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Dr. Phillip S. Phinn, Contributor

The World and the Church, the unsaved and the saved, have more questions than answers, but the Almighty, all powerful sovereign Father, the author and finisher of our faith, has all answers and He is the answer.

"By him were all things created, that are in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible all things were created by Him and for him." Colossians 1:16. We are created for Him, for Him to use as instruments of righteousness, in the natural and supernatural; the tangible and intangible realms.

The gift of prophecy is bestowed by the Lord on any vessel He chooses and it is not given based on one's area of study, expertise or experience. Today, we will examine one of the two gifts, which work alongside the gift of prophecy, which creates answers. However, the two spiritual gifts are: the word of wisdom and the work of knowledge.

Speaks hidden truths

According to 1 Corinthians 2:6-7, the word of wisdom is the application of knowledge that God gives you. It is the wisdom of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. God's perspective is given by the Holy Spirit who speaks hidden truths of what is unknown through an earthly messenger: the prophet. When this is done, spiritual intuition in problem solving is evident, as the prophet addresses concerns in whatever areas are of concern to an individual. These areas may be in finances, health, relationships, and or education, just to name a few. As a prophet exercises this gift, the fear of the Lord is further developed, and as stated in Proverbs 1:7, herein lies "the beginning of wisdom".

Jesus, the greatest of all prophets, illustrated in Matthew 22:15-24, the gifts of the word of wisdom and knowledge and these can be further cited in Luke 4:1-14, when he was being tempted. That same Spirit which rested upon Jesus remains with each of us today, as it was also with King Solomon, Prophet Elisha and Apostle Paul. The gifts of the spirit are not given based on one's position. It is given as God sees fit!

When did the word of wisdom come to Solomon? When did the word of wisdom come to Elisha?

The word of wisdom came to Solomon when he was faced with a problem. Two women had approached King Solomon, both claiming to be the mother of a 'live' baby.

Holy Spirit showed the solution

During the night, one of these women had lost a baby to death. Now, it was Solomon's task to determine which woman the living baby belonged to. He knew not what to do but then his Spirit quickened and the Holy Spirit showed him the solution. Solomon called for a sword and was about to divide the baby as the Lord told him to do.

At the very moment of lifting the sword, one of the women cried out for the life of the child to be spared. Solomon knew this was the mother indeed. It should be noted, however, that this might not have been the case, if both loved the baby to the same extent or if both were equally insensitive, but God, He knows what to do, when, how, where, and with whom. He knows too the why.

It was Prophet Elisha as seen in 2 Kings 3, who was told by three kings that the Moabites were about to capture the Israelites. Elisha wondered what to do with such information. Immediately, he summoned for a minstrel, listened and praised God. Then the next move was revealed by the Holy Spirit. Elisha told his team to "make the valley full of ditches". The result? The Moabites were defeated and three kingdoms saved.

Rev. Dr. Phillip S. Phinn, president & senior pastor Word of Life Ministries International; email: wolmi10@yahoo.com