What does it actually look like to live the Christian life in a way that honors God? Not just going through the motions, but genuinely walking in a manner worthy of the Lord. Pastor Mike unpacks Paul’s prayer for the Colossian church and reveals that it all starts with something foundational: knowing God’s truth—and not just knowing it, but learning to draw principles from it and apply it to your specific life situation.
Everything Must Be Based on Revealed Truth
Before diving into the passage, Pastor Mike laid an important foundation: everything in the behavior of a Christian must be based on revealed truth. Our decisions, our actions, our daily walk—all of it ought to be grounded in what God has revealed in His Word.
How does God speak to us? Three ways:
- Through prayer — when we pause and actually listen, not treating God like a drive-thru window
- Through the divine ministry of others — pastors, disciplers, fellow believers speaking through the Holy Spirit
- Through His Word — the most reliable and popular means, sharper than any two-edged sword
Why does this matter? Because the truth of God’s Word is the basis for all right action. Without it, we have no standard by which to judge ourselves. We live in a society that rejects moral absolutes, that says “live your truth” as if truth is relative. But the rejection of truth doesn’t negate its existence. As Pastor Mike illustrated: driving 80 mph doesn’t become okay just because you didn’t know the speed limit was 55—you still broke the law. The knowledge of the law changes behavior, not just the existence of it.
“What shall we say then? The law is sin by no means. Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.'”
— Romans 7:7
The Prayer: Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding
Paul’s prayer for the Colossians in Colossians 1:9 is that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. These three words might sound like synonyms, but Pastor Mike showed that they represent three distinct stages of spiritual growth:
1. Knowledge — The Facts
Knowledge is simply gaining the facts from God’s Word. When we read Scripture, we acquire information about God, His character, His promises, and His standards. This is the necessary first step—you cannot apply what you do not know.
2. Wisdom — Drawing Principles
Wisdom is the ability to draw applications and principles from the knowledge of God. This is where many people stop—but Paul doesn’t leave us there. Wisdom takes the facts and turns them into actionable principles for life. This is also where we see so many lies spewed in the world with a verse attached: without the Holy Spirit, you can read the text but cannot properly apply it.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
— John 14:26
3. Understanding — Applying to Your Life
Understanding answers the question: what does this mean for me today? It’s the application of God’s principles to the specific situation God has placed you in. You know the facts. You’ve drawn the principles. Now: what is God calling you to do with them?
Pastor Mike illustrated this with Mark 6:51-52, where the disciples were amazed that Jesus walked on water—right after they had just witnessed Him feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. They had the knowledge (they’d seen the miracle), but they didn’t understand what it meant. The principle? Hard hearts come from forgetful minds. The application for us? I will remind myself daily of what God has done and His promises.
Five Benefits of Applied Knowledge
When we properly move from knowledge to principles to understanding, Paul tells us five specific benefits follow (Colossians 1:10-11):
1. You Will Walk Worthy
Walking worthy means daily devotion to the Lord—walking in step with God, knowing not just what He is doing, but what your role is in what He is doing. Our model is Christ Himself: “Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk as He walked” (1 John 2:6). And the good news? When we realize the standard is Christ, we also realize that Christ in us helps us, guides us, and through His power we are able to walk worthy.
2. You Will Bear Fruit
Trees don’t produce fruit to eat themselves—they produce it to feed and serve others. When we walk worthy, the fruit of our life takes care of others. How do we know this is happening? James 3:17 describes what wisdom from above looks like: pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere. If someone around you claims to have a message from God but doesn’t display these qualities, hold them at arm’s length.
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, sincere.”
— James 3:17
3. You Will Grow
When you’re in the Word, drawing principles and applying them, you will want to know more—because it’s wonderful. Ephesians 4:11-14 describes the goal: to mature unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The process is growth, and it happens through knowledge, principles, and understanding.
4. You Will Be Strengthened
Verse 11 says we are strengthened with all power according to His glorious might—not a little power, but all the power. And it doesn’t say you get strong and then you’re on your own; it says you are continuously being strengthened. This is the active work of the Holy Spirit in your life (Ephesians 3:16).
5. You Will Have Endurance and Patience with Joy
This is the ultimate test: can you endure suffering and remain patient—and actually have joy in it? Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They said, “Even if God doesn’t save us from the fire, we will still worship Him.” Think of Paul, writing this letter from prison: Arrest me? No problem. Beat me? Great. Kill me? Spectacular—because to die is gain. How did he have that kind of joy in endurance? Because he knew God’s Word, His character, and His promises—and he was securely comfortable with his role within God’s plan.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
— Romans 8:28
Doing Your Job
At its core, walking worthy means doing your job—knowing your role within God’s plan and living in a manner worthy of it. The church is one body with many members, each with different gifts and responsibilities. When each part does its job, the body is built up in love.
So how do you build this kind of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding into your life? Pastor Mike’s answer was simple but convicting: study. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has not been ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). It starts with being in God’s Word daily—not just reading it, but meditating on it, asking questions of it, and letting the Holy Spirit apply it to your life.
This was Paul’s prayer for his church—and it’s Pastor Mike’s prayer for us today: that we would know God, be in His Word, draw principles from the text, apply it to our lives, and do our job because we know our role.
Scripture References
- Colossians 1:9-11 — Paul’s prayer for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding
- Romans 7:7 — The law reveals sin
- John 14:26 — The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds
- Mark 6:51-52 — The disciples’ forgetfulness and hardened hearts
- Psalm 1:1-3 — The blessed man who meditates on God’s law
- 1 Thessalonians 2:12 — Walk in a manner worthy of God
- Ephesians 4:1 — Walk worthy of the calling
- Ephesians 4:11-14 — The goal of maturity in Christ
- Ephesians 3:16 — Strengthened with power in the inner being
- James 3:17 — The wisdom from above
- 1 John 2:6 — Walk as Christ walked
- Romans 8:28 — All things work together for good
- 2 Timothy 2:15 — Rightly handling the word of truth