Great thoughts. The Ecclesiastes passage is wise.

(I understand it as being able to discern the spirit of a man, along with discerning if something is from the enemy or from God as well. And it’s a tough gift to have. Better ask for a gift of wisdom to go with it, cuz you are gonna need it!)

As a woman, this gift has also protected me from wolves in the church. Need I say more?

The Lord pointed me at this verse several years ago, and I’ve found it to be true. When it’s wisdom and knowledge of self, the cost is dying to self, or rebelling against God, both painful prospects. When it’s wisdom and knowledge of others, in most cases your gift is not received. At one point, my pastor was aiming his personal life on a crash course. He heard what I said, he agreed with what I said – and then crashed anyhow.

Sometimes, I’ve found, God uses us simply to make people accountable, knowing full well that the warning will go unheeded. But they will no longer be able to say, “God, I didn’t know.”

This is not a lot of fun, so, yeah, I can understand why Tozer would say that.