Concerning Spiritual Gifts... Part 2

The nine manifestations or gifts of the Holy Spirit are generally divided as follows:


Three revelation gifts -Spiritual gifts that reveal something:

•     The word of wisdom
•     The word of knowledge
•     The discerning of spirits

Three power gifts -Spiritual gifts that do something:

•     The gift of faith
•     The working of miracles
•     The gifts of healings

Three utterance or inspirational gifts -Spiritual gifts that say something:

•     Prophecy
•     Divers kinds of tongues
•     Interpretation of tongues

The Word of Wisdom

The word of wisdom is a supernatural revelation by the Spirit of God concerning the divine purpose and plan in the mind and will of God.

The Word of Wisdom Is Not Wisdom in the Affairs of Life

The word of wisdom is confused many times with simple wisdom in the affairs of life, but simple wisdom in the affairs of life is not a spiritual gift. In the beginning of Joshua's ministry, God told him that the key to his success would lie in meditating on the Word of God, and that is how Joshua was to obtain wisdom in the affairs of life.

The Gift of the Word of Knowledge

Notice that this gift is called "the word of knowledge." It is not "the gift of knowledge." There is no such thing as a spiritual gift of knowledge. There is, however, a spiritual gift, called the word of knowledge. The word of knowledge is the supernatural revelation by the Holy Ghost of certain facts in the mind of God  — facts about people, places, or things in the past or present..

The Word of Knowledge vs. The Word of Wisdom
The difference between the two gifts — the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom — is that the revelation the word of knowledge brings is always present tense or concerning something that has happened in the past.

 On the other hand, the word of wisdom always speaks of the future.
The Word of Knowledge and the Word of Wisdom Can Operate Together
We divide the two gifts of the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom and deal with them singularly. However, as I mentioned, very often spiritual gifts operate together.

The Gift of the discerning of spirits

The gift of the discerning of spirits is supernatural insight into the spirit world.
The discerning of spirits actually has a more limited range of operation than the other two revelation gifts, the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. That is because its revelation is limited to a single class of objects — spirits.

What the Discerning of Spirits Is Not

Someone has said that the best way to find out what something is, is to find out what it is not.
So let's discuss what the discerning of spirits is not. It is not discernment. I've heard people say, "I believe I have the gift of discernment."
Actually, there is no such thing mentioned in the Bible as the gift of discernment. It is the discerning of spirits. Many times what people call the gift of discernment is really the gift of the word of knowledge in operation.
In other words, sometimes people know things by the Spirit of God and call it discernment. But that doesn't mean it is really discernment. It is actually the word of knowledge in operation.

Also, the discerning of spirits is not a kind of spiritual mind reading. And the discerning of spirits is not psychological insight, nor is it mental "penetration." It is not the power to discern the faults of others.
You will find that the power to discern faults in others is possessed not only by believers but by unbelievers as well. You don't even have to be a Christian to have that "gift"! As a matter of fact, the power to discover or discern the faults in others is absolutely forbidden in the Scriptures. "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7:1).
One purpose of the baptism in the Holy Ghost is to destroy this "gift" of discerning faults in others, which is nothing more than criticism, and then to replace it with the sweet gift of gentle forbearance. The gift of discerning of spirits is not faultfinding. If those who think they have the "gift" of faultfinding would just turn that "gift" on themselves for about fifteen seconds, they
would never use it again.

Therefore, the discerning of spirits is not a spiritual gift to uncover human failures. Christians should walk in love, and the Bible says love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Paul, writing to the Church at Ephesus, said, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). Paul was talking here to Christians.
No, the discerning of spirits is not discerning of character or faults; it is not even the discerning of people. It is called the discerning of spirits, and it deals with spirits that exist in the spirit realm, whether they are divine, satanic, or human.

Discerning of Spirits Is Not Simply Discerning of Devils

Let me point out that this gift of discerning of spirits is not just the discerning of devils, nor is it the discerning of just evil spirits.
To say that the discerning of spirits has to do only with devils is misleading. This gift has to do with the entire class of spirits, including good spirits, bad spirits, and human spirits. It is supernatural insight into the realm of spirits. The discerning of evil spirits is included, of course, but too many times folks have thought that seeing demons and devils is all this gift encompasses and they have been misled.

Gifts of the Spirit Are Supernatural

All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are supernatural; they are not natural. Every one of them is a supernatural manifestation of the Spirit of God.
There are Bible teachers who say that some of the gifts of the Spirit are natural and some of them are supernatural. But if one of them is supernatural, then all of them are supernatural.
Every single one of the gifts of the Spirit listed in First Corinthians 12:8-10 is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

The Gift of Special Faith

It is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit whereby a believer is empowered with special faith, or wonder-working faith
The Gift of Special Faith Is Not the Same as Saving Faith
Every believer already has general faith or saving faith, which is also a gift. Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."
The faith that you are saved by is a gift of God, but it is not one of the nine gifts of the Spirit.
Saving faith is given to you through hearing the Word, because the Bible says, "So then faith [saving faith ] cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17).
The faith which we are talking about in this lesson — special faith — is something other than general faith or saving faith. It is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit whereby a believer is empowered with special faith, or wonder-working faith, and it is beyond simple saving faith.

The Gift of the Working of Miracles

A miracle can be defined as a supernatural intervention by God in the ordinary course of nature. The working of miracles is used to display God's power and magnificence.
In Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible, the Greek word for "miracles" in First Corinthians 12:10 is "dunamis," and can also be translated acts of powers.

The Gift of Faith vs. The Gift of the Working of Miracles

The gift of faith is also distinct from the working of miracles, although both gifts produce miracles. One of them is active and the other is passive.
The working of miracles is active; it actively works a miracle. The gift of faith doesn't work a miracle, but passively receives a miracle.
In other words, the difference between the working of miracles and the gift of faith is that the gift of working of miracles actively does, and the gift of special faith passively receives.

Gifts of Healings: Not Medical Science

First, I want to emphasize the supernatural character of the gifts of healings. The gifts of healings have nothing to do with medical science or human learning.
Luke, who was a medical doctor, was with Paul on many of Paul's missionary journeys.
Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles as well as the Book of the Bible that bears his name. Luke was with Paul when he was shipwrecked and they were on the Island of Melita.
Nothing at all is said to the effect that Luke ministered to the folks on that island with his medical knowledge. But the father-in-law of the chief man of the island was sick, and Paul laid his hands on him and he was healed. He was healed by the supernatural power of God. This was the gifts of healings in manifestation.

Note: There is a difference between receiving healing through the manifestation of gifts of healings and just simply receiving healing by our own faith in God's Word.

The Gift of Prophecy

Prophecy is supernatural utterance in a known tongue. is simply means divinely inspired utterance in a known tongue

The Bible says, ". . . greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret ..." (1 Cor. 14:5). This infers that to speak with tongues and to interpret the tongues
is equivalent to prophecy.

tongues + Interpretation = prophecy

Therefore, prophecy is really the most important of these three gifts of inspiration or utterance in that it does not require another gift to complete it.

The Simple Gift of Prophecy Is Not Prediction

Many people think the gift of prophecy is prediction. The simple gift of prophecy, however, is not prediction but is speaking unto men ". . . to edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Cor. 14:3).

Difference between prophecy in the Old Testament and prophecy in the New Testament.
It is also interesting to note the difference between prophecy in the Old Testament and prophecy in the New Testament. In the Old Testament prophecy was essentially foretelling, but in the New Testament we see that the gift of prophecy shifts strongly to forth telling.
The Gift of Prophecy vs. The Office of the Prophet
The gift of prophecy should not be confused with the prophetic office. The simple gift of prophecy has no revelation in it. Rather, it speaks unto men for their edification,
exhortation, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3); it is to edify the Church (1 Cor. 14:4).
Notice that in First Corinthians 14:1, Paul was telling the whole Church at Corinth to covet to prophesy and to desire spiritual gifts, ". . . but rather that ye may prophesy." Yet in First Corinthians 12:28, Paul said that all are not prophets. If prophesying made a person a prophet, then Paul would be contradicting himself. In other words, the fact that the gift of simple prophecy operates through a person doesn't make him a prophet.

