June 12, 2022— The apostle Paul explains to us that there is a physical body, and a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44). Your spiritual body is given to you by the “breath of the Almighty” which gives you understanding (Job 32:8). This understanding comes from the grace of God giving His only begotten Son to the people of the world. In exchange, we received not only the gifts of salvation and eternal life, but the gift of the Holy Spirit. John 14:26 says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
The Holy Spirit will guide you to live by the commandments and teachings that Jesus Christ gave us. When you sin, you will feel a level of guilt. This guilt is evidence of the Holy Spirit working in your life. If you felt no guilt or shame, that would be evidence that you are not listening to the Holy Spirit, but the words of Satan. We will be tempted by Satan regardless of if we are baptized; however, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is what gives us the power to overcome those temptations. When those moments occur, we should be ready to receive the wisdom of God through the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:30, we are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit. One interpretation of this passage is not to push the Holy Spirit away.
Serving with Spirit
In each of us, the Holy Spirit manifests through us and there will be differences in ministries and activities, but the manifestation of these gifts comes from the same Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). Through the Holy Spirit we receive spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12). These spiritual gifts consist of the following:
Receiving these gifts is determined by God, and once you receive it, you should serve Him with that spiritual gift, or those spiritual gifts. Romans 1:9 says, “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.” Therefore, if you have wisdom, seek knowledge, and prepare to minister or preach. Use faith to guide your path because without faith, it would be impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Is someone spiritually tormented or physically ill? Use healing by fasting, praying, and casting out the demon that possess that person. For prophecy, pray whomever you need to pray for, and God will give you, His Word. He may even give you His Word when you are with someone in particular.
Discerning of Spirits is a wonderful gift, use it to warn friends, family and church members of the person or the people that they are with. Use it for yourself to determine who may be an adversary or who may be a brother/sister in your walk with God. Speaking in angelic tongues to God protects your prayers and gets them to heaven. This gift also works for worldly languages that you can use to help people through translation, and translation interprets tongues.
Determining Your Spiritual Gifts
You may be serving God with your spiritual gift or gifts without realizing it. Have you had an epiphany while speaking to someone about Jesus or the Holy Bible? Pending on the nature of the epiphany, you likely experienced wisdom. According to Job 28:28, wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and with wisdom comes understanding which is to depart from evil. Did you have a moment of temptation but turned from it? Knowing the difference between good and evil is the spiritual gift of knowledge (Genesis 3:19).
Maybe you have not experienced this scenario before. Have you experienced something like it? If so, get comfortable with your Holy Bible and prayer room, because the Lord is going to use you soon. In time, you will come to realize the gift or gifts that you have. Or perhaps you have not served God yet, and you are wondering what gift or gifts you may have.
I know for me, when I started going to church, I was called to pray before the church. I began more so to preach. Soon afterwards, a woman in the church told me that I had the spiritual gift of prophetic word. This simple conversation would manifest a few years later, when I prophesied to my brother twice that his wife would be pregnant. Both times this came true, and they now have two wonderful boys (Praise God! The glory is Yours). As my walk with the Lord continued, other gifts became noticeable, particularly wisdom, knowledge, and faith. Soon afterwards, I began getting messages from the Lord to preach. This is how I am meant to serve the Lord.
A pastor may tell you your spiritual gift or gifts. God may tell you through your prayer life and reading the Holy Bible. A church member may approach you before or after the service and tell you which gift you have. Otherwise, you may be aware of which gift you have, but it may take some time for you to use it. One thing is for sure, you would not have been called by God without plans for hope and a new future. God wants the same thing for all of His children: salvation.
Accepting Jesus Christ
Do you want to accept Jesus in your life today and receive the Holy Spirit? Then say this prayer:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen!