Heavenly Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom

Dear God seekers,

Today I'd like to encourage you that no matter what kind of situation you may find yourself in right now, you can ask God for wisdom, and it will be given to you. Don't rely on mere human or worldly wisdom, which is always opposed to the will of God. Let's compare the two types of wisdom.

Heavenly Wisdom

First, let's look at heavenly wisdom. According to Webster, "In Scriptural theology, wisdom is true religion; godliness; piety; the knowledge and fear of God, and sincere and uniform obedience to his commands." This is the wisdom which is from above.

James wrote: "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." (Jas 3:17).

Notice all those wonderful attributes to heavenly wisdom. It's pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. So what do you do if you lack wisdom, or need to know what to do in a given situation? James tells us:

"If any man lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a man is double-minded and unstable in all he does." (Jas 1:5-8).

All you have to do is pray and ask God for wisdom, so that you may know what to do, being certain to ask in faith believing that you will receive it, and eliminate all doubts from your mind about whether you will receive it. He will not only give you the wisdom you need, but He'll give you a generous portion of it. Not only must you believe and not doubt initially when you pray and ask God for the wisdom, but when He gives you the wisdom on what to do, don't second guess and doubt that what He put in your heart and mind is really from Him. As long as it aligns with His Word, and is in no way contrary to it, then you can be sure He gave you the wisdom you asked for. At that point, you need to believe it and receive it. 

The reason we tend to doubt that we have received the wisdom is that the wisdom is not something our flesh or carnal nature wants to hear or do. Perhaps a couple brief examples will suffice.

I recall back in the 1990's, when my wife and I were still a young couple, who had only been married for about a year or two, we had some sort of heated argument. I went for a walk by myself in a lovely, peaceful neighborhood nearby, in order to clear my mind and pray. As I was walking along the avenue, I prayed according to 1 Corinthians 10:13, saying, "Lord, you said in your Word that you would not allow us to be tempted beyond that which we can bear, but with every temptation you would provide a way out. What is the way out of this situation?" After I asked Him, the next thought that came to my mind was that the cross is the way out of this situation. I had to deny myself and take up my cross. If the way out could be looked at as a door of escape, the cross was that door. I needed to crucify my sinful nature, and although that particular way out was not the one my flesh wanted, that is what I chose to do. 

I also remember another time when I was in Bible school, and felt led to go on after graduation to obtain my Master's degree from a graduate school in Virginia Beach, Virginia, called Regent University. I had read about the school and knew some graduates of the Bible school I was attending who had gone on to become students of Regent University. But I needed to know for sure if it was God's will for me to go there, too. So I decided to make a visit to the school. 

I had found solace in a verse of Scripture that says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." (Pro 16:9). I knew this meant that although I had made plans to attend Regent, and really wanted to go there, the Lord would ultimately be the One to determine my steps, and He would be the One to decide whether I go there. So I prayed and told the Lord that if it was truly His will for me to go on to Regent after graduating from Bible school, that He would let somebody share that verse from Proverbs 16:9 with me. 

While I was visiting Regent, the dean of the School of Divinity that I was interested in attending shared a message of encouragement to a group of us visitors. He said something like, "Regent is a wonderful school, and we would love to have you decide to come here as a student. But if you do, there will surely be challenges that you will face. That's why we want you to feel like the Lord is leading you hear, before you make your decision to come. You will need to know that it was He who led you here, in order to endure the challenges of student life here." So I felt that what he said to us was basically the essence of Proverbs 16:9, but since the dean didn't actually quote that verse or cite the reference to it, I still didn't feel like I had definite confirmation that it was the Lord's will for me to go to Regent. 

However, upon returning to Bible school, during my rounds on campus as a security guard, I happened to come across a sister in Christ that I knew, who asked me how my visit to Regent University went. So I told her briefly about the trip, and afterward she said, "Well, brother, in his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." So that was how the Lord gave me the wisdom to go there, by allowing this sister to say the very verse I had prayed to the Lord asking for someone to share with me about my plans to go to that school. I ended up going to Regent, meeting the woman who would later become my wife, and both of us ended up graduating from Regent's School of Divinity with Master's degrees in Missiology. If I had doubted the wisdom I had received, I would have missed out on finding my wife that the Lord had for me, which was much more important that the degree I earned. 

