From the desk of Steve Shultz:
There are incredible benefits to the Spirit of Wisdom working in our lives. Below is an excerpt from Keith Miller's book Surrender to the Spirit which we posted several years ago and Keith recently sent it out again. It's an important reminder in this hour of our great need and reliance of God's Spirit of Wisdom. For a deeper study, I highly recommend you also purchase his book just below.
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Keith Miller:
Benefits of the Spirit of Wisdom
Where Did He Get Such Wisdom!
The Lord wants to anoint us with supernatural wisdom that will cause people to say, "How did he get so smart?" They said that of Jesus. "And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, 'Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!'" (Mark 6:2b). You see, we need that again in the Church. We need to set the standard for the world.
Jesus lived His life plugged into the flow of the Spirit of Wisdom, so His life, on a day-to-day basis, demonstrated skillful living that glorified and demonstrated the reality of the Kingdom of God.
Don't you want an impartation from the Spirit of Wisdom? I believe we're coming into new seasons and new times in the Lord. It's not that it's new to Him, it's new to us. The Church needs to operate in the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding now! We need to raise up a standard, not by our ability, but by being plugged into the Spirit of Wisdom; this is not information or performance, but skillful ability and understanding that releases authority and strong leadership.
Wisdom and a Fresh Anointing of the Holy Spirit For New Seasons & New Beginnings...
Dear friends, we are seeing major changes all around that will and have effected each of our lives, and more are on the way. If there was ever a time for you and I to live and operate out of the Spirit of Wisdom, it is now! Please know that I'm not talking about what your ability is or a few nuggets of thoughts... These things are a blessing, but I'm talking about something much deeper, much wider, much greater. I'm talking about living and operating out of a river of wisdom. A river of wisdom is different. When I say a river, I'm talking about the perpetual flow of the Holy Spirit in the area of wisdom.
Oh dear friends, how we need this now... My heart is to see God's precious people living out of the deepest part of the blessing of the Lord – to flow with all that He is in you. As you read this article, ask Him to fill you with all wisdom and understanding, for His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.
The Bible in John 7:37-38 declares that out of your heart or belly will flow rivers of living water! Notice it declares, "Rivers of living waters." One of those rivers is the river of wisdom! Let the river of wisdom flow!
Spirit of Wisdom Defined
The Spirit of Wisdom is not just information. The Spirit of Wisdom is a supernatural endowment of an ability to do something above one's own ability. It is actually the skillful ability to do what God has called you to do. There is a river of wisdom being released to the Church right now, and it isn't analytical ability, but it is a skillful and creative ability.
The Church is about to minister out of wisdom that is going to confound the wisest people on the earth. The world will start asking, "Where did he get that ability? He didn't go to school for that!" Believers will say, "I got it in a dream." People will be mystified by this.
The Spirit of Wisdom is supernatural ability. The Lord demonstrated this in Psalm 136:5a: "Him who by wisdom made the heavens..." Wow! By wisdom He made the heavens.
"Wisdom is living skills; it is the ability to apply the knowledge of God's Word to our lives daily. It involves the application of God's truth to human experience on a day to day basis. Properly mastered, it can lead to a happy, successful, and prosperous life." (Benny Hinn, from Welcome, Holy Spirit)
The Spirit of Wisdom flows from Heaven, straight from His throne; it comes out of communion with the Lord in intimacy with Him. It flows from His presence, which is the "center pipe" of the lampstand in Zechariah 4:2 from which all the other six operations of the Spirits also flow.
Gift of Wisdom Versus Spirit of Wisdom
There is a distinct difference between the gift of wisdom and the Spirit of Wisdom. In 1 Corinthians 12:8 it says, "...for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit." Here, we see the gift of wisdom, or a word of wisdom. We give words of wisdom when the Holy Spirit uses us to deliver a particular piece of information, possibly about a healing, a wayward child, etc.
The Lord wants us to take it up a notch and experience the continuous flow of the Spirit of Wisdom. He is moving us into the function of the Holy Spirit where we will walk in the perpetual, ceaseless flow of the unlimited anointing on a day-to-day basis, not every once in a while. So we want more than just a word of wisdom, we want a river of wisdom; we want the Spirit of Wisdom.