Therefore, the prophet would have other revelation gifts operating in his ministry, as well as the gift of prophecy.
To constitute standing in the office of the prophet, a person needs to have at least two of the revelation gifts operating on a continual basis in his life and ministry, plus the gift of prophecy.
In other words, for a person to stand in the office of the prophet, he would need to be called to the fivefold ministry as a preacher or teacher of the Word (Eph. 4:11,12), and have two of the three revelation gifts — the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, or the discerning of spirits — plus prophecy operating consistently in his ministry.
Therefore, we should not confuse the office of the prophet with the simple gift of prophecy which we are all told to covet.

Paul said, "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to EDIFICATION, and EXHORTATION, and COMFORT" (1 Cor. 14:3).
Thus, we can readily see that in the simple gift of prophecy there is no revelation. The simple gift of prophecy is given for edification, exhortation, and comfort. In the office of the prophet, however we very often find that revelation or foretelling does come forth, even through the vehicle of prophecy.

The Gift of Tongues

Divers kinds of tongues is supernatural utterance in an unknown tongue.

The Gift of Tongues Is a Supernatural Sign

Divers kinds of tongues is supernatural utterance by the Holy Spirit in languages never learned by the speaker, nor understood by the speaker, nor necessarily always understood by the hearer. Speaking with tongues has nothing whatsoever to do with linguistic ability; it has nothing to do with the mind or the intellect of man. It is a vocal miracle of the Holy Spirit.
We might ask, "What is the good of speaking with tongues?" Jesus said in Mark 16:17, ". . . these signs shall follow them that believe . . . they shall speak with new tongues."

The Gift of Tongues Is Unique To This Dispensation

One preacher disagreed with speaking in tongues, saying, "John the Baptist had the Holy Ghost and he didn't speak with tongues. Prophets of the Old Testament had the Holy Ghost, but they never spoke in tongues. So why do we need to speak in tongues?"

Initial Evidence of Receiving the Holy Spirit

Speaking in tongues is the initial evidence or sign of the Holy Spirit's infilling Presence (Acts 2:4). I believe, of course, that there are other evidences that will follow, but this is the first or initial physical evidence.

Speaking Mysteries Supernaturally to God

Paul gives another reason for speaking with tongues in First Corinthians 14:2: "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but UNTO GOD: for no man understandeth him; howbeit IN THE SPIRIT HE SPEAKETH MYSTERIES" (1 Cor. 14:2).

The Gift of Interpretation of tongues

Interpretation of tongues is a supernatural showing forth of that which has been said in an unknown tongue.

The gift of interpretation of tongues is the least gift of all of the gifts of the Spirit because it depends upon another gift — divers kinds of tongues — in order to operate. It does not operate unless tongues have been in operation.
The purpose of the gift of interpretation of tongues is to render the gift of tongues
understandable to the hearers so that the whole church congregation, as well as the one who gave the utterance in an unknown tongue, may know what has been said and may be edified thereby. Paul said,". . . greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, THAT THE CHURCH MAY RECEIVE EDIFYING" (1 Cor. 14:5).
All these gifts operate by faith, but it takes more faith to operate in the gift of prophecy than tongues or interpretation of tongues.

The Gift of Interpretation — Not Translation

As we mentioned earlier, the interpretation of tongues is not a translation. I am sometimes asked why it is that when someone speaks at length in tongues, an interpreter will occasionally give only a short message.

Note: all the spiritual gifts listed above are manifested by the Holy Ghost as he wills. you cannot start the operation of a spiritual gift like if you switch on your TV set at home. The manifestation of the Spirit is given by the Holy Spirit Himself. Nevertheless some gifts can be operated by faith (e.g gift of tongues)

Recommended book
 The Holy Spirit and His Gifts by Kenneth Hagin

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Concerning Spiritual Gifts... Part 1

With regard to Spiritual Gifts...

