then you will find the blessings of God flowing in your life and out to those around you.

When I first began to cry out for wisdom in my own life, I began to slowly see changes come into my decision-making. I would make some wise decisions, and then I would falter, and miss it. But all the time I continued to cry out to the Lord for wisdom. Gradually I saw God’s wisdom manifested in my life. Eventually, this wisdom develops into a steady guidance until as the scripture says, “And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” (Isaiah 58:11, KJV.) Wisdom may not come all at once in your life, but as you continue to live your life for the Lord and adjust your thinking and actions to conform with His will, you will see a progressive manifestation of wisdom in your life.

I have found it helpful to confess and claim God’s Word concerning wisdom. One of my favorite scriptures is on a plaque over the door in my study. It says, “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” Proverbs 24:3, 4, KJV.

The book of Proverbs is a great source of wisdom and also inspiration to seek wisdom. Interestingly, the background of Proverbs is a father sharing wisdom with his son. This is another aspect of wisdom. We need to receive wisdom from the older generation. In our churches, we should draw on the wisdom of those who have walked with God for many years. The older people in our churches and our families are a rich source of blessing which is often overlooked. A pastor friend calls these sources of wisdom “grey heads.” I recently was getting my hair cut and looked down on the smock to discover much of the hair that had been removed was grey. Or should I say silver? Perhaps I am becoming a “grey head.”

But wisdom does not only come from age. It also comes from having a spirit that is attuned to God, and which is willing to listen to His voice. As it says in Job, “I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.” Job 32:7-9, KJV. So let us tune our spirits to hear God and we can have wisdom beyond our years. Wisdom is the principal thing. Get wisdom…and get blessed!