Mensa Otabil - The Spirit of God Makes Us Wise
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We’ve been looking at the Spirit of God and what He is to us and what He does in our lives. Today we’re going to examine a very important thing that the Spirit of God does for us: He gives us wisdom. We find that in Daniel 5:14: «I have heard of you that the Spirit of God is in you and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.» This is the king of Babylon testifying about Daniel. Daniel was a young man who entered Babylon probably at the age of 15 and served for over 70 years in the public service of Babylon and Persia. After he had served for some time, this is what the Bible says about him: he started his life as a slave, and now he’s a very influential leader.
How could a person who starts life as a slave become such an influential world leader? The answer is in the testimony that his own employer makes about him: «I have heard that the Spirit of God is in you and that light, understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you.» One of the marks of the Spirit of God’s presence in us as believers is wisdom. The Spirit of God gives us wisdom. The Spirit of God takes simple people and makes them sophisticated. He makes us wise beyond our years; He makes us wiser than our teachers. When the Spirit of God comes to live in us, He makes us wise in many ways. One of the ways He makes us wise is by giving us the spirit of self-control.
He tames our excesses, where people are excessive and cannot control themselves, bound by all kinds of habits. The Spirit of God gives us the spirit of self-control. The Spirit of God gives us a whole new perspective on life and a way of looking at life that makes us seem mature.
I remember as a very young Christian when I was growing up; people were always surprised when I told them my age. Even as a teenager, they would be surprised because they thought I expressed myself wisely beyond my years. I could counsel people who were older than me; even before I married, I could counsel married people. It wasn’t because I was extraordinary; it was because when the Spirit of God comes to live in you, He makes you wise like Daniel. He helps you understand life better. He gives you a better appreciation of cause and effect: you understand that you reap what you sow, so you are very careful about what you reap.
The Spirit of God helps us by giving us a sound mind, a mind that is always stable, free from fear and intimidation. The Spirit of God opens our eyes and gives us courage. The benefit of the presence of the Spirit of God in you is that your life improves qualitatively. You think differently; you think better. You are able to control yourself, to control your appetite, and to subdue your own excesses. All of this makes you a wise person—not because you are naturally wise, but because the presence of God will make you wise.
So today, I want you to allow the Holy Spirit not just to be inside of you, but also to make you wise. People will look at you and marvel and say, «Wow, what kind of man is this? What kind of woman is this, who speaks so much profound knowledge?» It is by the Spirit of God that He makes us wise. I am Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom; peace and life to you.