All About Words of Knowledge - The Supernatural Gift of the Spirit
“…To another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:8)
The Word of Knowledge is one of my favorite manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit because I have seen how it opens the door to so many of the other operations in my own life.
But it should be recognized that of all the nine manifestations listed in 1 Corinthians 12, the word of knowledge requires the most scriptural mining to ponder its definition and scope. I think this is because it is a manifestation that covers such a vast mode of delivery. It truly is a manifestation that has a “diversity of operation” (1 Cor 12:6).
Gnosis (Strong’s 1108), the Greek word used here, signifies knowledge in intelligence and understanding. Vines Expository Dictionary defines gnosis as seeking to know, especially of spiritual truth.
Gnosis comes from ghinoceko (Strong’s 1097), which means to know, allow, be aware of, feel, perceived, understand, to be acquainted with. Of this word, Vines Expository Dictionary says, “to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize, to understand completely.”
The word of knowledge and the previously discussed word of wisdom are almost twin operations—they will often function together. But then, all the manifestations have a way of intermingling so that sometimes it is nearly impossible to see where one ends and the other begins. There is a seamless, divine unity among all nine manifestations. Our purpose in looking at them individually is simply for ease of studying, clarity, and definitions, but they seldom function independently. I guess you could say the same about the Trinity as well. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all work in unison.
The word of knowledge is the supernatural unveiling from the vast storehouse of the mind of God concerning facts in heaven and earth. Since God knows every person, place, and situation, the word of knowledge deals with events that are or have happened.
“Simply put, the word of knowledge is a revelation of facts. It deals with what exists, present or past. This would include conversations, historical events, thoughts, and emotions.”
Since God dwells in an eternal, ongoing “now,” this is not a divine recall of memory; all time, past, present, and future is ever before Him. Since all events in time are before God, all events are knowledge to Him. The word of knowledge is a revelation to man, by the Spirit, of specific details from that “all-knowledge.”
Simply put, the word of knowledge is a revelation of facts. It deals with what exists, present or past. This would include conversations, historical events, thoughts, and emotions.
The word of knowledge is a delight to see in operation. It never fails to get the attention of the person receiving the word because it reveals things about them that the believer delivering the word couldn’t have known, and, if delivered publicly, will always bring an awe to those witnessing its operation.
One of my favorite memories of this manifestation in operation was when I was new to these gifts and was actively pursuing them (though I still do). A lady who was new to my ministry asked to see me after a service one day. She was an older woman and was wanting to invest her retirement money. There were three possible offers in front of her and she was seeking the will of God concerning which to take.
Now, let me say that as New Testament believers, we do not need to seek out prophets or prophecy for direction because we have access to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit 24/7. But we can certainly solicit prayer and counsel for decisions we need to make. It was in this manner that she sought me out.
As we were talking, she reached into her purse and pulled out a calling card of one of the men who had approached her with the business. What happened next surprised me.
As I reached out to take the card from her, I suddenly saw the man who gave the card. I saw his facial features. As I described them to the woman, she excitedly confirmed that that was exactly how he looked. Then I “heard” and “sensed” his business acumen and temperaments. As I have said, there is a diversity in the ways that the gifts can manifest, and none more so than the word of knowledge.
Among many other things, I told her that he was quick to make decisions and recklessly impetuous. She agreed that she had sensed that about him as well. She quickly took out the second and third calling cards from the other business opportunities and with each one, as I reached out to take the card, I saw, heard, and sensed each of the men involved. Obviously, I had never met any of them, and up to meeting that lady that day, had never even heard of their business ventures. I did not make any business decisions for the woman, I simply told her what I sensed from each opportunity. She confirmed each time that she had felt the same about them. Having the Lord so beautifully confirm what she sensed freed her to make the decision she needed.
The word of knowledge brings out a tiny slice of the omniscience of God. It never reveals everything, but usually just enough that it gets our attention and lifts us so we can make a choice.
