How to Gain Spiritual Wisdom: 3 Key Things to Do
Gaining spiritual wisdom is one of the best things we can do, as Jesus followers. This type of wisdom allows us to make decisions based not on our feelings or circumstances, but on God’s universal truths. It allows us to navigate relationships better and, ultimately, live a life that honors and glorifies our Creator.
A beautiful byproduct of living with spiritual wisdom is that we will experience fewer regrets in life. It’s like tapping into a road map with extra routes and detours clearly marked so you don’t go down the wrong path. Or like uncovering the cheat codes for a video game that you’ve been stuck on forever.
Spiritual wisdom is an ongoing pursuit, and it has the potential to reshape our faith, our life and our relationships in the best way if we lean in to what God is telling us.
There are three main ways to gain spiritual wisdom from God:
1. Spend consistent time in prayer.
Life is busy for us all, but spiritual wisdom cannot be gained without spending consistent time in prayer. Prayer is a privilege. We have the ability to commune with the Creator of the universe — the source of all wisdom. How can you say you want to live a life of wisdom if you have access to tap into that wisdom at any time, but you’re too busy scrolling through Instagram to take advantage?
If you look through the Gospels, Jesus regularly carved out time in prayer. There is no way you are busier than Jesus. He understood that life cannot be lived correctly without syncing up with the source of all life daily. He would go to a quiet place, away from the noise, and pray.
Lately, this quiet place for me has become my commute. After I drop the kids off at school/day care, I have 20 minutes to drive with no music and no phone distractions, and that time has become my prayer time with God. Quiet, deserted space where I can sit in communion with Jesus and align the rhythm of my day with Him.
While you are in prayer, you can specifically ask God for wisdom. James 1:5 says that God gives wisdom freely to all who ask. Do you ask for wisdom and discernment to make decisions that line up with God’s will throughout the day? Did you know that you could ask for that specifically, and God gives it as a promise to you?
Hebrews 4:16 tells us to boldly approach the throne of God with our petitions. If you want spiritual wisdom, you need to carve out time each day to sit with God and boldly ask Him for the wisdom that He so freely promises.
2. Get in the Bible.
God has already given us instructions on how to live our life and honor HIm in our decisions. Every day, we are hearing opinions on how to live a good life or be a good person. If we are not rooted in God’s truth, we may mistake others’ opinions for gospel. The world does not give spiritual wisdom; the world gives temporary satisfaction that often leads to long-term regret and general discontentment. It’s not that the things of the world are bad, it’s just that if we use things that God created outside of what He created them for, then our outcomes will be less than what we are hoping for.
It’s as simple as eating junk food constantly and then wondering why we feel sluggish and tired. Food on its own is not good or bad, but when we choose to binge eat things that don’t have the best nutritional value, we will end up feeling uncomfortable and discontent in our choices.
The same principle is true for making choices in our daily lives without aligning them with God’s instructions. We have to get in the Bible every day to understand what God wants us to do and how God really wants us to live.
The beautiful thing about the Bible is that it is called the Living Word. That means that the Scripture is forever applicable to your life and circumstances, and you will continue to gain new insight out of it each time you read it. Reading the Bible as a teenager will not be the same experience as reading it in your mid-20s and in your 30s with kids, and so on. God speaks to us through His Word, giving us spiritual wisdom applicable to the season of life we are in. So, if you want to be a spiritually wise person, you have to get into God’s Word daily.
3. Join a community.
There are so many verses about the importance of community.
All wise people have a counsel of wise people around them. This is imperative for situations when our heart is seeking something other than what God has directed us toward. We’ve all been there. Following God is not always a cake walk, and we need people around us to hold us accountable.
Spiritual wisdom can be gained on your own, but actually following the wisdom you receive requires accountability and community. It requires vulnerability, in some cases. In some situations, God will even choose to speak to you through the people around you.
We were not created to walk this life alone, and spiritual wisdom would teach us to gather ourselves with other Jesus followers .
Let’s be clear, you don’t have to only have friends who are Jesus followers. In fact, that’s contrary to the Gospel. Jesus Himself hung out with thousands of people who didn’t believe in Him, but He kept a close group of confidants and believers. Jesus didn’t need this close group of friends for any level of accountability; He is God. However, He beautifully modeled what our lives as Jesus followers should look like, and that includes finding a close group of believers to do life with.
You can learn more about our Centerpoint groups here.
If you want to learn more about how to gain spiritual wisdom and how to prevent yourself from making decisions you will later regret, check out our series Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets.