IT’S ALL BY GRACE – From Start to Finish

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When Paul prayed for that infamous “thorn in the flesh” to be removed from him, God answered his prayer, not the kind of answer he was expecting, so like many of us would do today, he prayed again and yet again before it finally dawned on him – God had answered his prayer and boy what an answer it was!  

Here is what the Lord n His infinite wisdom said to Paul:

9 My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness - 2 Corinthians 12:9a NIV

Many times we've taken this response to imply something along the lines of “well, you’ll just have to try and manage..”,  or “just hang in there…and persevere” when actually what God was saying to Paul was more like: “My grace is all you've ever needed and it’s always been available to you, don’t rely on your own strength”. To rely on the arm of flesh, to rely on what we can produce on our own to earn what God alone can and has already provided is to set aside His grace, and the end result is always missing the mark and falling short. We all know what that leads to...not good! 

When Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, was facing the task of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem after returning from Babylonian captivity, the Word of the Lord that came through the prophet to encourage him was somewhat similar to the one given to Paul, the apostle.

⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power,but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. – Zechariah 4:6 NIV

Now that we are in Christ, we are one with Him, we are members of His body, we each have our own distinct yet equally important functions in the body and we are each equipped and enabled to do our part by His grace.

The Word of God say:

⁷ But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. –Ephesians 4:7 NIV

⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. –       Romans 12:6a NIV

Now, let’s see what the grace of God accomplished in Paul’s life:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.– 1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV

So there...out goes the often repeated false and misleading notion that grace makes one complacent. The truth is, grace causes and enables us to not only be effective, but to also be efficient in accomplishing what we've been called to do, which more often than not is far above and beyond our natural talents and abilities, so that God, and not man, may receive all the glory! No wonder the apostle Paul said:

⁷ we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” – 2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV

Today, because of what Christ has done to reconcile us back to the Father, when we believe in Him we are clothed in His righteousness – not only that – we are encouraged to come boldly before the Throne of Grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:16 NIV

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This is also the reason why we are encouraged by the Holy Spirit to keep on receiving God’s abundant provision of grace and His gift of righteousness so that we may reign in life through Christ Jesus. (Romans 5:17)

So yes, even today, His grace is sufficient for you too! His grace is well able to carry you victoriously through anything and everything you are facing.   

May the grace of God accomplish in you, through you and with you what your natural abilities cannot for His grace is indeed sufficient!  

Blessings!

GOD is in YOU, Oh Yes HE IS!

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God is right where you are right now, remember He is Omnipresent, He is right there with you at all times. He is in you!

Why then, let fear rob you of your peace? Why then, let the opinions of men cause you to doubt His Word? Why then, let worries and anxiety overtake you? Have you forgotten Who is with you? Have you forgotten the Creator of the Universe is not only there with you, but He is also in you? Have you forgotten that He is both your God and your Father?  

As a loving responsible Father, He will not give you a stone when you ask Him for bread; neither will He give you a snake if you ask for fish (Matthew 7:9-11). Every gift He has for you His beloved child is both good and perfect, and not He is more eager to lavish His love and provisions on you than you are to receive them. Your Father has your best interest at heart.

¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – James 1:17 NIV

Your Father never changes and doesn't lie, He means EXACTLY what He says. If you have His Word on anything, it’s as good as done! What He has promised to you, He will bring to pass, trust Him. Don’t let the enemy use your circumstances to cause you to start accusing Him of being the author of stuff that is contrary to His Word and Nature in your life. Rest assured, in the end ALL things will work together for your good, for you are His beloved and you are called according to His purpose.    

The enemy will always try to get you to focus on your seemingly worsening circumstances. His aim is to cause you to think God has deserted you because of some past failure or sin on your part. Don’t let him incapacitate you with feelings of guilt and shame, your past has been taken care of by the incorruptible Blood of the perfect Lamb of God, never to be revisited upon you, ever!

In Christ you have been made the righteousness of God and your Father has promised to remember your sins no more. He said so Himself, to doubt Him is to limit Him for when you doubt you align yourself with the enemy – not a very smart move.

God is right there WITH you and IN you by His Spirit, whether you feel it or not. He so desires to share His life with you, so don’t just relegate your relationship with your Father to a weekly Sunday service or any other formal setting, as good and as important as those are. He desires an intimate relationship with you, make it a priority to include your Father in all your activities today, talk to Him, share stuff with Him and listen to Him as He shares His heart with you. We are part of God's family, let's act like it!. 

