Gifts of the Spirit Series: The Gift of a Word of Knowledge,Ep 2-47
Welcome Back! I am your host Dawn Simmons and in this episode of Conquering Our Unseen Enemies we are continuing our discussion of the spiritual gifts and this episode is specifically devoted to the gift of a word of knowledge, which is one of the Revelation gifts. We are going to go through some examples of how the Holy Spirit uses us with a word of knowledge, some do’s and don’ts if you are looking to develop this gift and clarify what this gift is not.
To get to a better understanding we need to lay the biblical foundation. This foundation can be found in 1 Corinthians which summarizes all of the gifts. Let’s start there first and then we will dig in and look at what this gift looks like in operation.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
To summarize what Paul shared, the 9 Spiritual Gifts are: wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miraculous powers, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.
The gifts can be categorized by what they provide to the receiver. The Holy Spirit is the giver of the gift and we, Holy Spirit filled believers, are the receivers of the gifts.
· Gifts we use out of the Power we have from the Holy Spirit are: faith, healings, miraculous powers
· Gifts we have where the Holy Spirit uses us in Revelation are: wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits
· Gifts where the Holy Spirit uses us and are Spoken are: prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues
One of the misconceptions I want to clear up is we are truly speaking of gifts of the Holy Spirit. Specifically, an action or a behavior that produces an outcome as a result of the Holy Spirit’s supernatural activity provided to us in a gift.
Like the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge has zero to do with the amount of natural or human knowledge we have obtained. God doesn’t care how many degrees you have. He doesn’t need your degrees, he still knows more than you ever will. Your IQ doesn’t matter. If these are concepts you are using to define yourself, then you are not very usable for the Lord. He would rather use someone without degrees who will listen and be teachable, than someone who thinks they are already filled with knowledge. The only truly valuable book knowledge is the Word.
When we talked about the Gift of a word of wisdom, we talked about what we receive from the Holy Spirit in relation to something in the future. Because it is in the future for the natural realm, it is not yet realized, which means it is not yet a fact or something certain.
When we are speaking of the gift of a word of knowledge, that is entirely different because it relates to a fact, whether it is past or present. A word of knowledge entails a person receiving a word of knowledge, or information, that they could not have known otherwise but for that knowledge or information being revealed through the Holy Spirit. Here is a simple example. I was invited to a meeting a few years ago now. The meeting was intended to be a place where spiritual gifts could flow. In reality, not a lot of people there knew much about the gifts but they were hungry for them. I attended, I only knew 1 or 2 people there, and no one knew me or that I functioned in the gifts or to what extent. Generally, someone who functions in the spiritual gifts with a healthy relationship with the Lord where the Lord is to receive all the glory and recognition, those people do not discuss their gifts openly. We wait and use them as the Holy Spirit leads and only when He directs. To act in any other manner fosters a prideful attitude and that will ultimately derail the ministry. Anyhow, in this meeting the Holy Spirit directed me with words of knowledge and to give prophetic words for people that would include words of wisdom. I want to share one of those that was very simple so you can see how He provided for a woman at the meeting.
In the meeting, at a given moment, the Lord directed me to go to her, at the time I did not know her name, so he gave me the visual of her. He said to go to her, so I went over to her, she had her eyes closed in prayer. It is my custom that in those situations, I will generally touch the person on the hand or shoulder and lean toward their ear to tell them privately but also to ensure they can hear me. In this meeting there was someone leading in worship music, so I had to be able to ensure the word was heard. I leaned into her ear, not too close, but I said to her what the Lord directed.. “you think your life is over, but the Lord wants you to know that He has just begun with you and what He will be doing in your life.” In hearing that, her eyes opened, and she lit up. She didn’t know me, so I wasn’t sure she would receive the word, but because the word of knowledge given to her was a fact that was in her mind and in her heart, she truly thought she was too old in the years she had remaining in her life to do anything for the Kingdom of God, she received the word in its entirety. She thought she missed her opportunity. So, the word of knowledge He gave me to give to her related to her position in her incorrect thinking at that moment of herself was then given in combination with the word of wisdom. He let her know through a word of wisdom that He had a plan for her life, to use her going forward. Her opportunity was still to come, she just had to choose to take that opportunity. Had the word of knowledge not been accurate, she would not have believed or even listened to the word of wisdom.
Let’s look at an example of a word of knowledge Jesus used with one of his disciples.
John 1:43, “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree.
Here Jesus used the gift of a word of knowledge and Nathanael believes Him because Jesus gave Nathanael a fact that Jesus as a natural man could not have known on his own. Jesus knew that Nathanael was not like the others, he would require more to believe and he provided that more that was needed.
Likewise, for us now, the Holy Spirit will give you that word of knowledge if it is needed so that you too can bring about the outcome that He is desiring in asking you to use your gift. There are times to understand that if you have this gift, you also have to use discernment. Not all words of knowledge provided by the Holy Spirit are meant to be shared. There are times when a gift of knowledge will be provided to provide background or context for a situation you are in so you can respond or react appropriately.
An example might be if someone has experienced abuse in the past and the Lord wants to work in their life but discussing that abuse may not be appropriate at that time. The use of the gift requires development so that the person operating in it understands how and when the Holy Spirit wants you to speak and when you are given information but are not to speak about it. Everything is done for His glory, not to expose or embarrass anyone. Never, ever, ever should anyone be operating in that gift with a haughty attitude as if they have information about another person and laud it over them. That is the spirit of the enemy functioning and while there may be something embarrassing they have been told by a demon, it could also be a lie just meant to bring pain and harassment.
