Knowledge And Wisdom
1 Corinthians 12:8 (Audio Only)
Message #5
We’re on week five of the Holy Spirit study, and finally, we are going to start talking about the gifts of the Spirit in specific. We started with the “Baptism of The Holy Spirit.” Then, we dealt with “The Holy Spirit at Work in The World,” and we dealt with the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives, “The Manifold Grace of God.” And last week, we did “An Overview of The Gifts” of the Holy Spirit.
All of those messages were to lay a foundation for us to understand that the Holy Spirit is not an “afterglow” emcee. We cannot relegate the Holy Spirit to running afterglow services, where the lights are low, and the music is soft, and there’s this “just right” kind of emotional setting for the Holy Spirit to work. God forbid that we should pigeonhole the Holy Spirit into some periodic event or service. God forbid that! The enemy would be happy if that were the only time we were to seek the power of the Holy Spirit – those chance meetings of afterglows.
Instead, I pray that you will understand more and more that you cannot live for Christ without the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s why he sent him. That’s why he is Jesus in you; why he is God in you. And more, as we move into the gifts, I pray that you’ll see that the spiritual gifts are tools to enable you to live for Christ. It’s as simple and as complete as that.
If I had a nail that I needed to hammer, and I had a hammer laying on the floor, and I chose to use the side of my hand to hammer that nail, I’d be an idiot. If the hammer was lying there, why would I use my hand to drive the nail into the wood when the appropriate tool is lying right there? If I had to saw something, I wouldn’t saw it with my hand; I would pick up a saw if it were lying there. And that’s how I would love for us to see the gifts of the Holy Spirit; as the tools that are appropriate – even necessary, mandatory – and critically required for the job. You cannot live for Christ or walk in the Spirit without using the appropriate tools. And that is what the gifts of the Holy Spirit are.
Before we get to the first two tools today, I want to review a little bit in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 12:1 (NKJV)
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
The devil’s been relatively successful at keeping the Church ignorant, that is “void of understanding,” of the spiritual gifts. We either are afraid of them, or we say, “Oh, we’re not that kind of church.” Or, “Yeah, we do that once a month, but only six people show up, and that’s when the Holy Spirit works.” That is a lack of knowledge for us to think the Holy Spirit is pigeonholed for this particular little place or time in our lives. He is required in our day-to-day living for Jesus. Absolutely required.
So, the Word says in verse 1, I don’t want you to be ignorant, and then down in verse 7, it says:
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV)
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
And we’ve got to continually remind ourselves that the Word is very clear that when we are born again, that God has given us gifts. He has created us with gifts, and he has given us gifts for the profit of all. He has given gifts sovereignly, as the Spirit wills, to each one. It is not just for those emotionally oriented believers. “That’s all fine that they do that, but we don’t do that here.” We have to get over that. We need the Holy Spirit badly. We need him bad; otherwise, all we have is religion.
Romans 12 3-9 (NKJV)
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ (a concept Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 12), and individually members of one another
6 Having then gifts (it’s a statement of fact) differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: (Having then, tools, let us use them) if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation;
9 he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
We’ll be back in this section in Romans Chapter 12 later, but for today, the key verses are the end of verse 3 coupled with verse 6. …as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith…having then gifts (that assumption, that statement of fact that we have gifts) let us use them.
Every believer has gifts; we need to use them. God’s given us the tools to live for Christ, but we’ve got to choose to use them. He will not force us to take the tool in our hand. He’ll let us pound the nail with the palm of our hand while the hammer is lying on the floor if we choose to do that.
My prayer is, as we go through this study, one of two things will happen to you. Either you will recognize that the things that you are already doing in the ministry are a result of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and that is everything that God uses you for, that he enables you to do is a direct result of a specific gift of the Holy Spirit. And so, my prayer is that you would start to say, “You know what? That’s the Holy Spirit. That’s the Holy Spirit working in my life.”
Or, otherwise, my prayer for you is that you would come to that initial revelation that God has poured out his Spirit upon (Epi) you, and has used you, has moved through you – where you have that first incredible experience where you just say “Wow! That was God! That had nothing to do with me. That was God moving through me.” It’s such a phenomenal moment when we understand that God desires to use us, and he has equipped us to use us.
We are going to continue to beg God to immerse us in his Holy Spirit. To provide by the baptism, the immersion of the Holy Spirit all the tools we need to live for Christ.
Remember, I’ve said we tend to categorize the gifts because the gifts, as we saw last week, are so diverse that our minds can’t really get ahold of it. We kind of really want to put the Holy Spirit in a box. Now, I don’t really think the Holy Spirit wants to be in a box, but it helps our mind to kind of categorize. And so, the two big categories of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are ministry gifts and manifestation gifts.
The ministry gifts are kind of who you are, who God has made you to be. They’re also called creation gifts, as in when you were created, God put this gift in you. If God has made you a worshiper, it is generally a ministry gift. If he made you a teacher, if he’s made you a helper, if you’ve always helped, then he has given you that gift, and it’s a ministry gift. If he’s made you an exhorter, a giver, an encourager, if you’ve always shown mercy – these are kind of almost personality gifts that God puts in you. Generally, they stay in you for the length of your life unless you are in rebellion against God. He will use those gifts routinely. Those are ministry gifts.
Manifestation gifts are not that same thing. Manifestation gifts are gifts that are given by the Holy Spirit in a specific moment, for a specific instant, without real regard to what your ministry gifts are. So, if a manifestation gift is given to you to reveal something of God to yourself and to another person, it doesn’t matter if your ministry gifts are helps, or giving, or teaching, or exhorting, or mercy, or anything else. If you are in a place where you are ministering, and you’re desiring a manifestation gift to reveal something of God, then he will give you a specific gift at a specific moment for a specific circumstance. That’s the manifestation gifts.
