Beloved Jesus gave a second word of knowledge to Cal, the Director of the Healing Rooms, husband in late 2011. On 09.03.'12, Marion, the Director of the Healing Rooms was told a word of knowledge to tell me ' 'Keep Jesus as centre focus'. In place of worries, faith in Him.

Moreover, on 30.03'12, i prayed to beloved Jesus, telling Him I was at the Healing Rooms and i asked if He could give another ' word of knowledge' for me.. Jesus told church elder to tell me ....Jesus said ' Tell her, I am the overcomer of all your problems. Tell her, if she walks with me, I will overcome- with her'. Dear LOrd, help me spread your fragrance, wherever, I may go!

word of knowledge {cont...}

Purposes for the gift of the Word of Knowledge are to:

1. Give warning

2 Kings 6:9-10 NLT

But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, "Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there." So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God, warning the people there to be on their guard. This happened several times.

2. Confront

Acts 10:15 NKJV

And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common."

3. Exhort

Acts 9:17 NKJV

And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

4. Uncover sin

2 Sam 12:7, 9 NKJV

Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.... Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight?

5. Disclose man’s thoughts

Acts 5:4 NKJV

While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."

6. Identify healing

John 4:50 NKJV

Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.

7. Reveal God’s thoughts

Acts 9:15-16 NKJV

But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."

8. Perceive what is missing

1 Sam 10:22 NKJV

Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD answered, "There he is, hidden among the equipment."

9. Ignite faith

John 4:39 NKJV

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."

10. Give encouragement

John 1:48 NKJV

Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

In the above list, I used some Old Testament scriptures as examples of the Holy Spirit’s gifts because God has never changed. It was the same Holy Spirit back then, as it is now after Pentecost. The only difference is the Holy Spirit came upon the prophets, priests, etc., and did not dwell within them.

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HE SPEAKS THROUGH DISCERNING OF SPIRITS

1 Cor 12:7,10

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ... to another discerning of spirits...

The gift of discerning of spirits is the ability to discriminate different spirits. There are four types of spirits: man’s spirit, God’s Spirit, angelic spirits and evil spirits.

1. MAN’S SPIRIT

Samuel went through the process of discerning the spirit of man, in choosing David to be king. God told him not to look on the outward appearance, when going through the selection process. He discerned the brothers who stood before him, refusing each as the choice to be king over Israel. God allowed Samuel to go through this process until David stood before him. The Lord then spoke and said, “This is he.” (1 Samuel 16:6-13)

Sometimes I have heard the hearts of people and discerned these things were in their desires, prayers, and possibly thoughts. Other times I have heard their souls, and knew these did not align with God’s Word for their life, and so I have prayed for them.

Acts 16:9 NKJV

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

2. GOD’S SPIRIT

Eli discerned God’s Spirit was talking to the boy Samuel, when Samuel did not know that. So often. we hear the Lord’s voice speaking to us in the early morning hours and do not perceive it is Him.

1 Sam 3:1-10 NLT

Meanwhile, the boy Samuel was serving the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had just gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly, the LORD called out, "Samuel! Samuel!" "Yes?" Samuel replied. "What is it?" He jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here I am. What do you need?" "I didn't call you," Eli replied. "Go on back to bed." So he did. Then the LORD called out again, "Samuel!" Again Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here I am," he said. "What do you need?" "I didn't call you, my son," Eli said. "Go on back to bed." Samuel did not yet know the LORD because he had never had a message from the LORD before. So now the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here I am," he said. "What do you need?" Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, 'Yes, LORD, your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went back to bed. And the LORD came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Yes, your servant is listening."

3. ANGELIC SPIRITS

Hebrews 13:1 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” (NKJV) The Lord’s angels are not always obvious in their appearance. Sometimes we need to discern that they are angels! The scripture also says that the enemy can be disguised as an angel of light, therefore we must discern whether the angel serves the Lord or the enemy.

2 Cor 11:14 NKJV

And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

I have seen a lot of angels in dreams and picture visions. Angels that love the Lord have very lovely countenances that express God’s love and joy.

