3 Ways to Increase in Godly Wisdom

Here are three ways that you can increase in godly wisdom in the hopes that you’ll be more Christ-like.

Turn Away From Evil

The beginning and the end of godly wisdom is the fear of the Lord, as Solomon wrote in Proverbs 28:28, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom and to turn away from evil is understanding.” This is not a fear of being struck dead by God but one that is a holy, reverential, deep respect for God. This fear motivates us to turn away from evil. It is one thing to fear God, but this godly wisdom should give us the understanding that we must turn away from what we see is clearly sin. Job said that he made a covenant with his eyes, that he wouldn’t look at a young virgin (Job 31:1), so godly wisdom means you turn away from sin and make a decision ahead of time to not look at anything sinful: pornography; the opposite sex, to lust in your heart after them; movies with graphic violence and profanity; laced language; and so on.

A Word to the Wise

No one can know the mind of Christ except by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:11). But how can you know the mind of Christ? To know the Word is to know Christ, for Jesus is the Word (John 1:1, 14). Jesus Himself said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Abiding in Christ’s Words and abiding in Christ are the same thing. Stay in the Word, for Peter said to Jesus, “You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Prov. 9:10). Jesus said that “everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon a rock” (Matt. 7:24). When you get into the Word, the Word gets into you and you will find yourself with more godly wisdom because you have more knowledge of the Holy One. The best wisdom in the world is found in the Word of God, so read it every day and it will read you!

Ask God for It

James wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). God is the true source of all wisdom, “for the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Prov. 2:6). Only God “gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning” (Dan. 2:21). Pray to God for His wisdom, for “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” (James 3:17). Ask for wisdom in prayer, seek wisdom in His Word, and knock on doors of opportunity to use this God-given wisdom (Matt. 7:7).

Conclusion

You cannot separate the God of the Word from the Word of God (Jesus). Shun evil and you’ll gain understanding. Abide in the Word and wisdom will penetrate your heart and mind. Ask for wisdom and God will generously give it to you. There are more than three ways to increase in godly wisdom, but these are three ways that may help you in that worthy goal.