Godly vs. worldly wisdom
God is a good Father who stores up sound wisdom for the upright (Proverbs 2:7). As believers, we can lay claim to an inheritance of unlimited wisdom and knowledge that comes directly from the Lord who rules heaven and earth. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord” (Proverbs 21:30 NKJV). Any person can acquire vast amounts of knowledge but still make the wrong choices in life, because they failed to first go to the ultimate Source of all wisdom, understanding, and counsel, God Himself.
(See Chinese versions: 简体中文 > 操练智慧 | 繁體中文 > 練習智慧)
Proverbs 2:6-9 NKJV For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path.
Two types of wisdom
The Bible contrasts two types of wisdom, God’s and the world’s.
Jesus calls us to be as wise and shrewd as serpents, but this wisdom is very unlike the world’s wisdom. Godly wisdom is innocent, gentle, reasonable, peace-loving, impartial and sincere. It is full of mercy and willing to yield to others. It leads to godliness and peaceful relationships with others.
James 3:17-18 NKJV 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. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Worldly secular wisdom tends to be self-centred. It exalts ourselves. When our hearts are not submitted to God, we will harbour pride, jealousy and selfish ambitions and use our wisdom against others. God’s Word calls such wisdom “earthly, sensual, demonic“. Jesus pointed out that Satan fosters such thinking and gets people to focus on things from a human point of view, not from God’s (Matthew 16:23).
James 3:14-16 NKJV But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there
We see the circumstances, God sees the destination
Our lives are the result of all the choices we make. It takes wisdom to ensure that our choices come together so that we end up at the narrow gate of eternal life, not the wide gate to eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). To find the path to the narrow gate, we need to seek wisdom and guidance from God. He will show us the way.
Psalm 32:8 NKJV I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
Godly wisdom could even result in us bringing many others with us to the narrow gate. Worldly wisdom often tends to result in destruction.
Some qualities of godly wisdom
You can recognise wise people in your life. They bring a sense of calm and peace wherever they go. They are not cowardly, petty or arrogant. Neither are they easily fazed by challenging situations. They are quick to go to God for wisdom. Here are some descriptions of the wise from the Bible.
| 1. Revere God | Psalm 111:10 NKJV The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. |
| 2. Submit to God’s will | Colossians 1:9 NKJV For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; |
| 3. Carefully consider their ways | Ephesians 5:15 NKJV See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, |
| 4. Are humble |
Proverbs 11:2 NKJV When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.
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| 5. Acknowledge ignorance | 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 NKJV Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” |
| 6. Practice self-control | Proverbs 16:32 NKJV He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. |
| 7. On the watch for deception | 1 John 4:1 NKJV Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. |
| 8. Are open to advice |
Proverbs 12:15 NKJV The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.
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| 9. Edify and correct others for their own good | Ecclesiastes 7:5 NKJV It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools. |
The good news is that godly wisdom can be gained and learnt.
Proverbs 4:5 NKJV Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Practising Godly wisdom
We receive wisdom from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit communicates through our spirit and inner conscience. As we pray and quiet down to listen to Him, He will give us an “inner knowing” and plant insights into our minds.
Isaiah 11:2 NKJV The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Job 38:36 NKJV 36 Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?
Job 32:8-9 NKJV But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, Nor do the aged always understand justice.
1. Begin with humility and turn towards God
Reverence and humility before God are crucial to gaining godly wisdom. The humble will listen, observe, accept correction and grow wiser. The proud only collect more knowledge. God calls this folly and futile.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 NKJV Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
2. Turn away from worldly wisdom
The world is filled with teachings, quotes, and ideologies that sound like great wisdom, but will ultimately, lead us away from God.
Proverbs 14:12 NKJV There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
Worldly wisdom will lead us to gratify our desires, rather than submit to God. The Bible calls us to “set the mind on the Spirit” so we will experience God’s “life and peace” (Romans 8:6-8). We need to put away or repent of relying on our own understanding or logic as to how things work based on the world’s “teachings” and renew our minds with God’s Word. This is how we will be able to follow His ultimate wisdom.
3. Slow down, quiet our thoughts and ask God
It takes discipline to quiet our minds and wait on God. When we fix our thoughts on Him, He will reveal the path forward. He even promises to be generous with His limitless wisdom when we ask Him with simple faith.
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
James 1:5-8 NKJV 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. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
The temptation is always to ruminate on the “what if’s” in life but such thinking will prove to be futile because with God, there is only one way, and that is His good and perfect will. We need to beware not to let some inner unspoken fear or personal insecurity drive us to “look at all the possibilities” in life. Such fears are not from God.
4. Test our thoughts
Something can sound 95% right and still be wrong.
Just as the Holy Spirit will give us godly wisdom, Satan can also give us worldly wisdom. It is important to ask the Holy Spirit to help us examine and test the direction of our thoughts so that we follow His voice, instead of the enemy’s. This is one way we “test the spirits to see whether they are from God”.
