The Holy Spirit's Gifts

Scripture: Proverbs 17 v 8: "A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth it prospereth."

1 Corinthians 12 v 1 - 4 - 6: "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all."

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 of the Holy Spirit, but the more you use the gift He gives you, the more powerful it gets. The more you let the Holy Spirit work 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 a healing gift" 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 brings understanding and refreshing to them.  The Lord has met his challenges with a strong gift.

Speaking in tongues edifies your spirit, soul and body; interpreting of tongues blesses all who hear it.  Just remember it is an interpretation and not a direct translation. Speaking in tongues is the most common 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 insisted that 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.  By his reactions to the words she spoke she saw him being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.

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. Paul wanted everyone to prophesy as he considered it the best gift.  The Lord brought a prophecy through me on Sunday of great blessings to come plus things He was doing to unify the Body of Jesus.  It was confirmed by someone who received a scripture - Revelation 22 v 6: ......these sayings are faithful and true......to show unto His servants the things that must shortly be done.  Our God is awesome.

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.  Jesus said the demons are subject to us, so we can deal with them like He did.  Bind them i.e. paralyse and gag them, then cast them out of the suffering person and send them back to Hell.

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.  It was also an interpretation of tongues, prophecy, discerning of spirits.  In fact all nine gifts were needed as we pioneered spiritually unknown territory.  

Jesus called it His greatest work (Deuteronomy 4 v 32) when we were able to minister in a very real way to a deeply comatose person 12000 miles away and see her saved.  While we were praying she let us know there were eavesdroppers.  Jesus told us that we were broadcasting to everyone in coma and that 5000 got saved, plus they all heard me in their own languages.  He did all this without our knowledge!

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.