CLICK HERE FOR LESSON ABOUT SEEING ANGELS

CLICK HERE FOR LESSON ABOUT ANGELS IN DREAMS

4. DEMONIC SPIRITS

Paul opposed the evil spirit that was actually saying something good: “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” Paul discerned the spirit to be one of divination, and rebuked it. (Acts 16:16-18 NKJV)

THE PROCESS OF DISCERNING

Some Greek definitions for discerning have negative connotations: dispute, oppose, hesitate, contend, differ, doubt, be partial, stagger, waver. These words also happen to describe the process the receiver of discernment goes through. The enemy is a liar and deceiver. He tries to camouflage his works by attempting to look good. When the receiver of discernment is confronted with something that appears good on the outside, but isn’t, it becomes a stumbling block to his spirit. His flesh sees and hears that it is good, but his spirit is disputing, opposing, hesitating, contending, differing, doubting, staggering, and wavering against the outward appearance.

I had an occurrence when I heard a spirit say to me that there would be a break through in a meeting that I was attending. It was a good message, and even said something about the Lord. But my spirit hesitated even though it was a good message and then suddenly I knew that this was a religious spirit. I rebuked it in Jesus’ Name, and it gave me all kinds of clack, being very angry because the Lord had made it manifest. It was a lesson that not all things heard are the Lord’s voice, even though they sound like His voice. Christians need discernment, especially when it comes to the supernatural.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Words from the The Quickened Word are excerpts from the journals of Sandy Warner. To better understand how God speaks, read Sandy’s book, “101+ Ways God Speaks, And How to Hear Him.”

Another e-mail communique of trent reznor of nineinchnails band to miss julie Ralphs. 

Another miracle to beloved Jesus... an e-mail reply poem from Trent Reznor to Julie Ralphs....

I prayed to Jesus that after sending an e-mail to Trent Reznor via Jesus' Angel postmen lol no idea how when clicking on forum, how trent's e-mail address came up and in my hotmail address , but it was a miracle from praying about it to beloved Jesus......i prayed that Trent would reply.....Jesus heard my prayer and it was a miracle.The famous Trent Reznor of Nineinchnails sent me a poem in his e-mail to me and several other e-mails from him to me....Praise the Lord

Herewith attached a photostat of Trent Reznor's poem.

This appeared on my computer screen after praying for some spiritual evidence.....a photo of beautiful Trent Reznor, never seen before, strangely overweight..photo came from out of nowhere.......seemingly.


A photo of Julie Ralphs in bevilled mirror in 2005

A word of knowledge has many different uses. The Lord might minister to you through a word of knowledge. He might give you a word of knowledge to minister healing to somebody else who is sick. Or he might give you a word of knowledge to help you find something that you lost.

A word of knowledge can come in many different forms. It might come through one of your teachers. Have you ever heard a minister say something like, "There's somebody here who has a pain in their back. Who is that?" That is a word of knowledge.

If someone says that and you have a pain in your back, then raise your hand and go forward. The Lord wants to minister to you. A word of knowledge might come to you through the voice of your spirit or through a vision. Many times you hear just one word from the Lord, but you don't understand it with your head. When you get a word of knowledge, you have to take the first step in faith. Then you will see the next step.

Ananias Has A Vision
In the book of Acts, there was a Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus, who was arresting Christians and putting them in prison, because they believed in Jesus. Saul was on his way to Damascus looking for Christians when he was blinded by a great light.

Jesus spoke to Saul and told him to go into Damascus and wait until he told him what to do. While Saul was waiting, Jesus appeared to a certain disciple named Ananias saying, "Ananias, arise, and go into the street which is called Straight and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight."

Ananias answered saying, "Lord, I have hear about this man, Saul of Tarsus, and how much evil he has done to the saints at Jerusalem. Are you sure you want me to go pray with him?"

Jesus told Ananias to go. So Ananias obeyed and went to the house of Judas on Straight Street. How did Ananias know that Saul was there? He knew it, because Jesus gave him a word of knowledge. The word of knowledge tells us facts about the present and the past. Ananias didn't' know where Saul was, but Jesus did.

