WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JULY 30TH, 2021
TOPIC: DILIGENTLY PURSUE THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE
BY T. O. BANSO
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17 New King James Version).
The Bible talks about the wisdom that is earthly and the wisdom that is from above. The earthly wisdom is the wisdom of this age (1 Corinthians 2:6). This is not for the children of God.
The Children of God are supposed to live by the wisdom that is from heaven or above. James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (New King James Version).
It is different from earthly wisdom. “This wisdom is not from heaven, but is of the earth and the flesh and the Evil One” (James 3:15 Bible in Basic English). This is the wisdom of this world which is foolishness with God (1 Corinthians 3:19).
It is wise to diligently pursue the wisdom that is from above. How can one do this?
1. Be born again. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). To access the wisdom from above, you must first receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Saviour. Receive into your heart He who is from above. John 3:31a says He who comes from above is above all. This refers to Jesus. He came from above. When you receive Him into your life, wisdom comes in, for He is full of wisdom (Mark 6:2; Matthew 13:54). Salvation opens you to His wisdom.
2. Desire and seek the wisdom from above. What you don’t desire, you don’t pursue. Desire the wisdom from above. Seek wisdom as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures (Proverbs 2:4). Proverbs 4:7-8 says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her” (New King James Version).
Seek and pursue wisdom because wisdom is more precious than anything (Proverbs 3:15). To get wisdom is to love your soul; if you keep understanding, you will find good or prosper (Proverbs 19:8).
3. Daily feed on the Word and obey it. You cannot divorce the wisdom from above from the Word of God which comes from above. The Word of God makes you wise. Wisdom is “The right use or exercise of knowledge, the choice of laudable ends, and the best means to accomplish them” (King James Version Dictionary). Also, it is the “Ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary).
The word of God plays a vital role in judging correctly and following the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding or the choice of laudable ends, and the best means to accomplish them.
The Word of God will make you wise (2 Timothy 3:15). Psalm 119:98 says, “You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me” (New King James Version).
Moses told the Israelites regarding the statutes and judgments of God, “Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’” (Deuteronomy 4:6 New King James Version).
Don’t reject the Word of God. Jeremiah 8:9 says, “The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD” (New King James Version). The more you feed on the word of God and obey, the more of the wisdom from above you receive.
4. Fear the Lord. To fear the Lord is to reverence Him. Proverbs 9:10 says the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Psalm 111:10a also says the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
Earlier in the book of Job, the Bible also says that the fear of the Lord is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding (Job 28:28). Those who are wise fear the Lord and those who fear the Lord shows they are wise. Of course, God will give them more wisdom. Psalm 145:19a says God will fulfil the desire of those who fear Him. In this context, he will fulfil their desire for wisdom from above.
5. Pray for wisdom. Prayer is one of the ways to access the wisdom from above. The Word of God says that God will give anyone who asks Him in faith for wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5-6 New King James Version).
In 1 Kings 3:9, King Solomon asked God for an understanding heart to judge God’s people so that he would be able to discern between good and evil. God granted his request. He gave him a wise and understanding heart, such as no one else had ever had or ever would have (verse 12). He also gave him riches and honour which he didn’t ask for, such that no other king in all the world would be compared to him for the rest of his life (verse 13). Luke 11:31 refers to the visit of the queen of Sheba (the queen of the South) to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
Ask God in faith for the wisdom from above. In Colossians 1:9, Paul prayed for the Colossians that they might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. May you receive wisdom from above as you ask God for it in faith.
6. Receive the anointing for wisdom. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom (Isaiah 11:2). When you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you have received the Spirit of wisdom. The Holy Spirit will give you an advantage as you listen to Him. He knows what is right on every matter. He will help you to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding. 1 Corinthians 2:12 says God has “actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us” (New Living Translation).
The Bible talks about the Spirit of Wisdom. As we read earlier, Paul prayed for the Ephesians that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, might give to them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him (Ephesians 1:17).
In Exodus 28, the Bible records that God filled some people with the spirit of wisdom and asked Moses to tell them to make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him, to minister to Him in the priest’s office (verse 3). Similarly, God said that He had called Bezalel the son of Uri and filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, silver, bronze, cutting jewels for setting, carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship (Exodus 31:2-5). You can pray for a baptism of this spirit, which is an operation of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of wisdom can also be imparted. Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. Consequently, the children of Israel heeded him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses (Deuteronomy 34:9). You will receive the Spirit of Wisdom as you pray in Jesus’ name. You will receive the anointing for wisdom, an impartation, in Jesus’ name.
7. Associate with those walking in the wisdom from above. The association of Joshua, Moses’ successor, with him, as we have seen, made him receive an impartation of the spirit of wisdom when he laid hands on him. Proverbs 13:20 says he who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. Don’t walk with fools.
Learn from the queen of Sheba. She travelled from her country when she heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Jehovah. She came to prove him with hard questions (1 Kings 10:1). She came to drink from his fountain of wisdom. She must be a wise woman herself to have appreciated wisdom. Fools don’t appreciate wisdom. They hate also knowledge (Proverbs 1:22). 1 Kings 4:34 says men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of Solomon’s wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
Diligently pursue the wisdom from above. The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (1 Corinthians 3:19).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you
PRAYER POINTS: I shall not pursue the wisdom of this world which is foolishness with God; I shall diligently pursue the wisdom from above. I receive the Spirit of wisdom in Jesus’ name. Father, thank You for giving the wisdom from above to everyone who asks you in faith.
(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T.O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
