We are living in the age of the Holy Spirit. While you can, be filled with Him, pray in the Spirit always, Enjoy His fellowship while He is still near...
Since the day of Pentecost in the upper room, we have been living in the age of the Holy Spirit for about 2,000 years. These years have been the years where Christians can be filled with the Holy Spirit and flow in the gifts of God with miracles signs and wonders following.
Warning: The Holy Spirit is here today but there is coming a day soon when the Holy Spirit will be taken out of the earth (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). This will take place during the reign of the man of sin (anti-christ) on earth, in which time the wrath of God will be poured upon the earth. We are approaching those days. In the next devotion, we will talk more about this but I have come here to tell you, that while you can, enjoy the Holy Spirit whom we have here on earth today. Make the Holy Spirit your best friend; enjoy the sweetness of His fellowship; be filled with the Holy Spirit, speak in tongues and be baptized in God’s holy fire while you can. There shall soon be a time when the Holy Spirit will be taken out of the way and people will seek Him and not find Him. Be filled with the Holy Spirit while it is possible. Seek Him and fellowship with Him while you can. Jesus came the first time and accomplished His mission and left; the Holy Spirit came and there will be a day when He also will finish His mission on earth and depart.
The Bible talks about the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit, 9 fruit of the Holy Spirit and the 7 Spirits of the Lord.
9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
"There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:6-10)
The Bible lists 9 gifts of the Spirit: 1.The word of wisdom 2.The word of knowledge 3.Faith 4.Gifts of healing 5.Miracles 6.Prophecy 7.Discernment 8.Various tongues 9.Interpretation of Tongues. The Bible lists 9 gifts but there is more than nine, these nine are just an outline of God’s gifts. There are many countless gifts that God has for His children. Every good gift comes from our heavenly Father. God gives generously and God gives freely. The Bible tells us to desire earnestly these gifts. God is the one who gives them and God gives without measure.
Warning Re. Gifts: We have seen God giving wonderful gifts to someone who just got saved, even before they have any works but often times, people tend to think that the people who have these gifts are the ones closer to the Lord and they even flock to them for favor! Even some people tend to measure one’s faith and righteousness by looking at the gifts they have!
It is good to have the gifts but from today forward, remember that there are those who said, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” but the Lord responded to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’” These are the ones who did not keep His laws and commandments; these are the ones who did not keep His words. The Lord warned us about a category of those who practice things who will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).
Haven’t you heard of anointed pastors yet they have rage, are jealous of one another, lying and stealing? So the Holy Spirit is telling us today that though it is good to desire spiritual gifts, we must look further beyond the gifts and choose the most excellent way which is to walk by the Spirit and possess the fruit of the Spirit.
The 9 Fruit of the Spirit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
God desires for everyone who believes in Jesus to have the 9 fruit of the Spirit. When we receive Jesus and become born again Christians, it does not mean that all at once we are patient, we are kind… These are all the characters that we receive as we apply the word of God. As we obey the word of God day by day, we gain the fruit of the spirit. Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” The secret to obtaining the fruit is to continue in obedience to the word of God. It is to bind yourself to put the word of God into practice. To posses the fruit of the spirit is to become like Jesus.
God desires everyone of His children to possess all these fruit of the Spirit, yet, the church today is full of people who walk in the flesh. Those who walk and live in the flesh will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5). God is always looking His son in us. God is always looking for Jesus in us and when He finds the fruit in us, He has found Jesus in us. Those who have the gifts of the spirit but die without the fruit of the spirit perish but those who have the fruit of the spirit though not with many spiritual gifts, they will make it to heaven.
My beloved friend, make it a priority to be the possessor of the fruit of the spirit. Be obedient to the word of God, walk by the Spirit and crucify the flesh. One way you can do this is for example take one fruit per week, read the scriptures about it for one week, meditate upon it and then put the word into practice.
The Seven Spirits of the Lord
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 1.The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, 2.The spirit of wisdom and 3.understanding, 4.The spirit of counsel and 5.strength, 6.The spirit of knowledge and 7.the fear of the LORD.
This scripture is talking about Jesus and how God endowed Him with all the seven Spirits of the Lord. The Seven Spirits is the Holy Spirit and His seven working ways in the lives of those who are submitted to Him.
Before Jesus started His public ministry, God first filled Him with His Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:16-17 tells us that, “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” Luke 4:18 God the Father endowed Jesus with the 7 spirits of God because He was pleased with Him. When you continue in His word, believing and obeying the word thorough, then you will manifest the fruit of the Spirit, you please God. God will give to those who please Him and are earnestly seeking Him the seven spirits of the Lord. The fruit of the spirit is the character of Jesus in us and the 7 Spirits are gifts and workings of the Holy Spirit which God clothes those who please Him. What pleases God is your obedience even obedience unto death and your child like faith. When you are clothed with the 7 Spirit of the Lord, you will operate at a higher level ministering to the Lord and to His people. You will walk with God more than ever before. Solomon asked God to give Him wisdom and God gave him wisdom. Let us also go to God and ask Him to make us vessels that manifest the fruit of the Spirit but also to fill us with the seven Spirits of the Lord.
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