How to have a word of knowledge

Words of knowledge are a fantastic gift from God for the purpose of encouraging people’s faith, exhorting people to live righteously, and confirming the truth of the Gospel in evangelism. Every Christian can receive words of knowledge. Today I want to share some encouraging stories that illustrate how words of knowledge work and share with you how you can better discern and share them.

Is That You, God?

The first word of knowledge I remember sharing came as I was praying for a friend. I was 17, and my youth group went to a conference in Toronto.

A guy I met while at the conference wanted prayer, and I agreed to pray for him. As I began to pray, thoughts came to my mind to pray for his anxiety and for his relationship with his father. I didn’t know anything about this young man, but because the thoughts came to my mind, I just blurted out a prayer.

“You were spot on!” my friend said. “I am on medication for anxiety, and I have never truly felt close to my father, and it has affected my relationship with God.”

I was so geeked! I actually heard God! It didn’t feel like I imagined it would. I expected to see visions, or angels, or hear a booming voice in my head. It didn’t feel like anything, really. It was simply a thought that came to my mind while I was praying. As I continued to practice hearing God’s voice, I became better at hearing God more clearly.

You Have Heard God’s Voice

The reality is, if you are a Christian, you have heard God’s voice. Jesus said “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them… Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me.” (See John 6:44-45.) The process of regeneration by the Holy Spirit requires that your spirit hears the voice of the Father and responds by submitting to the lordship of Jesus.

What did it sound like when you got saved? Maybe you were too young to remember, but chances are, it didn’t sound like anything. It didn’t feel like much, but there was an impression in your heart and mind, that the claims of the Gospel were true; that Jesus rose from the dead, that God loved you, that your sins were forgiven. This revelation from the Holy Spirit comes to our hearts, and we respond by putting our faith in this voice. Words of knowledge come in very much the same way.

Growing in the Gift

The key to hearing God’s voice is faith. Scripture tells us that we are to prophesy according to our faith. (See Romans 12:6.) As John Wimber used to say, “Faith is spelled R-I-S-K.” There is no real shortcut to growing in the gift of words of knowledge. It requires consistently taking risks and learning (1) what it feels like when He is speaking and (2) what it feels like when He isn’t. In short, you learn through trial and error. This requires enough humility to admit when you’re wrong.

As I began to grow in hearing God’s voice, I began to take bigger risks. I began to lower the threshold of how strong an impression had to be before I would step out and take a risk. I began to realize that as I leaned into the gift this way, I began to hear more accurate and detailed information. At times a name would come to my mind, and it turned out to be the name of someone I was walking past. How did I know that? Because I took a risk and asked. Sometimes I would see dark spots over different parts of people’s bodies in my imagination. I would ask if they dealt with pain or a health problem in that area, and sure enough, they did.

One time while praying for a woman, I saw the word “autism” spelled out in my imagination. I had a sense that her son had autism. I didn’t know this woman, and so I asked first if she had a son. She said yes, so I asked if he had health issues. She nodded, and then I asked if it was autism. Her mouth gaped open in shock that I knew that. I would have no idea if I was actually hearing God on any of that if I hadn’t taken the risk to ask. I was only maybe 40% sure I was hearing God, but it turns out, I actually was!

Step by Step

Time and again, I’ve found that God speaks like a GPS — that is, one step at a time. Often I will get one word of knowledge, and if I am obedient and take a risk in sharing it, I will get another.

Once while on the college campus where I minister, I felt impressed to pray for a girl who was playing foosball in the student union. I approached her, mentioned that I was a pastor, and asked if she would be alright with me praying for her.

She said “yes.”

I asked if she dealt with headaches due to an issue in her neck. I asked this because, in my imagination, I saw her neck damaged and it causing pain in her head. She said that indeed, she did. My faith was encouraged, so I took another risk.

“Do you deal with anxiety?” I asked.

“Yes, I do.”

“Do you also, have an issue in your lower back and right hip?” I asked, a bit more confident.

“Umm… Yes. How do you know that?” She said.

I asked all of these things because either a thought came to my head or I saw it in my imagination.

Then, in my imagination, I saw a red Dodge truck. I had an inner feeling that she was in an accident 7 years ago with this truck, and that is what caused a lot of the issues in her neck and back. I was only maybe 30% sure this might have been God, but I decided to risk it.

“Were you in an accident 7 years ago with a red Dodge truck?” I asked.

Her jaw dropped, and her eyes went wide. “Yes, I was!”

I prayed for her, and she was completely healed on the spot.

I was so incredibly stoked! I wasn’t feeling particularly spiritual that day, but one obedient risk produced faith for another. The more I stepped out, the more confident I became. God didn’t reveal the whole thing to me before I stepped out. All I knew from the beginning was that I was supposed to pray for her. The hardest part for me was the first risk.

