Scripture: Proverbs 17 v 8; 1 Corinthians 12 v 1 - 11.
Our Heavenly Father loves us, His children, and all
fathers want to give gifts and see their offspring happy and contented. Our God
is a Spirit and His gifts are spiritual - they are given to bless us and to be
used to help others.
There are 9 gifts but the more you use the gift the more
powerful it gets. The more you let the Holy Spirit do through you the deeper
will be your adventures with God. Be bold be brave take a leap of faith - the
rewards are immensely satisfying.
Some say the gifts petered out when Peter petered out but
the Lord says His gifts are non-refundable. Once given they remain forever. The
gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Romans 11 v 29. That means
that God never changes His mind about the gift He has given or the calling you
received. If you neglect them He will measure you by the parable of the talents
- Matthew 25 v 14 - 30.
Gifts of healing flow through you to those who are ill.
It is wrong to say "I have the gift of healing" as it is the sick who
need the gifts the Healer, Jesus, gives. That way its always Jesus who gets the
glory.
A word of knowledge is given when you need direction from
the Lord. I know a wonderful man who is dyslexic but he preaches powerfully and
has a ministry in the word of knowledge. It flows continuously through him. In
his meetings he can speak a word of knowledge - a God-given insight - to
everyone in the congregation individually and bring understanding and
refreshing to them.
Speaking in tongues edifies your spirit, soul and body;
interpreting of tongues blesses all who hear it. Speaking in tongues is the
evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 v 1 - 4. It can also help
you converse in a language with a foreigner as happened to a friend of mine.
The Lord sent her Austria where she met a woman who told
her that her brother was committed to an asylum because he said God had spoken
to him! My friend visited him but they could not understand each other until
she started speaking in tongues to him. She never knew what she was saying to
him but he was exceedingly happy and able to convince doctors to release him.
Interpreting tongues edifies those that hear. It is not a
translation it just interprets so though the tongues may be long the
interpretation may be short.
The gift of prophecy allows you to bring comfort and
edification to the church. The ministry of a prophet brings direction and
correction to the church.
A word of wisdom helps make true judgments and also tells
you how to use a word of knowledge if necessary. Solomon was given a word of
wisdom when confronted with a living baby and a dead baby and two mothers
claiming the live baby was hers. Solomon said divide the living child in two.
The real mother said rather let the other woman have it.
The discerning of spirits identifies demons troubling
your family or nation. This gift was fully discussed yesterday.
The gift of faith elevates your normal faith to know the
miraculous power of God and to do amazing things for Him. I needed this gift to
be fully operational during the miracle ministry to Karen Ann. It was like
walking on water with Jesus every day for 18 months.
To receive these gifts you must be born again, baptized
in water and the Holy Spirit and His power will come upon you just as it did on
the disciples who were in the upper room on the first Pentecost after the
Ascension of Jesus.
They turned the world upside down. So can you if you
follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Prayer: Heavenly Father remove all the mental blocks of
fear, doubt and misunderstanding so that all Your children can benefit from
Your marvellous and precious gifts. May they be wisely and fully used in these
last days to help and edify Your people.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