Now let's contrast heavenly wisdom with worldly wisdom.

Worldly wisdom

Webster's dictionary defines the wisdom of this world as "mere human erudition; or the carnal policy of men, their craft and artifices in promoting their temporal interests; called also fleshly wisdom." 

For those who may not know, artifices are "clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others." Here's what James wrote about worldly wisdom: 

"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." (Jas 3:14-16) 

Therefore James listed some of the characteristics of worldly wisdom as bitter envy and selfish ambition. He said that wherever you find these, you will also find disorder and every evil practice. If we walk in clever and cunning ways to further our own selfish interests and desires (e.g., by tricking or deceiving others), that is not wisdom from above. You can be sure that you'll end up walking in worldly wisdom if you follow your heart, do whatever you think is best, and listen to the counsel of the ungodly, whether in person or through the media. This kind of wisdom will always satisfy your flesh, but always produces bad fruit.

Closing Words

I hope this has helped to encourage all of you to ask God for wisdom in whatever you may be going through right now, and then believe without a doubt that He has given you the wisdom you asked for. It's important to be prayerful in the way you ask God, and also to be immersed in God's Word before, during, and after your prayer for wisdom, since this is one of the primary ways He will speak to you. The other way He speaks is by His Spirit directly to your heart and through others, who are led by the Spirit like that sister I knew back in Bible school. 

Let me encourage you to read a chapter from the book of Proverbs in the Bible each day, which enables you to read through most or all of Proverbs once each month, since there are thirty-one chapters. You could read the chapter corresponding to the date (eg., chapter one on the first, chapter two on the second, etc.). As you read through this book each month, cry out to God for wisdom, understanding, discernment, and insight. Search for them as for silver or gold. Though it cost all you have, get wisdom. Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and to understanding, "You are my relative," Then you will grow in heavenly wisdom day by day.

You will be able to discern the difference between worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom by their characteristics, as well as the fruit they produce. Worldly wisdom originates from our sinful nature (the flesh), from the world, and from the devil. It has evil, selfish motives behind it, and always produces bad fruit ultimately. On the contrary, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10; Pro 9:10), and in the end, wisdom is proved right by all her actions. It will keep you from the ways of wicked men, and from men whose words are perverse. It will save you from the adulterous woman, from those who would seek to seduce you. It will protect and reward you, make you prosper, and you will be blessed, if you find it. Then there will be a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Attribution notice: All Scriptures are taken from the New International Version (NIV1984), copyright Zondervan, used by permission, all rights reserved. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Should you fear the Lord?, The Flesh vs the Spirit, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Is Obedience Optional?, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, The Straight and Narrow Path, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Separation from the World, The Fruit Test of a Genuine Disciple, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, Being Blessable, and Doing What is Right. You can find more of my articles related to Seeking the Lord on the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Disciples’ Prayer

Prayer is the disciple’s life connection to God.  It’s vital to our relationship with Him.  And yet it is widely overlooked, and its importance is underestimated.  If we understood how vital it is, we would pray more often and more earnestly, and not allow ourselves to be distracted by other things. 

When the disciples asked the Lord to teach them to pray, He taught them a model prayer to show them the kind of content their prayers should have, as well as how to approach God.

"And it happened as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught His disciples.' And He said to them, 'When you pray, say: Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, as in Heaven, so also on the earth. Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" (Luk 11:1-4, MKJV; cf., Mt 6:9-13)

Teach us to pray
The request of the disciples was, "Lord, teach us to pray."  We can learn to pray from a verbal teaching on prayer, as well as life lessons, which are trials and temptations we go through.  In this instance, He taught them verbally.  But He gave them plenty of other opportunities to learn to pray through trials and circumstances, such as the storm at sea.

