“Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the Words of my mouth.
Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many” (Proverbs 4:5-10)
Introduction:
THE WAYS of Wisdom is the way of instruction, discretion, understanding, knowledge, exploit, promotion, excellence, and profit. Wisdom is the principal thing (the main thing). In all you are getting, get wisdom and it will promote you (Proverb 4:7). The ways of Wisdom are the ways of life, pleasantries, pleasures, abundance, equity, justice, and peace.
The price of Wisdom is far above rubies, silver and gold (Proverbs 8:11). Its price and values cannot be quantified. That is why the Bible recommends that we should promote her because with it, you can buy anything buyable on this planet earth (Proverbs 4:5-9).
Look for a man of Wisdom and submit yourself to such an individual, who will take you through the school of Wisdom, through servanthood and submission to such authority and the anointing they possess will be released or transferred to you. In your course of submission, be teachable, humble, and patient to learn. Avoid the way of pride, arrogance and familiarity. Joshua learned wisdom under the leadership of Moses for 40years and before Moses left, God instructed him to put some of his honour upon Joshua.
It is so precious and valuable that with it God founded the earth (Prov.3:19)). Invariably, discoveries are made on the premise of Wisdom. Great Inventors lend this credence or virtues from God and traded with it and made monumental impacts on the face of the earth by adding values to creation. Wisdom is an asset that must be embraced if we are going to be relevant in our times and seasons, while we sojourn here on earth.
ALSO READ: The Inside Story Of The Fake Coup In Guinea-Bissau; By Owei Lakemfa
Solomon so much valued it that when God asked him ‘what do you want’, he said “Lord give me wisdom that I may rule these people…” (2 Chronicles 1: 7-12). Therefore, wisdom is the secret of rulership and authority. Solomon traded with it and made impacts in his life time, so much so, that Kings of the Earth came to sought for Solomon’s Wisdom (1Kings 4:34).
Wisdom also attract precious gifts and blessings. It is the pathway to pleasure, prosperity and abundance. The Bible said rate by rate and year by year, gifts were coming to Solomon in ship on the Platform of Wisdom (1 Kings 9:10-11:43).
If you despise Wisdom, you are ruined. The Bible said it is only fools that despise Wisdom. The despising of wisdom will bring or cause you monumental losses in terms of blessing, opportunities, and open doors.
I counsel you therefore, in all your getting, get wisdom (Prov.4:7). Go in search of it, meddle with it in the night seasons. Separate yourself from your associates and intermeddle with it for it is your gateway to stardom and relevance (Proverbs 18:1). You can leave a foot print on the sand of eternity through it and accomplish things for the Kingdom of God and humanity.
ALSO READ: Frantz Fanon Centennial Conference 2025; By Jibrin Ibrahim
What is Wisdom?
i. Wisdom is insight into mysteries, secrets, revelation and skills or expertise.
ii. Wisdom is the ability to discern (1 Kings 3:9).
How to Acquire Wisdom
1. Instruction: Go in search of instruction from Gods’ word; trusted and proven mentors; and materials if you want to acquire Wisdom. Instruction brings understanding, knowledge and discretion (Proverbs 4:13). Without instruction, you’ll go astray and life becomes full of regrets and eventually, death (Proverbs 5:23, 12-13). Don’t despise instruction; its only fools that despise it and because of that many of them have earned from their faith and gone astray.
Instructions brings clarity, guidance, preservation and honour.
2. Mentorship: Look for a man of Wisdom and submit yourself to such an individual, who will take you through the school of Wisdom, through servanthood and submission to such authority and the anointing they possess will be released or transferred to you. In your course of submission, be teachable, humble, and patient to learn. Avoid the way of pride, arrogance and familiarity. Joshua learned wisdom under the leadership of Moses for 40years and before Moses left, God instructed him to put some of his honour upon Joshua (Number 27:18-23).
3. Observation: You can also learn Wisdom by observation. God instructed us to go to the Ant and learn (Proverbs 6:6-9). God is invariably saying, we should observe the ant and learn Wisdom. The ants that are inanimate animals are erudite planners. They have no guide leader, yet plan their ways and gather their food in the summer, gathereth her food in the harvest. God is saying we should observe the ant’s industrious, diligent, and foresighted behaviour as a lesson against laziness and irresponsibility.
