Proverbs 4:5-13 says, "Get wisdom, get understanding, do not forget or turn away from the words of my mouth.  Do not forsake her and she will preserve you.  Love her and she will keep you.  Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom and in all your getting, get understanding.  Exalt her and she will promote you, she will bring you honor when you embrace her.  She will place on your head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory she will deliver to you.  Hear my son and receive my sayings and the years of your life will be many.  I have taught you in the way of wisdom,  I have led you in right paths.  When you walk, your steps will not be hindered and when you run you will not stumble.  Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go, keep her for she is your life".

Father, thank you for this word.  May we decrease, may you increase and may this word have its perfect effect in our lives this morning.  Amen

Dwight Eisenhower said this, "A people who value their privileges above their principles soon lose both".  They lose thir principles and their privileges.  I believe that in America today and even within the body of Christ, the one thing that needs to be grasped more than anything are the principles of the word of God.  If we will value what this word has to say with all of our life and want it more than anything then we will have all the privileges that this word says.  What I have found though in modern Christianity is that more often than not what we want because we are Americans and we are a consumer driven society and it is a me first society, even in the church now we are valuing our privileges beyond principles of the word of God.  It is interesting that in America and within our churches we are seeing many of our principles fading away very quickly. 

Today in the newspaper was the story about the girl who stole the girlscout cookie money and then skipped out on Denny's.  I only bring this up not to hammer on an 18 year old because I believe that people should be reaching out and helping her and not writing stories on the front page.  But I believe it's a good example of what's happening in America today.  God's people are called to be the wisest people in all the world.  People who understand what this word says and understand the value of what it does inside of the life and heart of people and how it begins to effect their everyday living. 

The issue of wisdom is central to the Word of God, it's everywhere you look throughout it.  When you begin to approach the subject of wisdom, many times people get real serious.  Now I believe that we serve a serious God but I believe we can have fun with God too.  I believe the life that God gave us is a life that's meant to be enjoyed.  But truly the wisdom that God gives us through his word helps us to enjoy this life that God has given us to the fullest and prevents us from really taking life so lightly that we forget all the wonderful benefits of his word. 

Some are afraid that if they try to become wise that it's a subject so deep that it is beyond their attaining.  Movies and books somehow have made wisdom more of a mystical thing than a practical thing.  I believe that is one of the things the enemy wants even God's people all the more to believe that wisdom is more mystical than practical.  How many know that this word that God gives us is understandable?  It's not only surfacely understandable but there is something that is so marvelous about it that the more you seek God, the more you understand about God and the easier it is to understand.  It is God's will for the life of every Christian to become wise. 

Many of the major world religions talk about wisdom.  It's really only been in Christianity throughout the 20^th century where people stopped realizing that this word is the wisdom of God.  People have left Christianity and been attracted to other religions like Hinduism or Buddhism that promote wisdom because they find this mystical wisdom to be something very valuable.  But the truth is that we miss the whole point.  Many people in the world think wisdom is about meditation and about chanting certain words over and over again.  Truly many of those people have not only missed what God has but they've missed the whole point of wisdom in the first place. 

Over the next couple weeks some of the sermon titles that I'm going to speak to us about are "wisdom being the fruit of righteousness".  After that we're going to talk about the "depth of God's wisdom" and the last message I'm going to preach is called the "value of wisdom".  The thing that I'd like to do over the next couple weeks is to challenge you to read through the Book of Proverbs over the next 4 weeks.  Proverbs is one of the most powerful books in the word of God.  It's practical, it's deep and the instruction is valuable. 

I want to start with this very thought, wisdom is important to God.  The Bible says that wisdom is the principal thing.  It does not say that wisdom is the principal of things but wisdom is the principal thing.  It's the main thing.  If you look at the word principal it means first place in order or in rank, to be chief or captain, to be the head.  God is saying that the first thing you need to do after you receive Christ as your savior is to get wisdom. 

