Spirit of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding

Spirit of Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of sour Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (NIV)

            In the United States, it is the law of the land that once a child reaches a certain age, he/she must be in some form of formal education. Rather done through public, private or home schooling, nearly all children are required to have education from grades pre-k-12. Not only is learning a requirement for children, but in order to perform many jobs, there has to be some type of knowledge and skills attained. Therefore, most employers offer some type of on-the-job training, educational reimbursement towards a certificate or degree, and/or hire someone who has already graduated from an accredited college or university. Organizations and companies want to feel comfortable that whoever they hire is qualified to do the job.

It is the same way on the opposite end of the spectrum. A patient, for example, wants to know that when they go to a physician, that person has the necessary book knowledge and wisdom to properly access their medical needs. It is not good enough just to have acquired the knowledge, but a person needs wisdom as to how that knowledge is to be used and when.

The Holy Spirit helps the believer with acquiring knowledge, wisdom and understanding. The Bible tells us that we are to study God’s word so that we may be careful to follow it. Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV) God was letting us know that we have to study His word continuously. When you are studying any particular subject, it calls for you to sit down, read, think, and take it in. For most people, it may require repetition in order to remember all that you have studied, but with good study habits, the knowledge of what you have read will stick. It’s the same way with God. The Holy Spirit helps us to study God’s word and not only study it, but He opens our understanding to it.

There a story in the Bible about an Ethiopian who was traveling and reading the scroll of Isaiah. Even though he was diligently reading it, he did not understand what he was reading. However, God had a plan. Acts 8:29-31 ⁽²⁹⁾The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” ⁽³⁰⁾Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. ⁽³⁰⁾Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. ⁽³¹⁾ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. (NIV) The Holy Spirit led Philip the meet the Ethiopian eunuch on the road so that he could help him to understand the scriptures. As a result of that, the Ethiopian was baptized all because the Holy Spirit told Philip to go where he was so that he could help the Ethiopian understand about Jesus.

The Holy Spirit also grants wisdom, so that believer can not only understand and be able to use the knowledge given, but in order to know when to apply it. James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (NIV) God never holds it against His children if they ask for wisdom. As a matter of fact, He encourages us to do so and has given us help to receive it through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are to ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom in ALL areas of our lives. Many people could have made better choices in life if wisdom from the Holy Spirit was given first. Unfortunately, many fail to ask and think that they can figure things out all by themselves, but then their lives become a complete mess. We are to seek God’s counsel and allow the Holy Spirit to gives us wisdom to make the right decisions. Proverbs 3:13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. (NIV)