Holy Spirit part 9-Wisdom from the Spirit

Prayer Prompt: Lord, remind me to seek Your perfect wisdom and give me the courage to act on what You say. 

Read: 1 Corinthians 2

Introduction: If you’ve spent any time at all in church you’ve probably heard Proverbs 3:5 at some point: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  With verses we’ve heard many times it’s easy to think we know what they mean.  More importantly to assume we’ve already put the instructions into practice in our lives.  Don’t miss one little word.   I love the word lean.  To lean is to put your weight into something-to trust it enough to sustain and support you.  This verse is clearly saying that loving the Lord with everything we have means putting more weight in His perspective than our own.  This is difficult because we don’t see everything as He does.  For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).  Trust in this, He knows you fully and knows the answers you seek in life.  Let’s look more closely into the wisdom God offers us through His Spirit.    

Study:  Entire chapter   

·         List everything you learn about wisdom

·         How did Paul feel about preaching in Corinth?

·         Why did God give us the Spirit?

·         What kind of person is the natural person?  See Romans 6:6, Ephesians 2:3, 4:22.

What Does it Mean to Me:

·         What is the hidden wisdom Paul refers to in verse 7?  See Romans 16:25, 26 and Ephesians 3:1-6.

·         Read Acts 18:1-11.  Which verse in Acts describes Paul’s encouragement to speak despite fear? Is this same resource available to you as it was for Paul?  See Joshua 1:5 and Matthew 28:20.

·         Which things in your life does the Holy Spirit want you to see as free?  Do you still try to pay for these on your own?

·         Can you relate to Paul, being afraid to explain something spiritual? When have you tried to explain something spiritual to an unsaved person (the natural man in verse 14).  If you haven’t, should you?

·         In this chapter, Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4 to describe how the people missed who Christ was.  Read the verse in Isaiah preceding this verse (64:3).  We dream too small.  What are your greatest dreams?  Spend time imagining how God could do something beyond your expectations!

Live it Out:

In a book I read recently (Lord, I Want to Know You: A Devotional Study on the Names of God) Kay Arthur asked a poignant question that comes to mind every time I think of the Spirit and wisdom.  Why do we rush out to seek human wisdom first before consulting God?  Doesn’t He know all things?  He is beyond time, all-powerful.  His love for us is great and unconditional.  In the chapter we have studied today, God explains the many gifts He has given to those who love Him.  For example, all that God has prepared for us is revealed through the Spirit (v. 9, 10), everything we receive from God is free (v. 12), we can appraise all things in truth through the Spirit (v. 15), we have the mind of Christ (v. 16).  Don’t you feel smarter!  You now through the Spirit have the ability to think like Christ.  The Greek word for mind in verse 16 is nous.  In the original language this word meant the faculties of perceiving and understanding, judging, determining, the capacity for spiritual truth and higher powers of the soul, to recognize good and hate evil, the power to consider and judge soberly, calmly and impartially, a mode to judge thoughts, purposes and desires.   If you have been relying on worldly wisdom, how can you tap into the incredible resources and infinite wisdom of God, from Christ, through the Spirit?  What actions in your life will change by going to Him first will ALL things.  But if you ask, remember to wait on His answer in His time. 

"Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness."

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I trust in God's unfailing love forever and ever.

I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will wait for your mercies in the presence of your people.   Psalm 52:7-9

Meditation: Write down a verse or truth God has shown you today through this study.  Put it somewhere you will see it often and remember His personal, life-giving word for you.