Ananias obeyed the word of knowledge and prayed for Saul. When he did, Saul received his sight. Saul became the Apostle Paul and wrote two thirds of the New Testament epistles. Thank God for his word of knowledge!

a pic of julie ralphs in 2005

Source: Gifts of the Spirit Superchurch Curriculum by Mark Harper
Excerpt permission granted by Mark Harper Ministries

Inner Witness:

Hearing the Lord Within

Denise Dolff, M.A.

871 Victoria St. N #201

Kitchener, Ont., CANADA N2B 3S4

This article seeks to give concrete information about the function and use of the

charismatic gifts: Word of Wisdom and Word of Knowledge

Note:

Charts appear at the end of the article

W

hy do we desire to hear the voice of God? In a nutshell, because we want to do His will, we want to

get direction for our lives, and we want to bring Him glory. In John 10:27 (NAB) Jesus says, “My sheep

hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” It does not say they

will hear. In John 10:3 we read, “...

and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name...,” and in verse 5, “But they will not

follow a stranger; ... because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” So, because we are baptized

Christians, because we have committed our lives to Jesus, we are his sheep, we

hear his voice. However,

we struggle and constantly second-guess ourselves and our ability to hear God. How do we know that we

have not listened to the voice of the stranger? How do we distinguish the voice of God from the voice of

the stranger? Part of that struggle is about the fact that we hear on three different levels. The first level is

what I call the “flesh level” or the “human nature level.” An example of this level for me is when I go

through a food line and see the desserts. Those desserts cry out, “Eat me! Eat me!” That is not the voice of

God. That is my own flesh saying, “Mmm, would I ever enjoy one of those!” Then there is the voice of the

enemy. Finally, there is the voice of God.

We know that the enemy is a liar, a robber and a thief. We know that what the enemy speaks to us can be

blatant temptation against the Word of God. We also know that sometimes we do not pick up the subtle lies

in what is being suggested. Therefore, I want to discuss some of the different ways that we can tell the

difference between the voice of God and the voice of the enemy.

“Voice” Characteristics and Guidelines

I will begin with general comments about hearing God’s Voice and Words of Knowledge and Wisdom:

these comments will also apply to more general kinds of discernment as well. First and foremost, the voice

of the enemy

accuses and condemns, whereas the voice of God comforts. Interestingly, the condemnation

is usually very general and very vague, so you are left feeling, “Oh, I’m such a failure ... Oh, I just always

make all these mistakes ... Oh, I just feel that I can not move toward God, I can not get close to God, I can

not even take this to God because I am such a failure. God is not even going to want to listen to me, and

how many times have I been forgiven for this? I can not possibly ask God to forgive me one more time.”

This kind of condemnation moves you away from God, separates you from God. So if you are hearing a

voice like this or having a sense like this, that is never God, because we know that God goes after even the

one lost little lamb. God does not let one go astray. God is always there, calling us back to him. Also, the

voice of the enemy is

negative. It puts us down and we feel like failures. The voice of God is positive. It

edifies and lifts us up. Now it is true that God does

convict us, because sometimes we do need conviction.

However, when God convicts us, there is an exhortation in it at the very same time. There is a definite sin

and a definite solution. When I experience the conviction of God in my own life, there is always a response

in me that says, “Oh, yes, you are right.” The very way that God convicts is so definite and clear. The

conviction calls us right back into relationship with God and we respond right away, “Oh, yes, I am sorry!”

and relationship is restored. So it is not a condemnation, but a conviction. The enemy speaks

deception and

lies

, whereas God speaks truth. I hold strongly to what we read in John 8:32, that the truth sets free, no

matter what the truth is that God speaks to us, even when there’s pain in that truth.

I deal with this frequently with people that I see in my office. People who have been abused in their

childhood would rather believe that they made up the idea. The very first response out of people who begin

to recognize that they were abused is, “Oh, no. I must be making this up. This could not have happened.”

When the Lord reveals that to them and they know that truth, there is pain in that. “Yes, it is true; it

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happened to me.” But that truth sets free because now they can look at it, face it and no longer have to

carry the shame of what is wrong with them. They know where things came from and that is the beginning

of their release. Movement into being set free and healed is now possible.

