Walking in Wisdom and Spiritual Intelligence

Introduction

Apostle Yves Castanou opens this CIC 2026 sermon with a series of questions that challenge. Does the Church still have a voice in the development of cities? In economic strategies, agriculture, digital transformation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, education programs, social programs? Are you sitting at the table of those deciding what Paris, Brazzaville, or any city will look like over the next fifteen years? Or are you watching others build your world without you?

The central message comes very quickly: we are not saved to go to heaven, we are saved to respond to the needs of our generation. Saved to be answers. Saved to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth in every sphere of activity. And to fulfill that role, one resource is decisive: wisdom and spiritual intelligence.

Throughout the service, Apostle Castanou returns to the biblical figures who embodied this wisdom (Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, David, Solomon), and declares that the God of Daniel is still rising up today to raise up and position men and women capable of solving the problems of their generation.

Outline of the message

1. The Church is called to be an answer for its generation

The pastor insists: not everything happens at church. You come, you recharge, you do plenty of things there, but life stretches far beyond the sanctuary. The food you eat was not produced at church. So why should the Church not be involved in production, in the real economy, in local decisions? Humanity's greatest need is to live and to eat. If the Church has nothing to say at that level, it is disconnected from its mission.

The question he throws back at you is direct: are you involved, or only other people?

2. You are light and salt: so you are called to impact every sphere

"You are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth." This is not spiritual decoration, it is a calling to occupy the field. Every sector (education, economy, technology, politics, culture) needs Christians who are trained, positioned, and competent. The pastor speaks of God's will to establish men and women in these times that have already begun, to raise them up, to position them so they can go and solve the problems of humanity.

3. Wisdom: the key resource: Joseph, Daniel, Solomon

Joseph was sent to solve the problems of his generation and his country. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were young men like any others. What set them apart was not noise, it was not smooth talk, it was their consecrated heart, their refusal to be defiled, their cry to God. And the Bible says God gave them knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, with Daniel receiving a particular ability: to decode dreams and give their interpretation (Daniel 1 and 2).

The apostle calls this "the God of Daniel." He describes him as a God who lifts people into dimensions of great wisdom, to the point that unemployment can no longer hold its ground against someone walking in that dimension.

4. Solomon: "Give me a wise and understanding heart"

When God appears to Solomon and tells him, "Ask what I shall give you" (1 Kings 3), Solomon does not ask for long life, riches, or the death of his enemies. He asks for a wise and understanding heart to discern and govern this vast people. The pastor points out: Solomon is not talking about mathematical intelligence, he is talking about spiritual intelligence. Because life is spiritual. Repeat it: life is spiritual.

This wisdom is the ability to conduct yourself well, to speak well, to make the right decisions, to manage those close to you and those far away, to discipline where discipline is needed, to lift up where lifting up is needed. It is the wisdom every person called to lead needs, at home, in business, in the Church, in the city.

5. A spiritual view of circumstances: Romans 8:28

Spiritual wisdom also produces a new way of looking at storms. Not every storm is sent to destroy you. Some are there to lift you up. Daniel knew that the lions' den was not there to kill him, God was going to use it to raise him up. That kind of vision is spiritual, not natural.

"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). The pastor turns this into a confession: I am never at a disadvantage.

6. Wisdom is obtained through prayer and consecration

Wisdom does not come from noise or chatter. It is asked for on your knees, as Solomon did. It is welcomed into a heart that has rejected defilement, as Daniel's was. The apostle draws on Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:17, that God would give "a spirit of wisdom and of revelation." He prays that the congregation would receive this anointing in the pattern of Daniel: the ability to understand, to interpret, to discern what the Lord is saying.

Key takeaways

• We are not saved to go to heaven, we are saved to be answers for our generation.
• The Church is called to impact every sphere: economy, education, technology, politics, agriculture, culture.
• The key resource for fulfilling this role is wisdom and spiritual intelligence, not natural skill first.
• This wisdom is asked of God (Solomon), welcomed into a consecrated heart (Daniel), and transforms how you view trials (Romans 8:28).
• The God of Daniel is the same today, still raising up and positioning those who ask him for it.

Personal application

• In which sphere of your life (work, family, city, neighborhood, school) is God asking you to be an answer rather than just a spectator?
• What decision are you facing right now where you need, not natural analysis, but spiritual intelligence?
• Are there defilements in your heart that you are tolerating and that are blocking access to wisdom from above? What do you need to lay down today?
• Do you really take the time, like Solomon, to ask God for a wise and understanding heart, or do you mostly rely on your own strength?
• What storm are you going through that God would like to use to lift you up, rather than to destroy you?

Verses cited

• Matthew 5:13-16 : You are the salt of the earth, the light of the world.
• Daniel 1 : Daniel and his companions refuse to defile themselves.
• Daniel 2 : God gives Daniel wisdom to interpret dreams.
• 1 Kings 3:5-14 : Solomon asks for a wise and understanding heart.
• Romans 8:28 : All things work together for good for those who love God.
• Ephesians 1:17 : A spirit of wisdom and revelation.
• Luke 4:18 : The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has anointed me.

FAQ

What is the spiritual intelligence Apostle Yves Castanou is talking about?

It is not mathematical intelligence or plain intellectual ability. It is the capacity, given by the Holy Spirit, to spiritually discern people, circumstances, and decisions, and to know how to conduct yourself and govern. This is what Solomon asks for in 1 Kings 3: a wise and understanding heart, because life is spiritual first.

How can I obtain this wisdom according to the message?

Two conditions stand out. First, consecration of the heart, Daniel and his companions refuse to be defiled, they cry out to God. Second, prayer, Solomon asks for wisdom, Paul prays that God would give a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17). Wisdom is given by God, it cannot be improvised.

Why say that "we are not saved to go to heaven"?

The apostle obviously does not deny eternal life. He is pushing back against too narrow a reading of salvation, one that reduces the Christian life to waiting for heaven. Salvation makes us available to be answers here, now, for our generation. That is the meaning of salt and light: being present and active in every sphere of society.