spiritual gifts

A woman holding glowing symbols representing deception and truth levitating between her hands — Image generated via AI.

An X‑ray machine can do something our natural eyes will never accomplish. It looks straight through the surface, revealing what is hidden beneath. Bones, fractures, blockages, foreign objects. All the things we could never see on our own suddenly become clear.

In the same way, God has given His people spiritual “X‑ray vision”. Not to judge others harshly, but to see beneath the surface of the heart through the gifts of the Spirit, especially discernment. Words of knowledge are very similar.

An X‑ray machine doesn’t care about outward appearances. It doesn’t admire clothing, hairstyles, or smiles. It goes deeper. That’s exactly what scripture says God does:

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

God sees motives, wounds, hidden sins, and hidden strengths. Nothing is concealed from Him. And because He loves His people, He equips the church or individuals with spiritual gifts that help us see what He sees, not perfectly, but purposefully.

The gift of discernment is like a spiritual X‑ray. It helps believers recognize what is true, what is false, what is healthy, and what is dangerous. Paul describes this gift clearly:

“To another the discerning of spirits, and words of knowledge…” 1 Corinthians 12:10-11

Discernment is not suspicion. It’s not intuition. It’s not a personality trait. It is a Spirit‑empowered ability to see beneath the surface. To detect spiritual realities that are invisible to natural perception. Just like an X‑ray reveals a fracture that explains the pain, discernment reveals spiritual fractures that explain confusion, conflict, or deception.

A doctor doesn’t order an X‑ray because someone looks sick, but because something deeper is wrong. Likewise, God gives discernment so the church can identify:

Hidden motives — when actions don’t match intentions
Spiritual deception — teachings or influences that look right but aren’t
Unhealthy patterns — cycles that keep people stuck
God’s direction — clarity when choices are cloudy

Discernment protects the church the same way an X‑ray protects a patient, by revealing the truth before the damage gets worse. An individual with these gifts is not special, but only in the way they have made themselves available to God to be used by him.

Before God ever uses us to discern others, He lovingly shines His light on our own hearts. David prayed:

“Search me, O God… and see if there is any wicked way in me.” Psalm 139:23–24

This is a spiritual X‑ray at its finest. God reveals what needs healing, cleansing, or strengthening. And when He shows us something about ourselves or someone else, it’s never to embarrass or shame us; it’s to heal us.

Just as a doctor uses an X‑ray to help, not harm, discernment or a word of knowledge must always be used with:

Humility
Love
Restoration

Discernment without love becomes criticism, and discernment with love becomes healing.

An X‑ray machine reveals what is hidden, so healing can begin. God’s gift of discernment does the same. It exposes what the enemy hides, reveals what the heart conceals, and guides the church or an individual into truth, purity, and spiritual health. When using these gifts to minister to an individual, I find it important to “ask” for permission to share what God has shown me. There is power in invitations.

When the Spirit gives an individual the gift of discernment, or a word of knowledge, and they speak to an individual and reveal what God has shown them, it’s not to embarrass them but to get their attention. Someone should never be in awe of the spiritual gifts but rather be in awe of the loving God behind the gifts. Words of knowledge or discernment, knowing things that only God knew, are only to get someone’s attention for what God wants to do or say to them next!

May God give us eyes to see what He sees, hearts to love what He loves, and courage to respond to what He reveals.

^1-3What I want to talk about now is the various ways God’s Spirit gets worked into our lives. This is complex and often misunderstood, but I want you to be informed and knowledgeable. Remember how you were when you didn’t know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It’s different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say “Jesus be damned!” Nor would anyone be inclined to say “Jesus is Master!” without the insight of the Holy Spirit.

^4-11God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

wise counsel
clear understanding
simple trust
healing the sick
miraculous acts
proclamation
distinguishing between spirits
tongues
interpretation of tongues.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when. 1 Cor. 12:1-11 (MSG)

Some things in life come with “Warning” labels, like cigarettes. In fact, in the Philippines, they print photos of what “could” happen to you if you smoke. (see the attached photo.)

Wouldn’t it be nice if people came with warning labels? So, it wouldn’t take days, weeks, months, or even years to see what demon(s) they fight. And when they are fighting their battles, you get wounded. You would know what buttons not to push. Sometimes, when I get on an elevator with others, I ask, “What floor?” Then, I will calmly say, “I like pushing people’s buttons!” Most people who get it laugh but then hurry off when their floor arrives. The truth is, I don’t. I would rather avoid confrontations.

If people came with warning labels, you would know how to pray for them. There is a way to know what they are dealing with before it comes out or they tell you. It is called “Word of Knowledge.”

The word of knowledge is a spiritual gift that allows the believer to supernaturally know something about a situation or a person.

I wrote a few weeks ago about getting a “Word of Knowledge” concerning a young lady I had never met before. I asked her, “Why are you so sad?” She was surprised I knew and asked, “How in the world did you know that?” I explained to her that God revealed it to me. She was amazed and marveled until I stopped her.

I explained to her that the supernatural was only to get her attention, but the thing to focus on was what God wanted to do after getting her attention. In her case, He wanted her to know that He knew her and cared about the situation she was going through, which made her sad.

If you can know what someone is going through, then you can pray for them. You may even engage them like I did the young lady. At least you will know want buttons “not” to push that could make matters worse! One thing I have noticed about getting a “word of knowledge” for someone and sharing it with them and that is this: they don’t argue with you. They don’t throw out weak excuses as to why God wouldn’t work for them, and they don’t try to cop out with “religious” crud. Like, “If God is so loving, then why do children die?” One should seek to be given this gift by the Holy Spirit because, well, it works!

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,”
1 Corinthians 12:7-8 (emphasis added)

Brady, Mark A.

Blogs connecting you to God, and other content from my mind.

God’s X-ray Machine

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