The voice of the enemy is

critical, not only of the self, but of others, whereas the voice of God is loving,

even in correction. The enemy imparts

fear. Fear opens the door to the work of the enemy in our lives, just

as love opens the door to the work of God in our lives. The voice of God imparts

hope and faith. The voice

of the enemy is

contrary to the Scripture. It might be quoting Scripture as we see in the temptations of

Jesus, but it’s Scripture taken out of context. This is why it is so important to know Scripture! If a voice

comes at you quoting Scripture and it is out of context, you can recognize that fact and know that you do

not need to listen. Obviously, the voice of God is going to

agree with His own Word. God is not going to

say something contrary to his own self or his own nature. If, for example, a Christian tells you that they

have heard the voice of God that says, “I must leave my husband or my wife and go and marry so-and-so,”

that is not in agreement with the Word of God. It is not the voice of God speaking. The voice of the enemy

often leads to

worry, anxiety and confusion, whereas the voice of God leads to peace and consolation. That

word

consolation is important because sometimes we might not necessarily want to go in the direction that

God is leading us; when we do hear the voice of God we know that we are going to be alright, even though

we are not particularly excited about being led that way. There is consolation. I think of Paul when he was

going to Jerusalem. He knew he was being led by the Spirit to Jerusalem and he knew that he was going to

be arrested there. Yet, it was very clear in his mind that that was where the Spirit was leading him. Of

course, his friends and the brethren tried to talk him out of it, but he heard the voice of God so clearly! I

believe that he was not excited about the possibility of arrest, but he knew that God would be with him in

every circumstance of his life. That is why the word

consolation and not just peace is an important one.

The voice of the enemy brings

unbelieving thoughts, doubt and confusion; whereas the voice of God

produces faith

. It incites faith in us. The enemy points to failure, whereas God points to restoration and a

sense of capability

. The voice of the enemy obviously points away from Jesus and either puts our focus on

the problem, the situation or another person, whereas the voice of God points to Jesus.

The Voice of God

We hear God’s Holy Spirit speaking to us and within us about every aspect of our life. That voice can be

about day-to-day matters, about decision-making when we are discerning His will for our lives, or it can be

a Word of Knowledge for someone to exhort them or lift them up.

A example of a day-to-day matter happened a number of years ago when my family was on vacation. We

were in Holland and had a rented car. We returned to our hotel at dusk and had had the parking lights on. It

was a strange country, a strange language. We were walking into the hotel and I distinctly heard (it was not

an audible voice, but it was the voice of the Holy Spirit) one word, “Lights.” That was just a Word from

the Lord because we had left the parking lights on. That is just such a mundane thing, but nothing is

mundane to God. He is so involved in every aspect of our lives that He did not want us stranded in a

strange country with problems with the car. That one word caused me to turn around and look at the car

and check the lights. Otherwise, I would have merrily gone on my way. So God can give us Words about

day-to-day kinds of things.

We are more familiar with going through a process of searching Scripture, praying and seeking

confirmations in a time of making decisions. These are ways we ask God to speak to us in our decisionmaking.

And finally, there are Words of Knowledge.

Word of Knowledge

Word of knowledge is a revelation of facts by God that would be humanly impossible to know about

something or someone.

Three Scriptures, Romans 8:11, Ephesians 1:19 and I Corinthians 6:17, help me to see the truth that is

behind my understanding, belief in and trust of this gift of the Holy Spirit. The basic truth is that the same

Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in each one of us and it is through this power of the Holy

Spirit that the gift is made manifest.

Part of understanding Word of Knowledge is to understand when and how it is operating. How the Lord

speaks to individuals may vary a great deal. We do not have to put God in a box. There is no

one way that

he has to speak.

One of the ways God speaks is

through the Scripture. Sometimes when we are reading Scripture a line or

a verse or a word jumps out at us. We are quickened. The Holy Spirit within us is quickened to respond to

that Word because it is a Word of the Lord for us. Even if it is not a Word for that moment or for us, we

are quickened because it is something that we are supposed to hang onto and our spirit recognizes it.

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Another instance in which God might use Scripture to speak may be in times when we are praying.