Expectation

I’ve found that words of knowledge come more frequently when I am looking for them. Sometimes I will go to the store or the gas station looking for the people that God is “highlighting” to me. I’ll know God is highlighting someone to me when, for some reason, I can’t stop staring at this person — or maybe I feel in my “gut” that I just need to pray for them. Sometimes in my imagination I will see a dark cloud around them, or I will feel unusual compassion for them. I take that as the Holy Spirit’s direction.

These thoughts and feelings will sometimes come out of the blue — when I am not expecting them. But I have found that God is always wanting to speak to people through me; and if I am actively paying attention, I will more readily hear God’s voice. A friend of mine described it as “leaving your spiritual cell phone on.” If you keep your “spiritual cell phone” on through active expectation that God will speak to you, you will hear His voice. He is always talking, and He wants to talk to people through you!

3 Ways You Can Start Hearing Words of Knowledge:

1: Intimacy

We become acquainted with the voice of the Holy Spirit through relationship with Him. The more time we spend in prayer, worship, and meditation on the Scriptures, the more sensitive we will be when He speaks. It is important, though, that we don’t seek Him simply for the purpose of gifting. Being with Jesus is its own reward.

2: Turning Your “Cell Phone” On

Actively expect God to speak to you. Look for the people God is highlighting to you when you go grocery shopping, to the bank, to church, or anywhere in public. You have a much better shot at hearing God speak to you if you are actually listening.

3: Taking Risks

There is no teacher like experience. You can read all the books and blogs you want, but eventually you have to just take a leap of faith.

It can be helpful to start small. Pray for someone in church or for a friend. Pay attention to any random thoughts that come to your mind while you are praying. Look with your imagination into the spiritual realm, and see if God shows you anything. If you see something, share it with your friend. Ask if it means something.

I lead the students in my campus ministry in an exercise where they sit around a table and pray for a few moments for the person to their left. I then tell them to share whatever came to their mind as they prayed. Every time, students are amazed that they actually heard God speak. Practice sharing words of knowledge where it is safe to fail. It’s ok if you miss it. Keep trying until you hear God. He is speaking, and He wants to speak through you.

May you be empowered by the precious Holy Spirit to do the impossible, and may the name of Jesus be glorified through His Church.

Your servant,
JonMark

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For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit. — 1 Corinthians 12:8, NASB

The word of knowledge is one of the many spiritual gifts listed in the Bible. The Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can cause us to function in any of the gifts for His purposes. The word of knowledge can be operated in for several purposes, including but not limited to: physical healing, emotional healing, and discerning spiritual matters. The Lord can and wants to use every person that has given their life to the Son, Jesus Christ. The best way to begin to trust that you too can operate in these gifts is to learn how each gift or grace as some may call it, operates. These gifts can manifest at any moment, as God chooses. Our job is to co-operate! I love telling stories as I believe they can stir faith in you to get you ready to work for the Lord! So let’s get you activated! 

One day, a friend invited me over to her lovely home. When I arrived, she had a smile on her face, offered me a drink, and sat down to talk to me as if her day could not have been any better than what she was portraying. Within a few moments of my arrival I “knew” that someone had been crying deeply in one particular area of her living room. I got up and said, “Has someone been crying right here?” I pointed to the exact place where this emotional pain had been poured out. She admitted that it was her. This is one example of the “word of knowledge” that is spoken of in the Bible known as a spiritual gift or grace. I didn’t need to know that my friend had been crying, but the Lord wanted to shine the light on her pain, that she may find comfort. This is the purpose of any spiritual gift and the Lord would love that we all join in on His mission and purpose to reveal Himself to others. He will accomplish this in the way He functions through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Another example of the gift of the word of knowledge can be described as experiencing a physical symptom that someone may have at a particular moment. For example, I was ministering at a friend’s church through word of knowledge, prophetically, and through other graces. The Lord directed me to the first person He wanted to speak to. I asked her to rise and in that moment I began to feel in intense physical burning and tightness in my chest, my heart rate rose all of the sudden, and my breathing went from normal to an intense tightness. I began to pronounce the Lord’s healing over her because He wanted her to know He was healing her in that very moment from every single issue she had. The woman confirmed that she had been dealing with these exact symptoms. The next morning, I spoke with her as this was a two-day event and she testified publicly that the physical issues she had been dealing with were finally gone after several months. Yes, the word of knowledge can include empathy pains for someone else. the purpose of knowing this, however, is for God to prepare my faith and their faith that they may receive His healing power. 

