Regarding the scripture, “…to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:8), people sometimes call these the gift of wisdom or the gift of knowledge. That is not correct, however. We must call spiritual gifts what the Bible calls them or we will become confused.
For example, if you called a dog a cat, people would say you were confused. The gift of the word of knowledge is not the gift of knowledge, and the gift of the word of wisdom is not the gift of wisdom any more than a dog is a cat.
First Corinthians 12:8 is not talking about natural wisdom and knowledge in the general sense. It is talking about just what it says—the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. And these gifts of the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge are given supernaturally. They are not natural gifts.
God has all knowledge. He knows everything, but He never reveals to anyone everything He knows. He just gives various people a word, a part, or a fragment of what He knows. A word of knowledge, for example, is just a fragmentary part of God’s knowledge.
And so it is with the gift of the word of wisdom; it is not the gift of wisdom, it is the word of wisdom. God has all wisdom and all knowledge. But He only reveals a part of it to man—that which He wants him to know at a given time.
The Word Of Wisdom Is Not Wisdom In The Affairs Of Life
The word of wisdom is confused many times with simple wisdom in the affairs of life, but simple wisdom in the affairs of life is not a spiritual gift. In the beginning of Joshua’s ministry, God told him that the key to his success would he in meditating on the Word of God, and that is how Joshua was to obtain wisdom in the affairs of life.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
(Josh. 1:8)
Another translation says, “Thou shalt make thyself prosperous and thou shalt be able to deal wisely in the affairs of life.” There is a wisdom that is gained through the knowledge of God’s Word, but that is not the supernatural manifestation of the gift of the word of wisdom.
Some people think that Solomon’s wisdom was a manifestation of this word of wisdom, but it wasn’t. Solomon’s wisdom was given to him by God, just as we read in James 1:5: “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.”
God has promised that this wisdom, which I simply call general wisdom to deal in the affairs of life, is available to everyone who will ask for it. God will impart wisdom, but that is not a supernatural manifestation of the word of wisdom.
In writing to the Church, James said that if any lack wisdom, let him ask God for it (James 1:5). So we see that this general wisdom to deal wisely in the affairs of life will be given to anyone who asks for it.
The wisdom that James is talking about is the wisdom to deal wisely in the affairs of life and the wisdom to know how to conduct yourself as a Christian.
However, when God sees fit to reveal His own mind and purpose and plan to man in a supernatural way, He does so by this supernatural manifestation of the word of wisdom.
The supernatural manifestation of the gift of the word of wisdom is not given to everyone. Paul said in First Corinthians 12:8, “To one is given the word of wisdom.”
This verse says the manifestation of the word of wisdom is given to one; not to all, stating that spiritual gifts are divided severally as the Spirit wills. This infers that not everyone is going to have these manifestations.
by Kenneth E. Hagin.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Rev. Hagin served in Christian ministry for nearly 70 years and was known as the "father of the modern faith movement." His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God's power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
Rev. Hagin was born on Aug. 20, 1917, in McKinney, Texas, a son of the late Lillie Viola Drake Hagin and Jess Hagin.
Rev. Hagin was sickly as a child, suffering from a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. He was not expected to live and became bedfast at age 15. In April 1933 during a dramatic conversion experience, he reported dying three times in 10 minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life.
In August of 1934, Rev. Hagin was miraculously healed, raised off a deathbed by the power of God and the revelation of faith in God's Word. Two years later, he preached his first sermon as pastor of a small community church in Roland, Texas.
In 1937, Rev. Hagin was baptized in the Holy Spirit and began ministering in Pentecostal churches. During the next 12 years he pastored five churches in Texas: in the cities of Tom Bean, Farmersville (twice), Talco, Greggton, and Van. In 1949, he began an itinerant ministry as a Bible teacher and evangelist.
During the next 14 years, Jesus appeared to Rev. Hagin eight times in visions that changed the course of his ministry. In 1966, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he opened a ministry office. That same year, he taught for the first time on radio—on KSKY in Dallas. In 1967, he began a regular radio broadcast that continues today as Faith Seminar of the Air. Teaching by his son, Rev. Kenneth W. Hagin, is also heard on the program.
In 1968, Rev. Hagin published the first issues of The Word of Faith magazine, which now has a monthly circulation of more than 250,000. The publishing outreach he founded, Faith Library Publications, has circulated more than 65 million copies of books by Rev. Hagin, Rev. Hagin Jr., and several other authors worldwide. Faith Library Publications also has produced more than 9 million audio teaching tapes and CDs.
Other outreaches of Kenneth Hagin Ministries include RHEMA Praise, a weekly television broadcast hosted by Rev. and Mrs. Kenneth W. Hagin; RHEMA Correspondence Bible School; RHEMA Alumni Association; RHEMA Ministerial Association International; RHEMA Supportive Ministries Association; the RHEMA Prayer and Healing Center; and a prison ministry.
In 1974, Rev. Hagin founded RHEMA Bible Training Center USA and in 1976 moved the school and ministry offices to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where they remain. To date, RHEMA Bible Training Center USA has 23,000 alumni, and RHEMA Bible Training Centers have opened in 13 other nations: Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, and Thailand. Together, the 14 schools have more than 28,000 graduates worldwide.
RHEMA Bible Church, pastored by Rev. Hagin Jr., began holding services in October of 1985 on the RHEMA campus in Broken Arrow and has since grown to become a thriving congregation with more than 8,000 members.
Rev. Hagin's daughter and son-in-law, Pat Harrison and the late Doyle "Buddy" Harrison, founded Harrison House Publishers in 1975 and Faith Christian Fellowship International Church in 1977. Both organizations are based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Until shortly before his death in September 2003, Rev. Hagin continued to travel and teach throughout the United States and into Canada conducting All Faiths' Crusades and other special meetings.