While all believers have access to these manifestations, both the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge will manifest with more regularity and intensity for those called to the office of the prophet (Eph 4:11). Both of these manifestations make up the revealing, predictive, foretelling elements of the supernatural ministries you see anywhere in scripture—Old Testament prophetic occurrences to the ministries of Jesus and the early Church.
The Word of Knowledge Encouraged Elijah
We see in 1 Kings 19 that having just defeated 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, Elijah immediately folded before facing the wrath of the evil queen Jezebel—a woman who basically ordered hitmen to have Elijah assassinated.
Having just come from the miraculous victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah, now physically tired, fell into depression. It is important for us to know that because we are a spirit, soul, and body, what affects us in one area has the potential of affecting our other parts. Balance is key to maintain any victory. Elijah was physically tired and that led to him falling into despair. He conquered 450 prophets of Baal singlehandedly but was now cowering before one women.
“And he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.’” (1 Kings 19:14)
In his depression, Elijah concluded that he was the only person true to God and that he would soon lose his life. Clearly, this was a victim mentality speaking; he had been the sole opposer of the 450 prophets of Baal and had come out victorious. It is feasible to conclude that in this state of depression, he would not have even bothered trying to oppose or escape any of Jezebel’s men if they found him. Yet even in this depleted state, God spoke to him: “…Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18).
7,000 Israelites had not pledged allegiance to Baal, but in the natural, Elijah could not, and did not, know that.
The word of knowledge can reveal facts unknown to you. The word of knowledge gave Elijah an accurate picture of current circumstances so that he no longer had to operate under his own depressing assumptions. When faced with challenges, the word of knowledge can cut through the clutter and shine light on what is true.
“When faced with challenges, the word of knowledge can cut through the clutter and shine light on what is true.”
The Word of Knowledge in the Ministry of Elisha
Elisha, Elijah’s successor, had many remarkable manifestations of the word of knowledge in his lifetime. In fact, he had more occurrences of the word of knowledge functioning through him than any other person in the Old Testament.
“But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, ‘Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.’” (2 Kings 5:20)
Naaman was a Syrian general that had received a healing miracle through the ministry of Elisha. Out of gratitude, he had offered Elisha monetary gifts. Elisha declined the gifts, but his servant, Gehazi, evidently heard of this offer and decided to go behind his master’s back to Naaman.
“And he said, ‘All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’” (2 Kings 5:22)
Catching up to Naaman, Gehazi made up a noble lie. He said money was needed for others in need and that he was collecting for them. It is ironic that even though he was around the miraculous ministry of Elisha, he did not have enough of the fear of God to think anything of this outright lie. Being around the supernatural doesn’t allow the supernatural in and through you unless you intentionally allow it. Impartations only come when you are purposefully cooperating with the anointing. Naaman innocently gave, and Gehazi happily received more than was requested.
“Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, ‘Where did you go, Gehazi?’ And he said, ‘Your servant did not go anywhere.’” (2 Kings 5:25)
Returning, Gehazi was gently confronted by Elisha. I suspect that by that point the word of knowledge had already been given to Elisha about Gehazi. The manifestations of the Spirit are never meant to function outside of the heart of the Father, which is love and mercy. I am convinced that no further verses would have been recorded had Gehazi simply confessed to Elisha. But sadly, as it is with many who have given themselves over to a lifestyle of falsehoods, Gehazi could not stop himself to see the mercy of God being offered to him.
“Then he said to him, ‘Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?’” (2 Kings 5:26)
Elisha’s description of how he knew where Gehazi was is priceless for our study. Notice how Elisha said that his heart went with him. This was symbolically saying that it was as if Elisha himself had been present at the exchange. We’ve already noted that the word of knowledge can manifest as something you see, hear, or even feel, but it can also manifest as if a person is transported to a certain location or event.
Gehazi had only received silver from Naaman, but I believe Elisha had a further word of knowledge of what Gehazi had intended to do with the silver. He intended to buy “…Clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants.”