ALSO READ: Gen. Musa’s Return: Reshuffle Or Risk For Nigeria’s Security? By Lawan Musa Danlami
Proverbs 6:6 encourages the “sluggards” to be wise by watching how ants work hard to gather and store food during times of plenty for future needs, even without a leader to supervise them. The core message is to develop a strong work ethic, self-discipline, and a habit of planning for the future.
Lessons from The Ant:
a. Hard work and Diligence: Ants are constantly working, unlike a lazy person who procrastinates and end up with “lack and apathy”.
b. Self-Motivation: They are “self-starters” who don’t need a supervisor to tell them what to do; a quality the proverbs suggests people should emulate.
c. Foresight And Preparations: Ants gather and store food in the summer to ensure they have enough for the winter, teaching the importance of planning and preparation for future needs.
d. Teamwork and Collaborations: Ants work together for the common good of the colony, exemplifying the value of community and collaborations.
e. Knowledge: Arm yourself with knowledge because it is the pathway to Wisdom. By knowledge the depth are broken up and deep calleth unto the deep (Proverbs 3:20). Knowledge and witty inventions are accessed through knowledge (Proverbs 8:12). Read books and other people’s materials and glean from their wealth of wisdom. The Bible said “Buy the truth and sell it not” (Proverbs 23:23).
f. Separation: (Proverbs 18:1). Do you want Wisdom? Then, separate yourself into a quiet place and intermeddle with Wisdom and it will deliver to you great secrets and revelations that shall handle and dissolve every mysteries of life. The place of separation is the place of instruction. Take a 3-day retreat, shut off your phone and everything else and the heavens shall be opened and you shall have a download of wisdom that can transform your life and destiny.
ALSO READ: Abductions, School Closures And Governors’ Inertia; By Zainab Suleiman Okino
To intermeddle means deep and active engagements with different sources of knowledge and perspective. It is to explore aspects of knowledge and understanding. This is where you ransack the minds of other people on wisdom and learn from their wealth of experience. Separate yourself from the crowd to study and understand everything about Wisdom.
g. Counselling: (Proverbs 19:20). Go to great minds on Wisdom and receive counsel from them. In the multitude of counselling, there is wisdom. Are you called to a particular field or endeavour, go to someone who is vast and a veteran in that field to receive counsel from them. Wisdom is drawn from the heart of a man through counselling (Proverbs 20:5).
You must be deliberate and intentional in your relationships by surrounding yourself with those who are godly, positive and encouraging, which can lead to personal growth. It also implies that you should be cautious of those who reject God and pursue their own destructive paths.
In my 23 years of service with the Federal Road Safety Corps, Abuja, Nigeria, West Africa, the remaining 9-10 years of my service was spent in the Intelligence Department. It was a field I have never ventured into before. So, when I got there, I sought after the most vested personnel in the department for counselling, mentorship and guidance. That singular decision helped me to excel in that department to the extent that when the former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was to visit our organisation; my head of department assigned me to receive the President.
ALSO READ: Democracy On Trial In West Africa; By Abadom Lawrence Amechi
A department was created and called the Counselling Unit, a sub-division under our department through our collaborative effort and synergy. A unit I was made to head to address the gap of corruption and ethics in the profession. I was also nominated for an international award from my department to the Management of FRSC and out of 25,000 personnel, only 3 of our names were nominated for that award by FRSC Management.
These feats are attributable to the counsel I received in the field or paths I have not traded in before and excelled to the glory of God. One word of counsel can change the trajectory or narrative of your life and destiny forever. Humble yourself to learn from that person. It takes humility to stoop low. John the Baptist stooped low to learn from Jesus with all the anointing he possessed.
Don’t allow pride and arrogance to hinder you from learning even from people who are much younger than you in the field you are in. You can even learn from a child and the most down trodden in the society. God even forbade the madness of a Prophet through a donkey (2 Peter 2:16). In other words, the Prophet received counsel and instructions from the donkey. Don’t despise the source that God will use to instruct you.
Benefits of Counselling
a. It brings reproof and correction
b. Wisdom and understanding is drawn through counselling (Proverbs 20:5)
c. Purpose are established by counsel (Proverbs 20:18)
ALSO READ: Tinubu’s Security Emergency Is Only A Half Measure; By Owei Lakemfa
7. Association: (Proverbs 13:20) Association brings assimilation and wisdom. People tend to become like those they spend time with. So, it is crucial and important to choose companions wisely to positively influence your character and decisions. The people you associate with have a significant impact on your life. Spending time with wise people will help you grow in wisdom, while associating with foolish people can lead to negative consequences.
