Concerning Spiritual Gifts

Text: 1 Cor 12: 7
MORE LESSONS: 1 Cor 12: 1-12
Bible Reading in one Year: Romans 5-8

God doesn't want us to be ignorant of spiritual gifts. Ignorance of spiritual gifts has caused a lot of havoc in the body of Christ as people are carried away by every manifestation they see. Every believer has to take the responsibility to grow by the Word of God, ...that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive: Eph 4:14.
There are nine gifts of the Spirit: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gift of healing, working of miracles, discerning of spirits, prophecy, diverse types of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

The purpose of these gifts is to glorify the person of Jesus and confirm the Word of God; it is not to show how powerful a man of God is or to promote his ministry. Any operation that doesn't seek to exalt Jesus is not of the Holy Spirit. So anyone that will safely operate in the Spirit must be well grounded in the Word of God.

A person that is not established in the Word of God and all he does is to operate in the manifestation of the Spirit is dubious. Also the manifestation of the gifts is as the Holy Spirit wills and not as man chooses, But all these worketh that one and the self same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will, 1 Cor 12:11. A man that operates the gifts of the Spirit like a personal ability that He could use at will without dependence on the Holy Spirit is fake. For example, the fact that a man has the gift of prophecy or word of knowledge doesn’t mean t hat he must know everything about everyone and have a word about everything all the time. Any man operating as such is going into error. The gifts are as the Spirit wills.

Finally, the gifts of the Spirit are to be operated in love. The gifts are not to expose, embarrass, dominate or intimidate people but to help, edify and build them. The manifestation of gifts of the Spirit in a member should also build the body of Christ as a whole. No man should operate the gifts in isolation claiming self sufficiency, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ: 1 Cor 12:12. The body of Christ is one and every member is dependent on others. Anybody that claims that he is so gifted that he doesn't associate with others in the body of Christ is in error .May you be grounded in God and not be led astray by the sleighs of men. I pray also that God will anoint you with His gifts, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for the gifts one by one.
* Pray that the gift of God in your life will glorify only Jesus.
* Ask God for deeper understanding in the things of the Spirit.

From Egypt to Canaan

Text: Heb 4: 1-3
MORE LESSONS: Heb 3: 7-19
Bible Reading in one Year: Romans 9-11

God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to lead them to the promised land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey . They were to pass through the wilderness as a test of their faith in God before they would enter into the Promised Land, And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no: Deut 8:2.

The Israelites complained and murmured against God each time a challenge arose. Thus they sinned and rebelled against God again and again; because of this many of them could not enter into the rest that God had prepared for them.

This is an illustration of the Christian journey in life. God has brought us out of the world of sin (Egypt) and He is leading us into the promised land of all our inheritance in Christ and to Heaven where we will be with Him forever. As we pass through the wilderness of this life, many times we face challenges that are to test and prove us. We should not be like the children of Israel that doubted God and fell in the wilderness. Rather we should hold on to Him to the end. Do not be like the children of Israel that kept longing for the fish, melon, garlic and cucumber of Egypt.

Those are believers that keep longing for the things of the world and the sinful pleasures of the past. Rather keep your eyes fixed on the glorious inheritance that God has reserved for you both in this life and in that which is to come. Do not cast away your confidence in God and do not disobey Him.

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul: Heb 10:38-39. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief: Heb 4: 11.

The Bible tells us to labour to enter into the rest that God has prepared for us. In other words, with determination avoid anything that could prevent you from entering into your Promised Land and diligently pursue the things that are needed for you to enter into your inheritance. You will not fall in the wilderness of life; you will enter into the Promised Land, in Jesus' name.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that you will not miss heavenly Jerusalem.
* Pray that no challenge will take Heaven from you.
* Declare that your spiritual pilgrimage will not end in disaster.

Good Gifts are for You

Text: James 1: 17
MORE LESSONS: 1 Cor 12: 1-1 1
Bible Reading in one Year: Romans 1-4

God has a lot of gifts in store for His children, but a lot of believers are not taking advantage of the gifts that God has prepared for them because they are ignorant of His provision and how to take delivery of them, Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning: Jam1:17.

Sometime ago, I was to pray for a lady for healing and for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. She wanted the healing but she told me not to worry about the baptism of the Holy Spirit because it is a gift for some and not everyone can have a gift. She also said that all fingers are not equal, so everyone cannot be gifted. I replied that it’s true all fingers are not equal, some are taller than others but if I have my choice I would choose to be the tallest finger. I asked her, If given the opportunity to work in a company as the Managing Director or a messenger, which would you choose? She said she would like to be the director. That is good response.

Some people and churches teach that gifts are not for everybody but we know that the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is for every believer. I then told her, Even if they told you that gifts are not for everybody because some are more privileged than others, why don't you choose to be among the people with the gift since they didn't say it is a crime to have the gift, it is just a privilege. The wonderful sister agreed with me and said that I had a point.

And if you hardhearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won't your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them? Matt 7: 11 (Living Bible). Whatever gift you want- spiritual, physical or financial-you can get it by asking God who lavishes good things on His children, Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, ....1 Cor 14: 1 (NKJV).

When you desire the gifts of the Spirit and ask God for them, He will give to you. As you desire the gifts of God with a sincere heart to help people and to glorify God, He will richly give them to you, in Jesus’ mighty name.

Prayer/Action
* Ask now for the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues
or a renewal if you have been filled already .
* Ask God to generously pour His goodness upon you.
* Pray that you will not lack God’s Spirit and power in your life.

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Dangers of Disobedience II

READ: Gen. 19:16-25
MORE LESSONS: I Kgs. 13:1 1-24
Bible Reading in one Year: 1 Chronicles 27-29

There is one thing you must be certain of and that is that God will not break His Word. However, if you disobey Him, you get the actual measure of punishment for the disobedience. Your anointing cannot stop the punishment whenever you break God's instruction except you repent and it pleases the Lord to forgive you. You cannot trade God's instruction with disobedience and survive it.

There was a young man of God from Judah sent by God to a king. He was so anointed that when he was delivering God's message and the king wanted to ...lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him….: 1 Kings 13:4. The king's hand dried up because God sent the prophet. He was a man who could hear God and speak back to God without interference, And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again…. v 6. After this wonderful and excellent performance, the king offered to feed and reward him. That would contravene God’s Word to the prophet so he refused, ...Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward: v7, but he answered, ….If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water , nor turn again by the same way that thou camest: vs 8-9.The problem that people have is accepting the word of man without consulting the Creator first. Don't fall into the trap of liars; they will make God's judgment to be activated upon your life irrespective of your anointing, for disobedience can corrupt your anointing.

Be firm in rejecting instructions that are not godly. An old prophet came and lied to the young prophet to break the God-given command. Without checking with God the young prophet accepted the old prophet’s suggestion and that crashed his destiny because he did not go back to ask God. Let’s look at some of the dangers here that disobedience can bring: 1. It can provoke God to anger, …Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord… thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy father .…: 1 Kgs. 13:21-22.

2. It can bring untimely death that Almighty God will supervise by Himself upon a man's life, And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase: v 24. You will know that God supervised the prophet’ s death because the lion which is known for eating flesh did not eat the young prophet's flesh, rather it killed the man and stood by the body . Be careful, if you break God's instruction, He will also break you.

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord for His forgiveness for every carelessness, error and mistake that could bring His punishment upon your life.
* Ask the Lord to grant you grace for total obedience in all situations.

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