These are the gifts that reveal something, and they include Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, and Discerning of Spirits. We’ll start by defining them in order.
Word of Wisdom is the supernatural revelation of naturally unattainable instruction. It is wisdom from above that is communicated to those who need to know what to do, without any knowledge or insight into a given situation. One could say that it is a gift that offers divine direction from the heart and mind of God. It is much like what one would experience according to Isaiah 30:20-21, “The Lord will give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but your Teacher will no longer hide Himself—with your own eyes you will see Him. And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.” It is supernatural in nature, and is not natural wisdom. It is like having an invisible guide, telling you what direction to go in order to provide a favorable outcome in a particular direction. The use of this gift is like having a guide who leads you and others in your charge into the direction, strategy, and method of operation which God desires, giving supernatural assurance that you are doing the right thing, and warning if you are doing the wrong thing.
Word of Knowledge reveals facts that are unattainable to the one ministering. Again, this is not natural knowledge. If it can be earned, it is not a gift. Having a college degree does not mean you have the gift of the word of knowledge. It is also not future tense, as that would fall more into the word of wisdom category, as wisdom speaks to a future outcome. The word of knowledge is a gift that speaks to present, unknown realities which can only be revealed by God. An example of the word of knowledge can be found in Acts chapter 5:
“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart: Thou hast not lied unto men, but UNTO God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things” (Acts 5:1-5).
Discernment of Spirits is different from the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge, as it is limited to the spirit world. Again, this is much more than natural, human discernment. It is to see and hear in the spirit realm, regardless of what is happening before your eyes. With this gift, motives, agendas, and even the type of spirit in operation can be exposed so that the minister of this gift can know what to do. It discerns the good (the Holy Spirit, Angels, pure motives, etc.), but will also discern the evil (demonic activity, corrupt agendas, principalities, spiritual wickedness). The one who is used in this gift often is enabled to “see through” individuals and circumstances, and understand from what kingdom people and things are operating. This is helpful, especially in deliverance ministry, as deception and trickery are often used by the enemy so that the spirit in operation cannot be identified. An example of this gift being used is in Acts 16:
“…a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us which brought her master much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. She did this for several days. So Paul, being “grieved” turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he (the evil spirit) came out the same hour” (Acts 16:16).
Again, the revelation gifts must be balanced by love, or they can be used to manipulate for one’s own personal agenda, judgments, and desires. Spiritual gifts are often mimicked in the demonic realm, which is why we have what the Bible describes as “signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9). As is the case with any spiritual gift, if it costs money, you ought to be suspicious of that gift in operation. Also, spiritual gifts are often used by those who are spiritually abusive or manipulative, and those who seek to control people by manipulation and bewitching. The revelation gifts are helpful in being able to expose those individuals in a way that goes beyond human judgement.
- Can you see yourself functioning in these revelation gifts?
- Have you ever been ministered to by someone who was using a revelation gift? How was the experience?
- Have you taken the spiritual gifts test that was posted in 1Body? If not, you can find it here.