Perhaps you might have some situation or some person on your heart and you are praying about it or for

them. God may bring a certain place in Scripture to mind. Sometimes you just recall a verse of Scripture as

you are praying. It would be well worth reading that Scripture. It may be that God has given you what I

call the landmarks - the latitude and the longitude of where to find a specific insight for your prayer in

Scripture.

God speaks to some people

through body impressions. I’ve known lots of people over the years who say,

“I do not understand what this stuff about a Word from the Lord is all about. I never hear from God. All

that happens with me is that when I am in somebody’s presence I may suddenly get a headache, or filled

with a joy, or a pain in my left foot....” Well, those are body impressions, and those are Words of

Knowledge. If you are praying with someone and your left foot begins to ache, God is trying to tell you

something. And it is not that your left foot is aching. God is trying to bring you a Word of Knowledge.

Some persons only receive Words in body images or impressions like that. One clear example of this for

me occurred quite a few years ago when I was just beginning to experience how God gives Words of

Knowledge. I had a little intercessory prayer group that I was meeting faithfully with every week. One

Sunday morning I woke up and I felt physically ill. I felt like there was something happening in my heart.

Now I do have some physical heart problems myself, but the awful feeling was not like what I had

experienced previously. I knew it was about the heart and I knew that it had absolutely nothing to do with

my physical heart. I immediately began to go into intercession and prayed, “Lord, I do not know what this

is all about, but I know that it is not me. I know that there is someone who needs this prayer; that

something is happening with someone.” I began praying for that person and 15 or 20 minutes later felt that

the prayer was complete. I may have thought about it once or twice during the next day, but did not really

pay too much attention to it after that. The following Tuesday when our regular intercessory group met,

one of the ladies came in and began to talk about an experience that she had on Sunday. She explained

what had been happening with her heart, the body sensations that she had been experiencing. She did have

a very serious heart problem and this experience was quite dangerous. However, she shared that,

amazingly, the symptoms passed very quickly. Then I knew that what I had experienced that Sunday had

been a Word of Knowledge from the Lord about her pain and a call to intercede for her.

Sometimes people actually hear

an audible Word from God. Other times the Word is internal, as in the

example that I gave earlier about hearing the Word “Lights.” A person may receive a Word of Knowledge

by

a thought. One teacher described this thought as like the experience of sensing a gentle feather wafting

in your mind. It moves through one’s mind so gently that you might miss it. Another expression that she

used was that the Holy Spirit would speak in a whiff, a half a whisper, very quietly, very gently. This the

way that I hear a lot. Sometimes I will be sitting in the presence of the Lord or I will be praying with

someone or speaking with someone, and I hear this Word very gently and I hear it very gently and I hear it

very gently and then all of a sudden

I hear it. And I will say, “Oh, Lord, that is what you are trying to tell

me!”

A flashback

can be another way of receiving a Word from the Lord. Flashbacks are generally about very

specific events or situations in our life. It is like we are taken right back to that event or situation with a

very strong impression of it. That experience can be a Word from the Lord. There is something in that

situation that is pertinent to what is happening with the person that you are praying for or that you are

talking with at that point. Similar to a flashback but not quite as direct is what I would call

a remembering.

Perhaps you remember a verse of Scripture or something that you were talking about or read about,

whenever, and all of a sudden it seems to come back to you. As it comes back to you, you realize that this

is a Word from the Lord for the specific situation. In John 14:26 it says, “But the Comforter (Counselor,

Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My

name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My Behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause

you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you (Amplified

Version).” Sometimes what we remember are those Words from the Lord that are about this situation.

Some persons receive

clear and distinct pictures. These pictures are what the Lord is trying to tell them

about a particular situation. In addition to pictures are symbols.

Symbols are very often related to the five

senses. For some people it can be

odor or taste, such as an odor of sweet-smelling flowers. The Lord is

telling something through the odor that you are receiving.

Persons may sense

the presence of someone who is not there. This is a very clear way of receiving a

Word for some people. I heard a story about a woman who received a Word from her long dead father. She

saw him distinctly and heard very clearly the message that he was giving her. She ignored the message and

about a month later went back to the same place, felt the exact same presence of her father, same Word,

and then she was able to take it seriously.