Alot of us as Christians, we give our hearts to the Lord and its almost like you're playing baseball .  You hit the ball, you get to first base because you believe in God, then you're part of the way, you know you're on the way, you'll even go to 2^nd base and come to church and may even get to 3^rd base and then you get to home plate and you feel like you've slidden across, "I've given my life to Jesus and that's all I need to do".  Listen, how many know once you've given your life to the Lord, you've just started on your journey with God?  Sliding into home is just the beginning to what God has for all of our life. 

In the Amplified Bible, I love how it reads this verse about wisdom being the principal thing.  It says "The beginning of wisdom is this, get wisdom.  Recognize that you need it.  Skillful, godly wisdom, for skillful and godly wisdom is the principal thing and with all you have gotten, get understanding, discernment, comprehension and interpretation". 

Wisdom is important to God because it is vital to us.  Probably one of my chiefest complaints about what I see happening in churches is that alot of people who have given their life to Jesus are living their life in such a way that it almost doesn't make sense.  I've heard people say that some of these Christians are really kind of "out there" a little bit.  I want to tell you as your pastor that that really is a legitimate observation.  I don't mean this to hurt your feelings but the truth is that many people come to Christ but after they have given their life to Jesus they fail to really seek his word.  Somethings happens inside of a life where you really are committed to Christ, that you want more of him, you want to know him and you can't get enough of him. 

I remember when I really committed my life to Jesus, I couldn't stop getting in his word.  I remember when I really got serious about serving God that I began to spend significant time in prayer, not just in the meditation that the world calls prayer, not in the wisdom of eastern understanding of what wisdom and prayer is but really seeking the face of God because more than anything I wanted to know all that God had.  I wanted to know what he was all about.  So many Christians will give their life to Jesus but they have forgotten the principal thing is to learn all that God has for them.  How many know God has great things for us? 

Wisdom is practical and it is not mystical but it is definitely spiritual.  Wisdom is deep.  The stuff that we learn in the word of God is marvelous but its usable everyday.  Wisdom is not just intellectual knowledge but it is spiritual understanding and spiritual things are spiritually discerned.  Spiritual things are learned spiritually, it is not just head knowledge.  That spiritual knowlege and understanding, if we are seeking God and knowing God will have significant impact in the natural life that we live because God's word is practical knowledge for everyday living.  It's also the right application and knowledge. 

If you want wisdom, the Bible says all you need to do is ask.  James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him".  I think one of the greatest tricks of the enemy is that there are so many people who come to church and they see certain Pastors or Christians and they think, "I could never ever be like that".  How many know that's the lie of the enemy? 

When there is something that I want to know or learn and it's beyond me, God says, "If any of you lacks wisdom just ask".  Here's the first thing that you need to understand, in order to realize that you lack wisdom, you have to realize that you're missing something.  How many know in America that everybody thinks that they know everything and they've got it all together?  But the truth is, if you want to know and if everybody knows something, just ask them and they'll tell you.  If you aren't sure that you know what's going on then really just ask one of our teenagers and they'll tell you how it all is. 

Proverbs 2:3-7 says, "Yes if you cry out for discernment and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver and search for her as hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.  For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He stores up sound wisdom for the upright".

God loves to give his wisdom and the Bible says here that if you will seek for discernment, if you will look for it like the great treasure that it is, and my prayer is this, that as believers we will understand that the riches and the knowledge of God are worth having.  In America we really work ourselves up to get rich, to reach the american dream but the truth is if we would seek the face of God, the wisdom of God like we seek to have the american dream we would be far greater off and have far greater blessings than we could ever imagine.  The Bible says to seek it like it's silver, to seek it like it's gold and God will give liberally.  He not only wants us to be saved but God wants us to have the better things that come with salvation.  The first thing that helps us to achieve all the rest that we want in our lives is to get the wisdom of God. 

