“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.”
1 Corinthians 12:7 NKJV
Welcome to the 11th devotional recap of the year. This week, we did a deep dive into some gifts of the Spirit.
On Monday, we learnt about the gift of knowledge. This gift is a supernatural revelation of things that we can’t naturally know. The knowledge could come through dreams, visions, or just as a ‘knowing’ in your spirit. This gift is given to us for service to the church and should not be weaponized or used for self-glorification (1 Peter 4:10).
On Tuesday, we studied the word of wisdom. The gift of the word of wisdom is the Spirit of God giving us supernatural insight and good judgement. This gift is important for the edification of the church, as it can guide us through our daily lives and stop us from making errors.
Wednesday’s devotional taught us about the gift of discernment by the Spirit. Discernment reveals spirits —whether good or bad. It helps believers to differentiate between what is good and what is God. The devil tries to masquerade as an angel of light, but with discernment, we can always see his plots for what they are (Acts 16:17-18).
With the gift of discernment, testing every spirit (1 John 4:1), identifying false doctrines, and recognising truth are possible. In order to sharpen our discernment, we must exercise this gift every day, be grounded in the Word, and have confidence in God.
On Thursday, we studied faith by the spirit. The human mind is limited in sight and thinking, and our default is doubt. However, by the Spirit of God, we have faith to see endless possibilities in impossible situations. Faith, like the heroes of faith in Hebrews had, is a gift from God. Faith sees situations through the eyes of the Spirit, and speaks accordingly. Study your Bible more, because the more you know God in His Word, the more faith you have in Him. Also, use your gift of faith for the good of the kingdom by praying for those in doubt, and giving encouragement to the worried.
On Friday, we learnt about healing by the spirit. It is the logical thing to ask our sick friends to get well soon. But as believers, we ought to be just like Jesus. Whenever we encounter sick people, our response should be to minister healing to them (Matthew 4:23). You have the Holy Spirit, therefore, you can heal the sick! Never forget that you possess this gift, and that you need to put it to work (1 Corinthians 12:9, Mark 16:17-18).
Apostle Paul meant it when he said he didn’t want us to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts. This week, we have learnt about spiritual gifts and why we have them. So, from today, be committed to using your gifts as God would have you use them.