Function of Spirit of Wisdom
Remember, in John 7:38b it says, "Out of his [your] heart [belly] will flow rivers of living water" (notations mine). That's more than just one river. These rivers symbolize multiple flows or functions of the Holy Spirit. Think about the Spirit of Wisdom as a river of wisdom flowing out of your life. As it was stated earlier, wisdom is not analytical ability but creative power. So the Spirit of Wisdom is an impartation or a river of creative ability to function in what God is calling you to do.
As I write this, I'm feeling the zeal of the Holy Spirit very strongly.
Rivers represent several different expressions or functions of the Holy Spirit ministry. One of those flows is the Spirit of Wisdom. So, as a Believer, you have the potential to have a river of wisdom flow from you, flow through you, and flow around you, just like it says in Ephesians 1:19: "By His exceeding great power for you, through you and around you" (paraphrased).
Wouldn't you like to tap into Jesus, the "center pipe" of the lampstand that is described in Zechariah 4? Jesus is pretty wise, isn't He? He sees the beginning from the end, and the end from the beginning. He's the Alpha and Omega. Wouldn't you like to have that kind of wisdom? He has the blueprint plans for your life right in front of Him. He has what God has already ordained for you. He hears from the Father, "Jesus, go get it," and then He tells the Holy Spirit, who transmits it to you.
I know the potential for me in any area is unlimited, because it is not based on how well I can do things, but it is based on how I learn to flow with the river of wisdom. Since He gives me supernatural ability to do things, I want to be able to cause people who have not seen me in three years to say, "Oh my, look at this guy!" Where's he getting this stuff from?" And I can give the Lord the glory for it all.
So, the Lord wants to anoint us with supernatural wisdom that will cause people to say, "How did he get so smart?" They said that of Jesus.
And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!" Mark 6:2b
You see, we need that again in the Church. We need to set the standard for the world.
Benefits of the Spirit of Wisdom
Look at this passage in Proverbs 4:5-13, which is all about wisdom:
Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor 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.
Promotion
The Spirit of Wisdom will bring promotion. Grace is favor, or supernatural ability to do what you can't do; He does it for you.
I have always had this kind of favor. I would wonder, Why do I always get these breaks? I used to call it luck. Once, a man told me, "By the way, I am going to give you a race horse." I said, "I don't need a race horse." He said, "Oh, you don't have to do anything." I said, "Well, how much does it cost to feed that thing?" He said, "No, I'll feed it, too. I just want to put your name on it." I asked, "Why?" He said, "Everything you touch turns to gold." It was because of God's favor.
I believe the Lord allowed me to touch that side of life because I came from such a bad background. We were very poor. When I was young, I stole clothes off the clothes line to help my brothers and sisters. Can you imagine going to school and being asked, "Hey, isn't that my shirt?" It's kind of embarrassing. I used to go to the grocery store at 4:00 AM to steal the food that was set outside the store for stock. I knew that side of life. The Lord's goodness allowed me to know His favor, and that is what is so awesome about His plan. He sees the beginning from the end, and the end from the beginning. He later allowed me to prosper in business, which released not only finances but also important life lessons. Riches don't entice me anymore. I have already had them, and I was empty. It can't compare to what I have now. I would never trade the anointing for any amount of money!
Long Life
Did you know that wisdom will extend your life? The Lord told me once, "Keith, a lot of My people are dying prematurely due to stress. If they would just embrace the Spirit of Wisdom, they would have a lot less stress." Remember Proverbs 4:10, above, says, "Hear, My son, and receive My sayings, and the years of your life will be many." When people try to live by their own abilities instead of plugging into His ability, stress increases.
God has purposes and plans for every Believer. His plans are bigger than what you can do. They will either drive you or excite you. We usually go through a season where we're driven by our vision until we get worn out and weary and give up, and that's when God kicks in and begins to do it through us.
But we don't have to live like that! We can actually live in His wisdom. Jesus Himself said, "Take My yoke upon you... For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:29-30). Wouldn't you like to live in the ability of the Spirit of Wisdom?