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Most persons familiar with the gifts of the Holy Spirit are familiar with hearing

inspired utterance. This

is where we get Words in prophecy, exhortation and inspired prayer. The Lord will sometimes send

messengers such as an angel with a very clear and direct message. In this particular time in which we live

there is much focus on angel stories. There are more and more experiences of people receiving messages

through angels.

Dreams

are another way that the Lord communicates and imparts Word to us. I will share an example of

a dream that is rather uncomfortable for me, but it contained a very clear message from the Lord. In the

dream I was involved in lesbian behavior. I woke up with a start, sitting up immediately in bed. I prayed,

“Lord, what in the world is this all about? In my heart of hearts, I do not believe that there is any part of me

that has ever looked at another woman this way.” I received one Word, and that Word was idolatry. When

I took that Word and began to process it with the dream, I realized that the Lord was showing me that there

were people that I was placing in front of Him. I was looking to people sometimes instead of to the Lord,

and that was idolatry. So the Lord spoke to me very clearly about that. I would not have received the

message if God had just shown me events of those situations or those interactions. I would have just seen

that as a dream about those people or situations or interactions and would not have understood the

idolatrous element that was in it for me.

Visions

are a less common experience although you may frequently hear persons say, “I had a vision

from the Lord.” I object to the use of that terminology because a vision is a very distinct kind of Word

from the Lord. Usually when people talk about visions, they are talking about a picture that they received,

maybe even a flashback. A vision, to the best of my ability to describe it, is truly an out-of-body experience

where you are transported in time and space to a different place. If we think of St. John’s vision in the

Book of Revelations, or Ezekiel’s visions, we can have a clearer sense of that. Their visions were not just

something about what was happening in a corner of the room or in front of them. They were transported to

a very different place.

Finally, there’s

a seeing and hearing into the heavenly realm that can be a Word from the Lord. I was

once praying and singing with a group and I heard the very choir of angels join in with our songs. That was

a hearing into the heavenly realm.

Purpose of Word of Knowledge

What is God’s purpose in giving us these Words? First and foremost, they are about

giving glory to God.

Any Word from the Lord is intended in its end result to be able to give glory to God. Some of the ways that

it will accomplish giving glory to God is that the Word may lead a soul to Christ. Someone who has not

known God or Jesus before may know him through the Word that the Lord has given you. Other Words

build up the faith of the already believing. We do at times struggle in our faith, and so the Lord wishes to

exhort us, to build up our faith and to reveal Himself as a God that we can trust. God does not leave us

struggling on our own. There may be Words about ourselves, but they may not only be about ourselves.

They may also be about someone else. These build up our faith, because when we have the courage to

share the Word and to say, “I do not know if this has any meaning for you or not, but I kind of sense that

the Lord was saying this to me and maybe you can tell what it means for you. I feel that I need to share it.”

You may find that it really does have meaning for the other person. Then we respond, “Praise the Lord!”

Are we saying “Praise the Lord,” because we did not goof up? We heard correctly, but we are also saying

“Praise the Lord that You would give me that to heal this person and that helped me believe that you are

God.” Sometimes Words are about restoring fellowship with God, about someone who is backslidden or

separated from God in some way. The Word might be a way of restoring that relationship. Finally, Words

from the Lord may be an enlightening as to either present situations happening now, or even about a future

event or situation.

Acting on Word of Knowledge - The Word of Wisdom

When we receive a Word from the Lord, what are we supposed to do with it? This is where the Holy

Spirit’s gift called the Word of Wisdom helps us. The Word of Wisdom works hand-in-hand with Word of

Knowledge. It is like two sides of the same coin. Once we have received a Word of Knowledge, the Word

of Wisdom is the God-given ability to know what to do about a situation, any situation, once you know the

facts concerning that situation. It is important to ask God, “OK, now that you have shown me this, what is

it that you want me to do with it?”