Let’s look at another example in the Bible. We are going to revisit a story we discussed a few podcasts ago about being a an opportunity or a resource. We are going back to 2 Kings and why was Balaam being summoned by the King. So here is the backstory to why Ballam and his donkey were on the road traveling to the king.
2 Kings 6: 8, “Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.” The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” 10 So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
God was using a word of knowledge to keep his nation safe as they traveled. Elisha was probably doing other prophetly duties when the Lord revealed this information to him. Elisha didn’t even to know to ask for this because he didn’t have any idea what this king was up to but for God revealing it. Elisha then did what the Lord wanted him to do and it protected God’s people by allowing them to avoid being attacked. What do we need to make sure we learn from this and take forward in our own lives? Do not sit on information. If it is being given to you, it is being given for a reason and you need to make sure you are obedient to God’s plan.
I do want to clarify something else regarding words of knowledge. If this is a gift you are seeking, or you are operating in it and looking to develop it further, there is an unintended consequence to the person who has this gift. People around you who know you have this gift may shy away from you. It is usually people who don’t know you very well and the reason they do it is out of fear. Here is why. God is all knowledge. He knows everything and he knows it in the past, present and future and He can see those three all at the same time. He is not limited to time and space constraints like we are in our natural world. Because he is all knowledgeable, then He knows what we’ve done, what we are doing and what we are going to do, what we are tempted to do, what we are considering doing and what we are ashamed of doing. Nothing is hidden from Him. When the Lord chooses to use someone for the gift of knowledge, it is at God’s discretion, not ours. We have no control over when, where, why, how much or for what purpose. We are just obedient with what He has asked us to do with the information. We don’t know if we know the whole of the information or ¼ or ¾ of the information. We can ask questions for clarification which may or may not be provided. People are fearful of what it is about them that you may know. They think if they avoid you or stay away from you that you won’t know as if there is some space limitation that God can only provide to me if you are within 4 feet of me so if you stay 4.5 feet away I won’t pick up the signal. It doesn’t work that way, it’s pure ignorance of the gifts of the spirit. You don’t have to be anywhere near me, if the Lord wants to share with me something that will be used for his glory to help bring you to where He wants you to be, which is generally closer to Him, then He will share it no matter what.
The other side to this discussion is that if the Lord is using you in this way, then He trusts you with the information and that trust should not be violated. You would never want someone sharing your personal information, we don’t betray the Lord by speaking what we have been given to those it is not intended. If you have been shown not to be trustworthy in this area, then it’s likely not going to be a gift the Lord will trust you with until you are trustworthy.
Some final words on this gift. Words of knowledge reveal circumstances or events from the past or the present, not the future. The reason it is used will be revealed at the time and always for God’s purposes, not man’s. We need to be obedient and trustworthy with the information that has been revealed to us so we are allowing the Holy Spirit to use as His resource in the Kingdom.
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I hope this has been time that inspires you to want to learn to grow in your relationship with the Lord and build your desire to partner with Him at a supernatural level. We want to grow in Him and learn how to work with Him to build the Kingdom and Conquer Our Unseen Enemies. The more we grow the more our life will change, and you can help change the lives of anyone around you who is willing.
If you know anyone who might benefit from this, please share.
As always, let’s discuss our Top Show points:
· Discussed the gift of a word of knowledge, which is one of the Revelation gifts.
· 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
· Power Gifts, Spoken Gifts, Revelation Gifts
· The 9 Spiritual Gifts are: wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miraculous powers, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.
· Like the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge has zero to do with the amount of natural or human knowledge we have obtained. God doesn’t care how many degrees you have or your IQ.
· A word of knowledge relates to a fact, whether it is past or present. A word of knowledge entails a person receiving a word of knowledge, or information, that they could not have known otherwise but for that knowledge or information being revealed through the Holy Spirit.
· Example of a meeting a few years ago where I gave a word to a woman that included both a word of knowledge and a word of wisdom.
· John 1:43, Jesus used the gift of a word of knowledge and Nathanael believes Him because Jesus gave Nathanael a fact that Jesus could not have known on his own.
· There are times you have to use discernment. Not all words of knowledge provided by the Holy Spirit are meant to be shared. Aa gift of knowledge can be provided to provide background or context for a situation you are in so you can respond or react appropriately. Ex, abuse
· Everything is done for His glory, not to expose or embarrass anyone.
· 2 Kings 6: 8, God was giving Elisha a word of knowledge to keep his nation safe as they traveled.
· An unintended consequence for the person who has this gift is the people around you may shy away from you. God is all knowledge, and nothing is hidden from Him. People are fearful of what about them that you may know.
· When the Lord chooses to use someone for the gift of knowledge, it is at God’s discretion, not ours. We have no control over when, where, why, how much or for what purpose. We are just obedient with what He has asked us to do with the information.
· If the Lord wants to share something that will be used for his glory to help bring someone to where He wants them to be, which is generally closer to Him, then He will share it.
· If the Lord is trusting you with information, that trust should not be violated. If you are not trustworthy in this area, then how can the Lord trust you with His gift.
· Words of knowledge reveal circumstances or events from the past or the present, not the future. The reason it is used will be revealed at the time and always for God’s purposes, not man’s.
We encourage you:
· To have an active Bible reading plan, it will be helpful in gaining wisdom and understanding and it is required for the gift of spiritual discernment
· If you want to learn more about how to Hear God's Voice, visit our website, lovingconversationssalo.com. My book, Loving Conversations: How to Pray and Hear God's Voice has helped so many people in their relationship with the Lord, check out the testimonials. There is also a companion Study Guide and two devotionals out based on the Loving Conversations Book. Those are available on the website www.lovingconversationssalo.com.
· Follow us in Instagram, @conqueringourunseenenemies
I have enjoyed our time this week and look forward to spending time with you again next week!