Wisdom & Discernment

In Pursuit of Wisdom

Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) and make diligent use of the means He gives us for securing His wisdom, especially knowing and doing the Word of God (Matt. 7:21*29). It is not enough merely to study; we must also obey what God tells us to do (John 7:17). As we walk by faith, we discover the wisdom of God in the everyday things of life. Spiritual wisdom is not abstract: it is very personal and very practical.

As we fellowship with other believers in the church and share with one another, we can learn wisdom. Reading the best books can also help us grow in wisdom and understanding. The important thing is that we focus on Christ, for He is our wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24) and in Him is hidden "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). The better we know Christ and the more we become like Him, the more we will walk in wisdom and understand the will of the Lord. We must allow the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our hearts so we can see God in His Word and understand more of the riches we have in Christ (Eph. 1:15*23).


My father sent both of these devotionals to me the other day and after reading them I wanted to pass them on. (I did not type the verses out so you will have to look them up like I did.) I loved the section that started with "As we fellowship with the believers in the Church and share with one another we can learn wisdom." Amen. We learn wisdom from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Every one that knows the Lord has been given the gift from God, Himself. When we take that gift and let it become a part of our leanings, interests, passions, and love, we share Christ with others. We show a different piece of Christ to those around us. It is amazing to watch a group of people and see them all be themselves and share Christ with one another. It blesses the entire group. We can not be ourselves though if we focus on ourselves, we have to focus on our Creator and Lord. When our focus is there and we are ourselves He can use us as the vessels He created us to be. We must keep shared wisdom in its proper place though. "My or someone else's feelings or experiences are not necessarily truth!" Nancy Leigh Demoss. We must take everything we hear and read and place it next to the Word. When you place something next to the Word it will build your knowledge of the Word as well as help you decide what you believe. Shared wisdom is needed, but even more needed & important is knowing what the Lord says and then obeying it. When we can trust what the Lord is saying and obey His instruction we are blessing those around us.

Acquiring Spiritual Discernment
1 Corinthians 2:10-14

Sadly, some Christians go through life without realizing two important facts about God:
1) He has a personal interest in our decisions, and
2) He offers us the ability to discern His will regarding those choices.

However, spiritual discernment isn't automatic. After receiving Christ, we don't suddenly understand every complex theme and principle in Scripture.

Discernment must be diligently sought. Many people, believing their own wisdom is sufficient to guide them, never look for the Lord's. But our human minds, while rational, are incapable of seeing the true nature of many situations and events. What is good may not always be best, and what is presented as truth is sometimes a lie. Pride in our own judgment hinders access to godly wisdom.

In contrast, recognizing our need for God's Spirit and yielding to Him develops our insight. Besides illuminating biblical meaning, providing spiritual gifts, and sealing believers as children of God, the Holy Spirit provides discernment. This is why He is called the Spirit of Truth. Through Him, we have a direct link to God's mind*He willingly reveals the next step God intends for us to take.


Discernment does not come with out much practice and perseverance. I think everyone is working on this area of life multiple times in their lives. We are constantly faced with decisions to make and questions about those decisions. As I look over my life, I would not want the Lord to take away those times when I was crying out to know what He wanted me to do next. Those were my "practices runs" for the decisions that I need to make now. As I grow I have a feeling I will look back and feel that these areas of life now were also practice runs for the decisions and trails then (or to come). It is an on going process from what I have seen and heard. Praise the Lord! We get to keep learning discernment and when we fail He does not give up on us. He gives us more situations in which we can try again and learn something new. :) I was so encouraged by the last sentence as well "He willingly reveals the next step God intends for us to take". He does not hold the answer and taunt us with it, when we ask, He desires to give it to us. What a blessed thought. I know a sweet elderly woman & she once told me "He wants to tell us even more then we want the answer, so don't you give up."