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 the will of God. Many years back, God gave me the gift of knowledge. This gift is incredible because it had given me a window into the lives of other fellow 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 wisdom.
When I first got an unction 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 discussing 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 and that person was able to recognize their situation and was set free through God's perfect timing and also through the uplifting prayers of the saints.
Knowledge is an awesome gift and 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....
If left undealt with, a bondage situation may occur and the person/people in question 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 this person without clear instruction from the Lord to do so, ensuring also that you have gone through all the other check points above.
In my experience, I have seen many believers harmed by the thoughtless actions of others who have been given a gift of knowledge and 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.
The gift of Knowledge - knowing things that are unknown
The gift of understanding - understanding the reasons why this has happened [root cause]
The gift of wisdom - Knowing how to deal with the situation according to the will of God.
These three gifts combined, make up - "The Gift of Discernment"
Blessings!!! ^_^
Knowledge:
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 17:27
He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
Proverbs 24:14
So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off.
Ecclesiastes 7:12
For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
Jeremiah 11:18
[ Jeremiah’s Life Threatened ] Now the LORD gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings.
Philippians 1:9
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
Colossians 1:9
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Understanding
1 Kings 3:9
Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
Job 28:28
And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
Job 32:8
But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
Proverbs 7:4
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your nearest kin,
Proverbs 11:12
He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, But a man of understanding holds his peace.
Proverbs 15:14
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
Proverbs 18:2
A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart.
Wisdom:
Exodus 31:3
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Proverbs 14:33
Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known.
Ecclesiastes 1:18
For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 7:12
For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
Isaiah 33:6
Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the LORD is His treasure.
1 Corinthians 2:13
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
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,
Shalom!!!
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Incorrect Discernment:
There are times when our discernment is incorrect and that can be a humbling experience. Incorrect discernment usually begins with believers functioning from out of their soul rather than the Spirit of God. The soul can pick up certain actions, mannerisms and non-verbal communication that can cause us to believe that something is amiss. 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 in agreement with all the pieces that have been gathered, to form a conclusion. That's because deep down inside, the discerner has already decided that the person in question is guilty . 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 we all learn from them but we must also learn how to humble ourselves and confess to those we have harmed, that we were wrong and repent of it.... ^_^
A question you may have in your mind right now is, have I ever discerned a situation incorrectly?
Well of course I have, many times because I'm still learning, as we all are and we will always be learning till the day we depart from this earth and hopefully, we have learned from past mistakes. Growth and maturity take time.
Discerning incorrectly is less common for me now days [praise the Lord!] because I tend to choose the safest route first, which is prayer rather than pursuing an unction without thought - continuing also with on-going training, through the prompting and unction of the Holy Spirit and the word of God.
Blessings!!!
When I first got an unction 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 discussing 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 and that person was able to recognize their situation and was set free through God's perfect timing and also through the uplifting prayers of the saints.
Knowledge is an awesome gift and 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....
If left undealt with, a bondage situation may occur and the person/people in question 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 this person without clear instruction from the Lord to do so, ensuring also that you have gone through all the other check points above.
In my experience, I have seen many believers harmed by the thoughtless actions of others who have been given a gift of knowledge and 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.
The gift of Knowledge - knowing things that are unknown
The gift of understanding - understanding the reasons why this has happened [root cause]
The gift of wisdom - Knowing how to deal with the situation according to the will of God.
These three gifts combined, make up - "The Gift of Discernment"
Blessings!!! ^_^
Knowledge:
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 17:27
He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
Proverbs 24:14
So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off.
Ecclesiastes 7:12
For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
Jeremiah 11:18
[ Jeremiah’s Life Threatened ] Now the LORD gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings.
Philippians 1:9
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
Colossians 1:9
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Understanding
1 Kings 3:9
Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
Job 28:28
And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
Job 32:8
But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
Proverbs 7:4
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your nearest kin,
Proverbs 11:12
He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, But a man of understanding holds his peace.
Proverbs 15:14
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
Proverbs 18:2
A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart.
Wisdom:
Exodus 31:3
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Proverbs 14:33
Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known.
Ecclesiastes 1:18
For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 7:12
For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
Isaiah 33:6
Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the LORD is His treasure.
1 Corinthians 2:13
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
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,
Shalom!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incorrect Discernment:
There are times when our discernment is incorrect and that can be a humbling experience. Incorrect discernment usually begins with believers functioning from out of their soul rather than the Spirit of God. The soul can pick up certain actions, mannerisms and non-verbal communication that can cause us to believe that something is amiss. 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 in agreement with all the pieces that have been gathered, to form a conclusion. That's because deep down inside, the discerner has already decided that the person in question is guilty . 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 we all learn from them but we must also learn how to humble ourselves and confess to those we have harmed, that we were wrong and repent of it.... ^_^
A question you may have in your mind right now is, have I ever discerned a situation incorrectly?
Well of course I have, many times because I'm still learning, as we all are and we will always be learning till the day we depart from this earth and hopefully, we have learned from past mistakes. Growth and maturity take time.
Discerning incorrectly is less common for me now days [praise the Lord!] because I tend to choose the safest route first, which is prayer rather than pursuing an unction without thought - continuing also with on-going training, through the prompting and unction of the Holy Spirit and the word of God.
Blessings!!!
