Gift of Prophecy

“...so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:5-8

Mention the word prophecy, and most people associate it with foretelling the future. The New Testament reference to prophecy deals specifically with speaking forth the truth, not foretelling the future. Let’s look at the basic motivation of the believer with the gift of prophecy.

He or she is very concerned with discovering what God is saying, and they are very sensitive about the individual through whom that message comes. This believer is one who sees things in black and white. They depend strongly upon the validation of Scripture. He or she is intent on spotting evil or hypocrisy. They are of leadership material and will challenge and motivate others to a deep commitment to Christ.

Each gift can be identified by certain characteristics in our lives. The following list indicates qualities which will surface when we follow God’s Spirit or our own self-will:
Spirit / Flesh
Committed to Truth / Deceptive
Obedient / Willful
Sincere / Hypocritical
Virtue (purity) / Defilement
Boldness / Fearful
Forgiving / Rejecting
Persuasive / Argumentative

Hold Fast

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!’
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.” Psalm 91:1-4

“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16

The Apostle Paul often admonished his readers to “hold fast” to their faith and system of beliefs. Are you “holding fast”? Are you anchored to Christ. If you wonder if Christ Jesus is able to carry out His promise never to leave or forsake you or to be your Helper, consider His unchanging qualities:

- His unchanging person. The writer of Hebrews stated this precisely when he wrote, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” (Heb. 13:8). When asked to define “forever,” a little girl thoughtfully answered, “That means every day after tomorrow.” And so it does.

- His unchanging purpose. The Lord Jesus Christ came to meet mankind’s deepest needs, the ones men cannot satisfy. He came “to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). Our salvation is His underlying purpose.

- His unchanging Word. Isaiah said, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever” (40:8).

- His unchanging work. Through the ministry of His Holy Spirit, God is still at work in the lives of His children, bringing comfort and guidance. He is always busy convicting men of sin.

- His unchanging love. The foremost indicator of godliness? Love.

Thought for the Day:
“To each child, God gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others.” -A.W. Tozer

Conformed to His Image

“And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren...”
Romans 8:23-29

What is the underlying goal of you life? Beyond all your achievements and desires, what motivation charts you course in life? To glorify God? To be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ?

Within the spirit of every child of God, there is that specific witness of the Spirit, drawing that person to oneness with Christ (or Christlikeness). This is so much more than simply patterning our lives after the teachings of Christ and attempting to mirror His character. What an impossible task that would be. Yet many attempt to do just that.

The truth is - conformity to Christ has to come from within. It can only occur as we allow Him to live His life in and through us, expressing Christ in us. Much more than a mere imitation of Christ, we are representations of Christ to the world though His indwelling presence - imperfect, chosen through which to reveal Himself to lost mankind.

Are you doing your part to let others see Christ Who lives within you? Do you let your convictions be known? Do you say or do something when prompted by God’s Spirit? If you were someone’s only introduction to God, would they want to know Him.

Thought for the Day:
Allow God to be as creative with others as He has been with you.

Glorified

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,
‘For your sake we are being put to death all day long;
we were considered as sheep to bee slaughtered.’
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:29-39

For those who are always looking for one more argument against surrender to Christ - consider the following: God’s purpose for creating man was to create a people for Himself - people upon whom He could shower His love and people who in return would glorify Him. That is God’s great plan.

But through rebellion, we have robbed God of the glory which is due Him. Everyone who lives in rebellion against God has literally failed God. They have wasted their lives and missed God’s ultimate, supreme, divine, eternal purpose.

What is God’s purpose for your life? That you would be made into the likeness of Christ and thereby glorify God the Father. Are you consciously aware of this purpose as you daily go about the process of living? Did you know that you have a one-word goal in life? Christlikeness. That’s it. Nothing brings more joy to the Father than seeing the reflection of His Son in your life.

Maybe one of our greatest hindrances is that we are unaware. Begin today to ask the Lord for an awareness of how your life brings glory to Him and how your life can be an extension of His life, and expression of His love, and an exhibition of His power.

Thought for the Day:
“Dust thou art, to dust returnest, was not spoken of the soul.” -Henry W. Longfellow

Sanctified

“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:5-14

Much of the power which is lacking in the lives of Christians is due to their ignorance of what took place at the cross of Christ. When He died, something so significant happened that it changed forever our relationship with God. Paul states it this way in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

This is God’s great provision for living above the power of sin. In His wisdom He does not cancel out the lure with which sin entices believer and unbeliever alike. Instead He places within us the ability to overcome temptation’s pull and sin’s dominance.

Someone has said that a great saint is made by the great temptation he steadfastly resists. If you have little temptation, who is to know what kind of character you have? If you stand against strong and consistent temptation, the grace of God is tremendously evident in your life. Allow your position as one who is in Christ to lead you to victory!

Thought for the Day:
When temptation comes knocking on your door, ask Jesus to answer it.

Justified

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:17-21

The key to the issue of our justification is to see it from God’s point of view. Once we enter into a relationship with God, our position takes a drastic change. You’ll recall the story The Prince and the Pauper in which a prince and a street boy (who happen to look just alike) change places. Even though the boys changed their identity, they could not change their position.

That’s just how it is with you. As a Christian, you have been born again into a position as an heir of God. How do you see yourself? As a lowly sinner saved by grace? Or as a saint? Begin to see yourself from God’s point of view. Your nature has been changed; you are a new creation. Old things - old desires which controlled you - have passed away. All things have become new.

“But I don’t feel like a saint.” Just remember that you carry that name because of what Jesus did, not for anything you have done. Your position as a saint is:
- All of God
- All of grace
- All of faith

Thought for the Day:
Beware of justifying yourself when God alone is the Justifier

Reconciled

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-21

A common emotional response which a divorced person experiences is grief. No matter how relieved they may be to have the issue settled, grief is an instant companion. For that person, a special hope and ideal has just suffered a mortal wound. Can you imagine the grief experienced by one who knew another in an intimate relationship and, in the darkest moment of their life, realized that the other had turned their back on them?

For our benefit, that’s what happened when Jesus suffered and died on the cross for our sins. God the Father - with Whom Jesus had existed for eternity - turned His back. The rejection was unbearable. From Jesus’ body erupted the haunting cry, “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46

Out of that heart-rending moment came God’s provision for building relationships with every man, woman, boy, and girl. He extended His hand to bring us back to Himself. Have you accepted Him?

Think about it -
The cross is a continuous affair.