Did you know the Bible has an entire book dedicated to learning and understanding wisdom and where it comes from? The book of Proverbs is filled with practical and biblical wisdom to know everyday life principles. Proverbs may be a book dedicated to wise living, but the Word of God is a transformative force, offering understanding and correction in every area of life, guiding us to become more of who He wants us to be. This transformative power of wisdom can inspire hope and a sense of possibility in our personal growth journey. 

My journey into studying wisdom has been incredibly enriching and has opened my eyes to new perspectives. I came face to face with the areas that needed growth. Despite the discomfort of realizing my shortcomings, it was liberating to discover the truth. 

“By wisdom, a house is built and through understanding it is established; through knowledge rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” Proverbs 24:3-4 

What is wisdom according to the Bible?

Wisdom is a threefold concept. It begins with knowledge, then transcends to understanding, and finally, we apply what we learn to our lives. Knowledge begins with the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 defines biblical wisdom. It says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. I’ve read this Scripture a few times before, but it wasn’t until recently that I began to understand it. The definition of wisdom in this passage is divided into two parts, so let me explain.

If you’ve ever dove deep into reading Scripture, you’ve probably been shocked by some things you’ve read. I know I have. God led me to read Ezekiel recently, along with Proverbs, and the two ultimately make sense. In the book of Ezekiel, God chose Ezekiel as a prophet of that time and showed him the terrible things happening behind closed doors that the people were participating in that were disrespectful and dishonoring to God. I won’t go into much detail here, but they were false prophets leading people astray, idolatry in God’s temple, child sacrifice to idols, and much more. The people had lost the fear of the Lord by participating in these activities.

God used Ezekiel to warn the people and called them to repent and return to Him. In other words, God was calling them to change. But they were unwilling. They kept participating in these wicked behaviors even after God called them to change their ways. 

As believers, you and I both know God loves us. We understand that God truly loves us and created us. Moreover, God is our Father, and a good father disciplines his child.

In short, here is what Proverbs 1:7 is saying:

1. First, when you understand who God is and what He is capable of, there is a healthy reverential fear of Him. 
2. Second, God is a good Father who corrects and disciplines His children; if you let him discipline you, you will gain wisdom.

The only way to gain biblical wisdom is to understand God through His Word and allow His Word to discipline and correct you. 

I have struggled with making the same mistakes and breaking bad habits, especially in my relationship. My boyfriend would repeatedly express the same complaints, and I would feel angry and annoyed each time when he brought them up.

Brushing off his feelings was causing significant issues in my life and my relationship because these behaviors were now on autopilot. They became habits, and habits are hard to break. If I had listened the first time he told me about my behavior, I could’ve fixed it–very quickly—because, at the time, they weren’t habits. 

I was acting foolishly, doing the exact opposite of what Scripture said to do. I hated being corrected and people telling me what to do. As I began studying the Proverbs, I learned essential lessons I desperately needed to correct these behaviors. I also learned new things like how to be a godly woman, how to be wise, and about hard work. It began helping me correct and straighten out issues and areas where I refused to be corrected. 

Now, think about your own life. What behavior patterns have you repeated? How do you respond when someone important tries to correct you? Do you retaliate? Or do you acknowledge their correction and fix it? 

Where does wisdom, knowledge, and understanding come from? 

God’s Word is the source of wisdom. I often hear people say, “Listen to God’s voice”. But what they don’t say is God mostly speaks through His Word. God can speak through people, His creation, and He can speak directly to your heart. But God’s Word is living and active and has the power to cut through the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb 4:12)

Reading the Word also makes your prayers more diverse. Instead of praying for the same surface-level things like “God, I need more money” or “God, I need a new job,” you begin to deal with deeply rooted issues within, and in turn, that changes everything on the outside. 

I like to take what I’m learning and pray about specific topics. God wants us to pray deep, wise prayers, which is why He gives us an understanding of His Word. 

There are eight attributes of biblical wisdom according to Proverbs 8:

1. Knowledge: represents basic knowledge, the act of knowing or information required from God’s Word. Knowledge is the practical reading of God’s Word.
2. Understanding: the ability to comprehend something, to be intelligent, and mentally sharp. Understanding allows us to make wise decisions based on information received. Understanding is studying God’s Word and understanding what He’s saying.
3. Discretion: the ability to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.
4. Prudence: showing thought or care for the future, being well-advised, frugal, economical, sensible, and cautious, having moral and spiritual insight, and aligning understanding with God’s Word. Prudence is the application of God’s Word in your life. 
5. Fear of the Lord: to be ethical, blameless out of respect for God, holy, and godly. Having reverence and respect for God in every decision. Keep God as a forethought in decisions. 
6. Excellence: The quality of being outstanding or extremely good, skillful, and talented. 
7. Truth: To speak only truth rather than opinion or wickedness. 
8. Righteousness: Acting by God’s moral and ethical law and standards.

