Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

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It’s easy to have wisdom interwoven with understanding and assumed to mean same thing. But do they really mean the same?

“And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
Isaiah 11:2 NLT

While Isaiah 11:2 might look like 3 bundles/pairs of the functionality of the Spirit of the Lord, however, one thing is clear, and that is the fine delineation between the Spirit of wisdom, understanding and knowledge.

Has God ever asked you to undertake a project, start a business or ministry, embark on a journey? Now, can you remember Him providing you with clear details of every stage of that endeavor from the onset?

Do you sometimes feel like you don’t know what to do? Take a look at Proverbs 24:3-4, I love this portion of scripture…

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

Defining Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding

There are different definitions of wisdom; the right application of knowledge, knowing what is right or true, sensible thinking, etc.

The Bible provides somewhat different definition of wisdom…

“And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.”
Job 28:28 NLT

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10 NKJV

Wisdom is to fear the Lord.

To fear the Lord is to reverence the Lord, to trust fully in the Lord, to hearken to the Lord.

Understanding is often explained as comprehension, insights, good judgement, awareness, discernment, etc.

From the Bible, we learn that understanding means to clearly delineate evil from good and to choose to embrace good. Understanding means discernment, clarity, gainful reflections.

Knowledge is acquired fact or information.

So, with knowledge, we gather information/facts, understanding helps us make sense of knowledge while wisdom helps us arrive at the right decision/action.

Usefulness of Wisdom and Understanding

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

We create things through wisdom and establish them through understanding.

God created all the beauties of earth and heaven through wisdom. Through understanding, He founded and established all His creations.

“By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens.“
Proverbs 3:19 NLT

“But the Lord made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens.
Jeremiah 10:12 NLT

Solomon amassed the most recorded wealth in the scriptures by operating in wisdom and understanding.

“God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore.“
1 Kings 4:29 NLT

“With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth— gold and silver for your treasuries.“
Ezekiel 28:4 NLT

A prosperous farmer is one that has understood the times and seasons and through wisdom takes the right actions.

“The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.”
Isaiah 28:26 NLT

“Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:17 AMPC

Therefore while we can create things through the wisdom of God, understanding is what helps us bring them to tangibility.

We need knowledge, wisdom and understanding to create and amass wealth.

To be successful in life, knowledge, wisdom and understanding must work together.

Where to find Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding

“For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding“
Proverbs 2:6 NKJV

“But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his.“
Job 12:13 NLT

“Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.“
Psalms 119:104 NLT

How to Get Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding

1. Understanding comes to us as insights when we listen and are perceptive.

Understanding comes from listening, by being perceptive, through reflective thinking, through discernment.

“To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.
Matthew 13:12 NLT

“Perceptive words spread knowledge; fools are hollow—there’s nothing to them.”
Proverbs 15:7 MSG

“Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out.”
Proverbs 20:5 NLT

“Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”
Proverbs 18:2 NLT

“A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.”
Proverbs 17:27 NLT

2. Knowledge is in The Word of God.

“And here’s why: God gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding. He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere. He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones.”
Proverbs 2:6‭-‬8 MSG

3. Wisdom begins where the fear of the Lord rules however wisdom becomes fully expressed when we go back to God for understanding and knowledge.

Making Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding work for you.

If you ever feel like you do not know what next to do in what God has asked you to do, you need wisdom….. indeed, you’ll need more than wisdom to be successful.

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.“
Proverbs 4:7 KJV

Without understanding, wisdom is fruitless.

“Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.”
Proverbs 24:3‭-‬4 NKJV

We need understanding to gain knowledge, and we have to apply knowledge gained in order to act wisely.

Here is what I see in all of this; Listen to the Word of the Lord and draw understanding, then you will build knowledge (become knowledgeable) and when you apply gained knowledge, then you are operating in wisdom. That’s how to know what to do at every time ‘t’.

“A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it, but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.”
Proverbs 14:6 NLT

Listen. Understand. Know. Act.