And so, we are going to start with the manifestation gifts, and we’ll end with the ministry gifts. The other thing that is important for you to know is that the manifestation gifts are never given for your personal benefit alone. Except for possibly tongues, without interpretation, which we’ll get to. In general, all of the manifestation gifts are given for the profit of all. To edify, to exhort, to equip the saints.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV)
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
So, today we start with two manifestation gifts. They’re in verse 8.
1 Corinthians 12:8 (NKJV)
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
These are our first two gifts – the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. We are going to start with the word of knowledge, and then we’ll go back and do the word of wisdom. Why? Because knowledge is the right information. Wisdom is the right application of the right information. So, we’ll start with the word of knowledge, look at the supernatural right information, and then we’ll move to the word of wisdom, which is the right application of the right information.
We’re going to start with the word of knowledge. We’ll start with a definition. For every one of the gifts we do, we’ll start with a definition, and then we’ll see Old Testament and New Testament examples, so you’ll start to see a pattern as we go through some of the gifts. We can’t go through all of them because we don’t know all of them – they are too diverse.
Here’s the definition of the word of knowledge. The word of knowledge is information given to us supernaturally. It is knowledge of things that we could not know through natural means. And so, the word of knowledge is not something you learn; it’s not something you acquire; it’s not something you figure out. It’s not something that you study. It is a supernatural revelation of the right information.
In the Old Testament, we would turn to 2 Kings (if we had more time) and read about Elisha, Elijah’s follower. When Elisha gets Elijah’s mantle, we see from about Chapter 3, Elisha starts operating in this word of knowledge heavily. So, you can read 2 Kings from Chapter 3 to about Chapter 8, and you see the word of knowledge over, and over, and over again in the Prophet Elisha’s life. It’s massive reading, so be sure to take some time and read it. I’ll try to give you more examples of the Old Testament. Remember, the Holy Spirit was with (Para) believers in the Old Testament and was operating in the Old Testament. He was unable to be in or upon us.
We will go to Matthew Chapter 16 in the New Testament. This is one of the greatest passages in the New Testament of the word of knowledge. The supernatural revelation of the right information.
Matthew 16:13-17 (NKJV)
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Perfect example of the word of knowledge. Flesh and blood hasn’t revealed this to you. You didn’t just figure that out. That was given to you as a gift from God. Right information. The word of knowledge, as Peter said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said that’s right. You got that from God.
Now, as Peter is such a good example for us in this, we need to understand that this manifestation gift is not a permanent gift. You do not say, Yes, I have the word of knowledge” as if it were to go on and on. And to prove that, we just look at verse 21, and we see the Apostle Peter walk in the flesh. Walk in the Spirit, walk in the flesh. Spirit – good. Flesh – bad. It gets really simple that way.
Matthew 16:21-23 (NKJV)
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
If Peter was still operating in the word of knowledge, he would have been in agreement, obviously, with Christ. But, since he is operating in the flesh, he began to rebuke Him. First mistake – don’t rebuke Christ. There’re some really simple lessons coming today. Just in case you think you’ve arrived, Jesus has just called you Satan. That is so good for us to understand that the word of knowledge is a manifestation, a revelation, and as quickly as we can get it, we can get right back in the flesh and lose it. We can speak in the Spirit, speak in the flesh, back-to-back. If Peter could, certainly we can.
Jesus is saying, Peter, you’re not walking in the Spirit. You’re walking in the flesh. What happened? Actually, calling him Satan, was kind of a strong “what happened?” We need to understand how quickly we can switch sides. That’s scary, isn’t it?
We need to understand two things. If the gift is from the Lord, it is truly powerful and phenomenal, miraculous, and does tremendous good. If we operate in the flesh, it is the same amount bad as operating in the Spirit is good. It brings destruction and devastation if we attempt to operate in the flesh. And we’ll talk more about those differences as we go.
Let’s go through two more quick examples on the word of knowledge. You’ll see as we go through the gifts that we are in Acts a lot. If you don’t know where to read in your daily devotions, I encourage you to read for the next six weeks in Acts because most of the examples of the specific gifts of the Spirit we’ll see in Acts.
Acts 5:1-3 (NKJV)
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.
2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
There is no indication that flesh and blood revealed that to Peter. That is obviously a Holy Spirit revelation of the right information. The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter that Ananias and Sapphira were lying. That is the word of knowledge – the right information.
Acts 8:18-23 (NKJV)
18 And when Simon (the sorcerer) saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 For I see (perceive – KJV) that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
That is a clear use of the gift of the word of knowledge in verse 23. For I perceive that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity. Many of our prayer and share counselor utilize this gift on a regular basis. And if you are in for counsel, you will see this gift in operation because one thing that we know about (in counseling situations) is that you never start with the real issue. It just doesn’t happen. You always start with something else, and the real issue is behind that. And so, when you sit down with a counselor, and you begin to tell the story, and the counselor says, “You know, I perceive, I feel, the Lord is impressing on me that this is the real issue.” And they may offer it to you, like, is this what you’re really here for? Is this the real issue? And if you find yourself picking your jaw up off the floor, then you know that the word of knowledge is in action and that the counselor has just been given a revelation of the right information about you. It is a phenomenal thing.