1 Corinthians 12:1-14 (NET)
 With regard to spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.  You know that when you were pagans you were often led astray by speechless idols, however you were led. So I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
  Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are different ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all.  For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,  to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.  It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things.
  For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body – though many – are one body, so too is....

1 Corinthians 12:1-14 (KJV)
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

For the body is not one member, but many....

Don't Be Ignorant (Uninformed) of Spiritual Gifts

A lot of people in the Church today are ignorant about Spiritual Gifts.

Paul said by the Holy Spirit to the Church at Corinth, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU IGNORANT" (1 Cor. 12:1 - KJV).

With regard to spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed (1 Cor. 12:1 - NET)..

The Spirit of God through Paul said that He didn't want the Church at Corinth to be ignorant (Uninformed) concerning spiritual gifts, then certainly the Spirit of God does not wants the Church today to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts.

However, a gross ignorance does exist in the church today concerning these things. In some assemblies people know nothing at all about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or even that such gifts exist. They think these gifts have ceased to exist. In other places people know something about the gifts of the Spirit, but their knowledge is very limited.

What are Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts are endowment given to Holy Ghost baptised believers for the furtherance of the Gospel and exaltation of Jesus. It is an endowment. It is not worked for. God gives to every Holy Ghost baptised believer as He wills. 1 Cor 12

Spiritual Gifts Will Exalt Jesus Christ

Paul also said to the Church at Corinth, "Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led" (1 Cor. 12:2). These people had previously worshipped idols and in this idol worship, motivated by the wrong spirit, they would say a lot of things that were in error.

Church history tells us that some of these people would come into the Christian assembly and when the Spirit of God began to manifest Himself, these people would yield to a wrong spirit and say things under the influence of the wrong spirit.

Some of them would even rise up in the services when the gifts of utterance were in operation and they would say that Jesus was accursed (cursed). And the Scripture says that no one speaking by the Spirit of God would call Jesus accursed.

Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the spirit of God calleth (calls) Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. (1 Cor. 12:3)

In other words, Paul said that when the Holy Spirit is in manifestation, He will make Jesus Lord. If an utterance gift, that is, a vocal gift—prophecy, divers kinds of tongues, or the interpretation of tongues—is in manifestation, then, of course, it will be clear by what is said that Jesus is Lord.

Holy Ghost Inspired Gifts will exalt Jesus

If the other gifts are in manifestation, they will always uplift the Lordship of Jesus, not the lordship of some man. They will not attract attention to some man, preacher, prophet etc but rather to Christ.

You can be sure that if someone is operating in what appears to be one of the vocal gifts, and calls Jesus accursed or speaks against Him in any way, then he's not speaking by the Holy Spirit.

Then Paul said in First Corinthians 12:3 that no man can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. In other words, Paul was saying that if someone is speaking by the right spirit—by the Holy Spirit—then what he says will exalt the Name of Jesus.

Personal testimony by Reverend Kenneth E. Hagin (of Blessed Memories)

Once in a meeting while I was praying for people for healing, I sensed that someone in the prayer line had a wrong spirit. I knew within my own spirit who this person was before she ever stood in front of me to be prayed for.

When she stepped up in front of me for prayer, I asked her, "Are you a Christian?" She replied that she belonged to a particular church.

I said, "Well, you can belong to any church and still not be a Christian. You have to be born again."

"Oh, I am saved and filled with the Holy Ghost," she said. "Do you want to hear me speak in tongues?" Then she started saying something that sounded like tongues.

I said, "Sister, say this prayer after me from your heart." I prayed a prayer to God the Father and she repeated the words after me. Then I said, "I acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as Your Son, and I acknowledge that He is come in the flesh."
But when I said that, she said, "Jesus Christ is not Your Son and He is not come in the flesh." It was immediately apparent that wasn't the right spirit speaking.

Those tongues she was rattling off—some kind of "gibberish"—weren't given by the Spirit of God. I tried two or three times to get her to repeat that prayer after me. Finally, she said, "Something on the inside of me won't let me say what you said."

