Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

August 06, 2018

by Pastor Hawtree

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO GIVE US THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD (part 2)

Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD

When the Spirit of the Lord indwells us, He also gives us THE SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING. As we discussed, God can give us the spirit of wisdom. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. In verse two, the SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING means that God will give you that knowledge. The spirit of “understanding” gives you the knowledge, the spirit of “wisdom” teaches you how to apply it.

Let me explain. When you and I read the Bible, we do not understand everything that we read. We do not have all of that knowledge, and there will be things that we do not understand. But the more we let the Holy Spirit, that God gave us, have control of our lives, the more we will understand. God will teach us how to understand His Word through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I would be careful going around telling everyone that you don’t read the Bible because you don’t understand it. What you’re saying is that you are not submitting to the Holy Spirit. You are saying that you have not been close enough to God for Him to allow you to understand His Word. The more we read God’s Word, and the more we rely upon the Holy Spirit, the more we will understand. The spirit of understanding allows us to understand the Word of God, and the spirit of wisdom teaches us how to live it.

If you are a husband and you are reading this today, there are some things that you do not understand about your wife. Now we make jokes about that a lot, but it really can cause damage to a marriage. In fact, the Bible says:

* I Peter 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Now where can a husband get the knowledge that he needs to dwell with his wife according to God’s will? The only way for him to get that knowledge is through the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

If you are a parent reading this, there are some things that you may be finding difficult to understand about some of your children. Personality issues, character traits, and tendencies that are difficult for you to understand. There is only one way for a parent to get that kind of understanding. It is through the Holy Spirit of God. I encourage you today, as you are having your private time with the Lord, to ask Him for the spirit of understanding. Submit yourself to the leading of the Holy Spirit today and you may be surprised how much He helps you to have the spirit of understanding.