Now, don’t stop going to the prayer and share counselors because you’re afraid that God is going to rat you out to them. That’s why you go there. You go there to get the right information out. Truth – good. Lies – bad. You want the truth to get out, the right information. So, you go in there, and you just start talking, and the Holy Spirit often will give that prayer and share counselor the word of knowledge, giving them the true information about why you’re there. That’s the word of knowledge.
It is critically necessary if you are led or find yourself ministering to others in the Body, that you earnestly desire this gift because you can’t really figure out what is going on in your own flesh, in your own logic. You need God to reveal to you supernaturally the right information – the word of knowledge for the person he has you ministering to. Remember this gift, and all the manifestation gifts, are to equip, exhort, and edify the Body for the profit of all. So, you need to desire it, and you need to hear when someone else speaks it to you if it’s true. Of course, if it’s not true, you’ll also know because they’ll say, “I perceive that you this and that…” and you say, “No. That’s not it.” Sometimes you say that, and you’re lying because you’re not ready to tell the truth – it’s okay. Sometimes we say, no, no, no – that’s not it. And then six months later, you say, that was really it, I just couldn’t say. It’s okay that you do that because God is working on your heart and bringing you to the right information. Keep going to the counselors.
How do you receive this gift? You earnestly desire it. You ask for it. You have been given gifts already. You ask for the baptism of the Spirit, and then when you’re in that situation where you need the revelation of right knowledge, you ask for it. You say, “God, show me the truth. Reveal me what’s really going on here.” That is the word of knowledge.
Let’s move to the word of wisdom. We said that knowledge is right information. We said that wisdom is the right application of the right information. Do you see how they go together? So, knowledge and wisdom, usually and generally, will work side-by-side, or one right after the other. We’ve seen that the Holy Spirit gives us by revelation right information, the word of knowledge. Now we will see that Holy Spirit will give us right application of that information, which is the word of wisdom. It kind of demystifies it a little bit, and that’s really one of my primary goals, is for you to see how the gifts of the Spirit – these tools – work in our everyday life.
So, again, let’s start with a definition, as we will every time. Here’s the definition of the word of wisdom. It is an anointing of the Spirit that comes upon you in a time of need giving you the right words to say and the right decisions to make.
It is an anointing of the Spirit that comes on you in a moment of time, at the right moment giving you direction. Giving you decisions. Helping you direct or orchestrate something. Giving you the right words to say and the right decisions to make. The word of wisdom is almost always used in a moment of dissension or dispute. It is almost always used in a crisis moment, and it is always used to set direction or to make decisions. It is applying a supernatural wisdom to achieve God’s will in a certain matter.
But, because this is a manifestation gift, it’s not something that we have all of the time. We don’t say, “Oh, I have wisdom. God has given me wisdom.” No, that’s pride. You’re mistaking it for wisdom. We don’t say, “God has given me the wisdom to make these decisions.” You pray, “God. Anoint me with your Spirit. Give me the gift of wisdom so that I can make the right choice. So that I can set the right direction. So that I can make this decision.”
The most well-known Old Testament example of this is King Solomon, in 1 Kings 3. What was one of the first things that Solomon did that really showed his wisdom? Two women came with one baby. Both women are saying it’s their baby. What does King Solomon say? Cut the baby in half. What happened? Crisis resolved instantly. Do you see it? That was the word of wisdom. It is applying right information. It is applying the gift of knowledge. King Solomon says cut the baby in half – that wasn’t really what he was going to do, but that was the word of wisdom used to set direction, to make decisions.
Jesus used the word of wisdom all of the time. The Pharisees would back him into a corner, he would shoot one or two lines at them, and they would roll back on their heels, and they would be done. He used it all of the time.
In Acts Chapter 6, we are going to see two places where the Apostles used the word of wisdom to settle dissensions and disputes in the ministry.
Acts 6:1-4 (NKJV)
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
How do we know that this is a gift of the word of wisdom in action? By reading the next verse (which is what you should always do when you question anything in the Bible.)
Acts 6:5 (NKJV)
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude…
Over and over and over again in the Bible, when you see the word of wisdom being manifested, it always brings a supernatural resolve to a crisis situation. Always, to dissension or dispute. A word of wisdom gives direction. A word of wisdom is used to solve a specific issue in a specific moment.
Acts 15:1-2(a) (NKJV)
1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them,
Dissension and dispute happen all the time in the Church between believers. What do we need? We need a supernatural revelation of the word of wisdom to bring peace in an issue of dispute. Watch what happens here.
Acts 15:2(b) (NKJV)
2 …they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.
Acts 15:6-7, 12, 13 (NKJV)
6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.
7 And when there had been much dispute (again, a crisis situation inside the Church) Peter rose up and said to them…
12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul (second Apostle, third leader now speaking) declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.
13 And after they had become silent, James (third Apostle to speak) answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me…
And so, now we see the leadership of the Church (follow me because this is how it really works) in unity, bringing about a supernatural wisdom in a matter. Perfect unity in this leadership group.
In verse 23, they decide to send a letter regarding their counsel, and in verse 31, we see the response of those who were initially described as those who were in dissension and dispute. Verse 31 are these people who were causing the dissension and the dispute.
Acts 15:31 (NKJV)
31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement.
Phenomenal. Supernatural. The more you’ve been in church leadership, the more you realize how miraculous this is because an issue of dissension and dispute turned into rejoicing and encouragement. That’s a miracle. That is the Holy Spirit at work in the leaders. The is the word of wisdom when you say, “God, I don’t know what to say here. I realize this could go really bad. This could go either way. And when I speak, there is going to be some result. And I need a supernatural revelation of the application of information.” (That’s the word of wisdom. Rightly applying right information to bring about God’s will, which is always unity. Always peace. Always, in the Church.) Not uniformity. God doesn’t call us to all be the same. He calls us to all be different, unity in diversity.
