DEPEND ON GOD, NOT THE GIFT

Mark 11:2 “And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.”  (Read more: MARK 11:1-6)
The gifts of the Spirit are not meant to be a substitute for our own faith in the Lord.   (See 1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
*We are not to depend so completely on some individual with a spiritual gift that we neglect our own spiritual growth and maturity.
*We can receive anything we need from the Lord without a gift of the Spirit operating through another individual, if we know how to believe.

 

Dependence on the Lord directly is superior to dependence on the Lord indirectly through someone operating in one of the spiritual gifts.

What if there were no gifts of the Spirit and the Lord established that the only way we could receive from Him was through our own faith?

*They would die if it wasn’t for others interceding for them or someone with the gift of healing praying for them.

That’s why the Lord gave these gifts—to keep us encouraged and alive so we can mature.

 

*It is also wrong for an individual not to mature in his personal faith in the Lord and become dependent on the gifts.

 

* It is not right for someone to receive a miracle through someone with the gift of miracles and then just struggle along until the next time that gifted minister comes through town.

 

The Lord wants us to receive His power through these gifts, but then we must mature so that we can walk in God’s best on our own.

 

We are able to mature beyond a total dependency on the gifts to where we can hear and receive from God directly.

*But none of us will ever reach such a level of maturity in the Lord where there is nothing left to learn or receive.

 

Let Him teach you through His Word today.

 

Speaking God’s Word in faith brings the Holy Spirit into action.

In Luke 4, when Jesus was tempted of the devil for forty days, it was the Word of God that Jesus used to defeat the enemy at His temptation.

We must take advantage of God’s Word by placing it in our hearts so that the Holy Spirit may bring it forth at the appropriate time to accomplish a complete and total victory.

“It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts.  He alone decides which gift each person should have.”  1 Corinthians 12:11

Thank You Jesus for the Body.  Thank You Jesus for giving each one of us a gift to be used to build up the Body (the Church) and bring Glory to You.  Help us Lord to see and put into action each day the gifts You have given.  Amen