"I know it," I said. "Do you want to be free from it?"

"I sure do!" she answered. I cast that spirit out of her in the Name of Jesus. Then I had her pray the sinner's prayer and she was born again. She was then filled with the Holy Spirit and went home speaking in tongues.

This woman was saying, "I am saved, I am born again, and I am filled with the Holy Ghost," but she wasn't at all. People can make a lot of statements, but that doesn't necessarily make them true. When the Spirit of God is in manifestation, He will make Jesus Lord. The wrong spirit won't acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and won't say that Jesus is Lord.

The Nine Gifts Categorized
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE by the same Spirit....(1 Cor. 12:8)

Paul goes on to list nine manifestations or gifts of the Spirit. The nine manifestations or gifts of the Holy Spirit are generally divided as follows:

Three revelation gifts—spiritual gifts that reveal something:

• The word of wisdom
• The word of knowledge
• The discerning of spirits

Three power gifts—spiritual gifts that do something

• The gift of faith
• The working of miracles
• The gifts of healings

Three utterance or inspirational gifts—spiritual gifts that say something:

• Prophecy
• Divers (different) kinds of tongues
• Interpretation of tongues

Very often these gifts work together, as tongues and interpretation work together. But we divide them as they are divided here in 1 Corinthians 12 in order to distinguish them and to talk about them...

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Being Honorable in Business

Touching story from Kenneth Copeland

Being honourable in business 

The importance of being honourable in business

FaithSuccess wishes us all a Happy New Month. Here is a touching story from Kenneth Copeland which shows the importance of being honourable in business. Christians should never forget the Word of God in whatever they do.

Opening

There is a man I would like to tell you about. His story will help you see just how important it is to have honor in business—important in ways you may not have imagined.

This fellow was about 20 years old and had a good job. He was the youngest child in a family that had a lot of difficulty and very little money. He worked his regular job all day, and at night fixed cars to sell. Gradually, he began making money and he finally saved enough so he could buy a better type of car to restore and sell. He was good at his work, a gifted businessman.

God’s Grace - 2 Cor 6:2, Eph 2:8-9

Meanwhile, there was a meeting at a Baptist church in Fort Worth where his folks attended and he decided to go. At the end of the service when the invitation was given, the conviction of the Holy Ghost came on him. He had a tight grip on the seat in front of him, trying to resist responding to the wooing of the Lord. The Spirit of God was all over him. A man in the church came over, put his arm around the young man and told him he loved him. He encouraged him to go forward and receive Jesus as his Savior and Lord. In fact, that man walked with him down the aisle.

The Unpleasant - Romans 2:24

Before that week was up, the same man who had led him to the altar to accept Jesus beat him out of all of his profit on a car. It wasn't a mistake. He just skinned that young man in a deal-on purpose! The older man should have known better-any Christian ought to know that you don't get a man saved on Saturday night, then cheat him on Tuesday. That's wrong.

The young man had a temper. He was angry, so he rebelled against the Lord. He said he never would go back to church again. And he didn't.

He became very successful and eventually had a national car business. Then he went into the airplane business, and I started flying for him and we became close friends.

God’s Grace Continuing

My mother and father lived two doors down from him. He liked my parents and would sometimes eat with us. Mama would feed him and preach to him and just love him. She would say, "I'm telling you right now, I'm going to pray you into the kingdom of God." He would just smile.

She prayed for him just as she prayed for me—all the time. She treated him as if he were her own son, and he ate it up. But she could not get him inside the church door. Why? Because of a dishonorable Christian businessman.

Years later after I had entered the ministry I had the opportunity to pray with him, but there was no visible change in his lifestyle. He stayed on my mind and heart a lot. I was praying for him once while I was in a meeting and I thought, I'm going to call him as soon as I get back to town.

But when I called him, a lady answered and said, "He died the day before yesterday."

You can imagine how I felt when I heard that.

I went to the funeral, and the man's son asked me to say a few words about his father. So I did. I told the people exactly what had happened in this man's life, what had caused him to be the way he was.

