Scripture: James 1 v 5: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him."
Wisdom is a word that can best be explained simply as - going through life without messing up, without being misunderstood, without misinterpreting the needs of people. Basically, only God has this quality and man needs to acquire it. James says He gives His wisdom to all freely when we ASK Him for it. God will not find fault with us admitting we need His wisdom.
James 3 v 14-15: "But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish."
Bitterness, envy, strife, gossip, malice, lies, fake news reports, is not anything like Godly wisdom, its what comes from below, in the regions of Hell. The enemy of our souls stirs evil into whatever situation he can to divide and conquer, or create mayhem. Everybody with their own agenda, pushing their own opinion, selfishly imposing their preference above anyone else. It's called being wise in your own conceit.
James 3 v 17: "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."
God's wisdom is first pure! Pure wisdom, clean and unvarnished, truthful and it hits the right spot every time. It brings peace and good fruits, is easy to convey to others, there is no pride, arrogance nor self-aggrandizement in it at all.
1 Corinthians 2 v 5: "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
1 Corinthians 12 v 8: "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit."
These are two of the gifts of the Holy Spirit along with tongues, prophecy, faith, healing and miracles. The gift is a word, not a page, of wisdom. It directs us in understanding God's thoughts on whatever we are seeking. This word will come to mind when an argument is about to erupt, it will settle the matter peacefully. It will guide us when we are troubled about something. It will bless us greatly every time.
There are many other scripture verses concerning wisdom but this selection covers the topic well. To sum up there are really 3 kinds of wisdom - God's wisdom; Man's wisdom and Devilish wisdom. Plus a gift of the Holy Spirit called 'the word of wisdom' as mentioned already.
We all need Godly wisdom because we tend to let ourselves and others down when we rely on our own understanding of things. Words like 'I forgot'; 'I never saw the danger'; 'This will never happen to me!'; 'What small print?' are a few examples of man's wisdom coming unstuck.
God gave great wisdom to Solomon and when he was following God he wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes which blesses us to this day. He, however, also followed man's wisdom and married many wives of different cultures and faiths. They turned him away from the truth and caused problems for Israel for generations. So we can acquire God's wisdom but we must preserve it to keep it pure.
True Godly wisdom is pure, peaceful, gentle and merciful, compassionate and kind. It is a description of Jesus' personality. He only showed anger against the so called wise Pharisees who were oppressing and defrauding the poor. They were hypocritical and full of pride. They became a law unto themselves and were greedy.
Devilish wisdom is at the root of corruption of the human personality. It causes sin to flourish unchecked. It brings evil imaginations to fuel the lusts of the flesh, and twists God's Word out of shape.
It dresses up philosophy into an attractive alternative to the truth; it parades false teachings such as evolution to deny God's creation. The Devil wants us to reject truth as he is the father of lies. Those who follow the doctrines of men in the Church will be at the forefront of those wailing and gnashing their teeth on the Day of Judgment.
The Holy Spirit gift called the word of wisdom is very valuable and often comes unasked for when you are preaching, or ministering to someone deeply troubled. The preacher may sense there is resentment in this congregation and bring a word that causes them to forgive one another spontaneously. The meeting could end with many old wounds being healed by the love of Jesus being able to flow.
The preacher receives the word of wisdom in his spirit and his preaching flows along a dry stream bed that suddenly fills with Living Water of Jesus. It refreshes and restores and accomplishes what it was sent to do.
Isaiah 55 v 11: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
Everything God has said in His Word plus the words of wisdom, words of knowledge and true prophecies will never be unfulfilled. He never speaks idle words. Everything He purposes shall come to pass in His exact timing.
In Habakkuk 2 v 2 - 3: "And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."
So seek wisdom and understanding of a Godly sort. God longs for us to prosper in His wisdom and ways. He never withholds it if we ask for it. Our God can be depended upon to accomplish much in and through us as we yield ourselves to Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father You know everything, past, present and future. Nothing catches you by surprise so if we rely on Your wisdom we will be confident of achieving the goals You set for us. Help us not to make our own plans and expect Your blessing on them. You only bless what You initiate. We need Your wisdom every moment. In Jesus' name. Amen.