When King Solomon, who the Bible says was the wisest man that ever lived, when he was about to receive the Kingdom of Israel and become the King of Israel, he came to God.  God said, "Ask anything that you want".  Solomon said, "God, more than anything I want the wisdom to be able to lead these people".  He didn't ask for riches, for fame, for power, he just understood the wonderful responsibility that God had given him.  What a wonderful cry as a young man, "God, give me wisdom to lead".  God was so pleased.  He said, "Solomon, because you haven't asked me for riches, fame or anything else but for my knowledge and my word, I'm going to bless you with all the rest".  Solomon became far richer and far more successful than any King could ever be. 

Here's what happens when most Christians hear that.  They say, "God, if that's true then I'm going to ask for wisdom so I can be rich and famous and have all those things".  Listen to me, the truth is this, as you begin to read through this book of Proverbs, you'll understand that God does give us the wisdom for all those things but wisdom puts all those things in their proper place and in proper perspective.  Those that seek God with all their heart, those things even as nice as they are become so very paled incomparison to knowing the Lord. 

After you pray for wisdom, how do you know that God is beginning to answer your prayers?  When the Lord does something he always lets us know when we've got what we've asked for.  When you're saved, his spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are sons of God.  How many remember the day you were saved?  Something happened in your heart that you knew you were a child of God.  You recognized that inside of you.  When you asked to be filled with the Holy Spirit and you received that baptism of the Holy Ghost, you began to speak in other tongues.  When you did you knew that you received that gift that God had promised.  The Lord always gives us an indicator that we have what we've asked for. 

Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy one is understanding".  So how do you realize that you're becoming wise in the Lord?  There becomes a fear of God inside of you and that fear of God is a reverence and awe for who he is.  Something happens inside of those who begin to seek God with all their heart.  Something happens inside the life of the believer who wants Jesus more than anything else.  There becomes a real reverence for who he is. 

How many of you are thankful that we serve the God of all creation?  Wisdom happens when there becomes a desire to live in a way that is truly pleasing to the Lord.  Something happens when we begin to ask for wisdom that we realize we really have the inability to absolutely comprehend all that he is and there becomes an understanding that if we were to get everything that God has for us all at once it would completely destroy everyone of us. 

How many of you have ever had a revelation from God where you're just reading His word and God is just feeding you and feeding you and you say, "Lord, you're just giving me so much I can't even handle it all anymore, would you stop for just a little while".  Those are wonderful times with the Lord.  "God, I love your word, I love that presence that you're bringing to me", and there comes an understanding that if we were to have and contain all that God has and knows that truly we wouldn't be able to contain it in our mortal bodies and in our understanding.  I hope I'm not getting too deep for some of you.   The knowledge and understanding that God posesses is so vast that truly he has to give it to us a little bit at a time. 

What's the fear of the Lord?  Proverbs 8:13 says, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate".  Have you ever notice that those who begin to get wise in the Lord are those that really start to have such a desire for greater purity in their own life?  The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance and the evil way.  The closer I walk with the Lord, the more I notice how incompatible my own flesh and my own mind is many times with what God wants.  How many of you have ever found yourself saying, "God, I want you so much but I'm struggling real hard with me". 

Here's something about wisdom that says, "God, more than anything I want you".  The first reason that you know that wisdom is coming into your life is that the appeal of the world has less and less effect on you.  When I began to pray for wisdom there were some things that I used to find funny when I would flip through the tv.  The stuff I might have stopped on and watched and really enjoyed, now when I turn it on there is absolutely no enjoyment to it.  How many know what I'm talking about?  There is that desire to be so close to the Lord.  Jokes that I might have said or listened to, there was a fear of God.  Not that I was afraid that he was going to strike me dead but I understood that the value of what was being said was so small in comparison to what God had to offer and I didn't want it.  The truth is that many times when you get around those who are wise in the Lord,  if you are compromising in your own life, you become uncomfortable around them because there is conviction from being around people who love God and want to live a life that's pure.  I love that and I have found that the more I serve God the less appeal that this world has. 