You are His dwelling place – His habitation now, so hearing His voice should be as natural as breathing to you. In Old Covenant days, God did not dwell in people, the Spirit of God just came upon Prophets, Kings, Priests and a select few for a specific time and task. No wonder when David sinned he repented pleading with God saying:

        

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¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
     or take your Holy Spirit from me. – Psalm 51:11 NIV

Today God by His Holy Spirit dwells in us, He has come to be with us forever, He no longer comes and goes (John 14:16-17) He’s in us to stay and we are one with Him (1 Corinthians 16:7)

Walk in this reality and let your Father’s presence in you impact others around you.

NEWSFLASH: It's True...JESUS took the SINS of the Entire Human Race!

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Jesus, the Son of God became a man, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, fulfilled the entire Law perfectly and took ALL our sins on His body and by His death on the cross, abolished the Old Covenant with its Mosaic Law. It is no longer a valid means by which one can be counted righteous before God. And by His own blood, Jesus established the New Covenant of His unmerited favor, His grace towards the entire human race.

You see Jesus did not just take away the sins of those who believe in Him, He took the sins of the entire human race, once for all, it’s a done deal! Because of Adam’s sin, we all were born sinners we had no say in the matter, but praise God because of what Jesus has done, we are made righteous through Him and we have a say - NOW - at least while we are on earth, we can choose to believe Him and enjoy New life in Christ, free from the guilt, shame and condemnation. Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, no ifs, ands or buts then... After knowing this truth, why would anyone want to live below it, being subjected to fear and uncertainty?  

This revelation inspired the apostle Paul to pen the following Scriptures:

¹⁸ So that one sin of Adam brought the punishment of death to all people. But in the same way, Christ did something so good that it makes all people right with God. And that brings them true life. ¹⁹ One man disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man obeyed God and many will be made right. – Romans 5:18-19 ERV

John the Baptist testified of this truth earlier when He said:

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! – John 1:29 NKJV

Now since all our sin has already been borne by Christ on the cross, when we believe in Jesus as our Savior, God counts us righteous. We are now holy and righteous before God, even if our feelings are suggesting otherwise, we go with what the Word of God says, not our feelings. Feelings may change but the Word is forever settled in Heaven (Psalm 119:89).

In this New Covenant that we have with God, He has promised not to impute our sin to us, not only that, but He will also not keep a record of them.  (Jeremiah 31:31 – 34)

In Christ, we are free from any and all forms of condemnation (Romans 8:1).

No accusation against you can stand, for His Word says:

³³ Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right. ³⁴ Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. – Romans 8: 33 -34 ERV

So enjoy your relationship with your loving Heavenly Father who chose you and made you righteous in Christ, let Him guide you and lead you by His Holy Spirit, not by the letter of the Old Covenant Law. He does not keep a record of your sins, past, present and future, Jesus took them all at once. When He cried “it is finished” on that rugged cross, He meant it!

God is now your Father and He is not waiting for you to blow it so He can smite you, no! He loves you immensely and eternally and is patiently waiting for you to discover the truth that by the perfect sacrifice of His Son Jesus, He has completely and permanently put away all your sins. You can come before Him boldly, as if you have never ever sinned for that is how He sees you in Christ.

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We have been reconciled to God, He is not counting anyone’s sins against them anymore                   (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) We have now been given the privilege and responsibility of sharing this Good News with others so they too can be reconciled with God and the best part is we don’t go in our own strength – He empowers us by His Spirit! 

Isn't Our God good?! 

ONLY BELIEVE…Your Passport to REST!

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¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. – Hebrews 3:19 NKJV

³ For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:

“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest,’”

although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. – Hebrews 4:3 NKJV

¹¹ Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. – Hebrews 4:11 NKJV

The rest spoken of in both Hebrews 3 and 4 is more than just the rest of entering the Promised Land as the Jews of old were promised. For even them entering the physical literal Promised Land of Canaan was a picture, a shadow of the true Promised Land, the true rest that would be both ours and theirs in Christ. Many years after the Children of Israel had been in the Land of Canaan, King David got a revelation of the True rest for God's people that was to come later (Psalm 95:7-11) This is the true Sabbath rest and it is accessed solely by believing in Jesus, the Christ of God.

