Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
4 19 2024
Character is more important than Spiritual gifts. Integrity matters
Today I would like to talk about the “Gifts of the Spirit”, what they are, and what they should mean to us as followers of Christ. First, they are gifts of grace given by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the body of Christ…the church. And, can I add to help bring unity to the body of Christ. Interestingly, as much as they are given to build up the church, they help us personally, avoid temptation and help us walk a more Godly path, and stay clean from sin. It will help us, comfort us,
and lead us through the challenges of daily living.
Jesus in Acts 1:5, 8 says that baptism in the Spirit means, “You shall receive power . . . and you shall be my witnesses.” A Christian without power needs the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In a real sense, these gifts are powers…supernatural powers given by God the Holy Spirit to you personally.
In researching these wonderful gifts. I ran across a simple definition of the difference between the Gifts of the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit.
“At the most basic level, gifts of the Spirit are given to us; the fruit of the Spirit is developed in us over time – it is the result of the Spirit working in our lives. Put another way,
God gives gifts, but he grows fruit in our lives.
We must also understand…
Character is more important than your gifts. Integrity matters
We have all seen Christians fail. Pastors, Evangelists, and the like fail in many ways. It is extremely disheartening to many believers who followed them. We’ve seen prominent or up-front, supposedly Godly servants, fail through moral failures or anger management issues, marriage disorders, or households out of order. These can be very confusing to a younger Christian who is expecting more from Deacons and Elders.
But Romans 11:29 says “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”.
That means that God is not going to change his mind about what he has called you to, even if you have disobeyed. The gift remains. But God is also not mocked. The truth will come out and it is not our place to judge them although it could very distinctly affect if we continue to follow them.
Luke 12:3 says “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known”. Num 32:23 says “Your sin will find you out.”
I hope you hear me today that if you have unconfessed sin in your life, I pray these words will drive you to your knees. When you hear of somebody else’s failure, the gifts are still the gifts. Pray for them. The other thing to remember is that our gifts are not partial to the famous or the ordinary. Each of us is who we are and what we are by the grace of God. 1 Corinthians 4 5 says it clearly: “The reckoning will happen when God, will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and
will disclose the purposes of the heart”. Character matters!
Someone said, “A spiritual gift is an “extra ability” given by the Holy Spirit to accomplish a ministry”.
I love that. Every Christian has at least one gift, and it’s possible to have several gifts, although one may be dominant. But all the gifts should operate in love for the glory of God and the advancement of the church.
In closing how do we find our Gifts?
- Hopefully you have a small circle of Christian friends or a Pastor to talk to.
- Ask others to let you know what they see in you. Sometimes we don’t see in ourselves what others can see in us. …
- Romans 11:29 – Study the gifts with you in mind. Some of them you can easily rule out. Do a word study on the ones that might be a maybe for you.
- Pray for the Holy Spirits help to give you incite and wisdom.
- Don’t let adversity or trials keep you from your search to discover your gifts.
- Maybe you can earmark people you look like spiritually. Or think of those people you admire or look up to. Look for the Gift in others that inspires you.
These are GIFTS from God to you. Be proud about searching them out as the pearls they are for you, your life, and your ministry. Don’t be afraid to put the spotlight on you as you find your gift.
Finally, Proverbs 18:16 is a powerful revelation: “A man’s gift makes room for him” (NKJV). Someone said, “You were designed to be known for God’s gift to you?
God has put a gift or talent in you and every person that the world will make room for”.
(Think about that). It is this gift that will help you fulfill your vision to glorify God and lift up the body of Christ. It is a gift to help you give yourself away as a gift to your fellow man…In Jesus Name.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus lauren daigle