So, that is the operation of the word of wisdom. I, more than any other gift in the last couple of years, have earnestly desired this gift because I realized how quick I am to mess stuff up with my own wisdom. That’s why I earnestly desire this gift because now, I say, “God, here I go again. I need a supernatural revelation of your wisdom so that I can apply your knowledge to bring about peace and unity in this matter.” Every single time we are called to set direction or make decisions, we need to earnestly seek a manifestation of the word of wisdom so that there is a supernatural delivery. Right application of right information. It is critical.
We see this happen in prayer and share counseling all of the time, also. You’ll be sitting there talking to a counselor, and honestly, if they have a bit of a glazy look in their eyes, it’s because they don’t have a clue what to say to you. They’re saying, “God, what am I supposed to say to this? I don’t know how to respond to this. They’re wrapping up – I’m going to have to say something.” And the person stops, and the counselor says to God, “Okay, Lord. It’s time to speak. Here I go.” And they open their mouth, and wisdom flows out. And when the wisdom flows out, the person says, “That’s exactly what I needed to hear. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Thank you so much.” And the counselor is thinking, where did that come from?
Because even as they begin to speak, they don’t know what to say. And right as they open their mouth, the Holy Spirit is pouring that wisdom right through them so that they cannot own it, so that they cannot take credit for it, and so that the Body gets ministered to. Gifts for the profit of all, for edification, exhortation, and for the building up of the Body. It happens all of the time. Where we desperately seek this gift, and then we end up saying, where did that come from?
Let me say one more time, the word of wisdom is an anointing of the Holy Spirit who gives you the right direction or decision to make in a certain time, for a certain instance. It doesn’t mean that the next time you can flippantly go into the same situation. You’ve got to beg God again to work through you again, earnestly desire the gifts.
Two important things. Number one. No gift of the Holy Spirit, including the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom, will ever, ever, ever, ever conflict with the Holy Spirit’s written Word. The Holy Spirit wrote this book through men of old who were inspired God-breathed words. He will never contradict himself. You cannot take out a piece of scripture to match your fleshly word of knowledge. You cannot misinterpret or reinterpret the Bible to try to get it to align with something that you’re saying is a gift of the Spirit. Everything the Holy Spirit does in your life will clearly line up with the Word of God.
The second thing you’ve got to know is that this does not happen in some hyper-spiritualized, emotional state. The lights don’t have to be low with soft music playing for the Holy Spirit to work. He works moment by moment in your life if you’ll let him, if you will just be open to him.
The other thing that doesn’t happen is that you don’t start speaking in Old King James English. The Holy Spirit doesn’t speak Old King James English. Now, if you were in England in the 1600’s – maybe he did. But he doesn’t do it now. So as soon as somebody says, “Thus sayeth the Lord. He hath delivereth the information to me to pass on to you direct from the throne…” You just say, “I’ve got to go. I’ve got an appointment. I’ve got to run.” God doesn’t speak like that. Don’t get caught up in the emotionalizing of the Holy Spirit. You – as the minister – need to pray, “Lord, I’m about to speak. And my wisdom is worthless. My knowledge is worthless. I need a revelation of knowledge and wisdom from you if I’m going to minister to the Body. And if I don’t get it from you, then I might as well keep my mouth closed. Because it just doesn’t matter what we think. We’ve got to be vessels. We’ve got to be open vessels for the Holy Spirit to speak to the Body because we just don’t matter.
On the other side, when you’re sitting in front of somebody – me especially – say, look. I don’t care what you think. What is God saying? What is God is saying to you? What is God impressing upon your heart for me? And you need to be listening because God will speak through the minister that he puts in front of you if they will seek him and allow him to. So, on both sides of the table, we have to be seeking the gifts.
How do we receive them? We’ll go more and more into that as we continue, but you walk in the Spirit. Every day – walking with Jesus Christ. Constantly in repentance, to break down that wall that separates you – the wall of sin that separates you – constantly being cleansed of your sin, to be in a right relationship with the Lord. And yearning, earnestly desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and understand – we’ll get to ministry gifts later – manifestation gifts are for a specific instance, specific situation. So, when you get into one, ask for it.
Say, “Lord, this is one. I need the word of knowledge because I can’t figure out what is really going on behind the eyes (as we say). I can’t really figure out what is really going on in the heart. Can you reveal it to me, please, and quickly? I need it now.” He’ll do it if you let him. And then, when you have a decision to make or a direction to take, you earnestly desire the word of wisdom. Say, “Lord, I need your wisdom. It’s not about me. I don’t know what to do.”
Most of us would be scared to death to sit in one of Calvary Chapel Nuevo’s board meetings because we always start by saying, “Lord, we don’t have a clue what we’re doing. We don’t know what the next decision we need to make is. Lead us. Guide us, we beg you. We’ve got stuff on the table here we have to set direction on, that we have to make decisions on. And we can’t do it without you. And we beg for the gift of the word of wisdom for the leadership.” It’s so that we set his direction and not our own.
It is the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. It’s the Holy Spirit that guides you. It’s the Holy Spirit who empowers you. It’s the Holy Spirit who will deliver divine knowledge to you, and it’s the Holy Spirit who will deliver divine wisdom to you. And you use those tools to live for Christ. It’s a great way to pass the time between now and eternity. Walking in the Spirit, knowing that God is using you, seeing the results of God working through you, what else do you want to do? You’ve got to do something between now and the day you see Jesus face-to-face. You might as well use the tools that he has given you.
