Discerning the Source: Why Your "Word of Knowledge" Might Not Be From God

Words of Knowledge! Let's Talk Bible! 

I remember sitting at my desk, the air in the room suddenly feeling heavy, thick with a presence I couldn't quite name yet. I was writing down a date—March 11th—when suddenly, the room vanished. I wasn't in my chair anymore. I was in a trance, transported somewhere in the spirit realm, seeing things that hadn't happened yet. When I "woke up," my heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I started telling everyone I knew: "Something is coming on 3/11! It’s probably a terrorist attack! Fill up your cars, buy groceries, get ready!"

I had the supernatural information, but I didn't have the heart of the Father behind it. When March 11th finally rolled around, the world watched in horror as the largest earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown in the history of Japan unfolded. I had seen the date, but I had misinterpreted the event. I had the "fact," but I lacked the relationship to "pray it through." This is the pain point so many of us face in the prophetic movement. We get a "hit," a supernatural spark, and we run with it before we even know who is talking to us.

We are starving for the supernatural in a world that feels increasingly hollow, yet we are often being fed from the wrong table. If you've been sitting in a "Greek monologue" church where you take up an offering and go home without ever "working the field," you are vulnerable. You’re looking for supernatural answers in a supernatural Bible, but without prophetic mentoring, you might be listening to your own heart—or worse, a familiar spirit—and calling it "the Lord." Today, I want to help you dig deeper and go higher by identifying where that "word" is actually coming from.

Introduction: The Danger of the Unfiltered Supernatural

I didn't grow up in a vacuum. I came out of the New Age. I’ve dealt with the occult, and I’ve dealt with demons since I was two years old. When I was a little kid, I was having these supernatural experiences that I couldn't explain. I grew up in a cessationist church—those are the folks who think the gifts of the Spirit died out with the Apostles—and when I told them what was happening, they just said, "That’s of the devil."

Well, I wasn't doing anything to make it happen! I was just a kid being attacked by demons. Because the church didn't have answers, I left. I went to the religions that embraced the supernatural—Hinduism, Buddhism, Scientology, the New Age. I thought the Christians were nuts because they predicted raptures that never happened and shunned the very spiritual world the Bible is all about. But I found out the hard way that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light to deceive us.

The problem we have today is that there is almost zero prophetic mentoring in the church. We see this in 1 Corinthians 14, where Paul says the prophets should judge and we should all learn one by one. But that doesn’t happen in a 45-minute monologue. We need to take the yoke of Jesus upon us. In my book, OPEN YOUR EYES: MY SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY, I talk about this transition from the darkness into the light. You don't put on a yoke to sit on the couch. A yoke is a tool for working the field. When we work side-by-side with Jesus, we learn His gait, His rhythm, and His voice.

Main Message: The Four Sources of Supernatural Knowledge

When we talk about a "word of knowledge," we are talking about knowing something by supernatural means—seeing, hearing, or perceiving something in the spirit. But just because it's supernatural doesn't mean it's God. I’ve identified four primary sources for what appears to be a prophetic word, and we need to be sharp enough to discern between them.

1. The Deceit of Your Own Heart

The most common source of "revelation" isn't a demon or an angel—it's us. We can be so desperate for a word or so wrapped up in our own desires that we manufacture "truth." Jeremiah 23:26 KJV says: How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart.

We see this all the time with people predicting dates for the end of the world. They find something in the Bible, they get excited, and they convince themselves God told them. But they aren't "working the field." They are "armchair quarterbacks" who haven't hidden the Word in their heart enough to know when their own soul is talking. If we don't do the work, we end up prophesying from our own imaginations.

2. A Demon or Familiar Spirit Exposing Itself

This is something I saw constantly in the New Age. Psychics and mediums operate in this realm all the time. Sometimes, a demon will actually "misspeak" or reveal its presence. I like to call them "Pocket Monsters" or Pokemon—they're these little nasty spirits that just can't keep their mouths shut.

I remember being at a gas station recently. It was raining, one of those Mississippi downpours that turns the world grey. I saw a man standing there, and immediately, a spirit "exposed" itself. I was familiar with that specific spirit from my past. It wasn't God giving me a "word of knowledge" in the traditional sense; it was the demon rearing its head, shouting its presence through the man's behavior and aura. Because I recognized the "familiar spirit," I knew exactly how to pray for him. But a novice might see that and say, "The Lord told me you have this problem," when really, you're just discerning the presence of a demon that's making itself known.

3. Information Coming from the Person Directly

This is a big one. I call it "Spiritual Body Odor" or "Parking in the Spirit." People often project what they are praying for so strongly that anyone with a little bit of spiritual sensitivity can pick it up.

