9. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

10. And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

11. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

12. Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

Let us pray.

Most holy and gracious heavenly Father we thank You for who You are. And we thank You for what You do. Father, hide Your son behind the cross, that Your people would see You and not me. And Father, as I decrease I ask that You would increase.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. And I thank You for Anointing me to preach the Gospel. In Jesus’ holy and blessed Name. (Tongues.) In Jesus’ Name, amen.

When we look at our Bibles today, it tells us that Solomon received a wise and discerning heart from God. It was obviously clear that he was wise in governing the nation. But he was foolish at governing his own house.

Wisdom is only affective when it is truly put into action. Early in Solomon’s life, he had to recognize that he needed wisdom, which was a blessing. But even though Solomon received wisdom, it did not mean that Solomon would not make mistakes.

You see, too many times we’re under the misconception that because somebody has the spirit of wisdom upon them... We believe they are not infallible. We believe that they cannot make mistakes. But the only perfect one is our God. We’re striving to be perfect. He said He’ll perfect everything that concerns us. But we are still prone to making mistakes.

When we look at chapter three, looking at verse one, it said,

1. And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.

He already started with bad habits. You see, you may have wisdom. But if you got a bad habit, it’ll cause that wisdom to be ineffective. Hello, somebody.

You see, his father’s last words was that he would not marry (glory to God) into Pharaoh’s house. He even went against the commandment of the Lord.

You see, too many times we’re in a position where we can apply the wisdom that we have, but we don’t apply the wisdom. Wisdom is only wisdom when I use wisdom. Hello, somebody.

I can be just like Solomon. God told him that there would be none as wise as him before, and there’ll never be anyone to come as wise as he was. But he had areas in his life, that even though he had all this wisdom, he did not apply this wisdom.

You see, God has given us wisdom right here in this Word. But until we apply this Word, that Word means nothing in our lives.

Not only (hallelujah) did he marry into Pharaoh’s house. But the Bible told us that he had hundreds of wives after them. And the only reason why he married into Pharaoh’s house was for political reason.

You see, you can allow self to get in the way when you make decisions. God can give you a wise choice, but it’s up to us to choose that wise choice. God can tell us the wise decision, but it’s up to us to make the wise decision after God gives it to us.

What happens is, many times, we do what we want to do. Hello, somebody. And then we want God to pick up the pieces.

Wisdom is what he asked God for. And God was pleased. But applying that wisdom in every area of his life was a different story. He went against the Word of God. He went against his father’s wishes. It’s true that he had a gift of wisdom. But he made mistakes.

The Bible tells us don’t think ourselves more than what we are. Because the moment we start thinking that we’re higher than anybody else, we begin to set ourselves up for failure. When we get in a mold where we judge everybody else... Oh, you don’t hear me today. When we become wise in our own conceits, we begin to mess our own selves up.

He had wisdom. But no one messed him up but himself. There were many strengths and accomplishments that Solomon had. He was the third king of Israel, David’s chosen heir. He was the wisest man who ever lived. He was the author of Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon, and many Proverbs, and some of the Psalms. He built the temple in Jerusalem. He was a diplomat, a trader, and a collector.

But in all of these things he still had weaknesses. He still many foreign agreements by marrying pagan women. He allowed his wives to affect his loyalty to God. Even though he had many strengths, he had many weaknesses.

What can we learn from Solomon today? Effective leadership can only... It will be nullified by an ineffective personal life.

You see, we’ve been striving to do well in ministry. But we’ve been lacking in the house. You don’t hear me today. We’ve been striving to put on a performance. Oh, my God, my God. To dot our I’s and cross our T’s in the house of God. But what’s really going on?

If our personal life doesn’t get right, it’ll cause me to be ineffective in leadership. Solomon failed to obey God. And he went through his whole life until he came to the end of it. And finally he repented.

You see, no man knows the day nor the hour that the Son of man is coming. And today and tomorrow is not promised to you. Hello, somebody. I can’t wait until the end to try to get right. I need to get right right now. I need to make up in my mind that for God I live and for God I die.