Obviously, with such power on display and with such a lack of reverence on Gehazi’s part, this account did not end well. Elisha allowed him to keep the silver but pronounced that the leprosy previously on Naaman would now plague Gehazi.
“The manifestations of the Spirit are never meant to function outside of the heart of the Father, which is love and mercy.”
Same Manifestation, Different Time
There is a similar account of how the word of knowledge functioned to maintain the integrity of the ministry in Acts 5.
Ananias and Sapphira, a couple in the early Church, decided to sell some real estate and give a portion of the proceeds to the apostles. This was their right to do since it was never commanded that disciples give all their belongings to the Church. However, what they decided to do was to report that they brought all the proceeds to the Church. Clearly, their goal was to achieve status within the Church with this show of generosity.
Sadly, like Gehazi, Ananias and Sapphire were so caught up in their lies that they blindly failed to see that God is always merciful and just. There is no clearer picture of this than the crucifixion of Jesus. On the cross, we see the mercy and the judgement of God in simultaneous fullness. You can easily conclude that Ananias and Sapphira had developed an ongoing lifestyle of dishonesty because no one would start out lying on such a grand scale. It’s the small foxes that ruin the vine (Song of Solomon 2:15).
Obviously, there have been many who have lied in the Church since Ananias and Sapphira and not died immediately. There were clearly unique circumstances that resulted in their immediate deaths. As such, this passage of Scripture could not be used as a standard for all people who lie in church—Church doctrine or standards can only be established when there is more than one supporting Scripture in the New Testament. But it obviously was recorded for our benefit like all biblical accounts.
We see throughout Scripture that God’s chastisement of His children is never punitive, but always corrective. This fits into the picture of the Father’s heart toward us.
Thus, we are left with the possibility that Ananias and Sapphira were either not believers to begin with or had chosen to become reprobate believers in spite of the light available to them. Regardless, at this infant stage of the Church, there was such flow of purity and power among the believers that this infraction could not go unpunished.
The word of knowledge could have corrected and saved Ananias and Sapphira. Their deaths were mercy oriented—both toward them as well as the Church—to maintain a standard of purity. It was not the word of knowledge that caused their deaths, just like it was not the word of knowledge that caused Gehazi’s leprosy. It was the refusal to accept God’s offer of mercy that led to their collective demise.
The Word of Knowledge Exposes a King’s Plans
“And one of his servants said, ‘None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.’” (2 Kings 6:12)
The Syrian king (Ben Hadad II) was plotting an ambush against the people of God, but each time he tried, the prophet of God revealed his secret plans to King Jehoram. This happened numerous times. The word of knowledge through Elisha was sharp and clear. It was precise. The word of knowledge brings with it a clarity to what the Enemy tries to hide.
Fear is always and only the result of uncertainty or an un-manifested expectation.
The word of knowledge can be the remedy to uncertainty. The works of the Enemy can be exposed by the operations of the Spirit. The manifestations of these gifts are weapons in our arsenal.
“The works of the Enemy can be exposed by the operations of the Spirit.”
King Ben Hadad suspected a spy (possibly Naaman, one of his generals) but was informed that Jehoram had a better informant. He had access to “…Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom” (2 Kings 6:12). The fame of Elisha, not only his healing ministry that drew Naaman, but also his prophetic insights had spread all the way to Syria.
The plans of the Enemy against you in any area of life can be thwarted by the operation of the word of knowledge.
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)
I believe that this prophetic word of wisdom from Jesus about the then, soon coming of the Holy Spirit, in part, foretold of the Holy Spirit’s utilization of the word of knowledge in guiding us into all (current) truth, as well as the word of wisdom telling of “things to come.”
This is part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to us. One of the ways the Holy Spirit tells us things is through the gifts of the Spirit. The coming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit is also one of the reasons why Jesus said that it would be better for the disciples if He went away—so the Holy Spirit could come.