However, before we look at some of the different things that we can do with the Word, I want to take a

look at the possibility that we may not really understand the Word that God has given us? We receive the

body impression, we receive this Word, we receive this image, and we are not really quite clear what it is

all about, but we are quite convinced that it is something from the Lord. There is a wonderful example in

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the book of Zechariah of what to do when we receive a Word from the Lord and we do not really

understand it. I would encourage you to read Zechariah 4. God went to the trouble of giving Zechariah a

Word and it is not clear to him. Remember sometimes a Word can be symbol, sometimes an impression,

sometimes it is half a thought. If it is not clear to you, ask, “What is this? I do not understand, Lord. You

have given me this, give me the rest or explain it to me.”

Once you have asked the Lord to clarify and once you have understood what the Word is all about, then

you incorporate the Word of Wisdom. “Now Lord, what do I do with this Word?” The Lord may lead you

in a number of different ways. A word of prophecy may come forward. A symbol might give rise to more

than one word of prophecy. Someone may say, “Oh, I smell such beautiful roses!” Your sense might be

that the Lord was saying, “You are my beautiful garden. You are a rose in my garden and I delight in you.”

If you ask the Lord, “What do I do with this?” a prophecy might come out of it or an exhortation or it my

be a prayer that God leads you into. It may be that the Word is for someone else, either for an individual or

for a body or an assembly, and that you would take the Word to them. Maybe you ask the Lord, “What am

I to do with this Word?” and you receive nothing. God’s answer may be simply, “There is nothing for you

to do with this Word. I am just telling you this.” No answer generally means just wait on the Lord and

when it is time for that Word to bear fruit in some kind of a way, the Lord will bring it back to you and you

will know that was why you received it way back whenever. The idea of asking and not receiving anything

is not necessarily the fact that you are not hearing.

Nothing can be the answer from the Lord. Maybe God is

leading you into intercession for a person, and that is what the Word was all about.

The Word of Wisdom is very important in terms of what we do with the Words of Knowledge that we

receive. If you have a strong sense that the Lord is asking you to bring a Word to someone, please be

sensitive about the way that you say it to a person. I myself have been wounded and maybe many of you

have also by hearing, “The Lord has told me to tell you...” Sometimes there can be both a religious spirit

operating there, and/or a spirit of superiority which communicates, “I am better than you are.” The person

hearing the word may feel, “if this is so important to the Lord, why hasn’t he placed in on my heart?” I try

to be sensitive to these things by prefacing a Word with, “I am sensing that this is what the Lord is saying”

or “I believe that this is what the Lord would have me say to you.” Remember that we are told, “For we

know partially and we prophecy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.... At

present we see indistinctly , as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially...” (1 Cor 13:9,

10, 12, NAB).

In Our Weakness

Romans 8:26-27 is the whole Scriptural passage underlying this article. It reads, “In the same way, the

Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit

itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention

of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones, according to God’s will” (NAB). When I discovered

this passage, it was really a delight to me. It lifted a real burden from me in terms of how to hear from the

Lord. Remember that the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead is alive in each and every

one of us. It brings life to our mortal bodies and it is that Holy Sprit that helps in our weakness. In the

original Greek, the word “helps,” is in the present tense, and therefore it means “continually, always,

constantly, moment by moment, second by second, eternally, forever, constantly in this present moment,

never stops or ends.” So the help of the Holy Spirit is constant for us. In some texts it says, “For us in our

weakness” but in the original Greek, the words “us in” were not present. The accurate translation reads

“that the Holy Spirit helps our weakness.” Now notice this: our weakness is also a constant state. It is not

an occasional lapse, but it is our constant state. We are constantly weak, we constantly fall short of what

God would have of us or ask of us or bring us to be. In our constant weakness, the Holy Spirit constantly

helps and intercedes for us. “Intercedes” is in the present tense, and that is important to note because again,

the Holy Spirit is constantly interceding, keeps on interceding, never stops interceding. For whom? For the

saints, and the saints are us, those who are chosen and named by God, his sheep, the baptized, those who

have committed their lives to Him. So, the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints constantly.

