God Grant Me Wisdom published by Worthy Inspired

The first verse that stood out to me was the one related to strength from God. I loved the reminder from this verse. God strengthens us and relying on Him is the most pleasing and best thing that we can do as His people.

Verse 3: Strength from God

“Depend on the Lord and his strength; always go to him for help. Remember the miracles he has done; remember his wonders and his decisions.” — Psalm 105:4–5 NCV

We are imperfect beings who, because of our limited vision, often resist God’s will.

A leader’s prayer: Dear Lord, I will turn to You for strength. When my leadership responsibilities seem overwhelming, I will trust You to give me courage and perspective. Today and every day, I will look to You as the ultimate source of my hope, my strength, my peace, and my salvation. Amen.

We cannot do anything when we are bitter. That’s just one reason that we feel a weight lifted after we move past our bitterness. Sometimes we may withhold forgiveness and be bitter towards someone or their actions but that is not a very productive approach.

Verse 9: Wise Leaders Understand the Futility of Bitterness

“All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” — Ephesians 4:31–32 HCSB

“Be patient and understanding. Life is too short to be vengeful or malicious.” — Phillips Brooks.

A leader’s prayer: Heavenly Father, free me from anger and bitterness. When I am angry, I cannot feel the peace that You intend for my life. When I am bitter, I cannot sense Your presence. Keep me mindful that forgiveness is your commandment. Let me turn away from bitterness and instead claim the spiritual abundance that You offer through the gift of Your Son. Amen.

This is something that I hold very close to heart. How you do anything is how you do everything. Each choice matters but at the same time, “we cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” — John Maxwell. Though, how we act in situations defines who we are and each choice will speak to our subconscious.

Verse 13: Wise Leaders Understand the Importance of Making Good Choices

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” — Deuteronomy 30:19–20 HCSB

Every day you make hundreds of choices and the quality of those choices determines the quality of your day, your career, and your life.

I loved this verse because it again emphasized the value of doing our best and recognizing the positive aspects of each and every situation that we find ourselves in. While not everything will be as we would like to be, God can take anything and make it good. He can take anything and make it great.

Verse 14: Finding Contentment

“I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” — Philippians 4:11 HCSB

A leader’s prayer: Heavenly Father, let me be a leader who strives to do Your will here on earth, and as I do, let me find contentment and balance. Let me live in the light of Your will and Your priorities for my life, and when I have done my best, Lord, give me the wisdom to place my faith and my trust in You. Amen.

I read a great book a few years ago that challenged readers to look at everyone and treat everyone as if they were Jesus. I think that is some wonderful advice and the prayer that connected to this day’s devotional provided a memorable way for each of us to do just that.

Verse 16: Wise Leaders Know That it Pays to be Courteous

“Are there those among you who are truly wise and understanding? Then they should show it by living right and doing good things with a gentleness that comes from wisdom.” — James 3:13 NCV

Guide me, Lord, to treat all those I meet with courtesy and respect. You have created each person in Your own image; let me honor those who cross my path with the dignity that You have bestowed upon them. We are all Your children, Lord; let me show kindness to all. Amen.

As long as we know that we are working for God, we must persevere. Moses spent 40 years leading God’s people through the desert. The walls of Jericho did not fall on the first day, nor the second, nor the third, that took seven days. Great leaders are not to be discouraged easily, if God is for us, who then can be against us?

Verse 19: Great Leaders are not Easily Discouraged

“We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.” — 2 Corinthians 4:8 NKJV

When we fail to meet the expectations of others (or, for that matter, the expectations that we have for ourselves), we may be tempted to abandon hope. But God has other plans. He knows exactly how He intends to use us. Our task is to remain faithful until He does.

“If your hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being purified.” — Oswald Chambers

We all feel negative emotions at some point; God never promised that life would be easy or enjoyable. I always place my hope in facts, and here’s the greatest one: God created you, God created me, and God created everyone else too.