How Do I Gain Biblical Wisdom?

Read God’s Word To Gain Wisdom And Understand Who He Is. 

Period. Consume God’s Word.  Read, study, and put God’s Word into practice in your life. And yes, it does take time to start seeing things change. Because when you read it, you have to keep reading it until you understand it. And after you comprehend it, you apply it to your life.

The best advice I can give you to gain wisdom is to consume God’s Word as much as possible! 

My favorite app for listening to God’s Word is Dwell. It allows you to listen to God’s Word on the go, read along in the app, sleep to Scripture, or re-center yourself throughout the day. It also has a daily meditation, which I love! If you think you’re too busy listening to Scripture, think again! Dwell makes it super easy. You can listen while driving, exercising, cooking, and cleaning.

If you find yourself without the time to sit and read, listen to God’s Word on the go with Dwell!

Practice Self-Discipline

Proverbs 25:28 says, “A man without self-discipline is like a city broken into with no walls.” Self-discipline is the answer if you struggle with your thoughts and can’t control them. Self-discipline is a form of protection. Without it, you allow anything to come in and manipulate you. 

You and I must exercise discipline and self-control in everything in mind, spirit, and body. The reward of self-discipline is to be fit for service and to run your race without hindrances. The apostle Paul uses an athlete as a metaphor for self-discipline. The athlete must do mandatory training to run a race and gain the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Self-discipline = keeping yourself spiritually fit with God’s Word. Devote yourself to the reading of Scripture, practice it, and work hard on it, training yourself for godliness (1Timothy 4:7-8)

Self-discipline also includes regulating our emotions. It’s governing our emotions and controlling how we react and what we allow ourselves to think about. Regulation is the ability to manage our emotions. It doesn’t mean you suppress your feelings, but you can learn to control and release your emotions healthily. Some self-regulation techniques include diagram breathing, mindfulness, journaling, pausing before reacting, and counseling.

Here are some disciplines you can ask God to help you with: 

1. Controlling your emotions 
2. To be thoughtful in what you say and do
3. Believing the Word of God
4. Reading God’s Word with joy without worrying about anything else. 
5. Getting up earlier or making time to be able to read and pray

Learning biblical wisdom is a matter of discipline. If you allow yourself to be disciplined by reading God’s Word and applying it to your life, you will gain insight. The great thing about God’s Word is that you can learn about anything that you need and desire to learn. It covers every topic–business, mental health, faith, self-discipline, sex, alcohol, relationships–literally everything.

Apply What You Learn

You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” The same rings true for Scripture, too. If you take the time to read and study, you and I must create a practical step to apply to our lives. Philippians 4:9 says, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice, and the God of peace will be with you.

After you read, think about how you can start practicing what you’ve learned. Consider where you can adjust your life slightly to apply this new principle. I like to read or listen to God’s Word first, review my notes after about a week, and see what I’ve learned or what He’s shown me. Then, I like to do a month-long challenge where, at the beginning of the month, I use something I’ve been studying. This month, I’m working on being impossible to offend. I can get offended easily and be all in my head about something someone said or did. So, I’m working on that this month!

A good rule of thumb is to analyze patterns in your life that you want to break or things you get stuck on and study Scripture in those areas. Then, after compiling information, review what you have learned and decide how to apply it to your life. You can start with something small, the work on for a few weeks, then expand to other things once it’s become a habit.

8 Short, Practical Biblical Wisdom Lessons (Proverbs 10):

• Always be willing to learn.
• Do the right thing and practice moral integrity.
• Trust God to meet all your needs.
• Keep yourself active in work and work hard; it will bring wealth.
• Take advantage of every opportunity.
• Live a good and honest life.
• Do good, and people will remember you.
• Accept good advice and instructions. 

Final Thoughts

Jesus compared wisdom to children calling out in the marketplace. Jesus said wisdom is like children calling in a public place, only to be ignored. (Matt 11:16-17)

To conclude, biblical wisdom is known to those who will listen like little children, but the proud don’t listen to earthly knowledge.  A few verses later, after Jesus taught the people, Jesus praised God for making wisdom known to little children and hiding it from the wise & learned. (Matt 11:25)

Reading Scripture and learning from God’s Word how to live is the best thing you and I can do for our lives. Wisdom is an attribute of God that you and I must seek out and cultivate to earn. Dedicating yourself to reading God’s Word and allowing it to deal with issues deep down will transform our lives. It’s guaranteed to change you from the inside out because the Word of God is alive and active. Self-discipline and practical application come after immersing yourself in the Word and allowing the Father to correct you. 

Remember: We are imperfect beings who need our perfect God. <3