We should all be humble toward each other (1Pet.5:5). A synonym for humble is: respectful. Humble yourself that God MAY exalt you (1Pet.5:6). God CAN exalt you, but he needs our permission by our willingness to show humility. Satan goes through the earth looking for someone he MAY devour (1Pet.5:8). Satan can only devour you if you are acting in pride. Willingness to listen, and respect, is the 1st step to humility.
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1 Peter 5:5-8 – Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Now, to expound on this wonderful Highlands message, might I add some more depth:
Without humility there is little blessing. Those who are humble receive grace – and the word grace is shown to be tied to the word gift throughout the Bible. He gives so many gifts that we couldn’t list them all, but let’s look at a few that come with humility:
– Rom. 12:6 – We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith
– Eccl. 5:19 – Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil–this is a gift of God.
– Eccl. 3:13 – That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil–this is the gift of God.
God gives gifts to the humble! These people were humble and thanked God for what they had. God exalted them. The following are people God humbled, because they had pride about what they possessed and thought it was by their own power they were wealthy.
– Eccl. 6:2 – God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.
– Deut. 8:18 – Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
– 1 Sam. 2:7 – The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
You may be in a place of poverty, but if you are relying on God He will see you through!
– James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Here are some more gifts that God gives us by His grace when we are humble:
– Eph. 4:7-13 – But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”… 11So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
But the main gift Christ gave was the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit, himself, gives us gifts as well. It’s actually through the Holy Spirit’s gifts that we are able to step into the power (authority) of the gifts that Christ gave.
– Acts 1:4 – On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about….
– Acts 1:1-5 – Jesus… gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised… you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
– 1 Cor. 12:27-31 – Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues… 31Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
– 1 Cor. 14:1,3-5 – Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy… the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort… the one who prophesies edifies the church.I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy.
– Acts 2:1-4 – When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them
– Acts 2:17-18 (Joel 2:28) – this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17“ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
– Heb. 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
God gave us prophets in the old testament, during Jesus time (the new testament), and today! And God is never-changing. Since Jesus and God are never-changing, and they are only 2 beings in the trinity of God, then we have to understand that the Holy Spirit does not change either. If the Holy Spirit offers gifts to people in the past, he offers them to us now. The Holy Spirit is seen giving (the 1 Cor. 12) gifts in the old testament, the new testament, and now.
– James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Old Testament Example of Spiritual Gifts:
– Dan. 4:9,18 – I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you… 18“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
The king refused to tell Daniel what his dream was, yet he still asked for an interpretation. The Holy Spirit gifted Daniel with 1)word of knowledge (seeing the same dream), 2) prophesy (the interpretation), 3)word of wisdom for the king.
We’ll expound on the other gifts of the Spirit later.
– Gal. 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
Evidence of the Holy Spirit:
– FRUIT: of the spirit (Gal. 5)
– GIFTS: of the spirit (1 Cor. 12)
– POWER: when the holy spirit comes upon you to give proof of God (Acts 1:8)
– LOVE: for all the world (1 Cor. 13). God defines his version of love for us in the love chapter, which (no coincidence) is right smack in the middle of the use of the gifts (12) & abuse/proper use of the gifts (14).
The Fruit & Gifts are given to us to emPower us to Love. Love is the most important command. You need all of these to be able to fully show love to people.
It’s no surprise that the church is being humbled right now. The church hasn’t been acting in love (respect) toward others. Christians have been acting pridefully toward unbelievers, especial gays. It’s godly to stand up for what God asks us to, but if we are not doing so inside the boundaries of God’s love, then the Bible says our actions are worthless (1 Cor. 13:3). God does not see varying degrees of sin. Sin is sin; and God is not a respecter of persons. You are not better than anyone else. Period. We are equally created whether we are currently following God or not. The correct way to show someone they are sinning is out of love; which means, to those in your sphere of influence, you can share God’s word when an opportunity is presented, in a way that maintains respect for that person (without cutting down, bickering, fighting, dishonoring, etc). This is a prime example of why we need the gifts of the Spirit. How can we understand or get the power needed to be able to handle situations appropriately? The Spirit searched the mind of God (1 Cor. 2:10) and teaches us what to say (Ex. 4:12).
