Today, I read that writing can be a spiritual gift. That is exciting and
encouraging to me. Writing is something I love to do to help me meditate, ponder, and
wrestle with what I am reading/learning in the Bible. I never thought about the
possibility of it as a spiritual gift. What makes writing a spiritual gift
rather than a talent? A good friend was given a piece of advice about spiritual
gifts versus talents, and she was kind enough to share it with me. A spiritual
gift is something that is consecrated before the Lord, whereas a talent can be
used for anything. Is the talent used for God and His purposes alone? That is
what sets writing apart as a spiritual gift, because it is used for God alone.
Writing, as a spiritual gift, is a form of speaking the truth in
written form and also building up the body of Christ! It is about using the
gift primarily for God and the work He would have us to do. A couple things set
writing apart as a spiritual gift:
1. The writing is to build up the body of Christ and/or speak God’s Word. This
may be in the form of a poem, devotional, book, Bible study, sermon, prayers,
songs, blogs, etc.
2. The writings are inspired by the Holy Spirit who gives the writer the words to be
written.
3. The writer expresses more effectively through writing rather than
verbally.
These three characteristics are what distinguish writing as a spiritual
gift instead of a talent. For those with the spiritual gift of writing—they’ll
write and it has the effect of building up the body of Christ and speaking His truth to help others grow in Christ. It can be a
devotional, book, blog, or other methods of writing. Writing can take many
forms.
This spiritual gift is very influential. For Luke, he could be classified as having the spiritual gift of
writing---as he wrote two books in the New Testament that spoke the Gospel,
shared the absolute truth, and built up the church. (Luke 1:1-3) Without the
spiritual gift of writing, we would not have any of the Bible written in a God
inspired manner where we know each word came from God.
The important characteristic in writings is that it is God inspired. The Holy
Spirit gives the writer the words that are to be written. Since the Holy Spirit
is heavily involved in the writing process for those with the spiritual gift, the
writings can be used for teaching, rebuking,
correcting, and training in righteousness. God can use our writings
(blogs, devotionals, books, poems, etc) for His glory! He can use us to
encourage other believers, teach them, correct them in certain areas of their
lives that need to be corrected, and train them in godly living.
The spiritual gift of writing also enables believers to
express more effectively through writing rather than verbally. This is true of
me. I am much more efficient as a writer than I am as a speaker. My words are
not eloquently spoken verbally and expressed rather poorly, but God has given me the gift of being able to sit here,
write, and reflect in a more expressive manner.
Writing is a powerful tool that God can use as a spiritual gift
to bless others in mighty ways, and lead them closer to the Lord. This is the
whole purpose of writing for those who have writing as a spiritual gift. It is for the Lord and His glory!
For me, there are many blessings of writing as a spiritual
gift. I love the intimacy that comes with writing and feeling God’s strong
presence while I write whatever He lays on my heart. I haven’t treated this
gift as honorably as I should. I have gotten out of the habit of writing, and let it slip
away from me. I am excited to be able to re-experience the joys of writing for
my Father and hope it encourages others and draws them closer to Him. The
writing experience is about building up the body of Christ—encouraging,
rebuking, training in righteousness, and teaching.
All three characteristics can be clearly displayed in my own life. The main
reason for my blog is to help me think as I continue to write. I am able to
understand and learn more as I write rather than merely think. What sets it
apart as a spiritual gift for me is being able to write about God's Word and
hopefully put it out there, so others in the body of Christ may be built up as
a result of sharing it. The writings are also inspired by the Holy Spirit. I
get the opportunity to be truly blessed when I take the time to sit and write
whatever the Lord is speaking to me about at the given time.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Prophecy (Spiritual Gift)
I
thought I would start a blog series
on spiritual gifts. Most of what I write on this blog stems from my walk
with
Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to save me eternally and He was raised to
new life by the Father. My walk with Him is of most significance. He
deserves my all! Writing enables to wrestle with whatever I have on my
mind, as I learn more about Him and how to live out my life. To know
more about God is to learn more about myself. It is impossible to know
who I am outside of who God is and His plans and purpose for my life.
Today's post is an example of learning about me as I learn about God.
This is the first post where I will be looking at different spiritual
gifts. Prophecy is one of my favorite gifts to look at. It is also
special, because it has a profound impact on who I am and my
personality.
For each believer in Christ,
we have spiritual gifts. Believers have different spiritual gifts that given by God alone. Not all
have the same spiritual gifts. (What fun would that be?) The body of Christ has many parts, as it states
in 1 Corinthians 12:12. In order for the church body to work well, we
need diverse spiritual gifts. We all can’t be prophets, because who would be
there to love? We can’t all have the spiritual gift of compassion, because who
would be there to boldly proclaim God’s Word without worrying about hurting
feelings? The church body has diverse spiritual gifts for a purpose! We need to
use each one we are given in our lives to glorify God. These spiritual gifts
are unique and come only by God's power! It is not something that can bought at
a store. Money and practice cannot make
us possess these gifts. Only God can bring these gifts into part of our lives!
