Purpose

How To Seek God’s Will (Part 4) – Wisdom, Knowledge & Understanding

In the first part of the series of How To Seek God’s Will (Part 1), I summarized that in order to discover God’s will or purpose for your life we need to do the following:

READ, STUDY & MEDIATE GOD’S WORD
SPEND TIME WITH GOD
ASK GOD FOR WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING IN YOUR LIFE
DON’T LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING
TRUST GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART & HAVE FAITH IN HIM
COMMIT ALL YOUR PLANS TO HIM FIRST AND SEEK HIS GUIDANCE THROUGH HIS WORD AND BY HIS SPIRIT.
LEARN TO LISTEN, RECOGNIZE AND OBEY HIS VOICE

Therefore in Part 4 we will focus on (3) ASK GOD FOR WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING IN YOUR LIFE.

Proverbs 24:3-4 ESV
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

If we are to know and practice God’s plan for our lives then there are 3 characteristics which we must have in life. These 3 are Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom.
Having knowledge alone is not enough. We cannot be effective in our life if we only seek knowledge and yet do not seek Understanding and Wisdom.

Colossians 1:9-11 ESV
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

What is Knowledge ?

Knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired about subjects / issues through learning, experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.

Proverbs 18:15 ESV
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

It is important to note that there are 2 kinds of knowledge. There is

Man’s Knowledge. The knowledge of man / or the knowledge that comes from the world
God’s Knowledge. There is the knowledge of God / the knowledge that comes from God

The knowledge that comes from Man can be full of errors and is limited in scope and depth. For example, unbiblical teachings about evolution or the big bang theory are examples of man attempting to have knowledge of issues whilst excluding God from the issues. For as long as God is not part of the thought process, such knowledge will be limited, full of errors and at times conflicting.
However the knowledge that comes from God is without error and is unlimited. God’s knowledge is truth. God is omniscient; He knows everything.

Therefore as we seek to know God’s plan for our lives, we must not seek God’s will through information that comes from the world or from man.
However we must seek God’s will through

Information and knowledge that comes from the LORD
By seeking to have a better knowledge of who God is and the role He plays in our lives
By realizing that all true knowledge comes from God and that God alone is all-knowing
By yielding or abiding in the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth
By remembering that man’s knowledge is limited, therefore the best advice and course of action you can take in relation to your life direction must come from God.

Knowledge is only part of the equation to knowing God’s direction for your life. If knowledge does not come with understanding or wisdom then such knowledge becomes ineffective.

What is Understanding ?

The quality or condition of one who is able to comprehend. It is when one has insight, perception and discernment.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Understanding can come in 2 of the following ways:

Man’s Understanding. The understanding that is humanistic or comes from man
God’s Understanding. The understanding that comes from God and is of God.

True Understanding is the ability to see things through God’s eyes and from God’s perspective.
The understanding / comprehension that is worldly or humanistic will always be flawed and incomplete.
Since God is all-knowing or has unlimited knowledge, this also means that God understands everything and there is nothing that can baffle or bewilder God.

Proverbs 1:5 ESV
Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

Therefore as we seek to find out God’s will for our lives

We must not lean on our own understanding or comprehension of situations, events or problems in our life. We must however trust in God and lean on God’s understanding.
We must remember that God understands all things and God’s perception and perspective of all situations and circumstances is always very clear before Him. Therefore there is nothing that can hide or is hidden before God.
We must view our lives and situations through God’s eyes. The Bible is a great place to start.
Man’s understanding and perception of issues is flawed, therefore man does not ever see the big picture. God’s understanding and perception however is perfect and He sees everything and every situation with full clarity.
When we see our life from God’s perspective, we see our life as it truly is and not by what the world or man may define it.

Knowledge and Understanding alone should not be the goal of our life. We must also seek Wisdom.

What is Wisdom ?

Wisdom is the application of Knowledge and Understanding. Therefore we must be doers; we must walk the talk; we must apply in our lives what we profess to believe; Wisdom is the application of God’s word in our lives. When we apply the word of God in our lives, we become effective and therefore prove that we are indeed wise.

Proverbs 24:14
Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

There are 2 types of Wisdom. These are

The wisdom of man / human wisdom
The wisdom of God / God’s wisdom

Human wisdom very rarely is aligned with God’s word or with God’s values. Human wisdom eliminates God from its decisions or conclusions. Human wisdom whilst appearing good and right to the undiscerning eye is always flawed and will eventually be problematic.
God’s wisdom leads to fulfillment and is without error. According to Proverbs 24:14, if you find wisdom, “there will be a future and your hope will not be cut off”.
Therefore acquiring wisdom is very important for one to have proper direction in life and in order to make good decisions.

If you lack wisdom in your life, simply ask God, believe and you will receive it.
James 1:5-8 ESV
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.