Be used by God.
Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.
All of those messages were to lay a foundation for us to understand that the Holy Spirit is not an “afterglow” emcee. We cannot relegate the Holy Spirit to running afterglow services, where the lights are low, and the music is soft, and there’s this “just right” kind of emotional setting for the Holy Spirit to work. God forbid that we should pigeonhole the Holy Spirit into some periodic event or service. God forbid that! The enemy would be happy if that were the only time we were to seek the power of the Holy Spirit – those chance meetings of afterglows.
Instead, I pray that you will understand more and more that you cannot live for Christ without the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s why he sent him. That’s why he is Jesus in you; why he is God in you. And more, as we move into the gifts, I pray that you’ll see that the spiritual gifts are tools to enable you to live for Christ. It’s as simple and as complete as that.
If I had a nail that I needed to hammer, and I had a hammer laying on the floor, and I chose to use the side of my hand to hammer that nail, I’d be an idiot. If the hammer was lying there, why would I use my hand to drive the nail into the wood when the appropriate tool is lying right there? If I had to saw something, I wouldn’t saw it with my hand; I would pick up a saw if it were lying there. And that’s how I would love for us to see the gifts of the Holy Spirit; as the tools that are appropriate – even necessary, mandatory – and critically required for the job. You cannot live for Christ or walk in the Spirit without using the appropriate tools. And that is what the gifts of the Holy Spirit are.
Before we get to the first two tools today, I want to review a little bit in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 12:1 (NKJV)
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
The devil’s been relatively successful at keeping the Church ignorant, that is “void of understanding,” of the spiritual gifts. We either are afraid of them, or we say, “Oh, we’re not that kind of church.” Or, “Yeah, we do that once a month, but only six people show up, and that’s when the Holy Spirit works.” That is a lack of knowledge for us to think the Holy Spirit is pigeonholed for this particular little place or time in our lives. He is required in our day-to-day living for Jesus. Absolutely required.
So, the Word says in verse 1, I don’t want you to be ignorant, and then down in verse 7, it says:
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV)
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
And we’ve got to continually remind ourselves that the Word is very clear that when we are born again, that God has given us gifts. He has created us with gifts, and he has given us gifts for the profit of all. He has given gifts sovereignly, as the Spirit wills, to each one. It is not just for those emotionally oriented believers. “That’s all fine that they do that, but we don’t do that here.” We have to get over that. We need the Holy Spirit badly. We need him bad; otherwise, all we have is religion.
Romans 12 3-9 (NKJV)
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ (a concept Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 12), and individually members of one another
6 Having then gifts (it’s a statement of fact) differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: (Having then, tools, let us use them) if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation;
9 he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
We’ll be back in this section in Romans Chapter 12 later, but for today, the key verses are the end of verse 3 coupled with verse 6. …as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith…having then gifts (that assumption, that statement of fact that we have gifts) let us use them.
Every believer has gifts; we need to use them. God’s given us the tools to live for Christ, but we’ve got to choose to use them. He will not force us to take the tool in our hand. He’ll let us pound the nail with the palm of our hand while the hammer is lying on the floor if we choose to do that.
My prayer is, as we go through this study, one of two things will happen to you. Either you will recognize that the things that you are already doing in the ministry are a result of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and that is everything that God uses you for, that he enables you to do is a direct result of a specific gift of the Holy Spirit. And so, my prayer is that you would start to say, “You know what? That’s the Holy Spirit. That’s the Holy Spirit working in my life.”
Or, otherwise, my prayer for you is that you would come to that initial revelation that God has poured out his Spirit upon (Epi) you, and has used you, has moved through you – where you have that first incredible experience where you just say “Wow! That was God! That had nothing to do with me. That was God moving through me.” It’s such a phenomenal moment when we understand that God desires to use us, and he has equipped us to use us.
We are going to continue to beg God to immerse us in his Holy Spirit. To provide by the baptism, the immersion of the Holy Spirit all the tools we need to live for Christ.
Remember, I’ve said we tend to categorize the gifts because the gifts, as we saw last week, are so diverse that our minds can’t really get ahold of it. We kind of really want to put the Holy Spirit in a box. Now, I don’t really think the Holy Spirit wants to be in a box, but it helps our mind to kind of categorize. And so, the two big categories of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are ministry gifts and manifestation gifts.
The ministry gifts are kind of who you are, who God has made you to be. They’re also called creation gifts, as in when you were created, God put this gift in you. If God has made you a worshiper, it is generally a ministry gift. If he made you a teacher, if he’s made you a helper, if you’ve always helped, then he has given you that gift, and it’s a ministry gift. If he’s made you an exhorter, a giver, an encourager, if you’ve always shown mercy – these are kind of almost personality gifts that God puts in you. Generally, they stay in you for the length of your life unless you are in rebellion against God. He will use those gifts routinely. Those are ministry gifts.
Manifestation gifts are not that same thing. Manifestation gifts are gifts that are given by the Holy Spirit in a specific moment, for a specific instant, without real regard to what your ministry gifts are. So, if a manifestation gift is given to you to reveal something of God to yourself and to another person, it doesn’t matter if your ministry gifts are helps, or giving, or teaching, or exhorting, or mercy, or anything else. If you are in a place where you are ministering, and you’re desiring a manifestation gift to reveal something of God, then he will give you a specific gift at a specific moment for a specific circumstance. That’s the manifestation gifts.
