THE GIFT OF THE WORD OF
WISDOM
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant...Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord, And there are diversities of operations, but it is
the same God which worketh all in all. 1Cor. 12:1-6
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of
wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 1Cor. 12:7-8
The gifts of the Holy Spirit (or manifestations as identified by Paul) are manifested through individual believers as the
Spirit of God wills. Spiritual gifts are not given to the individual for personal benefit, but to 'profit' a whole assembly or
body of believers. When the gifts of the Spirit are in manifestation, they will always exalt the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
TRY THE SPIRITS: "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that
spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that should come... " 1John 4:2-3
First Corinthians 12:3 states, Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth
Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, buy by the Holy Ghost (when the Spirit is in
manifestation).
The Gift of the Word of Wisdom:
person's obedience (see the examples below).
The Gift of the Word of Wisdom is not:
Kenneth E. Hagin remarks, "How desperately we need supernatural manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit today,
such as the gift of the word of wisdom. As we learn to yield to God, His plans and purposes will be revealed to us
through the word of wisdom as His Spirit wills." p. 93
Examples of the Gift of the Word of Wisdom from the OLD TESTAMENT:
The Word of Wisdom used to fortell the coming Messiah:Isaiah 53 is one of the greatest prophecies in the Bible. The great prophet Isaiah described the nature of the
Messiah. He described all the ways He would die, what kind of person He would be, and what His death would mean to
us. He even wrote that by His stripes we would be healed. In Isaiah's day stripes were not known as a form of
punishment. This was the word of God's wisdom functioning through Isaiah. (LS p. 64)
The Word of Wisdom to foretell of the coming Flood:God revealed to Noah the coming of the Flood. God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh
had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is
filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:12,13
Noah knew for 120 years that God would destroy the earth. This is the gift of the word of God's wisdom functioning
through Noah. (LS p. 62)
The Word of Wisdom to foretell the outpouring of the Holy Spirit:
When the prophet Joel prophesied that in the last day God's Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh, he was
revealing the future: "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; And also upon
the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit...And is shall come to pass, that whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered..." Joel 2:28,29,32.
The Word of Wisdom in manifestation:
Examples of the Gift of the Word of Wisdom from the NEW TESTAMENT:
The Word of Wisdom to foretell of a drought and famine through Agabus, the Prophet:In the Book of Acts, we read that Agabus had prophesied and foretold that a drought and famine was coming (Acts 11:
28). The people believed him because he was a man of integrity and had a proven ministry. When Agabus
prophesied about the drought, the people began immediately to make preparations in order to help the saints who
lived where the drought was coming. (LS p. 91)
The Word of Wisdom to foretell of Paul's fate in Jerusalem:
Paul and his company were at Philip's house. "And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea, a
certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and
feet, and said, THUS SAITH THE HOLY GHOST, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle,
and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles." Acts 21:10, 11
"And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, be sought him (Paul) not to go up to Jerusalem.
Then Paul answered, what mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to
die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." Acts: 21:12, 13
What Agabus revealed by the Spirit of God was a revelation of the will of God that was to happen in the future;
therefore, it was a word of wisdom. Paul could not be persuaded not to go to Jerusalem, hence the "word" came to
pass.
The Word of Wisdom in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ:
In Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13, Christ foretold the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem which came a few
years later, and the signs which would accompany His return to earth for His Church. Many of these things are coming
to pass in our generation. Some of them have yet to come to pass. All of this is what the word of God's wisdom is - a
revelation of the future. (LS p. 64)
The Word of Wisdom manifested through the Apostle John:The Apostle John was caught up in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and the entire book of Revelation flashed before him.
(LS p. 65)
Examples of Conditional Words of Wisdom:
Jonah
God spoke to the Prophet Jonah and gave him a word of wisdom that Nineveh was going to be destroyed if the people
of that great city did not repent and turn to God. Jonah didn't care whether Nineveh was destroyed or not, and as a
result, he didn't want to go warn the people. God dealt with Jonah in the belly of the great fish for three days. After
this experience, he reluctantly went and preached to the people of Nineveh warning them of impending judgment if they
didn't turn to God (Jonah 3:4) The people of Nineveh repented and judgment didn't fall on Nineveh in that generation.
Prophet IsaiahHezekiah, king of Judah was already "...sick unto death." God told Isaiah to convey a word of wisdom concerning
Hezekiah's future - his plan and purpose for his life "...set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live..."
(2Kings 20:1) When Isaiah delivered the message, Hezekiah repented of his wrongdoings, cried out and prayed to God
and reminded God how he had walked before him with a whole heart having kept his commandments but had missed it
in certain areas. He repented. Before Isaiah could leave the courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him to return and
tell Hezekiah, "...I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee:....And I will add unto thy days
fifteen years.." (2Kings 20:5,6)
"If the Church was moving in the spiritual gifts of revelation - the word of wisdom, the word of
knowledge, and the discerning of spirits - there would be no need for fortune-tellers, crystal ball
gazers, Ouija boards, tea-leaf readers, palm readers, and all the other paraphernalia that the Devil
uses to deceive the people of our generation. We are engulfed in the greatest wave of black magic
and witchcraft this country has ever known. One reason for this is that the Church has not
properly operated in the gifts of the Spirit. We have not used the weapons of our warfare to stop
the Devil's counterfeits." (LS p. 60,61)
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant...Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord, And there are diversities of operations, but it is
the same God which worketh all in all. 1Cor. 12:1-6
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of
wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 1Cor. 12:7-8
The gifts of the Holy Spirit (or manifestations as identified by Paul) are manifested through individual believers as the
Spirit of God wills. Spiritual gifts are not given to the individual for personal benefit, but to 'profit' a whole assembly or
body of believers. When the gifts of the Spirit are in manifestation, they will always exalt the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
TRY THE SPIRITS: "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that
spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that should come... " 1John 4:2-3
First Corinthians 12:3 states, Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth
Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, buy by the Holy Ghost (when the Spirit is in
manifestation).
The Gift of the Word of Wisdom:
- The supernatural
revelation by the Spirit of God concerning the divine purpose and plan in the
mind of God. It is a divine communication, a message to
the Church from God, conveyed by the Holy Spirit to the believer.
- A word of wisdom is
only a fragment of the wisdom of God, given for a specific
purpose.
- The word of wisdom
tells about something that is going to happen - certain facts about the future
to man. The word of wisdom is always FUTURE TENSE
- that which is yet unborn: hidden things we would not normally or naturally know.
- A word of God's
wisdom makes you wise to the future and you know what is going to take place
rather than to worry about it or using your own
strength to make it come to pass - it will happen exactly as the Lord told
you it would.
- A word of wisdom can
come through the vocal gift of an utterance: prophecy, tongues and
interpretation of tongues; the audible
voice of the Holy Spirit; a vision or dream; or
a message from an
angel.
- A word of wisdom
might be accompanied by a word of knowledge, as spiritual gifts often work
together.
- A believer who
consistently speaks out foretelling the future is speaking by the word of
wisdom. He sees into the future and possesses the gift of the
word of wisdom (God's wisdom) to tell the future. This gift is
foremost in a Prophet's (Seer's)
ministry.
- A word of wisdom may
be manifested through the vehicle of prophecy in a Spirit-filled believer's
private prayer life, as the Spirit wills, as the
believer prays out the plan of God for his own life. However, the word of
wisdom may not be manifested in the
believer's public ministry through prophecy.
- Sometimes a word of
wisdom is conveyed through the vehicle of prophecy, but it is not prophecy in
and of itself: prophecy can just be the vehicle
through which the word of wisdom manifests itself.
- If a person is just
used in the simple gift of prophecy, but does not have the revelation gifts
(word of knowledge, word of wisdom, or discerning of
Spirits) in operation, then the prophecy is the SIMPLE gift of
prophecy being demonstrated - the prophecy is only
being used to bring edification, exhortation, and comfort and not
revelation.
- When any revelation
is given by the unction of the Holy Spirit, it is always a word of wisdom, a
word of knowledge, or discerning of spirits -
the three revelation gifts.
- The Gift of the Word
of Wisdom is considered the best gift out of the three revelation
gifts.
person's obedience (see the examples below).
The Gift of the Word of Wisdom is not:
- To be considered a
"gift" of wisdom; general wisdom in the affairs of life. You can attain simple
wisdom to deal wisely in the affairs of life through
the knowledge of God's Word. God will impart (general) wisdom to
anyone who asks for it, but it is not a
supernatural manifestation of the word of wisdom: If any of you lack
wisdom, let
him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5
- A gift connected to
academic success.
- A gift you can
operate without the unction of the Spirit of
God.