Verse 21: Wise Leaders Rise Above Their Negative Emotions

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness.” — 2 Peter 1:5–6 NCSB

When anger or anxiety separates us from the spiritual blessings that God has in store, we must rethink our priorities. And place faith above feelings.

Here are the facts: God’s love is real;

His peace is real; His support his real; and,

He wants you to follow in the footsteps of His Son.

Don’t ever let your emotions obscure these facts.

Breathe by Johnny Diaz. Undoubtedly one of my all-time favorite songs. It speaks to me and always causes me to reflect and call out to God. We should not and cannot do it on our own. This life was meant for us to live together, side by side, filled with praise for our wonderful God. The artist sings, “Chaos calls but all you really need is to just breathe.” Wow I love that. God calls us to rely on Him; God commands use to rely on Him. “Have no other Gods before me.”

“Let’s stop calling it a “busy schedule” or “bills” or “forgetfulness.” It’s called evil.” — Francis Chan

Verse 28: Be Still

“Be still, and know that I am God…” — Psalm 46:10 KJV

Has the busy pace of life robbed you of the peace that might otherwise be yours through Jesus Christ? If so, it’s time to reorder your priorities. Nothing is more important than the time you spend with your Savior.

One of the quotes that the authors featured alongside verse 31 forced me to stop, to pause, to read it again and again and again. God is always with us, no matter what we do, but how much greater could we be if we stuck with God?

Verse 31: Wise Leaders Fear God

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” — Proverbs 9:10 HCSB

“The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” — Oswald Chambers

A leader’s prayer: Dear Lord, let my greatest fear be the fear of displeasing You. I will strive, Father, to seek Your will this day and every day of my life. Amen.

“With every blessing comes greater requirement.”

We must be ready. We must pray with expectation. We must work as if it is up to us and pray is if it is up to God. God rewards faithful work. He says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Verse 34: Follow Him

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” — Luke 9:23–24 NKJV

Christ-centered leadership isn’t easy. It takes a radical commitment — and significant sacrifices — to really follow Jesus. And it’s worth it.

Each and every single day we must seek God. In every decision, in every movement, and in every moment, we must continually seek Him. I recently read that we must continually also ask that God continues to fill us with the Holy Spirit. And when we give to others, when we share God’s word, God’s message, part of the Holy Spirit leaves us to go to the other person. That is why we must continue to seek God and to continue to ask for the Holy Spirit to fill us in all ways, always.

Verse 39: Wise Leaders Continually Seek God

“Honor His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Search for the Lord and for His strength; seek His face always.” — 1 Chronicles 16: 10–11 HCSB

A leader’s prayer: Dear Lord, in the quiet moments of this day, I will turn my thoughts and prayers to You. In these silent moments, I will seek Your presence and Your will for my life knowing that when I accept Your peace, I will be blessed today and throughout eternity. Amen.

I’m very passionate about working and working hard. I love the comparison that the authors made. Diligence is rewarded, but what isn’t? Sloth. How many of us are sloths? I’d tend to say that many of us really are sloths and are not working as we should or as God has designed us to work.

Verse 55: We’re Expected to Work

“In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: ‘If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.’” — 2 Thessalonians 3:10 HCSB

In his second letter to the 2 Thessalonians, Paul warns, “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.” And the book of Proverbs proclaims, “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys,” (18:9 NIV). In short, God has created a world in which diligence is rewarded but sloth is not. Hard work is not simply a proven way to get ahead; it’s also part of God’s plan for you.

I did not have much of a response to this next verse though I often reflect on just how important integrity really is. All of the people that I most admire and respect in this life are incredibly authentic and exude high levels of integrity — I would say the same for the people that you probably think most highly of. Integrity to me means that your actions back up your words — no matter what.

Verse 59: Wise Leaders Understand That Integrity Matters

“An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, not addicted to wine, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy.” — 1 Timothy 3:2–3 HCSB

INTEGRITY IS BUILT slowly over a lifetime. It is the sum of every right decision and every honest word.

“Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.” — Billy Graham

I featured Francis Chan’s quote earlier on in this reflection but it fits very well here also. He wrote, “Let’s stop calling it a “busy schedule” or “bills” or “forgetfulness.” It’s called evil.” — Francis Chan

Verse 64: The Gift of Life

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12 NKJV

Sometimes, we don’t intentionally neglect God; we simply allow ourselves to become overwhelmed with the demands of everyday life. And then, without our even realizing it, we gradually drift away from the One we need most.

Our God is the master potter. With every piece of clay, He is able to mold something beautiful. But, if we ever leave the hands of the master potter, we are an unfinished product. I do not believe that we were ever designed to stop growing nor were we designed to leave God’s gentle hands.

Verse 65: Wise Leaders Continue to Grow

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” — 1 Corinthians 13:11 NKJV

“No matter what we are going through, no matter how long the waiting for answers, of one thing we may be sure. God is faithful. He keeps His promises. What He starts, He finishes… including His perfect work in us.” — Gloria Gaither

“We cannot hope to reach Christian maturity in any way other than by yielding ourselves utterly and willingly to His mighty working.” — Hannah Whitnall Smith

I have great respect for people who own up to what they have done and take responsibility for all actions that they partake in. This is something that I have majorly grown in over the years. I remember my first job and I was a busboy at a restaurant. I made some mistakes and one of the cooks confronted me. I vividly remember him asking me why I did or didn’t do something and I was giving him some well-thought out responses. He looks back at me and goes, “Harrison stop giving me excuses.” I’m thinking like, “wait but that’s not an excuse that is the reason that I couldn’t do what I needed to do.” But now I know that regardless of the reason, it’s an excuse, it’s a mistake, I messed up and now, I always take responsibility.

Verse 69: Great Leaders Face up to Their Mistakes

“The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” — Proverbs 28:13 HCSB

“In essence, my testimony is that there is life after failure: abundant, effective, spirit-filled life for those who are willing to repent hard and work hard.” — Beth Moore

This is the truth though, 100%. I think back to the two people beside Jesus, also on crosses. Neither of them put God first in their lives and that put them there in the first place. One of them asked Jesus what he had to do to be saved. Put God first, period. No matter what, and in everything, we are called to put God first.

Verse 77: Wise Leaders Make God Their Top Priority

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” — Matthew 6:33 HCSB

Unless you put first things first, you’re bound to finish last. And don’t forget that putting first things first means God first and everything else next.

A book that I’m reading right now by Mark Batterson shares that it’s insulting if we do not go to God with anything and everything. God wants to hear everything and help us with everything. Mark also shared something that the authors of this book stated as the answer to the question of, “what is it that is too unimportant to pray about yet too big for God to handle?” I hope you know by now, that I believe nothing is.

Verse 78: Wise Leaders Face Their Problems and Pray About Them

“Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me” — John 14:1 HCSB

Here’s a riddle: What is it that is too unimportant to pray about yet too big for God to handle? The answer is: nothing. Pray as if everything depended entirely upon God and work as if everything depended entirely upon us.

We become like the people that we spend time with. Why not spend most of our time with God? Wouldn’t we want to become most like our perfect Creator? I know I would. I heard a great perspective recently that said that the Bible is not designed to be read through but rather, to be prayed through. God’s Word speaks to us and our reaction to it is one way that we can pray to God, especially if we feel there is nothing to say.

Verse 79: Wise Leaders Follow God. Not “The Crowd”

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’” — 1 Corinthians 15:33 HCSB

Some people in our lives don’t even make it past the first one, but we should not judge them for that, perhaps they don’t know any better. It’s up to each of us to be examples for them. Apologies are incredibly important to me, it shows that people are actually aware of what they did, how that impacted others and what they are willing to do differently in the future. I believe that if someone is not willing to change anything then they are not truly sorry.