And so, we are going to start with the manifestation gifts, and we’ll end with the ministry gifts. The other thing that is important for you to know is that the manifestation gifts are never given for your personal benefit alone. Except for possibly tongues, without interpretation, which we’ll get to. In general, all of the manifestation gifts are given for the profit of all. To edify, to exhort, to equip the saints.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV)
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
So, today we start with two manifestation gifts. They’re in verse 8.
1 Corinthians 12:8 (NKJV)
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
These are our first two gifts – the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. We are going to start with the word of knowledge, and then we’ll go back and do the word of wisdom. Why? Because knowledge is the right information. Wisdom is the right application of the right information. So, we’ll start with the word of knowledge, look at the supernatural right information, and then we’ll move to the word of wisdom, which is the right application of the right information.
We’re going to start with the word of knowledge. We’ll start with a definition. For every one of the gifts we do, we’ll start with a definition, and then we’ll see Old Testament and New Testament examples, so you’ll start to see a pattern as we go through some of the gifts. We can’t go through all of them because we don’t know all of them – they are too diverse.
Here’s the definition of the word of knowledge. The word of knowledge is information given to us supernaturally. It is knowledge of things that we could not know through natural means. And so, the word of knowledge is not something you learn; it’s not something you acquire; it’s not something you figure out. It’s not something that you study. It is a supernatural revelation of the right information.
In the Old Testament, we would turn to 2 Kings (if we had more time) and read about Elisha, Elijah’s follower. When Elisha gets Elijah’s mantle, we see from about Chapter 3, Elisha starts operating in this word of knowledge heavily. So, you can read 2 Kings from Chapter 3 to about Chapter 8, and you see the word of knowledge over, and over, and over again in the Prophet Elisha’s life. It’s massive reading, so be sure to take some time and read it. I’ll try to give you more examples of the Old Testament. Remember, the Holy Spirit was with (Para) believers in the Old Testament and was operating in the Old Testament. He was unable to be in or upon us.
We will go to Matthew Chapter 16 in the New Testament. This is one of the greatest passages in the New Testament of the word of knowledge. The supernatural revelation of the right information.
Matthew 16:13-17 (NKJV)
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Perfect example of the word of knowledge. Flesh and blood hasn’t revealed this to you. You didn’t just figure that out. That was given to you as a gift from God. Right information. The word of knowledge, as Peter said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said that’s right. You got that from God.
Now, as Peter is such a good example for us in this, we need to understand that this manifestation gift is not a permanent gift. You do not say, Yes, I have the word of knowledge” as if it were to go on and on. And to prove that, we just look at verse 21, and we see the Apostle Peter walk in the flesh. Walk in the Spirit, walk in the flesh. Spirit – good. Flesh – bad. It gets really simple that way.
Matthew 16:21-23 (NKJV)
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
If Peter was still operating in the word of knowledge, he would have been in agreement, obviously, with Christ. But, since he is operating in the flesh, he began to rebuke Him. First mistake – don’t rebuke Christ. There’re some really simple lessons coming today. Just in case you think you’ve arrived, Jesus has just called you Satan. That is so good for us to understand that the word of knowledge is a manifestation, a revelation, and as quickly as we can get it, we can get right back in the flesh and lose it. We can speak in the Spirit, speak in the flesh, back-to-back. If Peter could, certainly we can.
Jesus is saying, Peter, you’re not walking in the Spirit. You’re walking in the flesh. What happened? Actually, calling him Satan, was kind of a strong “what happened?” We need to understand how quickly we can switch sides. That’s scary, isn’t it?
We need to understand two things. If the gift is from the Lord, it is truly powerful and phenomenal, miraculous, and does tremendous good. If we operate in the flesh, it is the same amount bad as operating in the Spirit is good. It brings destruction and devastation if we attempt to operate in the flesh. And we’ll talk more about those differences as we go.
Let’s go through two more quick examples on the word of knowledge. You’ll see as we go through the gifts that we are in Acts a lot. If you don’t know where to read in your daily devotions, I encourage you to read for the next six weeks in Acts because most of the examples of the specific gifts of the Spirit we’ll see in Acts.
Acts 5:1-3 (NKJV)
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.
2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
There is no indication that flesh and blood revealed that to Peter. That is obviously a Holy Spirit revelation of the right information. The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter that Ananias and Sapphira were lying. That is the word of knowledge – the right information.
Acts 8:18-23 (NKJV)
18 And when Simon (the sorcerer) saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 For I see (perceive – KJV) that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
That is a clear use of the gift of the word of knowledge in verse 23. For I perceive that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity. Many of our prayer and share counselor utilize this gift on a regular basis. And if you are in for counsel, you will see this gift in operation because one thing that we know about (in counseling situations) is that you never start with the real issue. It just doesn’t happen. You always start with something else, and the real issue is behind that. And so, when you sit down with a counselor, and you begin to tell the story, and the counselor says, “You know, I perceive, I feel, the Lord is impressing on me that this is the real issue.” And they may offer it to you, like, is this what you’re really here for? Is this the real issue? And if you find yourself picking your jaw up off the floor, then you know that the word of knowledge is in action and that the counselor has just been given a revelation of the right information about you. It is a phenomenal thing.
Now, don’t stop going to the prayer and share counselors because you’re afraid that God is going to rat you out to them. That’s why you go there. You go there to get the right information out. Truth – good. Lies – bad. You want the truth to get out, the right information. So, you go in there, and you just start talking, and the Holy Spirit often will give that prayer and share counselor the word of knowledge, giving them the true information about why you’re there. That’s the word of knowledge.