This is the expected pathway to acting in wisdom. However, many times, this is not the common pathway God walks us through.

Now, back to that God-inspired project you embarked on….did God walk you through; listen to my word, gain understanding, know what I want you to do, then do it? …

Commonly, we find ourselves starting from Acting on a Godly counsel (instruction or directive), we hear God say ‘start this’ or ‘do that’ and we generally obey and follow.

We follow because we trust and reverence God. By doing so, we actually begin the walk towards wisdom…. the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom….

But then, in the middle of it all, we may seem lost unless we go back to; Listen, Understand, Know. I believe that it is when we go through this process that we are able to establish and bring to tangibility the things God spoke to our hearts.

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

Whatever point you are at in that Godly mission, here’s a prayer to pray….

I thank You Father because I have wisdom, understanding and knowledge. I listen and draw from understanding and knowledge from You (Your Word and Spirit), so I say that I know what to do (in line with your plan and purpose). Success is inevitable and success will be my experience in Jesus Christ name. Amen!

Everything God asks us to do will 1. work for the furtherance of the gospel; improve people’s knowledge of God, 2. Be of benefit to other people.

We must understand how the world we live in works, we must find out how our Godly mission fits into the larger whole, and we must identify areas of impact God would have us make.

Wisdom to create. Understanding to found and establish. Knowledge to make it functional and fit for purpose.

Thank You Father ❤

Peter (birth name Simon), is one of my favorite disciples of Jesus Christ. Understanding his transformation from an unstable, talkative fisherman to a reliable leader of the Church of Jesus Christ, reveals God’s magnificence in making a masterpiece and a rock out of an unusual vessel.

The early verses of Luke chapter 5 does more than show a miracle of provision and abundance. Those verses of scripture portrays Peter in a light that helps us appreciate why Christ chose him to lead his team despite his obvious human imperfections. They reveal the personality of Peter and how this contributed to him experiencing a net-breaking miracle.

The Master’s instruction was simple;

“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”. Luke 5:4b NKJV.

For many months, the Spirit of God stayed me on Luke 5 in response to my desire to experience God’s wealth and riches. I am still learning by that scripture 🙂 And in addition to some attributes of Peter elaborated in one of my past blog posts; ‘Men after God’s Heart‘ , I discuss here 10 things about Peter that I believe made his net-breaking miracle experience possible.

