Dharius Daniels - What is "Spiritual Intelligence"?

Here’s where your spiritual intelligence comes into play. One of the things that your sixth sense does is assist you with discernment. I could look at that entire list of the traits of the great and say I need everything on that list, but that doesn’t mean I need to acquire or increase everything on it now. I need spiritual intelligence to help me discern which of these three traits this next season of my life requires. I’m going to explain why this is important because it hinges on spiritual intelligence. God actually knows what’s happening in the next season of your life; He knows the end from the beginning. He is a God of Providence, and because He can see before something happens, He is able to order our steps and orchestrate the affairs of our lives so that we are ready for what He sees in the future, which we cannot see in our present. Thus, spiritual intelligence is our ability to be sensitive to the traits that God might be highlighting for us to lean into in this next season of our lives.

God can communicate this in various ways. It could be through promptings, or you might sense desires as you review the list. God gives us the desires of our hearts, but that doesn’t mean He gives our hearts everything they want; rather, He gives our hearts what to want. Some of us look at those traits and think, «I want to be more decisive,» or «I want to be more focused,» or «I want to be more resilient.» Sometimes God is at work through those wants, so discernment involves figuring out which three traits we want to cultivate the most in this season. God can be active in that process.

There are a number of different ways to approach this, and I don’t want to go down that rabbit trail too far, but discerning what needs to be developed is crucial. One of my tools is the ACTS model, which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. I use this framework for my prayer time, and one of my prayer targets involves education. I pray, «Lord, show me what to learn in this season.» When you grow spiritually, everything else improves. Spiritual life is not the only important aspect of your life—it is the most important part, as it affects every other area. However, you don’t grow stronger spiritually by accident; it requires intentionality. You need to be fed, and you must learn how to interpret, apply, and explain the Bible. The Bible is the blueprint for your best life, and I can tell you that one Sunday is not enough to equip you with the tools you need for effective biblical study.

I invite you to join my community called Bible You, where I help you elevate your understanding, application, and explanation of the Bible. Educate me, I pray, regarding what I should learn in this season. There is an immense amount of content available, but just because I can learn everything doesn’t mean I should. Remember, we want strategic learning. I want to focus on the things I need for the season I’m currently in and for the upcoming season. I know where I am, but I don’t know where I’m headed, so I need some divine insight on how to prepare for what I cannot yet see. This is where spiritual intelligence becomes vital.

Now, the second important aspect is emotional intelligence. The first quadrant of emotional intelligence is self-awareness, and the next is self-management. I need self-awareness to recognize what I’m not. This is where emotional intelligence comes into play; it allows me to have a genuine view of myself. One of the things my mentor often expresses is, «I’m emotionally intelligent, not because there is nothing wrong with me, but because I understand what it is and know how to manage it.» That is the first quadrant. It becomes exceptionally challenging if there is fragile self-esteem or hyper-sensitivity. It is tough to gain an objective view of who I am when I’m hyper-insecure—I probably won’t notice my strengths. Conversely, if I’m overly arrogant, it makes it difficult to see my weaknesses.

Let me clarify this, especially within religious contexts where humility is highly valued. People sometimes assume that thinking lowly of themselves means they are thinking rightly about themselves, but that is simply not true. Thinking rightly about yourself means acknowledging your true self, not thinking negatively about it. We need emotional intelligence because it allows us to be honest with ourselves about who we are and what we are not. Only by identifying what we are and what we are not can we discern what we need to develop.