After the funeral, a woman walked up to me and said, "Kenneth, I need to tell you something." And what she told me and I'm sharing with you, shows God's faithfulness and honor in the man's situation.

God's Honor Came Through - Mal 3:6

"A few nights ago I absolutely could not sleep," she said. "I tossed and turned, and finally got up to pray. 'God, what is this?'"

Get dressed, He answered. I've got somewhere I would like you to go.

"It was the middle of the night. I usually don't do things like that, but I obeyed the Lord and got dressed."

God then led her to a hospital where she didn't know anyone so she just started praying in the spirit, listening for the Lord as she walked down each hall. Suddenly she tripped right in front of one room and the Lord said, Go in there.

She went in and saw that the man in the bed wasn't asleep. She walked up to him and said, "Sir, I don't know you, and you don't know me. But the Lord wouldn't let me sleep tonight. God sent me down here to you. Do you know Jesus as Lord?"

He said, "You sound like Vinita and Kenneth Copeland."

"Vinita Copeland is a close personal friend of mine," she said.

"I've been trying to call Kenneth for two days," he answered. "He's out of town, and I was lying here praying, 'God give me somebody. I'm dying. Send me somebody. I can't die in this shape. I can't die like this. Send me somebody, Lord. Send me somebody.'"

Can you see what was happening in that situation?

God's honor was at work. God was honoring the decision that man made back in the Baptist church nearly 40 years before. He was honoring my mother's prayers and my prayers and our love for that man. God was honoring all these things.

Thank God for that woman who honored God's direction to go to that hospital in the middle of the night, not even knowing why. She prayed with him, and he came back to Jesus, praying and rejoicing in Him.

Then he died.

Actually, he didn't die. He just stepped out of that old cancerous body and went on to be with the Lord.

In the last minute of the last hour this man finally recognized the honor of God. Thank God for that!

But think about the consequences of just one act by a dishonorable Christian. A man spent his entire life out of fellowship with Jesus, his brothers and sisters in the Lord, and with the Father Himself because one man dealt shamefully with his brother.

How important is it to be honorable in business? Important in ways you may not have imagined.

Prayer:

Thank you Lord for your word that has come to me today, I promise to abide by your word in all I do, to be honourable and not bring reproach to your Holy name.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Scriptures to Note - Christianity

Eph 2:8-9
For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, (it is) the gift of God;
 not of works, that no man should glory. ASV

2 Cor 6:2
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Romans 2:24
For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
(See 2 Sam 12:14; Isa 52:5; Ezek 36:20,23.)


Mal 3:6
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
KJV

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Review for the month of May - Faith Success

Review for the month of May - Faith Success

God has been so faithful helping us all. He has never failed at any time or the other and will never fail us, for God does not fail. We give him all the Glory for his love for us and wonderful promises he has made for all of us.
The list below is a compilation of the topics/messages we have had in this month of May. Click any topic below to participate in case you have missed any.

Must Christians Suffer?   

Keys to Success/Success Principles – Keys 2 & 3

Keys to Success/Success Principles  - Key 1

Walk in Love       

A Sinner's Prayer to Receive Jesus as Savior

The Master Plan

I need help; how can I witness for Christ

Are You Fed Up? Please Don't give up

Search the Scriptures (Bible)

The Difference Between "Natural Talents" and "Spiritual Gifts"

GOD LOVES YOU

Developing reliance on God

Rescued From Death

If It Troubles You, God Wants To Take Care Of It   

He Has Gone The Distance To Heal You

Fear - granddaddy of all wrong thinking

""How Could I Ever Recover From This Loss?""

“When Are Success And Prosperity Going To Come My Way?”

3 Keys For Discovering Your Prosperity

101 THINGS GOD SAID ABOUT HEALING - PART 2

101 THINGS GOD SAID ABOUT HEALING - PART 1

God Wants You To Always Prosper And Be In Health

Your Redeemer Has Delivered You From All Sicknesses

God Is Able And Willing To Heal You

Partake Your Way To Wholeness

By His Stripes You Are Healed!

