Wisdom is a huge commodity in the Kingdom of Heaven. Biblically, wisdom is the “capacity to understand and to act in concert with that understanding.” It also involves insight. Our culture doesn’t value wisdom very much. It values power, money, fame, influence, talents, and education. A person may have all of those things and yet lack wisdom. Check out the sports headlines – men who have most of the above accessories in their life are about to lose it all for lack of wisdom and judgment.

Even experience does not always bring wisdom. How many of us have dealt with people who have faced the same situations or temptations over and over and have always made the same bad decision in response to the situation. No wisdom. In addition, there are two kinds of wisdom – worldly wisdom that knows how to manipulate people and the system (street smarts) and heavenly wisdom which understands how things operate in the spiritual realm.

Here’s what James had to say about that. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.      For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (Ja.3:13-17).

Notice the wisdom that comes from heaven flows from the Spirit and resonates with our spirit. Worldly wisdom flows from demonic realms and resonates with our natural man or our flesh. They are truly opposed to one another and from the world’s perspective heavenly wisdom seems utterly foolish.

I remember having a conversation on a college campus years ago with a young Iranian Muslim. He was likeable, charismatic and full of leadership. I thought how amazing he would be for the kingdom of God. We were talking about Jesus and his teachings and when we read the passages about turning the other cheek, loving your enemies and forgiving those who had wronged you I really expected this young man to be impressed with the moral high ground of the Lord’s teaching. Instead he laughed out loud and ridiculed the teaching as naïve and foolish. He said, when someone strikes you one the cheek, you must hit him so hard that he would never dare touch you again. The wisdom of the world and heavenly wisdom are not shades apart but poles apart.

The reason is that heavenly wisdom leaves us in the hands of God. We feel weak, vulnerable, and foolish at times. In our fear of being hurt again or taken advantage of we default to the flesh and judge that our situation is unique and worthy of an exception so that we don’t have to follow the teachings of Christ in our particular case. We then sow to the flesh and blame God when our conditions or relationships don’t improve.

We must make up our minds to live from the spiritual realm and understand our situations and our responses to those situations from the will of God always – not just when it suits us to do so. Heavenly wisdom drives us to God and keeps us dependent on him. Worldly wisdom strives for control and self-sufficiency. Most marriages fail because the spouses continue to operate out of worldly wisdom rather than submitting to heavenly wisdom.

The real danger I see is believers trying to operate out of both as if some situations require worldly wisdom while others require heavenly or a hybrid of the two. There is no hybrid. One is from above. The other is from the devil. Do you remember that worldly wisdom that counseled Adam and Eve to take and eat? How did that work out for us? Be blessed today and be wise. And ask God for more and more of his wisdom. He is eager to share.