​“Help, I need wisdom!” How many of us have asked this at one time or another.
 
When we speak of “wisdom,” we are not speaking of “knowledge” or the simple accumulation of facts. We all know people who know a lot about a lot, but they are not necessarily “wise.”
 
So what is wisdom? Wisdom can be defined as “applied knowledge” or “practical information.” But in the spiritual realm, wisdom has been referred to as “viewing life from God’s perspective.” In Psalm 119:98-100, the writer brings out the contrast between God’s wisdom and human knowledge:
 
You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
 I understand more than the ancients,
Because I keep Your precepts.
 
In this brief look at wisdom, we will make three observations:
 
1. The Holy Spirit imparts wisdom.   Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:12-16)
 
As Christians, we have the indwelling presence of the 3rd Person of the Trinity guiding us in the things of the Lord. In fact, without the Holy Spirit, those who are unsaved oftentimes do not “get it” when it comes to the Scripture or the basics of the Christian life.
 
2. God wants you to have wisdom. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)
 
If you want wisdom, the Scripture says to ask for it and God will give if fully and freely. There is no limit as to how much wisdom you can ask for or how often you ask for it.
 
3. God’s wisdom begins by honoring Him.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:6)
The “fear of the Lord” does not necessarily mean being afraid, but rather the recognition of that the One True God is the source of all wisdom. So we worship and exalt Him and walk in His ways.
 
Do you want or need wisdom? Do you want to see life from God’s point-of-view? The best way to start is to find it in God’s Word, the Bible. A trusted friend or pastor can help you find specific Scriptures that have a bearing for your circumstance.
 
And of course, pray. It can be as simple as saying, “Help! I need wisdom!”

(Editor's note:  this blog was originally posted 9-5-22. It was accidentally deleted, so we're re-posting it. Thank you for your understanding)

It is painfully obvious that in the Christian life, there is a battle to influence us toward sin and away from righteousness. One of the fronts in this battle involves the company we keep.
 
In 1 Corinthians 15:33, we read, “Do not be deceived, evil company corrupts good habits.” Other translations enlighten this:

• New American Standard: “Bad company  corrupts good morals.”
• New International Version: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
• Contemporary English Version: “Bad friends will destroy you.”

The principle is that we are to beware of and avoid building deep relationships with those who are not walking with the Lord.
 
Before we unpack this principle, let’s clarify something: it does not mean that you cannot have unsaved friends or interact on any level with non-Christians. There are two reasons we know this is true:
1) Jesus Himself ate with sinners, and 2) It is impossible to witness and share the gospel with our unsaved friends if we have none. Avoiding bad company does not mean a monastic isolation from any and all who do not know Christ.
 
So what does it mean? Let’s look at a few principles from Scripture that might help us understand:
 
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
Another way of saying this is that our companions should affirm and build-up our faith. We should all have a buddy or circle of friends that will help us be a better Christian.
 
2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
This is often applied to dating and marriage, but there is a broader application as it relates to any close relationship, be it church ministries or even business relationships. Experience has shown that most of the time, these unequal pairings result in the saved partner compromising or walking away from their Christian principles.
 
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
This is related to the earlier principle of walking with the wise. Why spend most of our time and energy with those who want to steer us away from the things of the Lord or those who would introduce doubts into our life? Many a Christian’s walk from faith can be traced to the one who has predominately spoken into their life.
 
When evaluating our relationships, we should ask:

• Is what our partner doing considered sin?
• Are they engaged in an activity that would cause me to violate my Christian principles?
• Will I be in a position where I am forced to choose between my Christian friends and my unsaved friends?
• Do I find myself avoiding my Christian friends or even putting them down to make myself more likeable to the non-Christian companion?

 
If any of these things are true, we need to reconsider the nature of that relationship. Whether it is in morals, habits, or character, we need to be aware of who is influencing us.  “Do not be deceived,” says the apostle in 1 Corinthians 15:30.  Avoid bad company.