4 Surefire Ways To Gain Wisdom Now
One of my favorite Youtube channels is “Smarter Every Day” by Destin Sandlin. He’s a mechanical engineer who films himself learning something cool and then shares the videos with his audience.
Obviously, Destin didn’t invent the idea of getting smarter. It’s an idea first proposed by God and it’s found all over the Bible. Of course, when God speaks about smarts He’s talking about more than just knowing facts and information — God is talking about wisdom.
Wisdom is similar to intelligence, but it’s also the ability to apply knowledge properly in every situation. Wisdom is a key factor when making important decisions.
Don’t you want to be wise? I sure do, and I looked around the Bible to see if there was an easy way to get wiser.
Guess what? There is!
Here are 4 surefire ways for you to get wiser now.
Just Ask For It
King Solomon has been regarded as the wisest man in history. In 2 Chronicles God told Solomon he could ask for whatever he wanted and it would be given to him. Rather than ask for riches or fame, Solomon requested wisdom and understanding.
God was so pleased with his response that he told Solomon, “wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like” (2 Chronicles 1:12).
Does God still give out wisdom just like he did back then? According to James, the brother of Jesus, the answer is yes, he does.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).
When was the last time you prayed for wisdom? If it’s been a while then let me remind you that the door is wide open — God is giving it away for free. So, what are you waiting for? Start asking God for wisdom today.
Seek It
Every time I see one of those guys on the beach with a metal detector I always wonder if they find anything good. I see them digging and walking, then digging again, but I’ve never heard one of them jump up from their sand hole shouting, “Eureka, I’ve found it!”
Though God gave wisdom to Solomon, Solomon worried about the direction his sons were heading in so he began to record his thoughts in a collection of writings called The Proverbs. In the 2nd chapter, he encouraged his boys to look for wisdom as if it was “a hidden treasure” (Proverbs 2:4).
Solomon goes on to say that wisdom is better than silver and gold and more precious than rubies (Proverbs 3:14–15). Lastly, he says that nothing in the world compares to having wisdom.
Surely, anything that valuable is something we should be searching for, right? But where do you look? For starters, in the Bible. God’s word is jam-packed with priceless gems of wisdom concerning finances, relationships, sex, business, and spirituality.
You can also search for wisdom from the people in your life that have already been to where you are going. If you’re not sure what to do about your children’s temper tantrums, ask someone that has a teen. If you don’t know whether or not to open your own business, find a successful, older individual that’s willing to share their experience over coffee. Don’t pretend you know everything. Rely on the wisdom that years of experience have granted the older people in your life.
Learn from Your Mistakes
If you fail to ask older, yet wiser people for guidance there is a good chance you’ll have to learn from your mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with that — it just takes longer to gain wisdom that way.
Sophia Amoruso, the founder of Nasty Gal fashion and the author of #Girlboss said, “The best wisdom is earned through experience, particularly mistakes.” However, in order to learn from your mistakes, you must own them. You cannot blame them on someone else.
When you take responsibilities for your shortcomings you will begin to build intuition. Intuition isn’t magic. It’s not something that a few gifted people are born with. Intuition is the ability to size up a situation quickly and then act accordingly. It comes after years of making decisions, both good and bad, and then adjusting according to what works and what doesn’t.
Don’t allow mistakes to become a regret. Instead, see them as an opportunity to figure out where things went wrong, and then plan to do better next time.
Share It
Give it away? Yes! Wisdom is not a finite commodity, that is unless you try to hoard it. This is because wisdom thrives in the company of others. Proverbs 11:14 (also written by Solomon) says, “in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” Rather than keeping smart ideas to yourself, share them with other people freely.
When the Apostle Paul wrote to his proteges Timothy and Titus, he charged them to encourage the older men and women in their churches to share their collective knowledge with the next generation (1 Timothy 5:1; Titus 2:4–5).
We have a shortage of this kind of interaction today, probably because technology continues to widen the gap between generations. Even so, this is a critical part of the process to gain wisdom.
Whether you are young or old, make sure you’re passing your knowledge and experience on to others. You’re sure to become wiser in the process as well.
Final Thoughts
Where do you stand when it comes to wisdom?
Do you want more?
If so, are you willing to takes steps to gain wisdom?
Comment below or send me an email to let me know what holds you back or how it’s working for you.
Originally published at philayres.me on March 13, 2019.
