What Wisdom From Heaven Looks Like

What if wisdom from heaven is unlike anything we ever thought about wisdom and the Bible tells us what it looks like?

Perhaps like me, you’ve done your own search for sources of earthly wisdom at various stages of life. 

Because we find it in many forms: reading, education, online classes, asking experts or family and friends, Google searches, and so on. 

But gaining knowledge doesn’t always equal wisely applying it to life. 

So what does this mean when it comes to wisdom from heaven?

Wisdom from heaven, spiritual wisdom, is also meant to take knowledge, godly knowledge, and apply it to our life here on earth. 

Look at one way the Bible describes it. 

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17 (NIV)

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17 (NIV) Share on X

Let’s discuss each of these aspects of what wisdom from heaven really looks like.

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10 Freeing Ways to Be Set Apart for God

We often misunderstand what set apart means for God’s people. Because the purpose in being set apart is to be set to something else. It means set apart for God.

Biblically speaking, something else is desiring what God desires for us. 

It means desiring someone else, desiring God. And not desiring the things of this world more than the Lord.

So here are 10 freeing ways we are set apart for God and to Him.

(1.) Set apart from other gods.

Even after we realize God is the one true God, we still struggle with letting Him reign supreme in our lives. And other gods are anything or anyone that take the Lord’s place in our heart, even “me” and my desires.

(2.) Set apart for God, not religion. 

When the Lord sets us apart from the rules and regulations of doing to obtain salvation, we are free to just being in Him, His free gift of grace. This sets us to a deep and intimate relationship with the God of the universe.

When the Lord sets us apart from the rules and regulations of doing to try to obtain salvation, we are free to just being in Him, His free gift of grace. This sets us to a deep and intimate relationship with God. Share on X

(3.) Set apart from culture. 

God never meant for us to look to humans (including ourselves) for how to live and make important life decisions. People operate in the natural while God operates in the supernatural. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). 

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10 Reasons to Celebrate God as Abba Father

I first met God as Father at sixteen. Since that day, the Lord Almighty is my Abba Father. 

And the Bible confirms this happens when we accept Christ as Savior, God’s gift of salvation.

“…God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba Father!’” Galatians 4:6b (NIV)

This meant everything to me then and now. Because my earthly-father story includes chapters of abandonment, a longing to know my biological father and dreams to be loved by a father.

And there’s a redemptive ending that still amazes me.

You see, every Father’s Day I celebrate three fathers. 

First, during my dad’s absence, a wonderful stepfather came into my life as a young girl.

Wendell loved and cared for me like his own flesh and blood. Since fatherhood runs much deeper than bloodline, he’s an amazing dad to this day.

Next, my biological father came back into my life in elementary school. And we slowly rebuilt a father-child relationship again. But he was an atheist. So as soon as I became a child of God, I started praying for my dad. Sixteen years and over 5000 prayers later, my biological father became a child of the heavenly Father, too.

Dad passed away in 2010. And I’m always a little tear-filled this time of year. I really miss him.

Yet, as we honor fathers this month, I also want to celebrate God as my Father. 

Regardless of our earthly-father experience, God as Father, rises above any father definitions we write into our stories. He is Abba Father. Here are 10 of my favorite fatherly attributes of God. 

Regardless of our earthly-father experience, God as Father, rises above any father definitions we write into our stories. He is Abba Father. #FathersDay Share on X

Abba Father Loves

(1) He adopted me.

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)

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16 Year Journey Praying for My Atheist Father

What are you praying for? Have you prayed hundreds or thousands of times for something? I travelled a 16 year journey praying for my father to believe in God. And I prayed over 5,000 times.

You see, when my twin sister and I were little, our father disappeared from our life. My mom and stepfather took us to church, but we didn’t understand much about God or prayer. 

Along about fourth grade, my dad reappeared and wanted to be a part of my life again. I’ll never forget what he told me at nine-years-old, “People think there’s a God, but there’s not.” 

Not understanding it at the time, I knew later my dad was an atheist. 

This confused my young heart, wondering, Is God real and does He love me? 

16 Year Journey: Praying When Faith Wanes

Then something wonderful happened. At sixteen, both me and my sister prayed to receive Jesus Christ as Savior at a church revival. Sixteen turned out to be sweet after all.

That night as I crawled into bed, I decided to pray daily for my father to believe in God and accept Christ. Even though I was a young Christian, I missed very few days praying for my dad. 

Soon I went off to college and continued to pray and asked others to pray.

But, I admit my faith waned many times. My dad seemed hard-hearted and unreachable. So when I was a young woman a mentor encouraged me to insert my father’s name into Scripture about salvation and pray it out loud. 

John 3:16, For God so loved Gene, that he gave his only Son, that if Gene believes in him, he will not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 10:13, If Gene calls on the name of the Lord, he will be saved.

Power When Scripture’s Prayed

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20 Journal Thoughts That Changed My Life

Journaling is therapy for me, for my soul. This is why I boldly claim that journaling has indeed changed my life.

I’ve always loved to journal. And during certain seasons of life, journaling became a lifeline and would draw me closer to the Lord all in the same stroke of the pen.

Some thoughts the Lord gave me in the past, but are helpful now.

While others are fresh inspiration from the Lord and useful for the daily Christian journey.

So I’m letting you peek into my personal journal for 20 thoughts. I hope they encourage you and bring life to your soul.

Because these particular entries changed my life.

The Cross Changed My Life

(1.) When life’s disappointments attempt to become my unwelcome friend, I remember Jesus calls me friend (John 15:5). If I visualize Christ as my best friend, it comforts me that I am never alone, always have someone to talk to, and have a shoulder to lean on.

(2.) I must cling to the only sure hope in the darkness. Jesus. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” John 1:5 ESV.

(3.) Lord, place the cross and the blood of Jesus between me and the enemy, and between me and difficult people and circumstances. There’s nothing Your redemptive blood doesn’t cover. And there’s nothing it can’t redeem. This prayer has changed my life and perspective.

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