It is critically necessary if you are led or find yourself ministering to others in the Body, that you earnestly desire this gift because you can’t really figure out what is going on in your own flesh, in your own logic. You need God to reveal to you supernaturally the right information – the word of knowledge for the person he has you ministering to. Remember this gift, and all the manifestation gifts, are to equip, exhort, and edify the Body for the profit of all. So, you need to desire it, and you need to hear when someone else speaks it to you if it’s true. Of course, if it’s not true, you’ll also know because they’ll say, “I perceive that you this and that…” and you say, “No. That’s not it.” Sometimes you say that, and you’re lying because you’re not ready to tell the truth – it’s okay. Sometimes we say, no, no, no – that’s not it. And then six months later, you say, that was really it, I just couldn’t say. It’s okay that you do that because God is working on your heart and bringing you to the right information. Keep going to the counselors.
How do you receive this gift? You earnestly desire it. You ask for it. You have been given gifts already. You ask for the baptism of the Spirit, and then when you’re in that situation where you need the revelation of right knowledge, you ask for it. You say, “God, show me the truth. Reveal me what’s really going on here.” That is the word of knowledge.
Let’s move to the word of wisdom. We said that knowledge is right information. We said that wisdom is the right application of the right information. Do you see how they go together? So, knowledge and wisdom, usually and generally, will work side-by-side, or one right after the other. We’ve seen that the Holy Spirit gives us by revelation right information, the word of knowledge. Now we will see that Holy Spirit will give us right application of that information, which is the word of wisdom. It kind of demystifies it a little bit, and that’s really one of my primary goals, is for you to see how the gifts of the Spirit – these tools – work in our everyday life.
So, again, let’s start with a definition, as we will every time. Here’s the definition of the word of wisdom. It is an anointing of the Spirit that comes upon you in a time of need giving you the right words to say and the right decisions to make.
It is an anointing of the Spirit that comes on you in a moment of time, at the right moment giving you direction. Giving you decisions. Helping you direct or orchestrate something. Giving you the right words to say and the right decisions to make. The word of wisdom is almost always used in a moment of dissension or dispute. It is almost always used in a crisis moment, and it is always used to set direction or to make decisions. It is applying a supernatural wisdom to achieve God’s will in a certain matter.
But, because this is a manifestation gift, it’s not something that we have all of the time. We don’t say, “Oh, I have wisdom. God has given me wisdom.” No, that’s pride. You’re mistaking it for wisdom. We don’t say, “God has given me the wisdom to make these decisions.” You pray, “God. Anoint me with your Spirit. Give me the gift of wisdom so that I can make the right choice. So that I can set the right direction. So that I can make this decision.”
The most well-known Old Testament example of this is King Solomon, in 1 Kings 3. What was one of the first things that Solomon did that really showed his wisdom? Two women came with one baby. Both women are saying it’s their baby. What does King Solomon say? Cut the baby in half. What happened? Crisis resolved instantly. Do you see it? That was the word of wisdom. It is applying right information. It is applying the gift of knowledge. King Solomon says cut the baby in half – that wasn’t really what he was going to do, but that was the word of wisdom used to set direction, to make decisions.
Jesus used the word of wisdom all of the time. The Pharisees would back him into a corner, he would shoot one or two lines at them, and they would roll back on their heels, and they would be done. He used it all of the time.
In Acts Chapter 6, we are going to see two places where the Apostles used the word of wisdom to settle dissensions and disputes in the ministry.
Acts 6:1-4 (NKJV)
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
How do we know that this is a gift of the word of wisdom in action? By reading the next verse (which is what you should always do when you question anything in the Bible.)
Acts 6:5 (NKJV)
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude…
Over and over and over again in the Bible, when you see the word of wisdom being manifested, it always brings a supernatural resolve to a crisis situation. Always, to dissension or dispute. A word of wisdom gives direction. A word of wisdom is used to solve a specific issue in a specific moment.
Acts 15:1-2(a) (NKJV)
1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them,
Dissension and dispute happen all the time in the Church between believers. What do we need? We need a supernatural revelation of the word of wisdom to bring peace in an issue of dispute. Watch what happens here.
Acts 15:2(b) (NKJV)
2 …they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.
Acts 15:6-7, 12, 13 (NKJV)
6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.
7 And when there had been much dispute (again, a crisis situation inside the Church) Peter rose up and said to them…
12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul (second Apostle, third leader now speaking) declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.
13 And after they had become silent, James (third Apostle to speak) answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me…
And so, now we see the leadership of the Church (follow me because this is how it really works) in unity, bringing about a supernatural wisdom in a matter. Perfect unity in this leadership group.
In verse 23, they decide to send a letter regarding their counsel, and in verse 31, we see the response of those who were initially described as those who were in dissension and dispute. Verse 31 are these people who were causing the dissension and the dispute.
Acts 15:31 (NKJV)
31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement.
Phenomenal. Supernatural. The more you’ve been in church leadership, the more you realize how miraculous this is because an issue of dissension and dispute turned into rejoicing and encouragement. That’s a miracle. That is the Holy Spirit at work in the leaders. The is the word of wisdom when you say, “God, I don’t know what to say here. I realize this could go really bad. This could go either way. And when I speak, there is going to be some result. And I need a supernatural revelation of the application of information.” (That’s the word of wisdom. Rightly applying right information to bring about God’s will, which is always unity. Always peace. Always, in the Church.) Not uniformity. God doesn’t call us to all be the same. He calls us to all be different, unity in diversity.
