Gifts of the Holy Spirit

We all possess gifts that are bestowed upon us by God, and the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29). There are diverse gifts, such as ministry, encouragement, exhortation, teaching, prophecy, and so forth (Romans 12:6-8). These God-given gifts are deposited into our lives to be a blessing to others, to leave an undying mark and legacy in the earth realm, and a prophetic mark of heaven. Whether we know it or not, we are gifted. Each and every one of us carries greatness inside of our spirit, waiting to be discovered. God loves you, and your gift is needed to bring hope into a broken world. When we receive Jesus into our hearts, we receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person. Jesus said, “I will ask the Father to send another comforter, which is the Holy Spirit” (John 14:16). The person of the Holy Spirit is there to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). He has gifts of His own; we call them the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

According to 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are (1) word of wisdom, (2) word of knowledge, (3) gift of faith, (4) gifts of healing, (5) the working of miracles, (6) prophecy, (7) discerning of spirits, (8) tongues, and the (9) interpretation of tongues. Now we will delve into these spiritual gifts.

Word of wisdom is a supernatural word given to us by the Spirit of God. It is a clear directive from the Spirit of how to make a decision based on current knowledge. It is supernatural wisdom from the mind of the Spirit. Supernatural means beyond natural human ability. The word of wisdom is sovereign, beyond our human intellect. It is wisdom that comes straight from the throne room of God, a deposit of divine wisdom. An example of the word of wisdom is the story of King Solomon and two women who came to him for judgement (1 Kings 3:16-28). A word of wisdom spoken out of the King’s mouth solved the problem. By God, he knew how to deal with the information given to him.

The word of knowledge is a supernatural word from God that reveals information that was hidden. The Holy Spirit can reveal the hidden intents of the heart, or facts about a situation or person. You cannot lie to the Holy Spirit because He is all-knowing and all-seeing. An example of this is in Acts 5:1-11 when Ananias, and his wife, Sapphira, sold land. Ananias kept back a portion of the money earned from the land, and his wife knew of it. The Holy Spirit gave Peter a word of knowledge, revealing that they secretly kept back a portion of the money they received for the land. This knowledge could not be known unless God revealed it.

The gift of faith is supernatural faith that is downloaded in our spirit for a specific task or situation. It’s akin to super-faith. God has given every man a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). However, the gift of faith comes by the Spirit. In certain situations, this faith is given to us to conquer things we had no business overcoming. It is the type of faith where nothing fazes you. You find yourself super-focused and unbothered by the situation. You say to yourself, “I am coming out of this, despite my situation!” Great faith, stubborn faith, this is the gift of faith. An example of this great faith was with the Roman Centurion in Matthew 8:5-11. The centurion’s servant was lying home sick of the palsy. The centurion told Jesus about it, and Jesus said he would come and heal his servant. However, the centurion asked Jesus to just speak the word only and his servant would be healed. The centurion recognized the authority Jesus had, and Jesus was marvelled by him and said, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

The gifts of healing are made manifest by the power of the Holy Spirit. Healing is when a person is restored to health. Healing can take in different forms—emotional, spiritual, physical, or mental. An example of the gifts of healing in action is when Jesus heals Peter’s mother in-law from a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she arose and ministered unto them (Matthew 8:14-15).

The gift of the working of miracles refers to the supernatural intervention of God, which defies the laws of nature. It makes an impossible situation possible. The working of miracles also involves creative miracles in which God makes something new. For instance, God can give someone a new heart or lung. An example of the working of miracles is the man begging alms at the gate called Beautiful in Acts 3:1-11. This man was lame from his mother’s womb. He sat begging for alms near the temple. He saw Peter and John about to enter the temple and begged them for money. But instead of money, Peter took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. This is an example of a creative miracle. He was crippled since birth, so this defied the laws of nature. The law of nature would say it is impossible for him to walk again, but God says it’s possible! Can miracles happen to both believers and unbelievers? Of course. God loves the world. He loves you, and one of the ways He demonstrates His love is through the working of miracles. Whatever you may be facing today, God will bring you through, all the way.