It is interesting to note that even in the "shadow", Moses a type of the Law could not bring them into the Promised Land, but Joshua, a type of Christ (full of Grace and Truth) did. Under the Law there is no rest but under Grace there is an abundant of rest.

Now we know that rest is the opposite of unrest. Unrest involves all kinds of stress, worries, struggles, weariness, fear, uncertainty, endless fruitless labor - you name it. No wonder Jesus said: come unto me all you who labor and I will give you rest...remember Matthew 11:28 -30. Today we find our rest in Christ, apart from Him we cannot truly rest for He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

The only work we are to do now is to strive to enter His rest, and how do we do that? It all begins when we believe in Him and in what He has done for us. By the perfect sacrifice of Himself, Christ has made us perfectly righteous before the Father. So now there is nothing between the Father and us and nothing can ever separate us from His love - NOTHING! Believe His promises to you today and rest in them knowing He who has spoken is faithful, we stake our very lives on His Word which has been tried and tested and is forever settled in Heaven.

This "believing" is not a passive mental assent “yes the promises are true” and then we sit by twiddling our thumbs, no this believing is actively holding on to that specific Word He has spoken to you and waging warfare with it, standing against all opposing voices with it.

Yes, this resting involves refusing to panic, refusing to go with the crowd, refusing to surrender the promises of God to you, refusing to look at your shortcomings, this resting is refusing to take your focus off of Christ, regardless of what is happening around you. Our believing will be evidenced by our speech and conduct. "We believe, therefore we speak..."

So that's why in Hebrews 3 and 4 the Holy Spirit repeatedly says they, the Jews of old, did not enter His rest because of their unbelief and He also admonishes us to believe when we hear His voice today so we may enter the true rest, the true Sabbath and once we do, we will cease from our own works, that is we should stop trying to impress God hoping to be made righteous on account of our performance and also trying to make things happen on our own. We should just simply trust Him.

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So what is the Lord saying to you today? Unless you believe Him, you will not enter the rest He has for you. Unbelief is such an insult to God, and to entertain it is tantamount to questioning the very essence and character of God, no wonder He calls an unbelieving heart, an evil heart of unbelief and warns us to guard ourselves against it (Hebrews 3:12).

Unbelief ultimately destroys the one harboring it, let us work at resting in God by actively choosing to believe Him over everything and everyone else. Blessings!

No More SIN CONSCIOUSNESS..You are Free!

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When the Israelites left Egypt, all their murmurings, expressions of unbelief and what-not were met with fresh provision from God; they had gotten accustomed to that kind of life. They complained, God opened the Red Sea for them, they complained He gave them water, they complained some more, He provided for them and protected them by a cloud and a pillar of fire, no less.

But when they reached Mount Sinai and presumed to be able to obey God in their own strength, they were handed the Mosaic Covenant complete with its strict code of conduct – the Law. Things drastically changed. Every single violation of the Law resulted in swift and serious negative consequences.

The Law placed a heavy demand on them, they couldn't keep it, it only caused them to be ever conscious of their shortcomings and the impending consequences. That’s what the Law does; it shows you how you don’t measure up, how you deserve death, how hopeless you are. It was in all points against them.

While the Law itself is perfect but it cannot make you perfect, it can only point out your imperfections. Talk about being stuck in a miserable situation!

They had to sacrifice yearly for their sins to be covered. So they lived with this constant reminder of their sinfulness. Prophets showed up declaring to them their sins and shortcomings and the impending doom that would befall them, talk about living under a burden of sin consciousness.   

Thank God, in the fullness of time He sent Jesus, who fulfilled the Law perfectly and then proceeded to abolish it by nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14) and from that point on Christ ended the law so that everyone who believes in him is made right with God (Romans 10:4). 

And as if that is not enough, by His perfect sacrifice, He put away all our sin - past, present and future - once and for all. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and we are now reconciled to God through faith in Him. God is our Father, we can stand in His presence without fear, guilt, shame or condemnation, we are His beloved sons and daughters.

In Christ we are no more sin conscious, why? Because our Savior has dealt with all our sin once and for all and has freed us from a guilty conscience. And in this New Covenant of Grace that we have with God through Christ, He re-assures us –

“¹² For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more. – Hebrews 8:12 NIV

Now if God has already decided to forgive our wickedness and to not remember our sins anymore, when we remember and/or rehash our sins, however we want to phrase it, we are walking in unbelief at best and idolatry at worst. Are we more righteous than God who chose for His own sake to forgive us and not to remember our sins? God forbid! Beloved, let us believe Him who promised and walk in the freedom He has already provided for us.

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Hebrews 10:1-23 sums it up nicely.

Verse 22 says:

²² Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ. – Hebrews 10:22 ERV

Don’t entertain the lies of the enemy, you are not under the Law of Moses, your perfect Passover Lamb has already been sacrifice - In Christ, you are God's righteousness; you are freed from a guilt-ridden sin consciousness because of what Jesus has done for you. Believe Him , and cast aside every contrary thought and the traditions of men. Even when you fail, especially when you fail, come before your Father boldly knowing you are righteous on account of Christ’s perfect sacrifice not your performance and receive mercy and grace to help you overcome.

Blessings! 

WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING...REALLY?!

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¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; - Philippians 2:12 NKJV

Many times this verse is used to remind (actually to scare) believers that once they are saved, it is their responsibility to make sure they maintain their salvation or else…but the thing is, our salvation was secured by Christ and in Him alone is it secure. If WE couldn't save ourselves in the first place, what makes US think WE can do anything to keep this free gift of eternal life? See the subtle pride… Besides, I don't think that's what the Apostle Paul meant when he penned that phrase.

Misuse of Scriptures such as this has instilled into many a saint this awful sense of insecurity and fear, almost bordering on paranoia – constantly looking over their shoulders, as it were. Lest we forget anything that's not of faith is sin and this kind of fear makes the cut. This insecurity only serves to make self-righteous hypocrites out of God’s well pleasing and eternally beloved children in Christ. 

Christ, the Living Word assures everyone who is in Him of their acceptance before God.  

³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. – John 6:37 NKJV

Again, Jesus went on to say this:

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. – John 10:27-28 NIV

And He also said this:

⁴⁷ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. – John 6:47 NKJV

If you believe in Jesus, you have eternal life and boy am I glad He said “Most assuredly” or as in another translation “Verily,verily”, the Swahili Union Version renders it “Amin, amin”, it’s settled, you are accepted in the Beloved and you have been given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of your adoption into the Family of God.

Let us simply take Christ at His Word, He is the Truth; not to believe Him is to make Him out to be a liar, let’s not do that!

       

To understand what the Apostle Paul was saying let’s go back into the Scriptures and let them interpret themselves. Where else do we see similar language? Well…what do we have here:

³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. – 1 Corinthians 2:3 NIV

Interestingly, Paul’s preaching and teaching in that Corinthian church wasn't marked by his “fear and trembling” but by the demonstration of the Spirit and the power of God. So what did he mean when he said, he came with great fear and trembling? May I humbly submit to you that the phrase “fear and trembling” simply conveyed a sense of humility.

Paul’s trust and confidence wasn’t in himself. He was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit. No wonder right after instructing the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, he adds these very telling words in his letter to them and they would’ve read them without a pause (chapters and verses were added later, remember?!):

¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. – Philippians 2:13 NKJV

You see beloved, it is God, by His Spirit, who enables us to work out our salvation with "fear and trembling”aka humility by instilling in us the desire and the ability to obey Him, that’s New Covenant 101 right there. He removes the stony hearts and gives us new hearts of flesh upon which Christ writes His Laws by His Spirit and enables us to walk in the good works that He has already prepared for us Ephesians 2:10 comes to mind. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit will result in us walking in the good works which God has already prepared for us to walk in.

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It all starts and ends with God. He works in us giving us the will and the ability to do His bidding.

So beloved – not having any confidence in the flesh, acknowledging that without Christ we can do nothing but with Him we can do all things; not leaning on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledging Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith – is “working out our salvation with fear and trembling”. Blessings! 

GOD'S PLAN FOR YOU

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For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29: 11 NIV

He says, "...Don't be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine. - Isaiah 43: 1 NCV

God creates excellent masterpieces, there is nothing mediocre about His creation however mundane it may seem. After creating everything He saw it was not just "good" but it was “very good”. The God who created the universe with all its splendor, created you, not only did He create you, He created you an original not a copy, with a specific purpose in mind, you have a destiny. Don't think for one moment that you are just taking up space on planet Earth; you are not a nameless, faceless part of the human race. He knows you, He has numbered all the hairs on your head and He calls you by name! 

