Proverbs 4:7 – “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom…”

Romans 10:17 – “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word [rhema] of God.”

Proverbs 4:7 has often bothered me in the past. The first time I actually meditated on it I thought it must either be wrong or it must be pertaining to only the Old Covenant. At the time I had been really studying and getting an understanding concerning faith. According to everything I had been learning about faith I thought surely faith must be the principle thing. I had learned that you can receive nothing from God apart from faith and therefore I thought that had to make it primary. So where does that leave Proverbs 4:7 which states, “Wisdom is the principle thing?” Is this an Old Covenant truth that is no longer valid, or is wisdom still the principle thing?

Until you know that Jesus bore your sickness and carried your diseases, the power that is in the Logos of God will remain dormant where your physical body is concerned.

First, let me remind you that in past devotions we’ve discussed the difference between the two Greek words that are both translated “word” in our modern Bibles. These are logos and rhema. Logos is the firm Word that is true and unchanging. That is why many people say that logos is the written Word, because what has been written of God’s Word cannot change. On the other hand, even though the rhema of God is also truth its focus is different. Rhema is the Word of God that has been made real to you through the power of the Holy Spirit. For example, the logos of God teaches that Jesus bore our sickness and carried our diseases, and by His stripes we are healed (Is. 53:4-5). This is true and unchanging. However, this logos will not have the effect on your physical body to bring healing until it becomes rhema to you. Until you know that Jesus bore your sickness and carried your diseases, the power that is in the Logos of God will remain dormant where your physical body is concerned.

Now with that understanding, let’s look at Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the rhema word of God.” It is not just what the Word of God says that causes faith to come, but it is what the Spirit of God has made alive and real to you that will cause faith to come. This truth is vitally important to our ability to walk in faith, because many of us will confess the word thinking that we are “in faith,” but in reality we have never allowed the Holy Spirit to take the logos of God and make it rhema to us. This is why many people who “try” the faith life fail. They try to apply a formula of confession into their life without any real faith, because faith only comes after the rhema of God.

A rhema from God is His wisdom.

From this we can see that faith can’t be the primary thing because there is something that comes before it. The rhema of God must come before faith can ever come, therefore we would have to say that rhema is the principle thing and not faith. So how does this apply to wisdom? A rhema from God is His wisdom. The Bible even calls the Word of God the wisdom of God. When you are seeking after the wisdom of God in a situation, what you are seeking is for God to give you direction or guidance. When He gives you this direction it comes in the form of a rhema word from God. It is God speaking to you and giving you specific instruction for your life. So wisdom truly is the principle thing.

Now what can we take from this truth to apply to our lives or how does this affect our lives? Most Christians have not placed getting the wisdom of God as the primary thing in their life. They don’t take the time to get before the Lord and let the Holy Spirit take the logos of God and make it rhema to them. I’ve seen this to be especially true for many who are “Word of Faith” people. They are taught that they have to confess the promises and they will come to pass. However, confessing the promises without faith will not bring manifestation, and we have already seen that you cannot have faith until you’ve received a rhema from God for your situation.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say you are in debt and you want to get out. Most Christians who have been taught faith will immediately go to quoting prosperity scriptures and confessing they are debt free. These are proper and vital actions that are necessary to see supernatural debt cancellation but if they are not done in faith, or you could say if they are not actions coming from a rhema of God, they won’t cause the manifestation you desire. So what you must do is take the logos of God and study and meditate it until the Holy Spirit makes it alive to you. When the scriptures are no longer “God wants the believer out of debt,” but “God wants me out of debt;” you will have the faith necessary to see that happen in your life.

When you are faced with a situation, take time to go before the Lord and ask Him what His wisdom is for that situation.

Let me encourage you, don’t be so quick to pray “learned” prayers or just confess scriptures because that’s what “faith people” do. When you are faced with a situation, take time to go before the Lord and ask Him what His wisdom is for that situation. Remember, that James 1:5 promises us that if we ask for His wisdom He will give it to us. When that wisdom comes in the form of rhema from God it will produce the faith necessary to see your situation changed. When you need the Word of God to work for you, you must never forget the principle thing.