From a practical point of view (based on your own understanding and personal experience), what is the difference between a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge and a prophecy? Are they synonymous/interchangeable expressions to some extent, or do they mean different things?
Many times in spiritual life, and in scripture, all these manifestations can overlap, all occurring at the same time.
Word of wisdom.
Wisdom from the Lord is more about handling knowledge, than knowledge itself.
This can be seen with King Solomon when the two harlots came in arguing about whose baby was dead and whose was alive.
1Kings3v23And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
26Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”
But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
27So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
As a prophet, Solomon could perhaps have answered with an accurate word of knowledge from the Lord, but that would not have stopped the jealous false mother from arguing, nor would it prove the truth to the watchers in the royal court. However, Solomon's command to cut the baby in two immediately made the truth absolutely manifest beyond all argument.
28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
As the scripture says, that is the wisdom of God.
Jesus frequently operated in such wisdom, causing truth to be revealed from the mouths of those around him, especially from those intent on trapping him.
Word of knowledge.
This is simply a piece of information revealed by the Holy Spirit.
Around 30 years ago, my wife had her car stolen. A few days later, while collecting some plumbing gear for my business, the Lord spoke to me. It was the strongest impression that if I drove down a certain street, I would find my wife's car. I rushed to pay and load my gear, and then shot across town to this street. Sure enough, there was her car parked outside a shop. The police station was at the end of the street so I rushed back and got them out. They immediately arrested the car thieves, and we got the car back.
Over the years, I have received words of knowledge like this, or have been given such words by others countless times.
Word of prophecy.
In the body of Christ today, this is more of a structured word that reveals hidden information about the future for someone. It frequently includes hidden knowledge by way of validating the word. It can also reveal things that need dealing with today.
It can also include conditional promises, ie. "If you do xxxxx, then I, the Lord, will do YYYY"