Lamentations 3:40 NKJV Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord;
5. Stay away from ungodly influences
Ungodly influences come from many different sources, from family traditions, the media, society, pop culture, songs etc. Ultimately, they will fill our minds with insecurity, pride, doubt, and worldly human logic. We are to keep our thoughts pure, uncorrupted and innocent so our thoughts don’t get swayed away from God’s will.
Romans 16:19 NKJV For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.
If we feel as if we are “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” in our thoughts (Ephesians 4:14), then we need to examine if we are being blown about by ungodly teaching or lies that sound like the truth.
Ephesians 4:14 NKJV that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting
6. Choose our counsellors wisely
It is wise to listen to good advice. Even so, we need to be selective about who we turn to for advice. Seeking wisdom from prudent God-fearing people is good but seeking God’s ultimate wisdom is best. No one knows what tomorrow holds as clearly as God does, and no detail is too insignificant to bring before God.
Proverbs 13:20 NKJV He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
7. Know God’s Word well
Nothing beats studying God’s Word. This is how we will be able to decipher His ways, His will, and His character. The wise know that God will never do anything that’s out of character nor will He change His Word.
Psalm 19:7-8 NKJV The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
8. Make use of our wisdom for God’s glory
The wise will choose the right time to speak up for what is right, stand up against injustice, and correct those who are heading towards destruction – all because they consider others more highly than themselves and love them as God loves them.
When we take this loving attitude to counsel, advise and correct others, the wisdom we bring will be appreciated because it will prevent more damage. At the end of the day, when we combine wisdom with God’s grace, He is glorified and praised.
Proverbs 15:2 NKJV The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
Testimony: Renouncing human wisdom
“During prayer one day, I experienced spiritual interference. My prayers were constantly interrupted as my mind suddenly went blank. This happened non-stop even though I tried my best to focus back on praying. Initially, I thought it must have been just tiredness kicking in but the next day I felt perhaps there was something demonic interfering with my prayer life.
A sister-in-Christ sought the Lord on my behalf and He showed her that in my heart, I had developed a strong belief that “I know better”. I had somehow come to believe a lie that I know better than everyone else, which developed into a deep pride in my flesh. This way of thinking always obstructed the work of the Holy Spirit.
We arranged to pray about this together and she asked whether I had ever taken any oath. I then recalled that when I was admitted in the High Court, I needed to swear to use my best knowledge and ability to conduct my profession as a lawyer. At that moment, I came to realise that it is a declaration for one to use their own knowledge and ability, which is based on self reliance, not on God. I asked God for forgiveness and renounced the impact that oath had on my soul in Jesus’ name.
I was then also asked whether I had experienced any trauma where I vowed that “I should know better” or “I ought to do better” as a result. When I asked the Holy Spirit whether there was such trauma, the face of a partner at a law firm I used to work for came into my mind. I was very junior at the time, and he had publicly used profanities on me after he reviewed some of my work. This was rather traumatic as it occurred in the first few months of working as a lawyer.
I quickly brushed it off (using my own human wisdom) thinking that it was 20 years ago since I worked for the partner, so whatever happened didn’t matter. Not knowing my thoughts, the sister-in-Christ was then prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask me whether there was anyone at work which caused me trauma. I then mentioned one of the partners’ faces had come up. She encouraged me to bring that event to the Lord in prayer.
As I prayed about it and asked the Holy Spirit to guide me, I felt a sudden surge of pain come into my heart. The pain was so strong that I felt it gripped me tightly. The Lord led me to release the pain of the insults I received at work and forgive the colleague. I also repented for judging him and sought the Lord’s forgiveness of my judgement and hatred towards him.
I then renounced the vows I had made that “I need to do better” and “I need to know better”, as these vows elevated human wisdom. I repented of having elevated human wisdom all my life.
I almost felt like this human wisdom had been competing with godly wisdom from the Holy Spirit for all my life and that’s why I struggled with discerning my own voice versus the Holy Spirit’s voice.
The next day, as I was doing my devotionals, the Holy Spirit brought a recollection back to me. I used to pray a childhood prayer almost everyday to ask God to make me smart and give me superior human wisdom. Little did I know that living life using merely human wisdom is futile at the end, and it is only when we know we know nothing, then it is the beginning of true wisdom which is from God. The Lord then led me to repent for asking only for human wisdom all my life and for elevating human wisdom to such a high level beyond godly wisdom.
Little did I know at that time that asking for human wisdom is indeed meaningless. Nothing compares with godly wisdom that is given to us by the Holy Spirit.
The morning after praying to ask God to dismantle all the human wisdom I have asked for since childhood , I felt there is more room for the Holy Spirit in the “apartment” which the Holy Spirit is living in (i.e. me) after I commanded human wisdom to be kicked out. Praise God!”
May this sharing be a blessing to you as you seek to love the Lord with all your heart and walk in godly wisdom.