Pray like this
Jesus taught them what to pray about and how to approach God in prayer.  He said, "When you pray, say:" In other words, “Pray like this.”

Our Father in heaven
“Our Father in heaven.” (v. 2). Address the heavenly Father reverently and lovingly, as “Our Father in heaven.” He also did not say to pray to Mary, but our heavenly Father.

Hallowed be Your name
“Hallowed be Your name.” (v. 2). As you approach God, praise, magnify, and exalt His holy name.  We enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts, and come into His courts with praise (Ps 100:4).

Your kingdom come
“Your kingdom come.” Seek first His kingdom (see Lk 12:31; Mt 6:33).  His kingdom is the royal realm where He has absolute and universal dominion.  It’s where He rules and reigns. It’s God’s Divine Government over which He has supreme administration.

When you pray for God’s kingdom to come, you are praying for Him as the sovereign King to come and live and rule in your heart.  The government of God’s kingdom is on Jesus’ shoulders (Is 9:6). He is the King of kings (Re 19:16; cf., Re 17:14; 1 Ti 6:15). There can only be one king on the throne inside your heart.  As Him to come and take His place on the throne.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
“May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (v. 2). In heaven God’s will goes unchallenged and is always done. On earth there are many enemies of God and hindrances to block his will. His will is best.  When you pray like this, then it will guide you to pray in His will.  And even if you make a mistake and pray outside His will, He will know that you asked for His will to be done, so He will answer it according to His will, rather than how you wanted it.

When you do God's will, that is one way this prayer of your will be answered.  He said, "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Mar 3:35).  He also said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." (Luk 11:27-28). 

Jesus prayed for the Father’s will, when it was contrary to His own (Mt 26:39-42).  This is what we must do also, following our Lord's example. His will is what we live for, not our own. This is critical, because of the power of the will. Live your life for the will of God.  Live according to His will. (1 Pe 4:1-6).  The one who does the will of God lives forever. (1 Jn 2:17). His will us holy, righteous, perfect, and true.

Give us each day our daily bread
“Give us each day our daily bread.” (v.3). Once you have first sought God's kingdom, His will, and His righteousness, then you can bring your petitions before His throne.  Ask for what you need today.
Don’t worry about your needs for tomorrow and next week and next month. It’s all right to pray about those, but don’t worry about them, because God is able to handle all your needs each day, if you ask Him to.

Notice that he used the expression “daily bread.”  He did not expect you to have enough bread stockpiled for months to come. He also did not expect you to live luxuriously on food fit for a king.  Sometimes we are blessed with plenty, but let us not forget share it with others.  And if all we have is bread to eat, then we know the Lord has answered our prayer and He provided it.

The meals our Lord ate and fed to others were simple meals like a piece of fruit, or a fish, and some bread.  On a feast day like Passover, then there was more to eat and drink like lamb and wine.  Our daily bread also represents our basic necessities that we need for each day, such as clothing and shelter.

Some people wait until the end of their day to pray.  Sometimes it will happen this way, because of your schedule, but it is not wise to make it your routine.  How can you ask for what you need today at the end of your day?

When you pray, “Give us each day our daily bread,” and you are thinking about future days ahead, the fact is you still must ask.  The Lord instructed us to ask the Father for everything we need. Of course, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Mt 6:8b)  Yet you still need to ask Him.

Forgive us our sins
“Forgive us our sins.” (v. 4). We have all sinned, and we all stumble in many ways.  We need to repent daily, because we commit so many sins, often without knowing it.  We need to ask God for forgiveness, believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sin, and rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death.

In order to be forgiven, you must repent sincerely from your sin, and confess it.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1Jn 1:9)  Cry out for mercy. “Lord, have mercy on me!” and pray for the Lord to have mercy on others, too.  We need the God's mercy much more than we realize!

We also forgive everyone who sins against us
“We also forgive everyone who sins against us.” (v. 4)  This is another condition in order for us to be forgiven. We must forgive, because if we do not forgive, God will not forgive us.  "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Mat 6:14-15)  The spirit of unforgiveness will lead you down to hell. Release those who are indebted to you.