Now, look at the second part of the verse, “And he who searches the heart knows what the mind of the

spirit is because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Who is the One who searches

the hearts? God the Father. We know that from 1 Samuel 16:18, and from Hebrews 4:13. God knows

intuitively. The Greek word for “knows” means “knows what the mind of the Spirit is, knows intuitively or

perceptively.” So when the Holy Spirit groans and does not even pray in words, the Father knows the mind

of the Spirit and knows exactly what those groans mean. They are intercessions according to the will of

God. So, the Holy Spirit constantly groans within us and Jesus intercedes at the right hand of the Father.

We have the Father intuitively and perceptively knowing what the mind of the Holy Spirit is, and all of that

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is about the will of God. If all of this is going on within us all the time, then how can we miss knowing

what the will of God is for us? God is constantly at work trying to reveal that to us. When I remember this

passage and know that the Holy Spirit is constantly helping, constantly interceding, I feel like there is an

immediate connection between myself and the Holy Spirit. For me, I feel that connection in the pit of my

stomach. I can even hear the groaning and out of that groaning I can hear the Word that the Lord wants to

give me.

Conclusion

That is the way that it works for me. It may not work exactly the same way for you, but it is the same

Holy Spirit in every person. Remember that all you have to do is connect with the Holy Spirit and that can

be done by a simple prayer like, “Lord, I need to connect right now with Your Holy Spirit within me.”

Even as you do, you will be aware of that connection, and then you will be more attuned to hearing the

voice of God within you.

Denise Dolff, M.A., is in private practice as an Individual, Marriage and Family Counselor in Kitchener,

Ontario. She has been a member of the Association of Christian Therapists since 1985 and is married with

two adult children.

The Voice of the

Holy Spirit

1.

Comforts

- Acts. 9:31; 2 Cor. 1:3.

2.

Convicts & exhorts

(definite sin with

solution) Acts 9:1-19; 1 Cor 14:24-25;

Jn. 8:32.

3.

Speaks truth

- 2 Tim. 4:16; Jn. 8:32;

Jn. 14:16: Jn. 16:13; Heb. 6:18.

4.

Is positive, edifies, encourages

-

Heb. 6:18; 1 Cor 14:3, 2 Cor 12:19

5.

Loving (even in correction)

- Jn.

3:16;

compassionate - Jn. 15:9-11; Joel

2:13; James 5:11

6.

Dispels fear, fills with hope and

faith

- Acts 1:8; 2 Tim. 1:7; Rom. 8:15;

1 Jn. 4:18.

7.

Agrees with the Word

- Jn. 16:13; Jn.

14:26

8.

Leads to peace

- 2 Tim. 1:11-12; Jn.

14:27

9.

Faith producing thoughts

- 1 Tim.

1:5; Acts 4:23-31; Mk. 9:23-24

10.

Points to restoration & being able

2 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 1:7; Heb. 13:21.

11.

Points to Jesus

- Jn.16:14; Jn. 14:6;

Acts 14:14-15; 2 Cor 4:6.

12.

Calms down, brings peace

- Gal.

5:22; Jn. 14:27

13.

Clarifies

- Jn. 16:8, 13; Jn. 14:26.

Voice of the Enemy

1.

Accuses

- Zech. 3:1; Rev. 12:2 the

accuser of the brethren accuses them

day and night.

2.

Condemns

(often indefinite, vague,

with no solution) Ps 69; Acts 20:29-

30; Jn. 13:27; Mt. 27:5.

3.

Speaks deception and lies

- 1 Tim.

4:1; 2 Cor 11:3; Gal. 1:6-8.

4.

Is negative, puts down

- Lk. 13:16.

5.

Critical (of self & others)

- Job 1:9-

11; Job 2:3-4.

6.

Imparts fear

- Rom. 8:15

7.

Contrary to Scripture or out of

context

- Mt. 4:1-11

8.

Leads to worry, anxiety,

e.g.

consider the antidote Isaiah 61:3

9.

Unbelieving thoughts

- 2 Cor. 4:4;

2 Tim. 4:3-4.

10.

Points to failure, destruction

- Jn.

10:10; Rev. 9:11 (

Abaddon [Hebrew]

and

Apollyon [Greek] both mean

destroyer.

11.

Takes focus away from Jesus

(onto self of the problem).

12.

Churns up, drives, compels

- Mk.

5:5

13. Confuses - Gal. 5:7-10.