An Ornament of Grace
Wisdom will place on your head an ornament of grace and crown your head with glory. God says, "Let me put an ornament of grace on your head." Everywhere you go, that ornament is there. Rejoice, because grace gives you favor with God and man. Grace gives you what you don't deserve. Grace makes things easy. In 2 Timothy 2:1 it says, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace this is in Christ Jesus!" The word strong means to be enabled or energized – by grace; when we operate out the function of Wisdom we are energized by grace, not out of strength!
The reason why many things are so hard is because we are trying to do it out of natural wisdom instead of the Spirit of Wisdom. And we wonder why it doesn't bring the Lord glory when we struggle and finally get it done. I'm tired of what we can do. Let's see some things that only God can do.
Proverbs 4 refers to "a crown of glory." The Spirit of Wisdom and understanding will promote you, put an ornament of glory over your head, and then crown you with glory. Have you been in meetings where the glory was so strong that you felt the weightiness of the Presence?
Remember when Moses had to put a veil over his face because of the glory. Wouldn't you like to be crowned with glory? When this happens, you become more God-conscious than self or sin conscious. Do you know what that would do for you if you became more God-conscious than you were sin or self-conscious? How much better is the new covenant? You want to be crowned with glory, the weightiness of His character, His nature and His power for your life.
Peace
Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding, for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, her gain than the fine gold. She is more precious than fine rubies, and all of the things that you may desire cannot compare to her. The lengths of days are in her right hand, and in her left hand, riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all of her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all who retain her. The Lord by wisdom founded the earth and by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge, the depths were broken up and clouds dropped the dew (Proverbs 3:13-20 Emphasis Mine).
Christians should be at peace knowing that the things He is asking of you, He is not asking you to do it in your own ability. He will give you the Spirit of Wisdom to perform the very thing that He is asking of you. See, it is an incredible thing for the river of wisdom to flow in your life. You will look at yourself in the midst of it all and think, "I can't believe this is even me." Guess what? It's not!
When you begin to minister out of the Spirit of Wisdom, you won't be in a state of emotional reaction. Jesus operated in a constant flow of the Spirit of Wisdom. His works, words, and teachings astonished the multitudes. Jesus provided the disciples with a great supply of opportunities to marvel. He commanded the fig tree to wither (Matthew 21:20), calmed a raging sea with a word (Mark 6:51), and boldly declared to the skeptical Pharisees and Herodians, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17).
All who heard Him were astonished with His teaching, (Luke 4:32), His understanding, and His answers (Luke 2:47). He did many wonderful things, even raised the dead, and we don't get much more astonishing than that! In Acts 6:10, we see Stephen who spoke with such Wisdom that those who were resisting could say nothing! "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke". This is incredible manifestation of the Spirit of Wisdom through a person.
Jesus said this in Luke 21:15 "for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist". This is function out of the Spirit of Wisdom rather an emotional response. As a Believer, the Lord wants you to function in the Spirit of Wisdom in every day living that you will be able to speak life to the hurting. You can lead many to Christ through the operation of the Spirit of Wisdom. "The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning, he awakens my ear to hear as the learned" (Isaiah 50:4).
Many people will be lead to Christ through the operation of the Spirit of Wisdom. In Daniel 12:3, "Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever." Wow what a powerful tool to lead many to the Lord by the Spirit of Wisdom flowing through your life. We are the light upon the Hill and His Glory shall be seen upon us which will lead many to the Lord.
Living Wittily (With Intelligence, Clever)
God's people should be the wittiest people on the earth. We should be the ones who set the standard. We have the advantage, but we seem to always make excuses like, "Well, if I had what they had." The truth is you have the advantage over people who aren't born again. You have the advantage because you have the Holy Spirit living in you. Even Jesus, Himself, said, It's to your advantage that I go away so He can come (John 16:7 paraphrased). He was referring to the Holy Spirit.
Nehemiah 9:20a is one of my favorite scriptures, "You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them." God has given us His best, and the word for "best" means "beautiful, bountiful." The Holy Spirit is His best One who can instruct us. The word "instruct" means "to shoot like an arrow; to guide wittily, like a wise master builder." Christians should be the ones operating in the most skillful realms of ability and wisdom because we're plugged into the One who is orchestrating and bringing forth everything that He has purposed since the foundations of the earth.