Verse 81: Real Repentance

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9 HCSB

“Four marks of true repentance are: acknowledgement of wrong, willingness to confess it, willingness to abandon it, and willingness to make restitution.” — Corrie Ten Boom

I think that Rick Warren has the best response to the following verse that I highlighted. As the saying goes, “show me where you spend your time and I’ll show you what you care about.”

“You can say you love Jesus, but if you don’t spend any time with Him, then you don’t love Him as much as you think you do. You say you love your kids, but do you spend time with your kids? No? Then you don’t really love them the way you think you do. You can say you love to be in shape, but do you work out? No? Then you don’t really love being in shape.” — Rick Warren

Verse 85: Wise Leaders Serve God

“We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.” — John 9:4 HCSB

Are you willing to become a humble servant-leader for Christ? Are you willing to pitch in and make the world a better place, or are you determined to keep all your blessings to yourself. The answers to these questions will determine the quality of your leadership and the direction of your life.

A fool speaks, a smart person waits to speak, a wise person listens. Which are you? Proverbs, an entire book of the Bible, is devoted primarily to wise living. God clearly values wisdom and the things that we say.

Verse 87: Wise Leaders Measure Their Words Carefully

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” — Proverbs 25:11 NKJV

“The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.” — Rick Warren

We will all stumble, but as the saying goes, “it’s much more difficult to get pushed down if you’re always on your knees.” That means that we should spend a LOT of time in prayer. Our most important relationship is the one with our heavenly Father and I believe that we need to be incredibly thankful for each and every day, who knows if we’ll receive the blessing of another.

Verse 90: A Thankful Heart

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” — 2 Corinthians 9:15 HCSB

“Though I know intellectually how vulnerable I am to pride and power, I am the last one to know when I succumb to their seduction. That’s why spiritual Lone Rangers are so dangerous — and why we must depend on trusted brothers and sisters who love us enough to tell us the truth.” — Chuck Colson

“The words ‘thank’ and ‘think’ come from the same root word. If we would think more, we would thank more.” — Warren Wiersbe

As I alluded to in my reflection to the previous verse that we are strongest on our knees. This verse talks about that fact, we are strongest on our knees without a doubt; it is only then that God can best walk beside us and shelter us.

Verse 96: Wise Leaders Pray Often

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NKJV

The quality of your spiritual life will be in direct proportion to the quality of your spiritual life: the more you pray, the closer you will feel to God. So today, instead of turning things over in your mind, turn them over to God in prayer. Instead of worrying about your next decision, ask God to lead the way.

Pray constantly about things great and small. God is always listening; it’s up to you to do the rest.

“Prayer may not get us what we want, but it will teach us to want what we need.” — Vance Havner

I love the way that the main point of this verse’s message was written. We can have either the world’s values or God’s, but not both. That is so important. Integrity is so important. We can decide to be one person or another, but not both at once. Half of yourself is never enough for God. Where do we place our trust? Who do we model our lives after?

Verse 97: The Value System You Can Depend on

“Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your untilled ground. It is time to seek the Lord until He comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.” — Hosea 10:12 NCSB

And if you intend to experience God’s blessings, you’ll make sure that your values are shaped by His promises. The world’s promises are incomplete and deceptive; God’s promises are unfailing. Your challenge, then, is to build your value system upon the value system that never fails: God’s value system.

You can have the values that the world holds dear, or you can have the values that God holds dear, but you can’t have both. The decision is yours and so are the consequences.

The final verse I highlighted was the last verse that the book spent time sharing a message from. It makes me think again of Proverbs. The Lord inspired King Solomon to write the book of Proverbs for a reason. I love the quote from D.L. Moody and think that sums it up best. As I like to say, actions speak, words whisper.

Verse 100: Christ-Centered Leadership

“Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but freely, according to God’s will; not for the money but eagerly.” — 1 Peter 5:2 HCSB

“A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian, and most of all, his family ought to know.” — D.L. Moody