In a season of increased tensions, heightened emotions and political turmoil, the prophetic movement and the body of Christ at large needs to exercise wisdom.
Wisdom: What the Prophetic Movement Needs in this Pivotal Hour
The Spirit of Wisdom is one of the seven Spirits of God as wisdom is one of the primary qualities or characteristics of God’s Holy Spirit.
He is wisdom personified, and “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself ” (1 Cor. 1:30, NLT).
To exist above the turmoil in the days in which we live, increased wisdom is needed for every member of the body of Christ.
But I would especially emphasize to all of our graciously gifted prophetic people: more than divine revelation, we need an increase in wisdom understandings and applications so we can handle the word of the Lord in a more excellent and effective way.
Without the bridge of wisdom in place along with the motivation of love from a pure heart, our precious cargo of prophetic revelation, might simply end up as a bunch of dumped out excessive verbiage.
Luke 2:52 states, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Bottom line—if we are going to follow in His footsteps, and if Jesus grew in wisdom as a part of maturation process, then none of us are exempt. Right?
It comes with the territory.
Bob Jones, prophetic seer and forerunner now with the Lord, used to tell those of us who were younger up and coming prophetic seers, “It’s the worst day to be a know it all!”
What Is Wisdom?
Wisdom is so important to God that altogether the words “wisdom” or “wise” are used more than four hundred and fifty-six times in the Bible.
Clearly wisdom is a valuable commodity!
Yet do we even understand what wisdom is, or do we just presume we know already?
Wise James (in the Bible) again provides some idea of what God’s wisdom consists of: The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere ( James 3:17, TLB).
Synonyms for the word “wisdom” help flesh out its meaning. They include: understanding, knowledge, good sense, insight, perception, astute- ness, acumen, prudence, sagacity, good judgment, and more.
I want and need multiplied quantities of every one of those qualities. How about you?
Some believers in every generation exemplify wisdom to a high degree. In everything they say and do you can recognize the mind and heart of God.
Their character is sterling. They care about others more than themselves. They humbly seek God before they give advice or take action.
Like anybody, they can veer off the narrow way (Solomon did), but the good fruit of their lives far outweighs the bad.
Wisdom is invaluable for any believer alongside any of the gifts of the Spirit.
You and I need all the wisdom we can get, particularly when we are handling a word of revelation.
Acquiring Wisdom
But how can we best lay hold of God’s wisdom?
We already know we need to surrender ourselves to His Lordship and to lean on Him continually, but does that guarantee that His wisdom will flow into our lives?
How does this wisdom come to us?
Is it a sovereign gift from God? Is it a spiritual presence of some sort? Is our personal wisdom assembled from much reading and studying? Or does it come mostly from experience, from spending years in the School of Hard Knocks?
There is no one answer, because wisdom comes through all the above. We can see that when we simply search for the word “wisdom” in Scripture.
Consider the following four practical ways of acquiring ever increasing wisdom:
- Wisdom as a Gift:
For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8). - Wisdom as a Spirit:
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2). - Wisdom from Studying:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV). - Wisdom Arising from Life Experience:
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity (Proverbs 24:16). Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent (Proverbs 17:28, NLT).
Our increase in wisdom will not happen automatically.
Like me, you surely have met people you knew many years before and you have been dismayed to see that they never matured much at all. They still act like zealous teenagers who are “wet behind the ears.” They do not even realize that they are immature lacking in wisdom that their life experience could have brought them.
I know that Scripture says, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10), so humble surrender to God must be the first step.
I also know we need all the wisdom we can get and that we never have enough of it as long as we are alive on this earth.
The apostle James clearly stated that we must ask for more wisdom—and that if you do, God will grant it.
So let’s get to asking!
An Invitation to Step Into the Wisdom Ways of God
How can we step into the next place of growth in the wisdom ways of God? I get my practical template from James 1:5–6.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
How do we make our requests to God for wisdom?
Well, in the simplest of terms. We simply admit, “God, I lack wisdom.”
And then we acknowledge, “But You have a limitless supply of wisdom and you have shown Your desire to share it with the people You have created. You have come to us as Jesus, who is wisdom itself. I ask You to release Your wisdom to me concerning the problem in front of me.”
And then expect God’s wisdom to rise up in you. You may not have to wait long! Ask with complete faith that God wants to answer your prayer, and He will.
If you are called to have a prophetic ministry on any level, you will need to grow in the spirit of wisdom, to increase in wisdom as Jesus did.
His heavenly wisdom is available to you simply for the asking. Start asking in faith now. I can assure you that you are in very good company as you step out and pray.
Let’s Pray Together
Father, we admit that we lack wisdom, but we also declare that You are generous and that You have a vast and generous supply of wisdom for every person who calls on You. Therefore, we ask for our portion of today’s wisdom. You have given each one of us various assignments today, and we cannot accomplish them at all without Your help and wisdom.
We want to grow in wisdom daily, as Jesus did. We want to walk out prophetic solutions to complex problems, as Solomon did. We look forward to the increase of both wisdom and revelation that You will release to us. In the holy, great name of Jesus, Amen and Amen!
Humbly Submitted,
James W. Goll
God Encounters Ministries
This article has been adapted from Chapter 11: “Learning Ways of Wisdom” in the The Prophet by James W. Goll.
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