Midweek Faith Lift
August 13, 2025
Su Podraza-Nagle, LUT
The Power of Wisdom/Judgement
When put together in thought, to me they sound quite similar.
So, I went to my favorite, “Revealing Word” and see what Charles Fillmore has to say about wisdom and judgement.
Wisdom- Intuitive knowing, spiritual intuition. The voice of God within as the source of our understanding. Mental action based on the Christ Truth within. Wisdom includes judgment, intuition and all the departments of mind that come under the head of knowing. Judgement- Mental active evaluation through comparison or contrast. Spiritual discernment, The inner voice through whose expression we come into a larger realization of ourselves.
As I was wrestling with these words. Meditating on who came first? Wisdom or Judgement. Almost like the whole chicken or egg question. In the silence of meditating, I realized, it doesn’t matter. Like the “who came first” of the egg story, when we use our power of wisdom, right judgement, positive choices are the outcome. Our soul sings, we are relaxed, and we feel confident.
Many years ago, when I was a Y.O.U. sponsor, there were often moments when I would need to remind the teens of their Power of Wisdom. Typically right before I saw them doing something risky or likely to create some type of person injury. “Use your better judgement” was typically how I would bring the point home. The looks of confusion and defeat would cross their faces as they calculated mindfully. Waiting to be reprimanded before they even had the chance to complete their daring physical acrobatics. I would wait, say a silent prayer and inevitably, a grin, and then a, “Yes Miss. Su!” As they used their power of Wisdom/judgement and created a safer way to express themselves as active spiritual beings. We’ve all been there. When we were young adults. Defying the odds. I am convinced, if we had listened to the Wisdom, the spiritual intuition or God in us, ever present within us, we may have had less “Seemed liked a good idea at the time” moments.
Having Wisdom and using judgement-
Consider this verse of wisdom:
My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; If you find it, you will find a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
On the surface, this verse taken from Proverbs 24: 13-14 sounds like it’s telling us to eat honey. Might not be too far from the truth. Based on current scientific research, honey, particularly raw, supports brain health and potentially contributes to cognitive functions like memory and learning. Then we have the rest of the verse; Know that wisdom is such to your soul. That omnipotent voice whispering, the gentle tug moving you to the next divine appointment with your future. We make better decisions when we embrace our truth. Our Christ consciousness. The next right thing. A future. Hope not cut off.
Linda Martella-Whitsett states,” The original name for the Power of Wisdom was assigned by Charles Fillmore as Judgment. The word judgment fell out of use during the late 20th century, however, because “to judge” smacked of judgmentalness and was confused with Bible literalists’ divine judgement.
As Charles Fillmore stated, judgement was comparison and contrast. Here are a couple verses that could have possibly made for lively conversation around quite a few dinner tables (at least it was in mine growing up) and a couple minister appointments. (got me in good trouble on numerous occasions) They may also examples of why the word change.
Matthew 7:1-2- Do not judge so that you may not be judged, for with the judgment you make, you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. These verses emphasize avoiding judgmental attitudes. Be careful about condemning yourself or others. Some folks call it karma.
John 7:24- Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement. Jesus uses the example of circumcision to highlight the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. They were diligent in observing the law of Moses regarding circumcision on the Sabbath, which involved work, but criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. We miss the truth of right judgement when healing needs to be given. A homeless person deserves compassion and care as much as our neighbor does. Consider: Is it ok for a an assault charge against a business man to be dropped but yet a Domestic Violence victim who defends herself and seriously wounds or kills her attacker gets prison time?
Most of us have heard the story about King Solomon and the two women claiming one child. For those of us who need a refresher, here's the story. There was a king by the name of Solomon. And he was also a great judge. One day God asked what he could give Solomon, And Solomon chose wisdom above riches and honor. Solomon was given a rare intuition, (call it the power of Wisdom) and he used it freely in arriving in his judgments. He did not rest his investigations on visible facts. He sought out an inner motives. In the case of the two women who claimed the same infant, he commanded an attendant to bring a sword and cut the child in two and give half to each woman. Of course, the real mother begged him not to do this, and he knew at once that she was the mother. This is an example. Of having wisdom. And being able to use right judgment.
These have and always will call us to rise and use spiritual discernment with integrity. Ask yourself what is yours to do. Self reflect on your own actions toward yourself and the world around you. Using the power of Wisdom and judgement how do you treat yourself? Are you using right judgement? Is the inner knowing in your gut giving you butterflies?
As you may recall from last Sunday, Rev Deb spoke of a quote from Linda Martella-Whitsett:
“Wisdom is applied knowledge, our decision-making capacity through mental evaluation, spiritual discernment and moment by moment intuition.”
We will know when we have used right judgement. We will feel and know in our solar plexus, that feeling in our gut, that all is well and in a state of peace and harmony. Our jaw will unclench, our shoulders will drop and relax and we will be more at ease.
In choosing right judgement, we are able to discern in two ways; mentally we are able to reach conclusions based on experience, and in intellect, we use reason to answer questions we ask ourselves. Spiritual judgement, intuition and inspiration, or listening to that “still small voice” brings us to right judgement.
When we pause to consider the co-action between wisdom and judgment, we reveal a tapestry woven of experience, empathy, and humility. Life continuously offers us opportunities—some subtle, some glaring—for practicing right judgment. Each moment invites a sacred weighing of facts and feelings, a gentle questioning of our assumptions, and a listening for that quiet, inner voice saying, “yes” or “no.”
In times of uncertainty, we remember that spiritual discernment urges us not to leap to conclusions but to rest in the space between reaction and response. Here, in that quiet moment, God whispers and clarity dawns.
Perhaps the greatest acts of wisdom are found in our daily interactions: in the patience we offer a stranger, in the restraint we show before speaking in anger, in the courage to speak truth with compassion. Right judgment is not about perfection but about the presence, our christ self—being awake to the guidance that rises from within, and having the grace to follow it, even when it leads us outside our comfort zones.
Let us, then, commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of the power of Wisdom. Let us trust that the power to discern, to listen deeply, and to act with integrity is always available, waiting patiently to be called forth in every choice we make.
And so it is and so we let it be!