Keep on trusting Him and obeying Him, His plans for your life will continue to unfold and you will fulfill your destiny to the glory and praise of His Name. The trying times that you face cannot and will not short circuit the Father's glorious plans for you, they will only serve to expedite them, in the end everything will work out for your good (Romans 8: 28) 

And remember this: you can do ALL THINGS, NOT SOME THINGS BUT ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens you.  

Be faithful to God where you are today, in His wisdom, He’s placed you there for a two-fold purpose. One,  to conform you to the image of His Son and two to impact those around you (through you) with His love. 

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Rest assured, He is ordering your steps, you are His unique masterpiece, He delights in you for He sees His image – Christ Jesus – in you and you in Him!

What the Father has purposed for your life will come to pass for His purposes never fail! You have His Word that has been tried, tested and established forever.

10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ - Isaiah 46:10 NIV

Blessings! 

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: Power Gifts: The Gift of Working of Miracles - 03

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Let’s grow in intimacy with the Holy Spirit instead.

Like I hinted at earlier, this gift is not a waiting-for-miracles gift, nor is it a praying-for-miracles gift, it is called the Gift of Working of Miracles, and rightly so. It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to “work” miracles.

Examples of working of miracles include: commanding rains or storms to stop, casting out demons, pronouncing supernatural judgments (as Paul did to the sorcerer who was trying to draw Sergius Paulus, the Proconsul away from the faith – Acts 13:8-12), recreating missing or damaged organs, raising the dead, miracles of provision and a lot more… 

Today, we too can and should operate in the miraculous through the Gift of Working of Miracles. The key is not to focus on ourselves but on others and loving them. Many times we look at ourselves and listen to our flesh and the enemy as they whisper to us “don’t say that, you’ll look stupid”, “don’t do that you’ll embarrass yourself…”, “are you crazy? What will people think of you”, “what if it doesn't work” and bunch of other similar thoughts. You know what, it is never about us, it is about Him, it is about Jesus!

If Peter entertained such thoughts, the lame man at the gate beautiful wouldn't have received his miracle. Let us never forget it is not by our own power or holiness, as the Apostle Peter so eloquently put it, it is by faith in Christ. He is the Central Figure in miracles and in everything else. We have the privilege of “working with Him”. Beloved, let’s endeavor to use our privileges in Christ fully before our time here on earth runs out. It would be a shame to get to the end of our lives and realize there was a lot more we could have done but didn't out of ignorance or fear or both. Child of God, step up and step out by faith.

You see beloved, the way God set up this gift is so that, He gets to work with us, as it were. He so loves us and so desires to be doing stuff with us. We may think we so want Him to use us, but He doesn't just want to use us, He wants to work with us, co-labor with, co-create with us, He wants to do great exploits with us. We have this idea of Him being the Boss (and that He is, make no mistake!) and we as the employees, but He desires partnership with us. Why do you think He’s made Co-heirs with Christ?! The early church had this revelation, no wonder the Holy Spirits records this for us.

²⁰ And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. – Mark 16:20 KJV  

Beloved, the Lord desires to work with you through the Gift of Working of Miracles today and He’s already qualified you through Christ to be in partnership with Him and to prove that He’s given you His Holy Spirit who dwells in you, you are now His residence, so anywhere you are He is there!

It’s been a wonderful journey exploring the Gifts of the Holy Spirit with you all. I trust that this series has whetted your appetite for a closer walk with the Holy Spirit. It is my prayer that Christ will be glorified in and through you as you yield to the Spirit and operate in these gifts as He leads.

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To my brother Apostle Dan: Thank you for affording me this opportunity to learn and grow in sharing what Christ has deposited in me concerning the Gifts of the Spirit. It's been both challenging and rewarding, I've been "stretched"...spiritually speaking... much blessings to you man of God!

Blessings beloved saints of the Most High!

I am your brother,

Patrick 

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You see beloved, as subjects of the Great King, we have the backing of His Kingdom as we carry out our Kingdom assignments every single day. That’s why the Apostle Paul could boldly say:

⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. – 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NIV

Our faith is to be rooted in the power of God and not in human wisdom, and this power of God is what makes the miraculous possible. The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power (1 Corinthians 4:20), and miracle working power at that. Had the early church gone about preaching powerless three point sermons, the Gospel wouldn't have had a chance, it would've been vanquished a long time ago, thank God they didn't!

