How to Get Wisdom from God?
What is the meaning of James 1:5?
Wisdom is the ability to make good decisions and sound judgments. Wisdom is knowing how to walk in the favor and will of God.
We all need wisdom, especially when we come to the crossroads of life.
“Which way should I go?”
“Should I take this job?”
“Is s/he the one for me?”
Wisdom protects us from making bad choices and ruining our lives. But where do we get wisdom?
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. (James 1:5)
The best source of wisdom is God himself. God knows the future and he can see the unfolding landscape of your whole life. You don’t know what’s coming around the bend, but he knows.
How do you get wisdom from God?
We get wisdom from God by asking. In the economy of grace, asking is how we receive.
“God gives generously” means God will never make you jump through hoops to earn his wisdom. Nor does he expect you to compensate him for his wisdom.
The One who gave us his Son will freely give you an abundance of whatever you need (Rom. 8:32). That includes your need for wisdom.
How do I ask for wisdom?
With confidence!
This is the confidence which we have before him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)
It is God’s will for you to ask him for wisdom. It says so in the Bible.
In the old covenant, your best source of wisdom was wise friends (Pro. 15:22). Wise friends are a blessing, especially when they stop you from doing something stupid. You want to marry who?!
But the ultimate source of wisdom is the Spirit of wisdom – God himself. Asking the Lord for guidance is step 1 in learning how to walk in the spirit.
How do I know this wisdom is from the Lord?
Wisdom is only as good as the knowledge on which it is based which is why we can distinguish between earthly and heavenly wisdom.
Wisdom that comes from above is informed by the supernatural insight and revelation of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). But earthly wisdom is natural and demonic (Jas. 3:15). It’s influenced by Satan rather than the Lord.
Natural wisdom is based on natural understanding and is limited to what we see, hear, and think. It is sensual (based on the five senses) rather than spiritual, and primarily concerned with the preservation and elevation of self.
In contrast, the wisdom from above is “pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy” (Jas 3:17).
Wisdom from above
The wisdom from above comes to us through our revelation knowledge of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:30). Everything you need for life and godliness is found in him. If you need wisdom for your marriage or business or church, your first and last port of call is a greater revelation of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:17).
When we go through trials, it is easy to get disoriented and lose our way. The temptation is to take matters into our own hands and do what seems right in our own eyes, but that way lies death and disaster (Pro. 14:12).
A better option is to ask the Father for the wisdom that comes from above. His wisdom will release the righteousness and favor of heaven into your life.
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Do you know the eight characteristics of heavenly wisdom? Find out on the Grace Commentary.
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Escape to Reality 
Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord (Prov 8:34-35).
Remember Deut 8 shows how a man who wishes to remain in his masters home has his ear bored through with an awl, as a symbol of dependence? If we wait at His door, we will hear Him as well. An ear to hear?
Great stuff Paul – LOVE IT. Thanks. I think the Wallabies need to ask God for the wisdom to beat the AB’s. [This is my flesh speaking. It is not of the spirit].
Haha. Sounds pretty legit to me.
Not sure 1 John 4:17 is the verse you’re thinking of.
Great article! You have to love wisdom because sometimes it might not agree with what you have believed your entire life. Many people turn their back on wisdom to hold on to those old beliefs, but you can’t put new wine in old wine skins.
Thank you for the article Paul. It reminded me of a question I had for you. I’ve attended church conferences with big name speakers and also regular church services with local pastors and I do hear them often say that they spend hours and hours in the Lord’s presence and asked for wisdom for the message or sermon they are about to deliver. And then when they deliver the message or sermon, it’s a mixed Grace/law event where you are both encouraged and condemned at the same time (but mostly condemned). I do believe that these pastors are anointed and they seem very genuine in their love for God, however, why is it that God doesn’t give them this revelation of Grace? I do not believe these men and women are lying when they say they spend a good amount of time in God’s presence, but during this time spent in God’s presence and asking for wisdom, why is a mixed message the result? Just wanted to hear your thoughts on this.
When you pour clean water into a dirty glass, the drink will not taste good. Any heart that boasts about how much it has done for the Lord – “I spent hours” – is not going to be a pure receptacle for grace. It will have the taste of flesh about it. This has nothing to do with our love for God or our faith, and everything to do with our mindset.
I can give you an example from my own life. As a young pastor working two jobs with young children, I didn’t spend hours and hours praying, and I felt condemned and guilty for it. Whatever good stuff God gave me was filtered through that carnal mindset.
The funny thing is I that whenever I had no proper time to prepare, and my sermons were scrawled on the back of a Post-It note, those were the ones that had real power. I could never figure it out. It was like the less I tried the better the message. Of course, God was teaching me about the importance of receiving not giving, and resting not striving. But it would take a massive breakdown for me to fully learn that lesson.
Now I work harder than I ever did. The difference is it doesn’t feel like work at all. It is the grace of God working in me and through me.
He is our wisdom. “As He is, so are we in this world.” 1 John 4:17. In other words, we are His wisdom.
I know the way to receive wisdom is to ask for it. But what does the answer look like? How do we know we’ve received the wisdom we’ve asked for? Do we ask for wisdom and then go with our gut afterward? I hope what I’m asking makes sense…
Good question, Jon. Check out the link under the article above where I discuss the eight defining characteristics of heavenly wisdom and compare it with earthly wisdom.