hello God-fam,

we still on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and this is one topic i loooove.. ENJOY!

The gift of faith is the third gift mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:9.The gift of faith mentioned here is totally different from the regular faith we know. Faith according to Hebrews 11:1 “is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. In simpler terms faith can be defined as trusting in the integrity of God and His word without any initial physical evidence to back what God’s word says about that very situation.

Every believer has this regular faith according to Romans 12:3, which says that “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith”. This regular faith is also the one Christ described in Mark 11:20-24 when the incident of the fig tree marveled His disciples.

Now the gift of faith is a special kind of faith. This kind of faith is different from the regular kind of faith; it’s a special gift from the Holy Spirit that causes a supernatural manifestation, whereby a believer is empowered with a wonder working kind of faith that causes this believer to receive supernatural miracles.

An example of the gift of faith is what happened to Daniel when he was thrown into the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16-23)It was the manifestation of the gift of faith that brought about this miracle. The Bible didn’t record that Daniel was afraid or dismayed for a while. He was calm, cool and very collected. He was cork sure that he wouldn’t be harmed. That kind of demonstration of faith transcends the regular faith.

Another example is the example of Moses and the parting of the red sea (Exodus 14:15-29). God gave an instruction to Moses to do the commonest of things to get an unbelievable, mind defying miracle. Without second guessing God, he did what he was told. It’s the gift of faith that was manifested there.

The gift of faith and the gift of the working of miracles are interconnected also. Believers that manifest the gift of working of miracles would most likely possess the gift of faith. The gift of faith is a gift of the Spirit to the believer in order that he might receive miracles. The working of miracles, on the other hand, is a gift of the Spirit given to the believer that he might work miracles. One gift receives, the other does something.

We should not be dismayed if we think or know that we don’t possess the gift of faith. Whatever gift you possess, use it to its fullest. The rewards are incredible. (Romans 12:4-8)

Our regular faith properly exercised can also birth wondrous miracles .Jesus said that “if ye have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you”. (Matt 17:20). So with our “little” faith we can still achieve spectacular results.

The bible tells in Mark 11:20-24 about the fig tree incident. The disciples where astonished by what had transpired overnight. How Christ cursed the fig tree the day before and now the fig tree was all withered away. Jesus told them that this and saying to a mountain be cast into the sea was within their capacity. Here’s the catch, it’s declaring this without DOUBTING in your heart and already believing that what you want from God he has already done before you even set out to pray. This particular fact is off the most importance. The elimination of doubt is a fundamental step to developing our faith.

To eliminate doubt from our hearts completely is by no means a day’s job. It’s doable and here is how to.

1. Living a sin free life. (Sin clogs our spiritual battery. It hinders us from God)

2. Praying in tongues on a daily basis. (This opens up the heavens for us to receive impartation)

3. Daily meditation on God’s Word. (This allows us to access God’s Thoughts and will for us)

4. Regular time to Fast and pray. (A period where we receive strength and instructions from God)

5. Living a hopeful, cheerful and thankful life everyday despite you current situation(s).

6. Avoid folks that pollute you with negative thoughts, ideas and remarks. Believe God’s word.

These practical steps do not just help us to eliminate doubt and build our faith but also to stir up God’s gifts in us and to propel us to that place our maker has designed for us.

CELEBRATE YOU!!

Acts16:16-18 talks about the story of Apostle Paul and the lady with the spirit of divination. If we look closely at the story it was said that the lady kept of saying, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation" vs 17b. What she was saying was not actually wrong, in fact she was very correct and she said it for many days, for how long we can’t say but it was many and the bible said Paul been grieved cast out the spirit from her.

The gift of prophecy as it is well known is one of the gifts (Manifestations) of the spirit of God, in which we as believers understand and know how to navigate the mind of God for every time and season. Being prophetic or operating in the prophetic now I don’t mean the office of a prophet but I mean walking in the gift of prophecy is the sole right of every believer. Understanding the times and seasons, seeing events before they occur and having an idea of events before they come to pass are a few of the many sides of being prophetic or operating in the gift of prophecy. Operating in the gift of prophecy is a means where the mind of God is communicated to us as his sons and daughters. The gift of prophecy often operates in these four realms:

  HEARING

  SEEING – VISIONS AND REVELATIONS

  KNOWING

SPEAKING

HEARING: When the prophetic word of God is revealed to us through his word or by his spirit speaking to our hearts.

SEEING: In terms of dreams, visions, revelations, trans, etc..

KNOWING: Have you ever heard people use these phrases or maybe you have used them one time as well “I Just Knew” or “Something told me” well they did not just know it was the spirit of God nudging them in the right direction and that “something” is the Spirit of God communicating his will to us, that we may walk in the fullness of his will as long as we live.