There are many gifts that the Holy Spirit imparts on believers as we walk the path he has prepared for each of us, according to his will. Many many years back as a new believer, God gave me the gift of knowledge. This gift is incredible because it gave me a window into the lives of other believers including my family, friends and acquaintances. The gift of knowledge is not always a stand alone gift and is usually accompanied by understanding and also wisdom.
When I first got an unction [a quickening, a prompting, an acute awareness, a specific revelation] in my spirit about something going on in someone's life, I was concerned because I did not know what to do with that information. I asked my Home group leader if I should go up and tell that person or not? and he said that the best thing to do was to wait on the Lord for instructions.
Please note: I am not referring to non-believers at the moment but rather believers. Non-believers are approached differently because the gift of knowledge for them, leads to salvation.
Many people tend to jump on these revelations without thought and end up doing more harm then good. God gives us these gifts for a reason and most times it's because the person in question is not receptive to the Holy Spirit's promptings or is not always aware of the gravity of their spiritual condition. I ended up praying for that person in question until the burden I had for them was lifted. This was the best decision based on the circumstances. That person was then able to recognize their situation and be set free through God's perfect timing and also through the uplifting prayers of the saints.
Knowledge is an awesome gift when accompanied by understanding - with understanding, we are able to get a glimpse of the reasons why people end up in the spiritual condition that they find themselves in - gaining understanding from the heart of God....helps us to pray or minister to them accordingly [as in Deliverance Ministry] or whatever the Spirit leads.
If left undealt with, a bondage situation may occur and the person/people in question may become closed hearted/ minded, unable to share their struggles with others, becoming more despondent and depressed.
Wisdom is the main gift when these three are functioning together because wisdom teaches us how to deal with the situation at hand. There are three things I have learned over the years when dealing with something that God has shown me about others through the gift of knowledge.
1. Always pray about it
2. Wait on the Lord for further instructions
3. Discuss your thoughts privately with someone of wise counsel, ensuring that their fruit bears witness of their solid foundation and maturity in Christ.
Do not approach anyone without clear instruction from the Lord to do so, ensuring also that you have gone through all the above check-points.
In my experience, I have seen many believers harmed by the thoughtless actions of believers who have been given a gift of knowledge and they have ran with it without thinking about the consequences or been wise enough to pray about it or wait on the Lord for further instruction.
Love should be the primary foundation in which these gifts are functioning...
The gift of Knowledge - knowing things that are unknown: Prov 1:7, 17:27, 24:14, Eccl 7:12, Jer 11:18, Phil 1:9, Col 1:9
The gift of understanding - understanding the reasons why this has happened [root cause]: Job 28:28, 32:8, Prov 4:7, 7:4, 11:12
The gift of wisdom - Knowing how to deal with the situation according to the will of God: Ex 31:3, Ps 111:10, Prov:2:6, 14:33, Eccl 1:18, 7:12, Isai 33:6,
The combination of these gifts when functioning together equals The Gift Of Discernment.
Proverbs 2:2-5
My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.
Philippians 1:9-10
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
Sometimes our discernment can be incorrect and that can be a humbling experience. Incorrect discernment usually begins with believers functioning from out of their soul [mind, will, heart and/or emotions] rather than the Spirit of God. The soul can pick up certain actions, mannerisms and non-verbal communication that can cause us to believe or lean toward a certain way of thinking. The soul can then put two and two together and come up with ten!
When one functions from out of the soul, you will find that the mind is already in agreement with all the pieces that have been gathered, to form a conclusion. That's because deep down inside, the discerner has already made up their mind. The soul does not follow the path of wisdom nor will it always listen to the check in our spirit but is in a hurry to expose a wrong or the reveal something that they believe is from God.
The underlying factor of this desire is usually motivated by pride.
It is okay to make mistakes and learn from them but we must also learn how to humble ourselves and confess to those whom we have wronged and repent of it.....
Blessings!!
When I first got an unction [a quickening, a prompting, an acute awareness, a specific revelation] in my spirit about something going on in someone's life, I was concerned because I did not know what to do with that information. I asked my Home group leader if I should go up and tell that person or not? and he said that the best thing to do was to wait on the Lord for instructions.
Please note: I am not referring to non-believers at the moment but rather believers. Non-believers are approached differently because the gift of knowledge for them, leads to salvation.
Many people tend to jump on these revelations without thought and end up doing more harm then good. God gives us these gifts for a reason and most times it's because the person in question is not receptive to the Holy Spirit's promptings or is not always aware of the gravity of their spiritual condition. I ended up praying for that person in question until the burden I had for them was lifted. This was the best decision based on the circumstances. That person was then able to recognize their situation and be set free through God's perfect timing and also through the uplifting prayers of the saints.
Knowledge is an awesome gift when accompanied by understanding - with understanding, we are able to get a glimpse of the reasons why people end up in the spiritual condition that they find themselves in - gaining understanding from the heart of God....helps us to pray or minister to them accordingly [as in Deliverance Ministry] or whatever the Spirit leads.
If left undealt with, a bondage situation may occur and the person/people in question may become closed hearted/ minded, unable to share their struggles with others, becoming more despondent and depressed.
Wisdom is the main gift when these three are functioning together because wisdom teaches us how to deal with the situation at hand. There are three things I have learned over the years when dealing with something that God has shown me about others through the gift of knowledge.
1. Always pray about it
2. Wait on the Lord for further instructions
3. Discuss your thoughts privately with someone of wise counsel, ensuring that their fruit bears witness of their solid foundation and maturity in Christ.
Do not approach anyone without clear instruction from the Lord to do so, ensuring also that you have gone through all the above check-points.
In my experience, I have seen many believers harmed by the thoughtless actions of believers who have been given a gift of knowledge and they have ran with it without thinking about the consequences or been wise enough to pray about it or wait on the Lord for further instruction.
Love should be the primary foundation in which these gifts are functioning...
The gift of Knowledge - knowing things that are unknown: Prov 1:7, 17:27, 24:14, Eccl 7:12, Jer 11:18, Phil 1:9, Col 1:9
The gift of understanding - understanding the reasons why this has happened [root cause]: Job 28:28, 32:8, Prov 4:7, 7:4, 11:12
The gift of wisdom - Knowing how to deal with the situation according to the will of God: Ex 31:3, Ps 111:10, Prov:2:6, 14:33, Eccl 1:18, 7:12, Isai 33:6,
The combination of these gifts when functioning together equals The Gift Of Discernment.
Proverbs 2:2-5
My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.
Philippians 1:9-10
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
Sometimes our discernment can be incorrect and that can be a humbling experience. Incorrect discernment usually begins with believers functioning from out of their soul [mind, will, heart and/or emotions] rather than the Spirit of God. The soul can pick up certain actions, mannerisms and non-verbal communication that can cause us to believe or lean toward a certain way of thinking. The soul can then put two and two together and come up with ten!
When one functions from out of the soul, you will find that the mind is already in agreement with all the pieces that have been gathered, to form a conclusion. That's because deep down inside, the discerner has already made up their mind. The soul does not follow the path of wisdom nor will it always listen to the check in our spirit but is in a hurry to expose a wrong or the reveal something that they believe is from God.
The underlying factor of this desire is usually motivated by pride.
It is okay to make mistakes and learn from them but we must also learn how to humble ourselves and confess to those whom we have wronged and repent of it.....
Blessings!!