Kenneth E. Hagin remarks, "How desperately we need supernatural manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit today,
such as the gift of the word of wisdom. As we learn to yield to God, His plans and purposes will be revealed to us
through the word of wisdom as His Spirit wills." p. 93
Examples of the Gift of the Word of Wisdom from the OLD TESTAMENT:
The Word of Wisdom used to fortell the coming Messiah:Isaiah 53 is one of the greatest prophecies in the Bible. The great prophet Isaiah described the nature of the
Messiah. He described all the ways He would die, what kind of person He would be, and what His death would mean to
us. He even wrote that by His stripes we would be healed. In Isaiah's day stripes were not known as a form of
punishment. This was the word of God's wisdom functioning through Isaiah. (LS p. 64)
The Word of Wisdom to foretell of the coming Flood:God revealed to Noah the coming of the Flood. God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh
had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is
filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:12,13
Noah knew for 120 years that God would destroy the earth. This is the gift of the word of God's wisdom functioning
through Noah. (LS p. 62)
The Word of Wisdom to foretell the outpouring of the Holy Spirit:
When the prophet Joel prophesied that in the last day God's Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh, he was
revealing the future: "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; And also upon
the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit...And is shall come to pass, that whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered..." Joel 2:28,29,32.
The Word of Wisdom in manifestation:
- Joseph interpreted a
dream of the future.
- Daniel received
wisdom by a night vision (a word of wisdom projected into the
future.)
- Ezekiel was caught
away into the Spirit for a revelation. (LS p. 65)
Examples of the Gift of the Word of Wisdom from the NEW TESTAMENT:
The Word of Wisdom to foretell of a drought and famine through Agabus, the Prophet:In the Book of Acts, we read that Agabus had prophesied and foretold that a drought and famine was coming (Acts 11:
28). The people believed him because he was a man of integrity and had a proven ministry. When Agabus
prophesied about the drought, the people began immediately to make preparations in order to help the saints who
lived where the drought was coming. (LS p. 91)
The Word of Wisdom to foretell of Paul's fate in Jerusalem:
Paul and his company were at Philip's house. "And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea, a
certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and
feet, and said, THUS SAITH THE HOLY GHOST, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle,
and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles." Acts 21:10, 11
"And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, be sought him (Paul) not to go up to Jerusalem.
Then Paul answered, what mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to
die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." Acts: 21:12, 13
What Agabus revealed by the Spirit of God was a revelation of the will of God that was to happen in the future;
therefore, it was a word of wisdom. Paul could not be persuaded not to go to Jerusalem, hence the "word" came to
pass.
The Word of Wisdom in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ:
In Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13, Christ foretold the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem which came a few
years later, and the signs which would accompany His return to earth for His Church. Many of these things are coming
to pass in our generation. Some of them have yet to come to pass. All of this is what the word of God's wisdom is - a
revelation of the future. (LS p. 64)
The Word of Wisdom manifested through the Apostle John:The Apostle John was caught up in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and the entire book of Revelation flashed before him.
(LS p. 65)
Examples of Conditional Words of Wisdom:
Jonah
God spoke to the Prophet Jonah and gave him a word of wisdom that Nineveh was going to be destroyed if the people
of that great city did not repent and turn to God. Jonah didn't care whether Nineveh was destroyed or not, and as a
result, he didn't want to go warn the people. God dealt with Jonah in the belly of the great fish for three days. After
this experience, he reluctantly went and preached to the people of Nineveh warning them of impending judgment if they
didn't turn to God (Jonah 3:4) The people of Nineveh repented and judgment didn't fall on Nineveh in that generation.
Prophet IsaiahHezekiah, king of Judah was already "...sick unto death." God told Isaiah to convey a word of wisdom concerning
Hezekiah's future - his plan and purpose for his life "...set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live..."
(2Kings 20:1) When Isaiah delivered the message, Hezekiah repented of his wrongdoings, cried out and prayed to God
and reminded God how he had walked before him with a whole heart having kept his commandments but had missed it
in certain areas. He repented. Before Isaiah could leave the courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him to return and
tell Hezekiah, "...I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee:....And I will add unto thy days
fifteen years.." (2Kings 20:5,6)
"If the Church was moving in the spiritual gifts of revelation - the word of wisdom, the word of
knowledge, and the discerning of spirits - there would be no need for fortune-tellers, crystal ball
gazers, Ouija boards, tea-leaf readers, palm readers, and all the other paraphernalia that the Devil
uses to deceive the people of our generation. We are engulfed in the greatest wave of black magic
and witchcraft this country has ever known. One reason for this is that the Church has not
properly operated in the gifts of the Spirit. We have not used the weapons of our warfare to stop
the Devil's counterfeits." (LS p. 60,61)
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