Have you ever had someone speak words to you that were so wise and relevant to your current situation that they literally took your breath away? The words may have come at an unexpected moment, maybe from an unexpected person … and they permeated your being.
Or have you ever spoken words that seemed to have come from “outside” of you? They were not in your mind, but suddenly you heard yourself utter words that were wise counsel to the recipient. In both cases there is a quickening of the soul and a sense the Holy Spirit is connecting with your spirit in a life-altering way. It’s a connection like no other.
The wise words I’m referring to do not come from our own knowledge or perspective. Biblical wisdom combines knowledge with emotional understanding and spiritual insight and applies it to particular persons and/or situations in a way no mere human can. It is God’s perspective revealed. It is truth and it’s meant to benefit those who speak it as well as those who hear it (James 3:17).
Communicating messages or words of wisdom is one of the spiritual gifts God gives to some of His children in order to bless others. It’s one way God reveals Himself, His will and His love for us. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom,” (1 Cor 12:7a). We are all admonished to seek God’s wisdom and we’re promised it will be granted (James 1:5). But some of God’s children are given the gift of bestowing wise messages so to impart God’s truth to others specifically, as the Holy Spirit leads. Whether we are given this gift or benefit from it, we have an obligation to humbly walk with the Lord so as to receive the blessing He intends.
This precious gift from the Holy Spirit is given for the purpose of honoring God and furthering His Kingdom in people’s lives. It is a conduit to the Lord’s own heart and so should be employed soberly and only at the clear direction of His Spirit. Let’s prepare our hearts for His messages of wisdom and love so we “may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:2b-3).
-Kathi Fritz (writer and member of the COBI community)