Like Elisha, we should be known abroad because of the Spirit’s manifestations in and through us. I believe that the Church is progressing and maturing to the place where these manifestations will operate so accurately that national and political events can be influenced for the things of God by the Church.
The Word of Knowledge Reveals a Secret Dream to Daniel
In our modern-day setting, you would not consider Daniel a preacher or a prophet. He lived in a secular, political surrounding, serving various heathen kings in mostly administrative positions. Yet he stayed true to God and had such mighty manifestations of the Spirit flow through him that years later, Jesus Himself quoted and pronounced Daniel a prophet (Matt 24:15).
One beautiful feature of the manifestations of the Spirit are that they are not confined to “church” as we know and define it. They can operate perfectly outside of the buildings we call our churches. The gifts are given to believers, not to brick and mortar structures, so that wherever believers go, the gifts go with them. This scriptural idea alone gives credence to what we would call marketplace ministry and ministers.
I have always observed that if a person’s gift only works on a Sunday morning, then we have a right to be suspicious of it.
“The gifts are given to believers, not to brick and mortar structures, so that wherever believers go, the gifts go with them.”
Such was the case with Daniel. He was not a priest or a king and was not officially recognized as a prophet, but he functioned in the office of one and had the accompanying gifts in abundance. As believers, we should fully expect for the manifestations of the Spirit to accompany us wherever we are. This would include at home, at work, and in any other setting we find ourselves in. The Holy Spirit and His manifestations cannot be confined to a building.
“If you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.” (Daniel 2:9)
Nebuchadnezzar, one of the four kings Daniel served in his lifetime, had an unusual demand. He had a disturbing dream, but rather than have the usual court soothsayers interpret it for him, he knew enough about them to distrust them. So, he cooked up a humanly impossible scenario. He did not just want his dream interpreted, he wanted them to tell him the dream he had in the first place. It always struck me as odd that he had so little trust in his own court soothsayers, yet he kept them around.
“The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, ‘There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean.’” (Daniel 2:10)
“For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.” (Daniel 2:12)
Things reached a fever pitch as the Chaldean soothsayers declined the offer and enraged the king. Nebuchadnezzar commanded what was common in those day when kings did not get their way: he started having them executed. The executions continued until they almost reached Daniel and his companions.
“Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.” (Daniel 2:14)
Now, this is something we have already looked at. With wisdom, Daniel, answered the captain of the king’s guard. This is not the word of wisdom, but just the wisdom that came from Daniel’s walk with God and his personal growth. There is a clear demarcation as we have seen between the gifts given to us and the growth that comes on us as we mature with God. We need both gifts and growth.
From this position of wisdom to handle life, Daniel asked the king for time to seek God and to have an answer presented to him.
What a great picture of the natural leading to the supernatural! Daniel had “natural” wisdom that came from personal and spiritual maturity, and it led to the supernatural manifestation of the Spirit. We need both. Daniel would have missed out on the supernatural if he had not followed the flow of the natural.
You might say that it was just common sense that Daniel ask for more time to pray, but my years of ministry have taught me that the problem with commonsense is that it is not so common.
We can only use what we have in the natural with wisdom, and then make room for the supernatural.
Since we are tripartite beings, there must come a harmony between our spirit, soul, and body. One leads to another. His wisdom in asking for the natural time led to the supernatural. We need not rush to the supernatural. Indeed, we cannot. We can only use what we have in the natural with wisdom, and then make room for the supernatural.
“Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” (Daniel 2:19)
“I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s demand.” (Daniel 2:23)
Ironically, the secret of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was revealed to Daniel in a dream of his own. Many times the manifestations of the Spirit can come through the vehicle of dreams. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, experienced a word of knowledge through a dream where he was instructed to flee to Egypt (Matt 2:13) with Mary and Jesus to escape Herod. The avenues that the gifts of the Spirit can flow through are endless.
Since the nine gifts all flow from the same Spirit, we can expect that the manifestation of one will often lead to the manifestation of another. The gifts don’t just work in unity, they open up ways so that one leads to another.