Knowing what actions are required of us, it means little without the will to do those actions. You see, it’s one thing to know what’s required of you. But it’s another thing to carry out what’s required of you. Wisdom without applying wisdom is foolishness.

Many times we ask God for wisdom. When He gives it to us, it’s not what we want to hear. So we don’t apply what He’s speaking to us. We apply what we think in our carnal minds. You see, He knows the end from the beginning. And even though what you think and I think may be right at the beginning, He knows the end of that thing. And even though it may seem right, it’s not right unless God says it’s right.

Go with me to Ecclesiastes chapter seven. He was the author of Ecclesiastes also. Hallelujah. Thank You, Jesus. In Ecclesiastes. Are you there yet? When you get there signify by saying amen. Chapter seven of Ecclesiastes. Chapter seven and verse eleven. It says,

11. Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.

12. For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

In other words, wisdom is going to breathe life into your spirit. Wisdom is not only going to breathe life into your spirit. Wisdom is going to breathe life into your situation.

What is wisdom? Webster defined wisdom as knowledge and the ability to use it. But we as the people of God understand wisdom as doing what God has for us to do, and looking at things from God’s perspective.

What is knowledge? Knowledge is understanding and skill gained by experience. We need to learn how to apply our knowledge and our wisdom together. And that will cause us to become skillful in the things of God.

You see, the Bible says that we need to be skillful at what we do for God. We need to give God our best.

It told us that wisdom was a defense. In other words, wisdom is a shelter. Wisdom is a protector, and wisdom is a shield around us.

And when we look at the word “defense,” it gives us that connotation that there must be opposition around us. You see, wisdom is going to keep that opposition away from us. If we learn to apply wisdom, even though the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God is going to lift up a standard against our enemy. Because we apply wisdom.

Saints of God, we’ve talked about wisdom before. We talked about how wisdom was a force that changed things.

You see, you’re looking for a change. And sometimes we get in a mold where we need a change. You see, if I begin to get wisdom to operate in my life, then I can guarantee I’m going to have a change. Because I’m going to see where I was. And then I’m going to understand where I’m going. I’m going to understand where I need to be. Hallelujah.

Wisdom is a force. And it begins to move in the atmosphere. When God created the heavens and the earth, wisdom was there. The Bible says that wisdom was there from the beginning.

And I need to call unto wisdom, even as a man would call a prostitute. Oh, you don’t hear me today. Wisdom is more to be desired than anything that can tickle my flesh. Do you hear what I’m saying today? It’s more to be desired than rubies and gold. Applying it is another story.

Where are you in your life today? (Tongues.) Many of us are at a place where we don’t know what to do. We don’t know where to go, where to turn. But the Bible told us in the book of James chapter three that wisdom is easy to be entreated for, and that it’s first pure and then peaceable, because it comes from God.

You see, this wisdom has not been tainted with the intellect of man. This wisdom is divinely inspired. And it comes from God. You see, I’d rather have something that comes from God than comes from man. You see, man can only begin to put what he knows into it. But I’m looking to the Ancient of Days that knows everything. Oh, my God, my God.

Wisdom is my sister. Wisdom has builded her house. But it’s up to me to enter in. We’re talking about wisdom today.

In Proverbs chapter nine and verse ten, it teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. In other words, respect and honor of God is the beginning of wisdom. You see, I have to learn how to really reverence God. That’s when wisdom is going to really flow from me. I got to learn how to bow my knee at the Name of Jesus. I got to learn how to put me down (glory to God) at the Presence of the Lord.

You want to operate in wisdom? Begin to bow your knee. Bow your knee to the King of Kings and the Lord of lords.

Go with me to the book of Job chapter twenty-eight. In Job chapter twenty-eight. Hallelujah. Beginning with verse seven. When you get there just signify by saying amen. (Tongues.) Thank You, Holy Spirit. It tells us,

7. There is a path (in Job twenty-eight and seven.) which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

Now here’s the question. Verse twelve.