I was sitting in a restaurant one afternoon, the smell of fried catfish and sweet tea in the air. I was trying to have a quiet moment, but I kept seeing this vivid vision: a white house, blue trim, and a white picket fence. It wouldn't go away. Now, a "young" prophet would have walked over and said, "Thus saith the Lord, you are getting a white house with a picket fence!"

Instead, I just asked the lady next to me, "What is the significance of a white house with blue trim and a picket fence?"

She gasped and said, "I’ve been praying for that! That’s my dream house!"

Did God reveal that to me? Or did He just allow me to see what she was "parking" in the spirit? If I had interpreted it as a "promise" from God, I might have led her astray if it wasn't God's timing. We have to be careful not to interpret what we perceive unless God gives the interpretation.

4. God Plainly Revealing It

This is the gold standard. This is when the Lord removes the veil and shows you something for His glory. In 2 Kings 4:27 KJV, we see the Shunamite woman coming to Elisha in total distress. Elisha says: Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

Even a great prophet like Elisha didn't know everything. God chooses what to reveal. When it is God, it will always point back to the testimony of Jesus. It won't be about making you look like a superstar; it will be about the "Author and Finisher" of our faith.

Personal Reflections: Learning to Pray It Through

Looking back on my life, especially the early days after leaving the New Age, I made so many novice mistakes. I would get a single word or a vision and immediately share it with others, sometimes too quickly. I was like a kid who gets a phone call, hears the first sentence, and hangs up in excitement before the instructions are finished.

The Lord wants a dialogue, not just a "ping." Think about Moses on Sinai or Jesus in the wilderness for forty days. They were "praying it through." When I had that vision of the Japan earthquake, I didn't pray it through. I didn't ask, "Lord, what is the heart behind this? What should I do with this information?" I just reacted.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:29 KJV: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. We find rest when we are in step with Him. If you are constantly "stressed" about getting a word or performing for people, you aren't in the yoke. You’re trying to pull the plow by yourself. I realize that the most profound "words" often come in the stillness of just knowing Him.

Biblical References: The Spirit and the Word Agree

We must understand that the Spirit and the Word will never contradict each other. 1 John 5:7 KJV tells us: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. If you get a "supernatural" word that doesn't line up with the Bible, it’s not God. Period. The Word is the discerner. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12 KJV).

Notice that: it divides "soul and spirit." Your "soul" is your emotions and your own heart. The "spirit" is where God speaks. The Bible is the tool that helps you tell the difference. If you aren't reading your Bible daily, you have no business trying to give "words of knowledge." You’re like a doctor trying to perform surgery without ever looking at an anatomy book.

Look at Samuel in 1 Samuel 3. He was a little kid sleeping next to the Ark of the Covenant. He heard a voice and thought it was Eli, the high priest. Eli knew the Word, but he didn't have the vision. Samuel had the voice, but he didn't know the source. It took the relationship between the mentor and the student to realize God was speaking. We need that same mentoring today.

Key Takeaways

• Relationship over Information: Don't just seek "facts" in the spirit; seek the person of Jesus.
• Identify the Source: Always ask if a word is coming from your own heart, a demon, the person’s own desires, or God.
• Pray It Through: Never run with the first "hit" you get. Stay in the presence of God until you have the heart behind the revelation.
• The Word is the Standard: If it doesn't align with the KJV Bible, throw it out.
• Work the Field: You learn the prophetic by doing, not just by listening to sermons. Get out there and pray for people in the "real world."

Conclusion and Call to Action

My passion is for you to have a genuine, spiritual relationship with the biblical Jesus. We are living in days where deception is rampant, even within the four walls of the church. But you don't have to be a victim of that deception. You can learn to hear His voice with clarity.

If you’ve struggled with spiritual attacks or feel like you’re being misled by "supernatural" experiences, I want to encourage you to check out my book, Overcoming Night Terror: Making the Demons Leave. It’s a practical guide on taking back your authority in Christ.

Also, please visit ConradRocks.net for more podcasts and articles where we dig deeper into the rocks of revelation.

What is the Lord saying to you today? Have you ever had a "word" that you later realized was just your own heart talking? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.

Action Items

• Schedule "Ark Time": Spend at least 15 minutes today in total silence, "sleeping next to the Ark," just listening for God's voice without any agenda.
• Study the Word: Read three chapters of the New Testament today (KJV) specifically looking for how Jesus interacted with people's thoughts.
• The "Ask" Test: The next time you feel you have a "word" for someone, don't say "Thus saith the Lord." Instead, ask them a question about what you are seeing and see if it resonates.
• Audit Your Heart: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there are any areas where your own desires are "parking" in the spirit and mimicking His voice.
• Subscribe and Share: If this helped you, share it with one friend who is exploring the prophetic and subscribe to the ConradRocks.net newsletter for more mentoring.