So, that is the operation of the word of wisdom. I, more than any other gift in the last couple of years, have earnestly desired this gift because I realized how quick I am to mess stuff up with my own wisdom. That’s why I earnestly desire this gift because now, I say, “God, here I go again. I need a supernatural revelation of your wisdom so that I can apply your knowledge to bring about peace and unity in this matter.” Every single time we are called to set direction or make decisions, we need to earnestly seek a manifestation of the word of wisdom so that there is a supernatural delivery. Right application of right information. It is critical.
We see this happen in prayer and share counseling all of the time, also. You’ll be sitting there talking to a counselor, and honestly, if they have a bit of a glazy look in their eyes, it’s because they don’t have a clue what to say to you. They’re saying, “God, what am I supposed to say to this? I don’t know how to respond to this. They’re wrapping up – I’m going to have to say something.” And the person stops, and the counselor says to God, “Okay, Lord. It’s time to speak. Here I go.” And they open their mouth, and wisdom flows out. And when the wisdom flows out, the person says, “That’s exactly what I needed to hear. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Thank you so much.” And the counselor is thinking, where did that come from?
Because even as they begin to speak, they don’t know what to say. And right as they open their mouth, the Holy Spirit is pouring that wisdom right through them so that they cannot own it, so that they cannot take credit for it, and so that the Body gets ministered to. Gifts for the profit of all, for edification, exhortation, and for the building up of the Body. It happens all of the time. Where we desperately seek this gift, and then we end up saying, where did that come from?
Let me say one more time, the word of wisdom is an anointing of the Holy Spirit who gives you the right direction or decision to make in a certain time, for a certain instance. It doesn’t mean that the next time you can flippantly go into the same situation. You’ve got to beg God again to work through you again, earnestly desire the gifts.
Two important things. Number one. No gift of the Holy Spirit, including the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom, will ever, ever, ever, ever conflict with the Holy Spirit’s written Word. The Holy Spirit wrote this book through men of old who were inspired God-breathed words. He will never contradict himself. You cannot take out a piece of scripture to match your fleshly word of knowledge. You cannot misinterpret or reinterpret the Bible to try to get it to align with something that you’re saying is a gift of the Spirit. Everything the Holy Spirit does in your life will clearly line up with the Word of God.
The second thing you’ve got to know is that this does not happen in some hyper-spiritualized, emotional state. The lights don’t have to be low with soft music playing for the Holy Spirit to work. He works moment by moment in your life if you’ll let him, if you will just be open to him.
The other thing that doesn’t happen is that you don’t start speaking in Old King James English. The Holy Spirit doesn’t speak Old King James English. Now, if you were in England in the 1600’s – maybe he did. But he doesn’t do it now. So as soon as somebody says, “Thus sayeth the Lord. He hath delivereth the information to me to pass on to you direct from the throne…” You just say, “I’ve got to go. I’ve got an appointment. I’ve got to run.” God doesn’t speak like that. Don’t get caught up in the emotionalizing of the Holy Spirit. You – as the minister – need to pray, “Lord, I’m about to speak. And my wisdom is worthless. My knowledge is worthless. I need a revelation of knowledge and wisdom from you if I’m going to minister to the Body. And if I don’t get it from you, then I might as well keep my mouth closed. Because it just doesn’t matter what we think. We’ve got to be vessels. We’ve got to be open vessels for the Holy Spirit to speak to the Body because we just don’t matter.
On the other side, when you’re sitting in front of somebody – me especially – say, look. I don’t care what you think. What is God saying? What is God is saying to you? What is God impressing upon your heart for me? And you need to be listening because God will speak through the minister that he puts in front of you if they will seek him and allow him to. So, on both sides of the table, we have to be seeking the gifts.
How do we receive them? We’ll go more and more into that as we continue, but you walk in the Spirit. Every day – walking with Jesus Christ. Constantly in repentance, to break down that wall that separates you – the wall of sin that separates you – constantly being cleansed of your sin, to be in a right relationship with the Lord. And yearning, earnestly desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and understand – we’ll get to ministry gifts later – manifestation gifts are for a specific instance, specific situation. So, when you get into one, ask for it.
Say, “Lord, this is one. I need the word of knowledge because I can’t figure out what is really going on behind the eyes (as we say). I can’t really figure out what is really going on in the heart. Can you reveal it to me, please, and quickly? I need it now.” He’ll do it if you let him. And then, when you have a decision to make or a direction to take, you earnestly desire the word of wisdom. Say, “Lord, I need your wisdom. It’s not about me. I don’t know what to do.”
Most of us would be scared to death to sit in one of Calvary Chapel Nuevo’s board meetings because we always start by saying, “Lord, we don’t have a clue what we’re doing. We don’t know what the next decision we need to make is. Lead us. Guide us, we beg you. We’ve got stuff on the table here we have to set direction on, that we have to make decisions on. And we can’t do it without you. And we beg for the gift of the word of wisdom for the leadership.” It’s so that we set his direction and not our own.
It is the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. It’s the Holy Spirit that guides you. It’s the Holy Spirit who empowers you. It’s the Holy Spirit who will deliver divine knowledge to you, and it’s the Holy Spirit who will deliver divine wisdom to you. And you use those tools to live for Christ. It’s a great way to pass the time between now and eternity. Walking in the Spirit, knowing that God is using you, seeing the results of God working through you, what else do you want to do? You’ve got to do something between now and the day you see Jesus face-to-face. You might as well use the tools that he has given you.
Be used by God.
Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.