Solomon asked for it and God gave to him abundantly. With it, he was able to resolve the issue of two women who were arguing over a child, in the days where there was no technology like DNA to identify the original owner of the baby. But by the Wisdom of God, that mystery was handled and dissolved cheaply through the instrumentality of wisdom from God. He was able to rule Israel for 40years, wrote 1,005 songs and composed 3000 proverbs on the platform of Wisdom. He became so relevant that Kings of nations sought for his counsel and wisdom (1Kings 4:34)
You must be deliberate and intentional in your relationships by surrounding yourself with those who are godly, positive and encouraging, which can lead to personal growth. It also implies that you should be cautious of those who reject God and pursue their own destructive paths. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says “Do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character”.
8. Meditation: It means to think upon or brood over a thought or idea for a long time until that thought becomes real to you or comes alive in your spirit. God instructed Joshua that if he is going to be successful, he must meditate (think upon) the Word of God (Joshua 1:8).
9. Focus: If thy eyes be single, thine whole body shall be full of light (Matthew 6:22). We must be focused, strategic and deliberate in approach to receive anything meaningful from the Lord.
10. Discipline: If you are going to be a man of wisdom, you must live a cultured life of discipline. Be disciplined in your schedule with God on a daily and constant basis. Spend quality time in fellowship with God. Be Disciplined with your time and the kind of friendship you keep and what you watch. “Whosoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). “All chastening seemeth to be joyous for the present, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11).
11. Ask Questions: There is nothing that provokes wisdom and revelation like inquisition from God. Inquisition is the birth place of wisdom. Mary asked the Lord “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34).
12. Ask in Prayers: Ask and you shall receive Wisdom in the place of prayers. He is your father; He will not withhold any good thing from you when you ask and Wisdom is a good thing. The Bible calls it “The principal thing”. Solomon asked for it and God gave to him abundantly. With it, he was able to resolve the issue of two women who were arguing over a child, in the days where there was no technology like DNA to identify the original owner of the baby. But by the Wisdom of God, that mystery was handled and dissolved cheaply through the instrumentality of wisdom from God. He was able to rule Israel for 40years, wrote 1,005 songs and composed 3000 proverbs on the platform of Wisdom. He became so relevant that Kings of nations sought for his counsel and wisdom (1Kings 4:34)
ALSO READ: Your Terrorist Is Better Treated Than Mine; By Hassan Gimba
The Blessings of Wisdom:
- Wisdom brings favour and life (Proverbs 8:35)
- It brings healing (Proverbs 12:8)
- It’s the secret of skill (Proverbs 13:10)
- Wisdom is the cure or solution to poverty (Proverbs 13:8)
- It’s the builder of destinies, homes and institutions and organizations (Proverbs 14:1)
- It brings knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 15:7, 32)
- Wisdom is a teacher and it brings increase in learning (Proverbs 16:32)
- It brings prudence (Proverbs 16:21)
- It brings correction (reproof) to a man that is wise than an hundred stripes into a fool (Proverbs 17:10)
- It brings excellence (Proverbs 17:27)
- It brings freshness, clarity, life and guidance to those who hear them (Proverbs 18:4)
- It brings the prosperity of the soul and goodness (Proverbs 19:8)
- It brings order, justice and safety in governance and authority (Proverbs 20:26)
- It’s the secret of exploits, growth, development and innovations.
- Wisdom is the custodian of treasure and oil (Proverbs 21:20)
Assignments:
- Ask God to baptize you with the spirit of wisdom (1Kings 3:5-15; Isaiah 11:2)
- Go in search of wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 2:4)
- Ask questions and be humble to learn from people who walk in wisdom.
Prayer/Prophesies:
- I decree and declare that the heavens shall be open over your life and they shall be a download of wisdom throughout this Month in Jesus Name.
- I decree and declare that by the instrumentality of wisdom, abundance and prosperity shall answer to you in Jesus Name.
- I decree and declare that the Lord shall crown the year with His goodness for you and your paths shall overflow with abundance in Jesus Name (Psalm 65:11) NLT
- I decree and declare that by the mystery of wisdom, you are blessed and preserved throughout this Month in Jesus Name.
Pastor Onoja is of Global Impact Revival Assembly International, P. O. Box 16504 Zone 3, Wuse-Abuja, FCT, Nigeria. E-mail: onojaaf@yahoo.com; Tel. Nos: +234(0)8055842594; +234(0)7034893475.
