(Editor's Note: You may find the first four segments of this series under "Author Archives.")

The beginning of wisdom starts with fearing God. Having a reverential respect for God. Because you respect God so much, there are places you should not go. There are people you shouldn't hang with. How are you going to run around with somebody that is using God's name in vain?

It takes all I have when somebody starts using God's name on an elevator - You know, you're downtown somewhere, someone on the elevator uses God's name, and I want to tell them off. And sometimes I can't hold my peace.

I say, "Why are you damning God? He's not your problem, he's your answer!"

They go, "Oh, oh, oh, I didn't mean to say that."

"Don't use his name in vain again."

People ought to know who you are. You may want to just blend in with everybody else, but you can't. You are the light, and they are in darkness. You should be able to tell the difference between light and darkness. Others ought to be able to tell the difference, because you aren't going to stand for all that stuff.

I didn't say to do it in a haughty way. "Look, I'm holy, so don't say it around me." No, your life ought to do it. Friends ought to see you and say, "That woman is holy before God. We're not going to talk like that around her."

Watch Your Mouth!
Walking in the fear of the Lord means you will govern your mouth. Why? It's your creative vehicle. Your mouth creates peace and joy, or it creates hate and turmoil. Your mouth will cause to happen what happens in your life. When you speak, either the force of faith works or the force of fear works; but whatever you say will come to pass if you continue to say it.

Somebody that fears God recognizes that your mouth can get you in big trouble, and so they learn how to keep their mouth closed. Someone that fears God understands this issue and decides he'll put a watch over his mouth, put a guard over his mouth; and not speak words of fear, doubt, depression and strife.

An individual walking in the fear of God keeps his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile. What's the next thing he does? He gets away from it - just as far as he can get.

Evil is not just doing things, it's also not doing things. Not obeying what the Spirit of God is instructing you to do is evil. A person walking in the fear of God not only departs from evil, but always is looking to do good - finding somebody to bless, finding a way to help, finding a way to uplift, always seeking peace rather than seeking a fight.

"The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility" (Prov. 15:33).

How do I get wisdom to function? It's on the inside of me; it's there. How do I get it to work in my life?

Stirring Up The Gift
Wisdom is a gift from God to you. Thank God for the gift of wisdom. You don't have to operate just by what you know, but by Who you know. You can function with God's wisdom in your life and have His understanding of what's going on.

"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands" (2 Tim. 1:6).

You can stir up the gift that is within you. Hands were laid upon you and you were filled with the Holy Ghost; he's on the inside of you and you can stir Him up. The first thing we want to do when the anointing comes on us is dance. There's a time to do that. Sometimes we want to run, and there's a time to do that. But there's a time when you stir up the gift, and what you need to do is be quiet and let God reveal to you what you need to know about a situation.

"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power... Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2:4,12).

We have received the Spirit of God, the wisdom of God, we have received the Holy Ghost; He's on the inside of us, and He will reveal to us the deep things of God. He knows how to apply all this knowledge you've been given.

"For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries" (1 Cor. 14:2).

The Holy Ghost is the wisdom of God when you pray in other tongues. God does nothing in the earth unless His children ask Him. When you're praying in other tongues, you are praying for the manifestation of God's wisdom on that issue.

You can pray about a matter as far as you know, as far as your brain understands, as far as somebody has told you. How many of you know that with most issues, there's much more to it than what you know? The Holy Ghost is God and he knows all things. He knows what you really need to be praying about. He knows what to ask God in this issue, so that's why you need to pray in tongues every day.

When you pray in tongues every day, you're stirring up the gift on the inside of you - and the Holy Ghost will pray with wisdom, ask the Father for that which is necessary. He prays the perfect will of God.

When you pray in the Holy Ghost, there's no "self" involved. What is being asked of God is straight from wisdom Himself to wisdom Himself. When the wisdom of the Holy Ghost gets with the wisdom of the Father, guess what will happen? God's ways begin to happen with us. You need to pray in other tongues; you need to do it all the time.

"For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful" (1 Cor. 14:14).

Paul says, I'm going to pray what I know and what I understand; and then I'll get over and pray over into the realm of the Holy Ghost and pray that mystery unto God. When you pray in tongues, you stir up the gift that is on the inside of you. You need to stir Him up. I pray, "Lord, I've prayed about this matter as far as I know, now Holy Ghost on the inside of me, give me utterance that I may speak the perfect will of God and the wisdom of God and the understanding of God in this matter."

You are praying God's wisdom. When the Holy Ghost in you prays that perfect petition of God, God then can act in the earth. Pray in other tongues, praise God, then you'll bring out His wisdom.

When 1 Corinthians 14 talks about interpretation, it doesn't just talk about it in the public assembly, where somebody gives a message in tongues and somebody interprets it. It's also talking about praying that you may interpret even in your own prayer life, so that the Holy Ghost will speak wisdom unto you.

I've had the Lord tell me when I was praying in tongues, when to sell and when to buy. He's told me about people: This person, you should do this with; that person, you should do that with; and this person, you should have nothing to do with. Wisdom is on the inside of you. It's there. The practical way to get that wisdom out is to pray in the Holy Ghost.

"The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook" (Prov. 18:4).

You have in you a well - a well of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. It will spring forth as you give honor to the One that's in you, who is wisdom Himself. He is the Holy Ghost. That's why you've got to pray in tongues.

You ought to be praying in tongues all the time. You ought to be getting up praying in tongues. You ought to be praying in tongues in the car. I know some folks say that you shouldn't pray in the car. Pray in tongues in the car. I mean, the Holy Ghost is doing stuff right there.

It's got nothing to do with your brain - it's not a connection to your brain. Your tongue is not connected to your head; your tongue is connected to your spirit. Jesus said, Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. That's why at times, you'll have things come out of your mouth that your head didn't even think.

Whatever is in your heart in abundance will eventually come out. If it's full of anger, that's what's going to come out. If your heart is filled with the love of God, that's what is going to come out.

(Editor's Note: Bishop Butler will continue his teaching on how to appropriate godly wisdom in Part 6 of "Godly Wisdom Just for You.")