1. Peter was skillful and hardworking. Peter was not only a professional fisherman, he was also very hardworking and resilient. Why spend a whole night searching for fish? With Peter’s proficiency with fishing, he would know better that the tides were unfavorable that particular night and pull the boat to the shoreline. But Peter didn’t do that, he stayed on all night searching for any catch of fish at all. Peter was surely a man dedicated to and passionate about his trade.
2. Peter had a generous attitude. Looking at the display of generosity by Peter in the above verses of scripture, I have to say that, my husband, Arnold, is much more generous than I am. I have vivid examples of times Arnold have cancelled people’s debt following a not-so-profitable business deal. Sometimes, I am not sure how I’d react in such circumstances. Peter’s generous nature is revealed in the ease with which he released his boat to Christ for a preaching session. A bad night of fishing without fish is enough to make anyone cranky and not nice…. So it would not be completely inappropriate for Peter to have been offended by Christ’s ‘insensitivity’. If Jesus could teach about God’s Kingdom from his boat, He could as well command fishes into Peter’s boat rather than ask for a boat to preach!
3. Peter was teachable. I had to use my imagination a bit to answer the question of where Peter was after letting Christ have his boat for a sermon? Was he washing his nets or getting a well deserved rest? I want to believe that Peter sat down with the crowd and listened to Jesus teach. What Peter didn’t realize though was that by bringing himself to listen to Jesus Christ, he was building his faith in preparation for his forthcoming miraculous catch of fish. Peter’s faith was stirred by Jesus’ teaching, his expectation was aroused and I daresay Peter was greatly mesmerized and astonish with the words of wisdom that proceeded from Jesus’ lips.
4. Peter acknowledged the limits of his skill. As a Medical doctor, it will be a hideous task for an Engineer to try to tell me what drugs cure malaria, for example. Such volunteer of unsolicited teaching is only likely to be acceptable to me if my encounters with this Engineer suggests a superior ability or prowess for thinking critically across different spheres of life such that I buy-in and respect his views on issues other than engineering. When Jesus directed Peter (a professional fisherman) to exactly where he needed to let down the nets for a good catch, it was easy for Peter to obey Christ because having listened to Him, he appreciated a superior knowledge/wisdom in display, probably a supernatural gifting, that surely flawed his skills and fishing expertise. When we come to our wits end, may we be humble enough to seek God’s directive.
5. Peter respected authority. When a seasoned fisherman tells you he has toiled all night without a catch, he must be pretty sure of himself. But again, having listened to Christ, Peter recognized Jesus’ authority and if Christ could teach with such wisdom, He must have God’s authority. Maybe more important is the fact that Peter placed Jesus’ authority above his experience. He must have adjudged Jesus’ audacity and confidence as not natural, and also worth respecting.
6. Peter recognized and acknowledged a miracle when he saw one. There are many people that would come up with logical explanations about why their second round of fishing yielded great catch rather than ‘fall down at Jesus feet’. Peter recognized that only a supernatural intervention would give the kind of catch they experienced and he was not going to take the praise to himself.
7. Peter cared about other people. When Peter called his partners in the other boat to come help gather miracle, I believe that he called them to come share of his abundance and not to come help him carry his blessings and give it back to him at the shore. These same guys had toiled all night with Peter and once again, we see Peter’s generous nature show up. There are people who would rather struggle to get all the fish to the shoreline (and probably drown in the process), instead of share them with others.
8. Peter prioritized Godly wisdom over earthly strengths. By ‘strengths’ here I mean all of man’s skills, knowledge, proficiency etc. How do you toil all night without success, and be magnanimously given what you toiled for in an overwhelming measure, only to abandon same and walk away? You must have seen something of greater value! Whatever Peter heard Christ teach, combined with his experience of the miraculous catch of fish, made nonsense of Peter’s technical know-how, knowledge and experience. He hungered for Christ’ wisdom.
9. Peter prioritized Godly wisdom over wealth. People are constantly making efforts to enhance their skills, to make them marketable and possibly meet their needs comfortably. You don’t seek for a promotion, get one and then refuse the salary increment or benefits of your promotion. Peter needed fish to make money/wealth. It doesn’t make sense that he’d walk away from it when he got it. Can you just imagine how much money 2 almost-sinking-boats laden with fishes would bring? But Peter suddenly ignored all that to become a fisher of men; a concept he knew nothing about.
10. Peter trusted Christ. By abandoning his fishes, boats and nets and following Christ, Peter was walking into the unknown. That is only possible where trust has been built. Yes, Peter was generally unstable in his reaction to things, but to abandon his only source of livelihood without thinking was a bit overboard. I believe Peter’s encounter with Jesus helped his decision no matter how irrational it looks. If Jesus can teach with such unearthly wisdom and miraculously provide what he toiled for all night, then Jesus can be trusted absolutely to take care of him.

Peter gave up all (wealth, proficiency etc) for a higher calling.

Would you be ready to give up all for the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Personally there are attributes of Peter I need to imbibe to prepare for the overflow and abundance God has in store for me. I hope you find something to work on yourself too 🙂 And when the wealth comes, may we still recognize that ‘fishing for men’ supercedes all.

Prayer

Thank You Father.

You are at work in us to will and to do of Your good pleasures. And we give You praise forever in Jesus name. Amen. Help us to heed your instruction to “launch out into the deep and let down our nets for a catch”. For only in full obedience and unwavering trust is our miracle guaranteed. Amen.

……………….

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Blessings & Love Always.

Grace Obomanu