The gift of prophecy is a prophetic utterance from God. It is the Spirit of God speaking through a person. This should not be confused with the office of the prophet. The prophet is part of the five-fold ministry. The five-fold ministry is made up of the apostle, prophet, teacher, pastor and evangelist. A prophet is a person chosen by God to bring edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). He or she can also reveal harbingers, deliver warnings in love, bring words of confirmation, and tell of future events before they happen. The prophet must be ordained by God to the office (Jeremiah 1:1-5). The gift of prophecy, however, is not an office. Therefore, you too, by the Spirit, can prophecy to your family with this spiritual gift. Nevertheless, remember this is a gift that manifests by the Holy Spirit. Do not say, “I am prophesying,” when God hasn’t spoken.

Prophet Joel prophesied: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Joel 2). We are in the last days, and God has poured out His Spirit upon all flesh! The infilling and baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 was the prophetic fulfillment of what Prophet Joel prophesied. Once again, the gift of prophecy is not to be abused. There are times when the Spirit of God will speak through you, but this does not mean you are in the office of the prophet. Seek and ask God who you are. Seek and ask Him for this gift (1 Corinthians 14:39). It will change your life. You will have the ability to hear from God clearly. Also, this gift of prophecy is only spoken in part. God will not reveal everything, but will grant it to us in part (1 Corinthians 13:9).

The gift of the discerning of spirits is the ability to know good from evil, to know if a spirit is of God or not. In Hebrews 5:14, the Bible talks about this. When we are skilful in the word of righteousness, we can partake of the strong meat of the Word. Those that partake of the strong meat have come to full age. Full age means full term or maturity. It causes you to discern good from evil by the Holy Spirit. The Bible admonishes us to test every spirit to see if they are of God (1 John 4:1). This awesome gift of discernment is needed every day, especially in these dark times. We must discern the spirit at work. I pray that God will stir up the gift of discernment in you by the Spirit.

The gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues go hand in hand. The gift of tongues is the evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that gives us utterance (Acts 2:4). Tongues can be used for self-edification, not to pump ourselves up with pride, but to encourage ourselves in the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:4). Also, it is for intercession (Romans 8:26-27). You are praying directly to God (1 Corinthians 14:2). You are praying in the will of God (Romans 8:27). It is an excellent spiritual tool because it supersedes human reasoning. Sometimes we do not know how to pray. We are limited in our approach, so the Spirit helps our infirmities (1 Corinthians 14:14; Romans 8:26-27). Also, tongues should not be forbidden (1 Corinthians 14:39). It is used to praise God (Acts 10:46; 1 Corinthians 14:15). Tongues in a corporate setting should be accompanied by interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:1-5). In a group setting, if there is no interpreter, a believer with the gift of tongues should remain quiet (1 Corinthians 14:28). There should only be one interpreter at a time (1 Corinthians 14:27). The gift can be controlled; God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). In a church setting, there should be order.

The gift of the interpretation of tongues is essential for the edification of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 14:12-13) and unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22). Because tongues is unfruitful to our understanding, when it is interpreted, we have the ability to know what God is telling us (1 Corinthians 14:14). As a believer, you should pray for the gift of interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:12-13). As an unbeliever, ask God to reveal to you Jesus. Let Him speak to you more about these spiritual gifts. When the hunger is there, He will fill you and reveal His love and grace to you.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus, and you want to be filled with the Spirit, receive Jesus right now. Ask him to fill you and baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Not a physical fire, but a spiritual fire, a flame burning in your spirit for Christ. Take this flame, and tell others about Jesus. Right now, as you read this, the baptism of the Holy Spirit will come upon you in Jesus’ name, and you will begin to speak in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. If it doesn’t happen immediately keep seeking God, and He will give it to you!

In conclusion, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are vital. Spiritual gifts are important to the edification of the Body of Christ and unbelievers. When we flow with these spiritual gifts, lives are changed and the Kingdom of God is advanced. Glory to God.