God did not just give Daniel a word of knowledge of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, through it, God also revealed a word of wisdom to interpret the future events from the dream. Daniel 2 is a well-known biblical prophecy chapter where Daniel goes on to declare the kingdoms to follow Nebuchadnezzar.
So, the word of knowledge revealing Nebuchadnezzar’s dream led to the word of wisdom revealing the future.
There is divine synchronicity to the gifts in operation. God is always on the lookout for ways to give more to us. If we will allow one operation of the Spirit into our lives, it will quickly open the door for more to come in.
The Word of Knowledge Can Come Through a Vision
I was once getting ready to minister at a service, and as I was making my way downstairs to the main auditorium, I suddenly had a vision of a hospital room. In the middle of the room, I saw what seemed like a small person in a hospital bed. I could not tell if it was an elderly person or a child, but the person I saw was bundled up in the sheets. I saw the top of their head and the color of their hair. I also saw an arm extended and a number of IV’s inserted.
This vision came up a few times in very quick succession as I made my way to the front of the auditorium. I had come into the service midway through and was quickly handed the pulpit. Strangely, I felt no unction to talk about what I had seen, so I proceeded with the service.
About thirty minutes into the message, I suddenly saw the vision again. This time I felt a release to tell the congregation about it, so I did, trying to be as descriptive as possible. A man seated toward the back put his hand up and waved it excitedly. I motioned for him to come forward. He looked tired, and when I asked him about what I had seen, he told me that he and his family hadn’t been back to church for a few months because his young son was sick in the hospital. The man had been at the hospital that evening with his wife when she said that since they were both tired and I was ministering, maybe it would be a good idea if he went to church. He had come to the service late, and within ten minutes of sitting down, I had shared about the vision.
The mercy of God had kept me from telling of the word of knowledge until its intended audience arrived. That word of knowledge encouraged and refreshed him. The next evening, the whole family, including their youngest son, showed up for the service. They had received permission from the doctors for the boy to come out. While his healing did not immediately manifest that evening, what that word of knowledge did was revive that family with the knowledge that God was well aware of where they were and the situation they faced. It was as if the Father put His arms around that family in a divine embrace.
Jesus Had a Word of Knowledge that Reached One Who Reached a Region
“But He needed to go through Samaria.” (John 4:4)
The unction of the Spirit can seem quite urgent sometimes. The Holy Spirit never forces himself on anyone. Demons do, but the Holy Spirit never does. There is a level of yieldedness that we can develop toward the moving of the Spirit—until we do, the manifestations of the Spirit will have little chance to operate through us. Since the Holy Spirit never forces anyone, it takes us willingly yielding for Him to flow through us.
“The more we yield to the Spirit, the more tuned we get to the manifestations of the Spirit.”
The more we yield to the Spirit, the more tuned we get to the manifestations of the Spirit. This is a spiritual skill that we can intentionally develop. One prime way is by developing our prayer lives. In prayer, we learn and experience the flow of the Spirit. This is especially so when it comes to praying in the Spirit. Now, praying in the Spirit is not just praying in tongues. Praying in the Spirit is praying from the location of the Spirit. This often includes praying in tongues, but it can also include praying in our known tongue. However, praying in tongues is a quick way to enter the spirit realm because it literally bypasses our mind with all its hang ups and opinions, and allows us to have spirit-to-spirit communication. The day of Pentecost, with its outpouring of the Spirit, marked by the evidence of each individual disciple speaking in tongues, brought all believers into the realm of the miraculous. Tongues are the key.
“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 4:17-18)
The reason Jesus needed to go to Samaria was to meet this one lady at the well. The background of the hostility between the Samaritans and the Jews reached far back into history. In the days of Joshua (Joshua 16-17), Samaria had been an allocated province to Ephraim and the half tribe of Manasseh. With the revolt of the northern tribes, they cut off most contact with the other tribes and had little to do with the temple in Jerusalem. They fell into idolatry and formed an unacceptable mixture of idolatry and Judaism. When a remnant returned from Babylon, they tried reestablishing a relationship with the main Jewish body again but were rebuffed. This resulted in bitter hatred and their opposition to what was held dear to all Jews: the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 4:1-2; Neh 4-6).