Don't you want to live your life wittily so that people around you start to take notice? The truth is God wants to do something in our lives that gives Him glory. You shouldn't limit yourself to your education and your natural ability. I believe with all of my heart that this is for every Believer, and doesn't matter whether you're 10 or you're 70.
Heavenly Blueprints - God's Plans for Us
You can begin to operate daily in the river of wisdom. Courses of action from God will enable you to be a wise master builder, building by custom made Heavenly blueprints just for you. God has rivers of wisdom available to us for our lives. He has ordained our days for us before they ever come to pass, as Psalm 139:14-18 says,
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.
I love that my days are fashioned for me in the Lord's book in advance! Ephesians 2:10 also speaks of Him knowing our days in advance. It says,
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them."
In John 15:15-16, Jesus Himself said, "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you."
Do you want the fruit in your life that He has ordained and prepared?
Do you want wisdom in order to walk out His eternal blueprints for your life?
Wouldn't you like to have all those things? A river of wisdom will bring then about. Wisdom is more important than any riches of this earth, as Proverbs 8:11 says, For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
Spirit of Wisdom Impartation is Transferable
The Lord wants you to enter into another level of the Spirit of Wisdom. I am going to ask and believe for you to receive the activation of it. The Holy Spirit is the wisest person on the earth, isn't He? He knows what is going on in Heaven. By one Spirit we have access to the Father. So, when you connect with the Spirit of Wisdom or the river of wisdom, you are truly plugging into a greater level of the wisest Person on the earth. You are going to flow with the Person who knows everything that is going on in Heaven and who has access to the One who has your blueprints.
Why don't you make these faith declarations with me out loud now in prayer:
"We're coming into sync right now with the plan of Heaven for our lives upon the earth. As it is in Heaven, so shall it be in our lives. We're going to walk in such a realm of the Spirit that we're going to gain strength; we are going to increase and we're going to be fruitful because we're going to operate by the Spirit of Wisdom. We're going to build as wise master builders, not with wood, hay or stubble. We're going to build with gold and silver.
The Holy Spirit is going to search out the deep things of God and reveal them to us, then He is going to give us wisdom to be able to implement and see the fulfillment of those things. We thank You that we're a people who are being led and, instructed to live wisely and wittily by the Holy Spirit. Our steps are ordered by the Holy Spirit. Our lives will confound the wise.
This year is going to be the greatest year that we've seen for building the Kingdom. This is going to be the greatest year of building according to the blueprints of Heaven. We're going to be amazed at what You are going to do this year. And Lord, because we've embraced the Spirit of Wisdom, You're going to promote us. And because You're going to promote us, You're putting that ornament of grace on our heads right now. And I thank You for the crowning of glory. And I thank You, Lord, that we're going to have long life because we're going to know a sense of rest in the Spirit that we've never known before because we're not going to do it by our strength and our ability, but by the river of wisdom.
Now, Lord, I thank You that right now You are releasing an ability to teach like we've never been able to teach before. I thank You, Lord, that You've given us patterns to build by, but now the Spirit of Wisdom is going to see the fulfillment of those patterns. I thank You, Lord, that some of those things that we have waited for ten or twenty years, that this year there is going to be a 30-, a 60- and a 100-fold increase of them. I thank You for it in Jesus' mighty name! Amen.
This article came from Keith Miller's Book "Surrender to the Spirit." You can order your copy where Keith goes into greater teaching and ministry of the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding.
Keith and Janet Miller
Stand Firm World Ministries
Email: info@sfwm.org
Website: sfwm.org
Keith and Janet Miller minister throughout the U.S. and internationally, across denominational boundaries, with a vibrant teaching, preaching, and ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, seeing entire cities and regions impacted by the Glory of the LORD! Keith and Janet have founded and pastored a church. Keith is also a conference speaker, and he and Janet are regular guests on Christian television. They have put together Apostolic Revival Teams to see entire regions powerfully impacted with a fresh anointing, fresh oil, and an increase of a deeper passion for JESUS. Keith and Janet's hearts are to see God's people released and walking in their destiny for the LORD, to see the advancement of the Kingdom of God through each person's life, and the effective working of HIS mighty power through the Believer's life.
