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As you attend to God's Word, His wisdom becomes integrated into the very center of your being, the motivator and the decision-maker of your life.

Proverbs 4 is a very important chapter, not only in the book of Proverbs, but also in the entire Bible. It holds the key to divine health, to divine prosperity and to walking in the spirit at all times.

This key can be summarized in two words: get wisdom. "The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom! For skillful and godly wisdom is the principal thing. And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation)" (v. 7).

God says that His wisdom is the principal thing. That word "principal" means "first in importance." Why is wisdom so important?

Proverbs 4:6 (AMP) gives us one answer: "Forsake not wisdom and she will keep, defend, and protect you; love her, and she will guard you." Wisdom keeps, defends and protects us from the evil strategies of our enemy - Satan."

But here's the main reason wisdom is first in importance: When you have God's wisdom, you have the key to everything else.

Solomon understood this. When he was a young man about to become king, God asked him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

Solomon replied, "I want wisdom. I want to know how to judge these people wisely. I don't know how to go out or come in unless the Lord tells me" (1 Kings 3:7-9).

Because Solomon was humble and asked only for wisdom, God gave him not only a wise and understanding heart, but riches and honor as well.

But later, Solomon didn't hold fast to wisdom. He went after heathen women, bringing them into his household.

Solomon, the wisest of all men, had the ability to walk with God and follow His ways. He knew what was right. He could have followed after his father David, a man after God's own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). David made mistakes, but he quickly repented and restored his fellowship with God.

But when Solomon went astray, he didn't return to walking in God's way, and the consequences of his sin affected not only himself and his own descendants, but the future generations of an entire nation.

So let that be a lesson to you. You may know the wisdom of God; you may have the ability to walk in the wisdom of God. But even then, you can still choose to go your own way.

It's no different with us than it was with Solomon. We choose. Do we want to go our own way and be cursed with the world? Or do we want to follow God and be blessed?

Exalt Wisdom
God tells us what we are to do with wisdom once we obtain it: "Prize wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and promote you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her" (Pro. 4:8, AMP).

If you want to be promoted in life, this verse tells you the way to do it. Prize wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and promote you. In other words, go after wisdom and do what wisdom says. Make your life and your decisions revolve around the wisdom of God.

When you do that, wisdom will promote you. She will bring you honor when you embrace her, fulfilling what God has promised: "Those who honor Me I will honor" (1 Sam. 2:30, AMP).

Led in Paths of Uprightness
When you have comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, and you are walking in those ways, then you are walking in wisdom. You are in a position for God to lead you in paths of uprightness.

God tells you what kind of help you can expect as you walk His paths: "When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered; your path will be clear and open; and when you run, you shall not stumble" (v. 12).

You see, most of our lives are not lived in the spectacular. We live in the daily routine of things. But our everyday lives aren't supposed to be a monotonous drudgery. God is saying that with His wisdom, we can be blessed as we walk through that daily routine. We can be at peace and prosperous no matter what we're doing.

So whether we're living our everyday lives or getting ready to achieve a milestone in our lives, God's wisdom will lead us on the paths of uprightness. It will keep us from falling or stumbling. Our path will be clear and open, and our steps will not be hindered.

Learn to Flow With God
We can see why wisdom is so important for us to have in both the big and the small events of our lives. That's why God exhorts us to "Take fast hold of instruction, do not let go; guard her, for she is your life" (v. 13, AMP).

Notice, you are to take fast hold of God's instruction. That lets you know that a weak, halfhearted hold just isn't going to work. You'll never be able to walk in wisdom and be a "wimpy Christian!"

Why not? Because the whole world is trying to pull you in a direction contrary to God's direction. The world goes one way, and God goes the other way. God's way brings blessing, and the world's way brings a curse. And if you don't take fast hold of God's instruction, you'll be swept away by what the world says and believes.

So hold fast to God's wisdom, knowing that it is your life. Learn to flow with God as a way of life so you aren't swept away by the deadly currents of the world.

I once read a definition of the word "flow" that used a stick flowing down a river as an example. That's the way we're supposed to flow with God. You see, because we're God's children, a river of His blessings and His will surrounds our lives. All we have to do is just act like that stick floating down the river. We just need to lean not on our own understanding, acknowledge Him in all of our ways and then flow down the current of God's will and His wisdom until we arrive at the destiny He has planned for us.

You know, you may not think you can do a lot of things, but I know you can be like a stick! You can spend time with God in His Word and in prayer until you get to the place where you can hear Him. And then, day by day, one step at a time, you can flow with Him the way a stick flows down a river. Let His momentum take you where He wants you to go. Then, when you come to the end of your spiritual race and finish your God-appointed course, you will receive the crown of righteousness that God has laid up for those who love Him (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

Avoid the Path of the Wicked
Proverbs 4:14-19 contrasts the clear and open path of the upright with the path of the wicked. For example, the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble (v. 19, AMP).

Now, the path of the wicked isn't the path that your heart (your spirit man) wants to take. The Holy Spirit dwells within you to lead and guide you. Therefore, the natural thing for you to do is to walk with God.

So Satan tries to figure out a way to pull you off the path you know is right. That's why he uses various temptations to solicit you to evil, including people around you who are living in sin. People like that often want to pull you into sin because your righteousness is an affront to them (v. 16). They would feel less convicted if you would join in with them.

So how do you keep from being pulled onto the path of evil? You "avoid it, do not go on it; turn from it and pass on" (v. 15, AMP). In other words, you do what James 4:7 says: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Just keep yourself riveted on the path of the righteous, no matter what Satan throws at you to pull you off. That's the path that "is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until it reaches its full strength and glory in the perfect day to be prepared" (Prov. 4:18, AMP). You can live in the light of God's wisdom in the midst of a very dark world!

Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka:  Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Author Biography

Gloria Copeland
Web site: Kenneth Copeland Ministries
 
For the last 50 years Kenneth and Gloria Copeland have been passionately teaching Christians all over the world how to apply the principles of faith found in God's WORD to their lives.
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