I heard of a similar experience which happened to a group of women who would meet at a
church to have a Bible lesson and then would go out and witness to people. They were more
or less going in their own strength and were not accomplishing very much. They had been
knocking on doors for a couple of weeks and talking to people, but they hadn't won anyone to
the Lord.
One morning the pastor's wife suggested that they change their methods. Instead of reading
something from the Bible, praying a little, and going out, she suggested they read the Bible
and stay there to pray - maybe for an hour, maybe longer — until they definitely felt led to go
out. "I believe we will get more done if we are simply led by the Spirit," she told them.
The next morning the women had been praying about an hour when the pastor's wife had a
vision in which she saw a certain apartment house and felt impressed to go there. She took
one of the women
with her, and when they arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door, someone inside
said, "Come in." They pushed open the door and saw a woman lying on a bed in the corner.
When the sick woman saw them, she started rejoicing and said, "I recognized you the minute
you came in the door. I was praying at six o'clock this morning and in a vision I saw you come
in and lay hands on me, and I was healed." The two women then laid hands on the sick
woman and prayed for her in the Name of Jesus, and she was healed.
By natural knowledge the pastor's wife couldn't have known that woman was sick and that she
was praying for healing; she didn't even know her. But while the pastor's wife was praying in
the Spirit, the Holy Ghost gave her a word of knowledge. Now God knew where everyone was
who was sick at that time, but He didn't tell the pastor's wife about every one of them; He just
sent her to one. He gave her a word of knowledge in the form of a vision.
Sometimes the word of knowledge comes by an inward revelation. The word of knowledge can
also come by an audible Voice, by the Spirit of God speaking to you. Also, the gifts of the Spirit
often operate together. We just separate them in order to define them.
For example, as I said before, the word of knowledge may come through tongues and
interpretation of tongues, or through the gift of prophecy. Or an angel might come to deliver a
word of knowledge. A word of knowledge can also be accompanied by a word of wisdom. God
has many means of doing things, including manifesting the word of knowledge in various ways.
These examples also show us that what God did in Bible times, He is still doing in our modern
times. It is amazing what is happening in the earth today. God is visiting hungry hearts
everywhere. He is manifesting His power through the supernatural gifts of the Spirit, and one
of these gifts is the word of knowledge.
Chapter 12 The Gift of the Word of Knowledge Part 2
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE
by the same Spirit;
To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;