Become Familiar with the Gifts (Part 1)

To develop confidence in operating in the gifts, you must have a clear definition of each gift and at least one example of how it operates. Once you are familiar with each gift, you will become a greater candidate for the Holy Spirit to use you in the supernatural power of God. Let’s look at these gifts: 

“For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues,” (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). 

There are nine gifts of the Spirit listed here and there are three categories of these gifts. There are three revelation gifts: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, and discerning of spirits. There are three power gifts: faith, gifts of healings, and the working of miracles. There are three vocal gifts: prophecy, different kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.

Before I start, I want to share a disclaimer with you. I don’t think I am the final authority on understanding the gifts of the Spirit. Nor do I believe the definitions I provide you are all comprehensive. However, I have studied about the gifts for over forty years. I have read entire books devoted to teaching on the gifts of the Spirit from Howard Carter, Lester Sumrall, John Osteen, Kenneth Hagin, Norvel Hayes, Ron Smith, and others. I have also experienced and observed the operation of each gift through my ministry and the ministry of many contemporary ministries.

I have had a passion for more than forty years to see the gifts operate in the church today like we read throughout the Bible, especially in the gospels and the book of Acts. The following definitions of the gifts are based on what I have seen in the Word, have studied from other seasoned and respected Christian leaders, and observed in operation either through my ministry or the ministry of others.

THE REVELATION GIFTS

• THE WORD OF WISDOM: A word of revelation in the mind of God of what is going to take place in the future or how to resolve a difficult situation. 

Many times what people believe is a prophetic word is actually a word of wisdom. This is the revelation gift that is foretelling the future. In 1 Kings 17:1, God told Elijah to go to King Ahab and tell him it would not rain except at his word, and it did not rain for more than three years. That was a word of wisdom.

What the angel of the Lord spoke to Paul and he subsequently shared with the men on the ship with him in the middle of a great storm was a word of wisdom: 

“And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.” Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me,” (Acts 27:22-25). 

Ron Smith was a prophet to the church I pastored in Decatur, Texas. One year he came and said, “Expand your nursery, Pastor Greg. God is giving this church many new babies.” In one year’s time we had ten new babies in our nursery! Five of them were from present church members and five came from new members God sent in. This was a word of wisdom. This gift will establish people in their hope and trust in God, create a spirit of expectation in the church, and realization God is present with us. 

• THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE: Supernatural revelation by the Holy Spirit of certain facts in the mind of God relating to the past or present 

This gift will reveal to us something specific that is happening in an individual’s life at the present time and/or what they have experienced in the past. This gift does not reveal to you everything about an individual. It is a word of knowledge, not a book. These gifts do not make us mind readers. The purpose of this gift is to help people receive an understanding of God’s love and care for them, peace, freedom, and healing. First Samuel 9:3 tells us that Saul and a servant were sent by his father to look for their lost don- keys. After Saul finds Samuel and Samuel anoints Saul as king, Samuel shares this word with Saul about the lost donkeys:

“When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, “The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you…” (1 Samuel 10:2). 

Samuel gave Saul a word of wisdom about the two men he would meet and then a word of knowledge that his father’s donkeys had been found and that his father was worrying about Saul.

Jesus gave a word of knowledge to the woman at the well that caused her to recognize Him as the Messiah:

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly” (John 4:16-18).

Jesus’ knowledge of her past—“you have had five husbands”— and her present—“the one you now have is not your husband”—were two specific words of knowledge that brought her to faith in Jesus.

When the word of knowledge is operating in the church, it ministers a strong sense of peace, assurance, and security to people. It also helps establish them in their understanding of the love of the Father.

• DISCERNING OF SPIRITS: Supernatural ability to see into the spirit realm and recognize what spirits are operating and exercising their influence in people’s lives 

This is not the gift of suspicion. We need to remind ourselves that flesh and blood human beings are not our enemies. We also need to realize this is not just a gift that sees an evil spirit influencing someone. It is also the ability to see angels at work behind the scenes or the condition of someone’s human spirit—whether they are born again or not.

One example of this is found in 2 Kings chapter 6:

And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:15-17).

We need to remember this important lesson. It is so easy to slip into a negative mindset and focus more on what the enemy is doing than what God is doing in our lives. The devil is defeated, and if we will keep our eyes on the Lord, He will remind us of His finished work on the cross on our behalf and show us the way out of trouble. There are more with us than with the enemy!

The Lord will use this gift to help us know the spirit an individual is yielding to in order to protect us from making commitments or putting someone in leadership whose motive is selfish ambition or self-promotion. 

“But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity,” (Acts 8:20-23). 

Notice in verse 23 that Peter said to Simon, “I see that you are poisoned by bitterness.” This was the discerning of spirits in operation in Peter. He saw what Simon had yielded to in his heart. But also notice he confronted Simon by appealing to him to repent. Peter used this gift in a redemptive fashion rather than judgment. 

To read part 2, click here.

Adapted from Greg Mohr’s Book, Flowing in the Supernatural

Watch Pastor Greg’s television series on Living a Supernatural Life to learn more.