Prophecy
Prophecy is the first spiritual gift I
want to write about in this blog series. Prophecy is the special spiritual gift God gives
where we are able to proclaim the Word of God with accuracy and apply it. It is
done fearlessly to strengthen believers, comfort, bring encouragement, and helps
unbelievers know the truth. The Holy Spirit is working in each step of it: boldly
proclaiming the Word, softening others’ hearts to hear the message, and help
others to know and grow in Him.
The
main purpose of prophecy is to speak God’s
Word to the people. It is to help others reconcile with God, because of
Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the
third day. It is to show the truth
to others to challenge them when they fail to know the truth. Also it is
to warn
them of God’s immediate and coming judgment if there is no repentance.
It is
through the Holy Spirit that the gift of prophecy is used to speak God’s
Word
and helping others come to Him and grow in their walk.
The Experience
God
shows me the fingerprints that He has left on my life and personality,
as I learn about this spiritual gift. He shows me why I am the way I am.
He shows me why I am blunt and boldly speak. He shows me why there is
such intensity in my life. He shows me the passion I have for Him and
His Word. I love getting the chance to learn about the gift of prophecy.
I love that it
explains why random verses come into my head and I can't contain my
excitement
for sharing God's Word. I love how God will give me a reference for a
Scripture
that I haven't memorized to give to others. He is giving me the words to
speak,
as I grow more in Him. He gives me the urgency to speak His truth. He
speaks through me, and allows His power to be known! Speaking
directly and boldly is only for His truth to be known. He brings a
scripture to mind that needs to be given to one
particular person. He continues to use me to help others know Him. He
continues
to use this gift to show me who He has made me to be. If I was to ignore
it, I
would be missing out. Seriously. Missing out. God has so many blessings
in
store, as I obediently follow Him and His Word. There are still lessons I
need
to learn about using this gift and using it diligently, but knowing this
spiritual gift is such a blessing!
Personality Traits
The spiritual gift of prophecy is
one of passion. It is having a great passion for God, His Word, and proclaiming
His Word wherever He sends you. I have some characteristics of prophecy in my own personality.
The ones that stick out most for me is strong personality, (type "A") lack of mercy and patience,
and intensity. For this spiritual gift, these are the personality traits.
1.
They have a strong personality, which can be defined as
a type “A” or dominant personality. This believer has to have a strong
personality to help them face the adversity that is required of anyone
who boldly speaks the Word of God.
2.
They are often intense in the things they do and intent in their
relationship with Jesus Christ. They are also tough to do what they
need to do, which is highly necessary to go forth and preach the Word of
God
regardless of what others may say or do in reaction to what has been
spoken.
3.
They are more focused on the direct issues rather than
those involved. Prophets lack patience and are low in mercy. Regarding mercy, they
are much more interested in confronting a person rather than hesitating out of fear of hurting
someone’s feelings.
Responsiblity
Prophecy is boldly speaking God's
Word and proclaiming it fearlessly. It has to do with boldly speaking even if
it hurts someone for a little while. The eternal is much more important than
temporary. I can relate to Apostle Paul when he says in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10:
For even if I made you grieve
with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that
letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were
grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly
grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For
godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret,
whereas worldly grief produces death.
Speaking boldly is a big responsibility. It is requires us to be
diligent about declaring God’s Word. On some levels at time, it
requires us to take a step back from the situation and remember that
God's Word comes first. It comes before people to whom we will proclaim
the message. It comes before fear or anxiety that will plague us from
wondering what will happen once the message is preached to others. The
point is: we must boldly proclaim. We can't allow others things to get
in the way. We must speak up and speak God's truth obediently, so others
may come to know Him! It is to be boldly proclaimed and without
shame or fear.
When the prophet speaks the words given by the Lord, others may be sorrowful for a little while—but it will lead them to repentance and enable them to enter a right relationship with the Lord. This is the focus! It is not on the temporary of what may hurt others, which individuals with the gift of compassion and prophecy may face. It is much more difficult for those with both gifts to proclaim, but it is still necessary. We are called to be good stewards of the gifts we are given. It is important to use them with God’s guidance.
When the prophet speaks the words given by the Lord, others may be sorrowful for a little while—but it will lead them to repentance and enable them to enter a right relationship with the Lord. This is the focus! It is not on the temporary of what may hurt others, which individuals with the gift of compassion and prophecy may face. It is much more difficult for those with both gifts to proclaim, but it is still necessary. We are called to be good stewards of the gifts we are given. It is important to use them with God’s guidance.
Here are some Scriptures concerning
the special spiritual gift of prophesy:
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