BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

********** ADVERTISEMENT ********** Watch Mac on VICTORY™ (Formerly bvovn® : see back cover) ------------------------------- GoVictory.com Roku® | dish® CHANNEL 265 apple tv® 4th Generation YouTube® | amazon fire TV ************************************ * * * * article from p. 9 continues * * * * When Solomon asked God for wisdom, all the other things he could have asked for were added to him. It was part of the deal. When you ask for wisdom and God responds, it affects every arena of your life. It will bring a level of blessing to your home, your church, your city and your country that nothing else can bring. After Solomon asked for wisdom, Israel enjoyed a 40-year period of peace and prosperity under his rule such as they had never experienced before. Filled With Wisdom You don’t need to look any further than the Holy Spirit inside you to find wisdom. One of the first examples of this is in Exodus 31: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel…And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge…” (verses 1-3). This is the first occasion in the Bible that we see someone filled with the Spirit, and it’s important to note that wisdom goes hand in hand with knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:2-5). All three function and flow together. How do the three differ? Knowledge is “the acquisition of facts, data and information.” Understanding is “when the light comes on about how that knowledge works.” And wisdom is “the application of knowledge that produces a desired result.” If you’ve studied the Word for many years, you’ve probably experienced the flow of knowledge, understanding and wisdom in your own life. Maybe you’ve read and reread a passage of Scripture only to gain knowledge of it. Then one day—bam!—something jumps off the page, the light comes on and you have understanding of that Word. Then you apply it to your life and reap the fruit of it. You’ve experienced the progression: from knowledge, to understanding, to wisdom. When you’re filled with the fullness of the Spirit—and you are as a New Testament believer—then knowledge, understanding and wisdom are at your disposal. But there’s more. Exodus 31 continues: “And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works…” (verses 3-4). Did you catch that? You’re filled with knowledge, understanding, wisdom…and workmanship. When you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, you have within you a level of supernatural gifting that will stun the world around you. Wisdom Inside You We have wisdom coming out our ears and don’t even know it…but it’s in there! That’s no surprise though. After all, isn’t that true of everything we have in Christ? The Word says that in Christ we can do all things. We’re more than conquerors. We are healed, delivered, set free and prosperous. We’re successes just looking for the right place to happen. So why don’t our lives always reflect those truths? Because all the wonderful truths of who we are in Christ are only accessible by faith. You have to believe what the Bible says about you—more than you believe what you see in the mirror. You have to go through a process. First, start by asking God directly for wisdom like Solomon did. James 1:5-6 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” Next, gain knowledge. If you need healing, for example, listen to what the Word says about healing and meditate on the truth that you were healed by the stripes of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24). Speak in line with who God says you are: the healed. As you do, eventually the light will turn on and understanding will come. Then you can put that knowledge to work, which is wisdom, and have it produce the physical manifestation for which you are believing. The Pressure of Adversity Of course, when you receive a word from the Lord, the enemy will come at once to try and contest it. James speaks to this when he says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). The Greek word for temptation means “putting something to proof by experience—usually adversity.” 10 : BVOV

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