The Samaritans maintained that they were the true Jews and even had their own alternative temple. Things were so bad between the Samaritans and the Jews that the Rabbis would say, “To eat bread with Samaritans is like eating swine’s flesh [1].”
All that is to say that the division between the Samaritans and the Jews was deep, wide, and old. That’s why it took a specific urging of the Spirit to move Jesus into that region. It was not something any Jew would have done of his own accord.
The gifts of the Spirit do not just cross geographic and cultural boundaries, they can also bridge geographic and cultural differences. This was the setting of this miracle. It was a tense and awkward meeting—for the women, at least. But as we’ve said many times, the gifts will work outside of the church building, even with a skeptical and possibly hostile crowd.
To make matters even more challenging, the women was not even a well-respected member of the Samaritan society. The reason she was drawing water at noon—the warmest part of the day in that desert region—was because she was an outcast. She did not want to be around when the other women drew water—or perhaps the other women did not want her around. Either way, the Samaritan women was not a social loner by choice.
The manifestations of the Spirit always operate from a place of love. It is no mistake that following the great chapter on spiritual gifts, 1 Cor 12, the very next chapter is known as the great love chapter.
The level of skill with which Jesus delivered the word of knowledge about this woman’s numerous husbands was matched only by the loving way in which He asked her about them. He did not blurt out accusingly about her failed relationships, rather, he gently pointed out that the man she was with now was one of many others with whom she had lived with. He did not berate her for sinning and demand she renounce her lifestyle, but by a manifestation of the Spirit of truth and love, he showed her that He knew her! This simple manifestation of the word of knowledge, coupled with love and wisdom, opened the door for a conversation that not only changed this woman, but also elevated her to be an evangelistic voice in the region.
“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.’” (John 4:39)
One manifestation of the Spirit to touch the one individual can, in turn, touch a whole region.
The Word of Wisdom in the Everyday
One thing I have noticed about the Father’s love for us is that He cares for the small details in our lives as much as for what we would consider the greater moments. Since I have seen and accepted this truth, I have adjusted to accept that the manifestations of the Spirit are not just for life changing, ministry-oriented events. If I will allow it, I can have these manifestations in the everyday affairs of life as well. In fact, I’ve found that the more I allow for the gifts in my daily life, the sharper I become in the gifts in public ministry.
In the course of a year, I go on many international flights. I adjust well to the travel, but it certainly helps when I get some down time when I land. Once, when I landed after a long international flight, I got into my rental car and drove myself to the house my host had prepared for me. It was a huge place and I was there all alone.
I unpacked quickly and immediately went to bed, waking up the next day at noon, just in time to head out to a lunch meeting. To my shock, after I had gotten dressed and ready to leave for lunch, I could not find my car keys. That horrid feeling you get when you lose something is only amplified when you are dealing with international time change and are in a hurry.
I desperately rummaged through the bedroom and kitchen area but found nothing. I immediately had flashes in my mind of embarrassingly having to call my host and ask for a ride, of having to call the rental company and paying for another key, of my schedule that day being changed because of this delay.
I had almost given up looking when I just casually said, “God, help me.” Immediately, and to my surprise, I heard God reply, “It is in the trash bin in your room.” I had not thought to look there and had completely forgotten that I had thrown out some receipts in my pocket the night before. Sure enough, when I looked in the trash, among my receipts, there was the key.
You might be thinking, “Was the Holy Spirit given to help us find our keys?” The only way I could answer that is to tell you that the Holy Spirit was given for our benefit and the gifts for our profit. Our Father cares about the small, seemingly insignificant details of our lives.
The gifts are not just for public use in ministry. They are also for our benefit in life.
Notes:
The Pulpit Commentary