12. But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

And it begins to go through all of these things about how wisdom is to be valued over gold and over any precious stone. But here’s the answer to that question. In verse twenty eight it said,

28. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

You see, Job had some friends all around him. And they all wanted to give their personal opinion. Elephaz, one of his friends, said that wisdom is learned by observing and experiencing life. Bildad said that wisdom is inherited from the past. Zophar said wisdom belongs to the wise. In other words, no other source than yourself.

But Job is the one that said that the source of wisdom and the first step towards wisdom is the fear of God. No matter what definition you can give about wisdom, it starts with reverencing the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

You see, that’s the wisdom that we need. You see, our wisdom is greater than the wisest man in the earth. Because our wisdom comes from the Spirit of God. And the Bible says that the Spirit of God knows the mind of God.

In other words, I am an intellect. But I’m not the kind of intellect that (glory to God) with worldly wisdom. I have Godly wisdom. And I know how to apply what God has given unto me.

We’re the smartest people on earth, if we’d only learn how to apply what God has given us.

You see, the world needs to come to us. We don’t need to go to the world. Hello, somebody.

Too many times we look to the world to tell us how to do our finances, don’t we? But in the Bible it tells us how to do with the sowing and reaping, doesn’t it? Hello, somebody. That’s wisdom that comes from God. He said with the stripes of Jesus Christ you are healed. But it’s applying what He said to our lives.

Wisdom. Where are you in your life? Is there a trouble spot, that you need God to fix? The Bible said in the book of James chapter one and verse five, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of who? God. Who giveth liberally and upbraideth not. But he said you better ask in faith and nothing wavering. If you want real wisdom, ask in faith, and believe that He’s able to give it to you. Don’t ask for it, and you already don’t believe it. You’ve got to ask in faith.

There is some dilemmas and some problems that all of us have. But if we will only seek wisdom. You can go to a prophet. You can go to a prophetess. But we prophesy in measure. Do you hear what I’m saying? We prophesy in part. Hello, somebody. You won’t always get a full answer from a prophet. Because we prophesy in part.

God is going to leave the rest up to you. Hello, somebody. He’s not going to make somebody else do your homework for you.

We’ll become lazy. “Why should I seek You, God, when somebody else can tell me what You’re saying?”

He wants us to get our own individual wisdom. Do you hear the message today? Not only do we need the wisdom that comes from God. We need to start applying that wisdom that comes from God. That’s what we need to do. We need to start seeking God for understanding.

Proverbs told us that get wisdom. It’s the principal thing. But with all of our getting, get understanding. Because understanding is going to apply the wisdom.

Where are you today? You need a word from the Lord. Let me tell you something. He’s got just what you’re looking for. It’s not in man. It’s not in woman. But it’s in the great I Am. He has all the answers.

You want to know why? Job began to ask the question, “Why, Lord?” But then God began to put God in his place. And He began to ask him, “Were you there?” Hello, somebody.

Wisdom is going to tell me to allow God to be God, and allow Him to be sovereign in my life, that He can do whatever He wants to do, whenever He wants to do it. That’s what wisdom is going to tell me.

So today no matter what your question is, say, “God, I want You to be God. But in the midst of me allowing You to be God, give me wisdom. Give me the wisdom that I need to allow You to be God.”

Wisdom, looking at it from God’s perspective. If I would look at it from His perspective, I would have a totally different outlook. I would realize that my thinking is finite, and His is infinite. That’s what wisdom would do for me.

So today, just like Solomon, ask God for wisdom, for a wise and discerning heart. We need to ask God for the same.

And when God gives it to us, let us apply it. Let us apply it. Don’t just apply it in the places that we want to apply it in. But let’s apply it to our whole life. Don’t just apply it in those places where you don’t really care about. Apply it in those places that tickle your flesh.

Wisdom is what we need. And we need to learn to operate in this wisdom.

Come on, give God a handclap of praise today.