– 1 John 4:8 – He who has no love has no knowledge of God, because God is love.
– John 4:24 – God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
– 1 Cor. 14:15 – For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays… I will sing with my spirit… when you are praising God in the Spirit
– 1 Cor. 14:18 – I thank God that I speak in tongues
– 2 Cor. 1:22 – God has also sealed us and given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment in our hearts that guarantees everything he has promised us.
– Rev 7:3 – Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
– Eph.4:22-24 – You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
– Acts 1:8 – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
– Rev. 3:14-22 – To the Church in Laodicea 14“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
– Gen. 3:11, 21 – And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?“… 21The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
– Luke 24:49 – I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
– Acts 2:38-39 – And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
– Acts 1:2-5 – until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles… he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
– 1 Cor. 12:7 – But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with.
Manifestation:
1. an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something, especially a theory or an abstract idea.
2. the action or fact of showing an abstract idea.
The testimony (manifestation) of the Spirit (through the gifts) embodies Christ. It is the evidence of the living God.
Synonyms: sign, display, demonstration, show, exhibition, presentation, example, testimony, evidence, proof
1 John 5:10 – Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
– John 14:12 – Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these
– Rom. 8:11 – the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
We died with Christ. We are born in the Holy Spirit. So, we are supposed to be living through the Holy Spirits gifts in this new life He gave us, not through our own strength which is what we put to death.
Jesus set the example. Jesus was baptized, which is the symbolic act of repentance and dying to our own wills, desires, and flesh. It was at that moment that Jesus was clothed with the Holy Spirit and began operating with the gifts of the Spirit. The same Spirit that dwelled in Him, dwells in us with the same gifts, because the Spirit is God – who never changes.
– Luke 18:18-22 – A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” 21“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. 22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Lay down your life today. Humble yourself, hear Gods words, eagerly search him out, eagerly desire His gifts, and ask Him to give these wonderful gifts to you. He will no withhold any good thing from you. He asks us to seek His kingdom first, and to align ourselves with His good and perfect will, and then we will be blessed and he will give us everything our hearts desire (wealth, possessions, clothing, food, honor, glory, community, connection, purpose, etc). Stay humble to get and keep your gifts.
– Rom. 12:3-8 – For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
God made every person with a purpose; and every purpose is needed. It doesn’t matter if your purpose looks big or small; we should always act with humility, encouraging each other, and never cutting down or belittling anyones purpose. The gifts help you find your purpose, see others purpose, and walk in that purpose. This is how you change the world.
We are called to have faith about everything in God’s word; but while you are asking God for the gifts, and seeking out a greater understanding of them, you can always go see them first hand. Here is a location in Montgomery, AL that gives personal prophecies every 1st Friday of the month at 7pm. Due to the July 4th holiday, the next meeting will be July 10th:
Saints In Action
3412 Old Selma Rd, Montgomery, AL 36108
(334) 834-7760
There will be a short time of worship, short preaching, then they will put you in groups of people and 2-3 people will prophesy over you. They will record the words and email them to you. They ask $5 for this management.
If you are around Panama City, Florida, you could go to Christian International. I think they have prophetic services weekly?
Christian International
177 Apostle’s Way, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
(850) 231-2600
Example of personal prophecy:
– 1 Sam. 9:3 – Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.”… 6But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”… 9(Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)… 17When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.” 18Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?” 19“I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?” 21Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”
1 Cor. 14:3 – the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.
Samuel called Saul up to his true purpose. You should expect the same.
For those worried about false prophets, you should remember that 1)anyone who lines themselves up with God is under His authority, 2)if a word is not strengthening, encouraging, or comforting, then its not from God and can be ignored, 3)everything should be done out of love, so if its not done that way then its not from God, 4)if it doesn’t line up with what God has already outlined in His Word, then its not from God. God tells us to test every word to see if it lines up with the Bible. With these biblical principles you will have no problems discerning the true from the false.
Here’s are some links to great Highlands sermons about the Holy Spirit and Humility:
Highlands Sermon Series – The Holy Spirit
Highlands Sermon – Humility & Respect
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