Knowledge = unique insight / supernatural information

The gift of knowledge is the divine strength or ability to bring clarity and to understand situations and circumstances often accompanied by a word from God. 

(See Acts 5:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:8, Colossians 2:2-3)

How it works

Word of Knowledge  carries the ability to talk about something there’s no natural way the speaker would have known. In the way that wisdom often refers to application; knowledge often refers to information. 

But it’s not just “any” information. Generally, it’s personal and it’s timely. 

My experience, a story of imparted hope

At the end of a church service one Sunday morning, a visiting speaker who had never met me— and knew nothing about me— locked eyes with me as he concluded his message and began his time of invitation and response. 

“Hey, you’re a father of many kids,” he said. “You have a lot of them— more than normal. How many?”

Two of my kids sat near me. The others were either in their kids’ classes or helping teach classes in which they served. There’s no way he would have known the size of my family. 

He continued, “You’ve been in a tough season. The Lord sees you. He knows your heart. You have the Father’s heart. He wants you to know that your children are going to be OK…”

In that moment, a few things struck me that this was the Lord. Not only did this man know that I had a larger-than-average sized family, but he also knew that we found ourselves walking through a mine field and that I had worried about my kids’ hearts, as well as how some of the crisis moments we faced might effect them in the future.

“The Lord also wants to me tell you that He’s still called you. Your gifts remain, your calling remains. And there is a Kingdom call on you and those kids of yours. Does that resonate with you?”

I nodded affirmatively. He didn’t know about the private conversations in which a once close family member declared the exact opposite— that my heart was fractured, that I forfeited my ministry call, that my authority over those kids no longer existed. 

“Your home is special,” he concluded. “There are going to be people coming to it, drawn to it, because of the atmosphere there with you and those kids. The Lord sees you and knows the path that you are walking. Keep going…” 

Why it matters

What was that?

It was a revelation of the Father’s heart for me— about me.

Was it wisdom?

No. Wisdom generally tells you the specifics of how to lean in to distinct situations. It often provides you with actions to take.

Three speaking gifts compared

In LifeLift we highlight three speaking gifts. Here’s a comparison.

In this example above the man didn’t provide me with wisdom. He provided me with knowledge. He knew things which the Spirit revealed to him. Knowledge imparts details that confirm to the hearer that the Father sees you— and He is for you.

Now, you might be wondering, Why would the Lord do that? Why wouldn’t He just tell us individually? 

Well, that’s the beauty of being connected to the body. We’re not designed to walk alone. 

Yes, the Lord could have told me these things. And He had. But it’s easy to second-guess what He says when you’re walking through a trench. By telling another man who didn’t know me unique things about me, the Lord affirmed me in a way that I knew I’d been hearing His voice all along.

It's what the words do...

Words of knowledge often carry— or release— faith, imparting supernatural confidence to hearers.

You may have been in a Bible study or church service before and heard someone say, “I’ve been praying and I feel like the Lord is healing someone of a back problem, now…”

Or it could be another issue.

Whatever the case, though, the person being addressed (even if they’re not “called out” in front of a large group like I was) senses that God is for them, that He truly cares.