My final example of how the word of knowledge works is that you can also know something regarding spiritual information both good, bad, and indifferent. This can feel much like discerning of spirits but the knowledge is to simply provide information that will lead to a path of deliverance, direction, or understanding. A friend of mine and I went to a woman’s home who had been complaining of some very unexplainable phenomena in her home. When we went into her house, I instantly knew that she had books on New Age and the occult, and I knew exactly where she had them. My friend asked her, “Do you have books of this type?” I answered for her and at that point, all she could do was take us upstairs to the room that hosted this library of teachings. After the “knowing” the gift of discerning of spirits kicked in and we began to identify many other things that needed to be dealt with.

One thing to remember is that just because the Lord reveals information that can help someone be set free does not mean they will embrace it. See it as His invitation to show Himself real to them that they may “know” that He sees all things and He does it in love to draw them to Himself, but in the end, they will get to choose if the revelations will lead them freedom! 

In this article, I’ll discuss these three spiritual gifts. I’ll explain what they are, why they are helpful and some of the potential pitfalls of each one.

Words Of Knowledge And Wisdom: Challenging A Worldview

I have seen some blog posts which seem to be relatively comfortable with the gift of prophecy, but try to explain away words of knowledge and wisdom.

They say that prophecy is a gift from God, but words of knowledge and wisdom are not prophetic gifts: they are instead related to understanding the bible.

These explanations attempt to alarm the reader by stating that those who say, “I have a word from God for you” are speaking for God in his place. The argument goes that these people are, therefore, not to be trusted.

I understand why some people feel like this. People may be hurt by such words if they are shared inappropriately or in a judgmental way.

In those circumstances, it is natural to avoid them …and to come up with seemingly biblical arguments to justify their position.

However, those arguments could not be further from the truth.

The reality is that:

• words of knowledge and wisdom are indeed prophetic gifts.
• they are part of God’s grace to his church (that means you and me).
• Jesus himself operated in and demonstrated the positive use of these gifts.

Words Of Knowledge And Wisdom As Spiritual Gifts

In the letter to the Corinthians, we find a list of spiritual gifts:

There are various lists of spiritual gifts in the bible, but this is the one that specifically mentions the three we are discussing today.

Note that they are described as the “manifestation of the Spirit”.

The word manifestation does not mean that these gifts are something mysterious or elusive. Neither does it mean they are something understood purely with our minds.

The reality is that these manifestations are concrete applications of the power of God expressed through his Holy Spirit.

The fact that wisdom and knowledge are listed as messages (or words in some bible versions) indicates that they are spoken.

I’ll look at each one in turn and explain:

• What the gift is
• How it’s used in the bible
• How it should be used today

What Is Prophecy?

Prophecy is about speaking God’s heart and intentions to people.

It is sometimes about the future, but it nearly always expresses God’s love in some way.

Prophecy may also be combined with words of knowledge or words of wisdom, in order to increase its impact.

How prophecy is used in the Bible

The bible is replete with prophecy and prophetic words.

Most Christians will be familiar with the books within the Bible which were written by, or about, the prophets of the Covenant.

Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah are the most famous. They predicted many things, including nearly every aspect of Jesus’ life, with incredible accuracy.

Many Christians are comfortable with prophecy as far as the Old Testament is concerned.

What some may not realise is that the gift of prophecy is also present and in use in the New Testament too.

Jesus himself prophesied the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, as well as the trials and tribulations his disciples would face.

And there are several examples in the book of Acts, demonstrating the disciples’ use of prophecy to extend God’s kingdom.

One such is the prophetic dream the Lord gave to the apostle Peter, which opened up the gospel to gentile believers.

How prophecy should be used today

Since prophecy expresses God’s heart, Christians today should seek to use the gift of prophecy to love the world around them and win people to Jesus.

Paul says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Corinthians 4:20).

As one of the spiritual gifts, the gift of prophecy is one way the Lord enables us to show his power to those around us.

The prophets of old often gave dire warnings to God’s people. However, the message of prophecy in the New Covenant is usually to bless people and reveal the truth of the gospel to them.

What Are Words Of Knowledge?

A word of knowledge is where God reveals something about a person or situation that is unknown to the prophet.

It may be simple or complex but will contain specific details that only the person it is shared with could know.

For example, God may reveal to the prophet the name and date of birth of somebody before they have been introduced.

Or, when praying for someone, the Lord might show the prophet a picture of what that person was doing the previous day.

The important thing with this is not the word of knowledge itself, but the effect it has on the person hearing it.

Someone receiving a word of knowledge will find themselves confronted with the reality of God and his knowledge of them. For a Christian, it is a reminder that God knows us and our situation, better than we know ourselves.