Those people who are wise are humble and they'll speak with grace. Those who are wise will begin to change areas in their life that is not pleasing to the Lord.  Fear of God brings wisdom but the Bible says, "Knowledge of the Holy One brings understanding".  Wisdom and knowlege go hand in hand.  Knowledge isn't in itself wisdom but knowledge of the holy one brings understanding.  Holy means to be set apart, to be dedicated to a sacred purpose, to be separate from everything else, everything that's profane, everything that's defiled by sin. 

In 1 John 2:20 it says this, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One and you know all things".   I found myself yesterday with a wonderful woman of God.  Yesterday we were at real Life Children's Ranch for a board meeting.  Her husband had been one of the founders of the ranch, served there for more than 50 years ministering to those children.  Her husband had passed away, they had been married for 60 years.  Marvelous people of God.  There is something about understanding how we minister and how we trust the Lord that brings real comfort and practical wisdom into our lives and  I started to think how beautiful the body of Christ really is. 

As this lady was talking in the meeting she began to weep and we came out to have lunch together.  She began to talk with me and another one of the house parents about the Lord.  She said, "I'm so glad we gave our lives to Jesus,  I miss him so much" and she began to weep.  As she did we put our arms around her and I was thinking, "Here I am a young man and this lady had been married for 60 years and she just buried her head in my chest and she just wept". She said, "I miss him so much but he loved the Lord".  Real quickly wisdom began to kick in and in the midst of her tears she looked up and said, "You know what, he's with Jesus right now and he's my peace and he's my everything.  I miss my husband but I love my Jesus".  You know, that doesn't make sense to most people in the world but the wisdom of God helps us to understand the hope that we have. 

I looked around that place at people who were serving God, people who had given up living for the things of the world and I began to see just how many were reaching out to touch lives as kids were being set free from things that they were hurt from.  Lives were being touched because they had chosen to reach out and touch others.  They realized the wisdom of what that word of God would impart into other people's lives and they had received it unto themselves.  It was marvelous how practical it worked everyday, for everyday living, for comfort, for peace and how profound the impact had inside.  Isn't the wisdom of God just a beautiful thing?  It's a powerful thing how it affects lives. 

Proverbs 1:23 says, "Surely I will pour out my spirit on you and I will make my words known to you".  Someone once said that knowledge is power but I don't believe that knowledge is the power of books and totally of education.  The anointing of God's power is not just available to heal the sick but to live everyday.  When God pours out his spirit on all flesh it is not just the pouring out of a prophetic power to declare things.  It is spirit filled wisdom to apply his word in everyday life that makes a difference in how we are every single day in a way that not only effects us but effects others. 

One of Paul's prayers to the church when he had lead people to the Lord was this, in Ephesians 1:17-21 "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling".  As I held that precious sister in the Lord in my arms, she knew the hope of his calling.  "And what is the riches of the glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age that is to come".  Paul prayed that each of us as believers would know the power of God in all its fullness, that we would know and understand who God is and all the benefits of his word and how to live it and apply it everyday in our lives.  When we apply the wisdom of God to our lives everyday, it is amazing the results that we have because of what his word promises. 

Wisdom helps us first of all to act right and see why you need to live that way.  Secondly, it is the wisdom of God that helps us to live in peace and know that God has a purpose and to know how to walk it in even life's most troubling times.  It is God's wisdom that helps us to apply the principles.  Wisdom is the principle thing.  Why?  Because when you have it, it helps you to understand how to apply all the principles that are here and that if you'll do it, you will have everything this word says.  Some Christians say, "Pastor, how come I don't have everything that this word says?  I see other people getting it".  Because they didn't first of all seek the Lord for the wisdom to know how to go about doing it.  This word gives us the instruction to do it every single day. 

When we become wise, it's amazing the results we will see in our everyday life.  Not just the hope when a loved one is in heaven but how many of you have found yourself in a difficult situation on a daily basis?  Dealing with difficult people?  Making a difficult choice concerning the future? Making a difficult choice concerning a struggle with sin?  You know what I found?  The quickest way to overcoming my struggles with certain temptations is to seek God with all my heart and he becomes more important than anything else.  Then all those other things seem to go away pretty easily.  How many have found that to be true?