Your Healing Is Part Of The Deal

God So Loves You

Have an attitude of gratitude

12 Golden Principles For Experiencing Happiness - Part 3

12 Golden Principles For Experiencing Happiness - Part 2

12 Golden Principles For Experiencing Happiness - Part 1

During unpleasant times..., 10 things to keep in mind    

The power of speaking Gods Word

What Faith is...

Seven Steps to Spiritual growth

Knowing God

Understanding Salvation

All Glory be to God

We believe you have greatly been blessed. Yes

To receive these messages directly into your mailbox, subscribe to our email list. subscription form  is at the top of the website (desktop view). Thanks

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your unfailing grace throughout this month of May, I thank you Jesus. I commit this coming month (June) into your hands for i know you have planned success for me in the coming month for your word says the path of the just is like the shinning light that shinneth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. I receive it in Jesus name and determine to walk with you throughtout this coming month with unwavering faith. Thank you Jesus, Amen.

News: FaithSuccess now available at (. org) domain
           www.faithsuccess.org
           www.faithsuccess.tk
           www.faithsuccessblog.tk
Thanks wishing you a wonderful Weekend and a blessed Month ahead (GMT +1)

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Must Christians Suffer?

Must Christians Suffer?

The Question is Must Christians (Believers, Born-again Saints) SUFFER?

Let us take a study on this

Let us start with Acts 5:41, which says,
 "And they departed from the presence of the council, REJOICING that they were counted worthy to SUFFER (suffer what?) SHAME for his name .

 Philippians 1:29,30, says,
  “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not ONLY to believe on him, but ALSO to SUFFER for his sake; Having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”

2 Timothy 3:11,
    "What persecutions I endured, but out of them ALL the Lord DELIVERED me."

Matthew 24:9 tells us that,
“They shall deliver you up to be AFFLICTED and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nation for my name’s sake.”

Matthew 5: 11 says
  “Blessed are you when MEN shall REVILE and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven.”
“revile” means to defame or abuse with language that is disgraceful, reproachful, or shameful. People will say things about you that simply are not the truth.

Take a look at 1 Corinthians 4:12 which says,
 “And labor working with our own hand: being reviled, (how do we respond?) we BLESS, being persecuted (how do we respond?) we SUFFER it: being defamed, (how do we respond?) we ENTREAT it.”

Revelation 2:10 tells to,
 “Fear NONE of those things which you shall SUFFER; behold the DEVIL shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried”
 Notice that it is the devil that brought the persecution.

Romans 8:31 says,
 “If God be for us who can be against us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall TRIBULATION or DISTRESS or PERSECUTION or FAMINE or NAKEDNESS or PERIL or SWORD? NAY, (or as we would say today, Not a chance! No way!) But in ALL these things we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ”.

 Let us not jump into conclusions from the above scripture verses but let us carefully compare scriptures with scriptures to get out the truth (scripture analysis)

 According to Wikkipedia, Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. An American dictionary defines persecution as to oppress UNJUSTLY, to harass, to treat severely, and to trouble.

Jesus, Paul, the apostles, and the early church all SUFFERED persecution. Therefore should we also as Christians shall SUFFER PERSECUTION from time to time?
God is no respecter of persons, he will always be faithful to honor his word, and what he did for Paul and the early church God will also do for us (Christians on earth now).

 2 Timothy 3:12 says it like this,
 “Yea and ALL that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer (Again suffer what?) PERSECUTION.”

 Jesus also tells us in John 15:20 that,
 “If they have persecuted me, then they will also PERSECUTE you(Believers/Christians).”

In the gospel of John 16:33 Jesus says,
“In the world you (Believers/Christians) will have tribulation, BUT be of GOOD CHEER for I have OVERCOME (conquered) the world”.

Then Jesus tells us in Luke 21:12 that,
 “ They shall lay hands on you(follower of Christ/Christians) and (what) PERSECUTE you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my names sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony.”

