TODAY’S DEVOTION (MONDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2022)
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 297TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
Glory to God in the highest and peace to men on earth.
Whenever mankind gives glory to God, peace increases on earth. The Bible says even praises to God can make the earth yield her increase.
To praise God is to affirm His works.
This morning we affirm that He has kept us! It is out of His mercies that we are not consumed. His faithfulness fails not. His anger is for a moment but His love is from everlasting to everlasting.
Glory be to this GOD whose endless love for us is the reason for our survival.
Come to think if it, His anger is but for a moment, that is how we should also be, as people created in His image and likeness.
In our inter personal relationships, our anger should not be from everlasting to everlasting. It will slip into bitterness. It should be for moment. That is why the Bible says;
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27 NKJV
It is the image of God to be angry but sin not. It is the image of God to be angry for a moment but allow love to rule. As members of the household of Faith, it is the image of God for our anger to be for a moment but our love for each other be from everlasting to everlasting.
Being in the image and likeness of GOD is how man was originally designed to function. So, when we do not lead lives in God’s image and likeness, we are malfunctioning. When we start malfunctioning, life itself will become terrible with us.
So many people are having sick lives not because of the devil but because they are malfunctioning. Marriages are sick and many breaking, not because of the devil but because many are malfunction.
ECONOMIC LIVES ARE BREAKING DOWN NOT BECAUSE OF DEMONS BUT BECAUSE MANY ARE MALFUNCTIONING.
Careers are parking because many are malfunctioning. Our nations are in economic turmoil because they are led by people who are malfunctioning.
Even churches these days are headed by malfunctioning preachers, that is why we have so any believers who are not truly saved. People who have recited the sinner’s prayer but have not renounced the sinner’s life.
To malfunction is to fail to function normally or to function abnormally. It also means a faulty functioning or a failure to function as expected.
Now, how were we expected to function? In the image and likeness of GOD off course. How are many of us are functioning that way? Very few. Most of us function In the image and likeness of the fallen nature. That is why we have problems.
We have been on a 31-day journey of faith on matter of the Blessed Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was actually given to help us function properly. He came to restore the internal image and likeness of GOD that we lost in the Garden, thereby restoring back our functionality.
The first way He does it is by restoring back our divine default settings. That is what we presented as setting our lives in order. The second is by restoring back our vital components, which is the divine nature that make us gods of the Most High God.
We spend quiet some days looking at the restoration of our default settings.
Now, we are looking at the restoration of vital components that will help us function normally. Some of the vital components are the divine abilities that man had in the beginning; that is before the fall, and are no longer there. The Bible calls them the gift of the Holy Spirits.
These abilities or vital components are the very aspects of us that will help us participate in the activities of GOD, and ministries of the LORD. We saw all that yesterday but not in the language we are using today.
The vital components are also called the manifestations of the Spirit. It is given to all to stop us from malfunction.
OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT SAYS;
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NKJV
The first spiritual components we see in our devotional text, a vital component that the Holy Spirit brings, to stop us from malfunctioning is the word of wisdom, the next is the word of knowledge, another is the gift of faith, another the gift of healing, another the working of miracles, another the gift of prophecy, another discerning of spirits, another different kinds of tongues, and the last is interpretation of tongues.
As you can see, there are nine of them. Three are vocal gifts or spiritual components, three are revelation gifts or spiritual components, and three are power gifts or spiritual components.
We will begin to look at each of these components and how they help us to function normally from tomorrow.
Any human being who lack these components will be very limited in life. He or she will not be able to function like God, hence not live as a god of the Almighty GOD. The elements of the fallen life will be limiting the life of the person and making life progress either none existence or difficult.
When Jesus came, He had these components in their full manifestation.
He had powers components that was why He went about doing good, healing all who were oppressed of the Devil without collecting money from them. He also had vocal components, which was why He spoke words that caused changes in the lives of others. He had revelation components too.
THAT WAS WHY HE KNEW PEOPLE’S THOUGHTS AFAR OFF.
GOD want us to have all the spiritual components. He wants us to have all the three categories of spiritual components in us, and be able to do supernatural things naturally as well. He wants us to, among other things, be able to tell the thoughts of those around us, because Knowing people’s thoughts afar off is part of the images and likeness of God.
David said;
“O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.” Psalm 139:1-4 NKJV
Can you imagine how sharing in this ability of God will change your life? Go through the verse again. That is how we were created to function.
Our malfunctioning is the reason it looks so strange to work in these abilities of GOD. But can you imagine how knowing the thoughts of people around you will impact your life?
Can you imagine how being able to tell the words that someone is about saying before they say them will change your life? That is how we were designed to function.
It will save us from so much trouble and so much evil. It will enhance our security and help us to escape all the plots of the devilish people around our lives.
For instance, If you are in business, you will also be able to transact properly and make huge profits because you will know the thoughts of your clients and recognize who is a good client and deal with them.
As we bring this to a close, understand that it is not GOD’s will that we malfunction. If we are not operating in those supernatural abilities, we are malfunctioning. Though people have keyed into the diabolic to operate them, the divine remains the most powerful, easily and freely accessible.
The diabolic will put a curse on you at the end, but the divine will put a blessing.
It is my prayer that as we begin to unfold each spiritual component, we will be able to have them transmitted into our lives by the Holy Spirit, in Jesus precious name. Amen
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.”
So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?”
And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’ ”
So Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him.
When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed.
Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere.”
Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?
Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow. 2 Kings 5:20-27 NKJV