How words of knowledge are used in the bible

I’ll use two examples to demonstrate words of knowledge, both from Jesus himself:

Jesus and Nathanael

In the first chapter of John’s gospel, Philip takes Nathanael to meet Jesus.

As they approach, Jesus says that Nathanael is an honest man, with no deceit.

Nathanael becomes curious and asks how Jesus knows him since they have never met. But Jesus reveals that he saw Nathanael “under the fig tree before Philip called you” (John 1:48).

Any doubts we may have about whether or not this was a word of knowledge are dispersed by Nathanael’s response: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

Jesus and the Samaritan woman

In John’s gospel, chapter 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.

He strikes up a conversation with her, which is itself unusual for a Jew and a Samaritan, in those times.

However, partway through their conversation, Jesus steps into the supernatural by sharing a word of knowledge with her.

He asks her about her husband and she says she has no husband. Jesus then states that what she said is true: She has had 5 husbands in the past and is now unmarried, but with another man (John 4:17).

This word of knowledge brings revelation to the woman, who realises he is a prophet.

How words of knowledge should be used today

Words of knowledge are specific and require knowledge we don’t possess ourselves.

Therefore, we can only receive words of knowledge directly from God.

However, God is good and loves to give good gifts to his children.

We can ask him for words of knowledge when we are praying for people and practice sharing those words with them.

It’s important to seek feedback, so we know when we have got them right or wrong. Then we can grow this gift into maturity.

What Are Words Of Wisdom?

A word of wisdom is a message from God which brings insight, inspiration and understanding into a situation.

More than that, a word of wisdom will remove confusion and may also bring a sense of peace to those affected.

Words of wisdom are sometimes difficult to pin down, but we can understand them better by contrasting them with prophecy and words of knowledge:

Words of wisdom vs prophecy

Prophecy may speak generally into a person’s life or situation.

A word of wisdom will be more specific and have an “aha!” or “eureka!” feeling about it. It’s as though a lightbulb has just been switched on to illuminate our concerns or worries.

In other words, although a generic prophecy may have similar effects, wisdom is usually more incisive.

Words of wisdom are about God cutting through difficulties with his wisdom and understanding. In some cases, it’s almost like God’s lateral thinking!

A prophecy may speak of the future, but a word of wisdom helps us understand how to get there. It is the application of God’s word to us.

Words of wisdom vs words of knowledge

If a word of knowledge is about the current state of a person or situation, then a word of wisdom helps us know how to change things to bring about blessing.

Our current state may be influenced by the past, perhaps by our parents or some childhood trauma.

A word of knowledge may reveal a truth about that past, but a word of wisdom will tell us how to break through in the present.

How words of wisdom are used in the bible

The best example of a word of wisdom in the bible is that of King Solomon when he had to judge between the two women who argued over a baby:

One woman states that the other woman’s baby died in the night and that they swapped the two babies, while she slept. When she woke up and looked at the infant next to her, she immediately knew it wasn’t hers.

They begin to argue in front of the king, who now has the difficult task of judging between them.

Solomon was already known to be a wise king, but here the Lord gave him a specific insight. He received a word of wisdom, which revealed the truth.

How words of wisdom should be used today

I believe that words of wisdom are different to the general wisdom we receive as part of growing in character in Christ.

We can ask God for wisdom just like Solomon did and the Lord is gracious to us. Wisdom then becomes part of how we express the fruit of the spirit.

However, there is a place for specific, incisive wisdom in the moment which brings about breakthrough and release.

This is where a word of wisdom appears as a spiritual gift, a tool God uses to bless his people.

Abuse Of Words Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Prophecy

Sadly, these gifts can also be abused.

If spoken in a directive way or out of a judgmental heart, they can be used for our own selfish interests. They may even be used to manipulate people into doing what we want.

However, the true gifts are not about manipulation: they are given for the blessing and building up of the church.

It is, therefore, vital that we keep hold of the Father’s heart of love. We must stay humble as we use these gifts and ask people to pray through what they receive, not tell them what to do!

And particularly with words of knowledge and wisdom, we must be willing to learn from our mistakes.

Words Of Knowledge, Wisdom And Prophecy: Conclusion

Words of knowledge, words of wisdom and prophecy are spiritual gifts given to the church.

We can use them to bless those around us and glorify the name of our Lord Jesus.

I hope you have seen how the gifts of knowledge, wisdom and prophecy are related to one another and yet distinct.

Let’s seek more of these gifts, so we can bless God’s people and those around us.

Your Turn

Has this post helped you to understand the difference between these spiritual gifts?

Have you got a story to share about words of knowledge or wisdom?

Let us know in the comments below.