You know what, the Gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation, it is packed with God’s miracle working power and that power is released as the Gospel is proclaimed. The early church moved in the miraculous on a consistent basis, to the point they had to term some miracles as “special” or “notable”, miracles were that commonplace. They lived naturally supernatural lives; it was the Holy Spirit in them doing the work, the signs, the wonders, the miracles. Peter’s shadow healed the sick...clothing from Paul cast out demons…Phillip performed miracles in Samaria and a revival broke out… the apostles performed many signs and wonders (Acts 5:12), you get the picture.

How the gift operates

As the name of the gift itself suggests, operating in it requires one to step out and do or say something that will cause a miracle to happen. Demons will not readily leave unless someone speaks up commanding them to do so. The loaves and fishes wouldn't have multiplied if Jesus hadn't distributed them to His disciples telling them to distribute them to the people (John 6:11). 

Tabitha wouldn't have been raised from the dead if Peter had simply prayed and then left – after praying, he turned to the body of Tabitha and said “Tabitha, arise” (Acts 9:40) 

As we walk in love and compassion towards others, we will be positioning ourselves as yielded vessels that God can use to bless them. The Holy Spirit will then prompt us (He knows how to get your attention) to say and/or do something that will trigger a miraculous manifestation that will both glorify God and bless people.

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As we fellowship with the Holy Spirit and become well acquainted with Him, we will know when He is asking us to do or say something for the miraculous to manifest. Let us be careful not to take it upon ourselves to start acting out or speaking out presumptuously hoping that the Gift of Working of Miracles will operate through us and a miracle will result, to do so is to effectively open oneself up for deception. The enemy is big on counterfeiting what God does, good thing we are not ignorant of his devices.

>>> TO BE CONTINUED

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The Gift of Working of Miracles

…To another the working of miracles;… - 1 Corinthians 12:10 KJV

The Gift of Working of Miracles rounds up our discussion on the Gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12. This gift has to do with suspending and in some cases overturning the laws of nature, this gift defies human logic. This gift, like the other eight gifts that we've already discussed, is an expression of God himself in the lives of people and it operates as the Spirit wills.

While praying, hoping and waiting for miracles can be good and positive things, the Gift of Working of Miracles is none of those. This gift, as its name suggests, involves action on the part of the recipient, it involves doing something for the miracle to happen. It is “working” of miracles, not waiting or even praying for miracles as many have incorrectly assumed.

Before exploring this gift any further, it is important we remind ourselves of the truth that signs, wonders and miracles are God’s idea and invention, not man’s. He is the Originator of signs, wonders and miracles and He hasn't stopped performing them to this day. He is not a respecter of persons and He hasn't changed one bit.

These three terms: signs, wonders and miracles are sometimes used interchangeably in the Bible in describing supernatural occurrences. Signs point people towards God, wonders cause people to be in awe of God and miracles restore and transform lives. Signs, wonders and miracles express God’s matchless ability; they also speak of His great love, grace and mercy towards us. When all is said and done, it is God who receives all the praise and all the glory, for it is He who does the miracles.  

You see, God does signs, wonders and miracles for various reasons, chief of which is to get people to believe in Him. Remember when He was sending Moses to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt? God gave Moses miraculous signs to perform before the people, why? So that the people would believe his message, they would believe that truly the God of their forefathers had appeared to Moses.

⁸ And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. – Exodus 4:8 KJV

Let’s now fast forward to the ministry of the Lord Jesus. He performed many signs, wonders and miracles and this is what He said to the Jews who were opposing him:

³⁷ Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. ³⁸ But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” – John 10:37-38 NIV

And to His own disciples, He said:

¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. – John 14:11-12 NIV

Source: Google Images

So it is abundantly clear that one reason both the Father and the Son perform signs, wonders and miracles (through the Holy Spirit of course, for He is the administrator of all the gifts) is to get people to believe. Jesus promised that signs will follow all those who believe in Him and the Holy Spirit records how the early disciples went about and the Lord was working with them confirming His word with signs following. And that has been the pattern all along – the Lord back up His word – the Gospel of the Kingdom – with signs, wonders and miracles every time it is preached.

>>> TO BE CONTINUED