Lead us not into temptation
“Lead us not into temptation.” (v. 4).  He taught us to pray and ask the Father not to lead us into temptation. He told us to “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:40-41).

We sometimes feel confident that we can withstand the temptations that lie ahead of us in life without praying much, or without praying at all.  Yet even Jesus had to pray, and often spent the whole night in prayer.  He was tempted by the devil (Mt 4). He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15). Temptation is common and every temptation is a common one

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." (1Co 10:12-13, NASB)

Don’t become complacent, thinking you stand. That's just the pride that comes before a fall.  Rather take heed lest you fall!

God does not tempt us. James said, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." (Jas 1:13-15)

Deliver us from evil
“Deliver us from evil” and some versions say “deliver us from the evil one.” (v. 4) The word “deliver” is from the Greek word rhuomai, meaning to rescue or deliver.  This is the same as crying to God, “Rescue us! Deliver us!”  And when you personalize it, then you should cry out, “Deliver me! Save me! Lord, save my soul!”  Or if you are sick, you should cry out, “Lord, heal me!”

Only God can deliver you, save your soul, set you free, and heal you by the power that is in Jesus’ name.  All power is in that name. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Ac 4:12)

The entire prayer is for “us” not me. That doesn’t mean you cannot pray for yourself.  You should pray for yourself, and when you come to Christ, you must pray for yourself.  But we must pray for others, too, and not just ourselves.

The devil is so evil and does so much more than we realize with the purpose to harm us.  He comes to kill, steal, and destroy people.  Jesus knew the devil would continue to do that, so He instructed us to pray for deliverance.

Disciples’ Prayer and Sinner's Prayer
This is called “The Lord’s Prayer,” but it is actually the “Disciples’ Prayer.” (Lk 11:1).  It is also a “Sinner’s Prayer.”  A person could pray this prayer sincerely from their heart to give their life to Jesus and be saved, as long as they repent of their sin, believe that Jesus died on the cross for their sins, and that He rose from the dead.

If you want to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, this is how you should pray. And if you want to grow as a disciple, this is how to pray. This was also “The Lord’s Prayer,” except He never needed to ask forgiveness (Heb 4:15).  But I am sure He needed to forgive others.

Notice how concise this prayer is.  There is so much meaning packed into so few words.

Putting it All Together
Learn to pray the way Jesus taught His disciples to pray.  He will also give you life experiences to learn how to pray, so be sure you don’t miss those practical opportunities.

Pray to God, the Father in heaven in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Approach Him with reverence, awe, and love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  Begin with praise and thanksgiving, just pouring out your love on Him and adoring Him.

Always put God’s concerns ahead of your own, and ahead of any petitions you may bring to Him.  There may be times where you have an emergency and you cry out to God for help without spending time in praise and thanksgiving, but normally you should take the time to do this first.

Begin with blessing Him, and His name, and seeking His kingdom, His righteousness, His will in your life to be done just as it is in heaven.  Ask the Lord to reign in your heart as King.  Lay your life on the alter as a living sacrifice to Him. That pleases the Father.  If that is your heart’s greatest desire, then all the requests you make of Him after that will be in accordance with His will.  If not, then He will know that you want His will above all else, so He will answer it according to His will.

After you have put the Lord and His concerns first, then bring your concerns to Him for yourself and others.  Bring all those petitions and requests before His throne, knowing that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

Remember to repent daily and ask forgiveness, as well as forgive others.  Pray away those temptations the devil has planned for you and others.  Pray for salvation and deliverance and healing. And remember, everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks the door shall be opened.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "Prayer Warrior" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's Note:  If you enjoyed this message,  you may also like Lifting Hands in Prayer, Lifting Your Face in Prayer, and Crying Out to God Loudly.   I also invite you to visit the Main Directory for Seeking the Lord, and my collection of blogs at "Writing for the Master."  Now let me ask you a very important question. 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.