So then, the Bible makes it perfectly clear from these scriptures which we have just read that we as Christians that there are going to be times that we are going to SUFFER things like persecution and temptations. Yes, there are times in our lives that we must endure SUFFERING for the Lord.
Now if we know that we are going to suffer persecution, then it would be beneficial to know the attitudes we should put on in order to overcome in this persecution.  Likewise  it would be wise for us to know what things fall under this category of persecution.

Overcoming Attitudes - Attitudes to put on while passing through suffering

“But REJOICE, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s SUFFERINGS; that when his glory shall be revealed you may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
 “Blessed are you when MEN shall REVILE and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven.”
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4 to REJOICE in the Lord always, and then reinforces it by saying AGAIN I say REJOICE.
We are told in 1 Peter 2:23 that when Jesus was reviled,
 “He reviled not again, and when he suffered, he threatened not; but rather he committed himself to God.”
The Bible tells us in Romans 12:21 that we are to overcome evil with good.

1Peter 4:14, which says,
 “If you be REPROACHED for the name of Christ, HAPPY ARE YOU, for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he (speaking of Jesus) is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”

 Isaiah 26:3,4 says,
 “You will keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose mind is STAYED on you, because he trusts in you, Trust you in the Lord forever, for the Lord Jehovah is EVERLASTING STRENGTH.”
James 1:2,3 tells us to do this when temptation comes.

“My brethren COUNT it all joy when you fall into divers temptations KNOWING this that the trying of your FAITH works patience.”

 This is what Jesus did when they crucified him.
     Look at Luke 20:34 which says,
 “Father FORGIVE them: for they know not what they do”

“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them hat curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite-fully use you, and persecute you.”

Note: the Word of God (Bible) assures us that God will deliver us out of them ALL.

Look at 2 Corinthians 1:3,4.
 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of ALL COMFORT. Who comforts us in ALL our TRIBULATIONS, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
However, if we stop right here with our study of God’s word concerning the “Attitude of God” toward suffering, then our adversary, the devil, can use these very same scriptures against us by twisting them and taking them out of context.

Things Christians are to suffer

ADVERSITY--- something that opposes. It is opposite or different in view. [Hebrews 13:3; Psalm 94:13, 13:7]
 AFFLICTIONS--- to give continued pain in body or mind. [1Peter 5:9;  Mark 4:17; 2 Corinthians 2:4, 4:7, 8:2, 1:6; Philippians 1:6, 4:14; Matthew 24:9; James 1:27, 4:9, 5:10,13, Hebrews 10:32-34, 11:25,37; 2Timothy 4:5, 3:11, 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:37, 1:6; ]
BONDS, JAIL, or PRISON--- a confinement. [Ephesians 6:20; Philippians 1:13,14,16; Acts 20:23,24, 26:29,31; Colossians 4:3,18; Hebrews 10:34, 13:30]
CONFLICT--- a struggle, clash, disagreement or opposition [1 Peter 1:2]
DISTRESSES--- extreme pain, mental or physical, to cause pain or anguish, to harass or cause suffering. [Romans 8:35; 2 Corinthians 6:4, 12:10; 1 Thessalonians 3:7]
FAMINE--- a shortage, to hunger. [Romans 8:35]
FASTING--- purposely doing without to cause suffering. [Acts 10:30, 14:23, 27:33; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 2 Corinthians 6:5, 11:27]
GRIEF--- anguish of heart. [1 Peter 2:19]
INFIRMITIES--- is not strong, weakness, feeble, bodily weakness, failing. [Romans 6:9, 8:26, 15:1; 2 Corinthians 11:30; 2 Corinthians 12:5,9,10; Galatians 4:13; Hebrews 4:15, 5:2, 7:28]
LABORS--- physical or mental exertion of a practical nature, to be hampered, to burden. [2 Corinthians 6:5, 10:15, 11:23; Colossians 1:29, 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8]
NAKEDNESS--- without clothing or covering. [Romans 8:35; 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 11:27]
NECESSITIES--- pressing need, urgency, and poverty. [1 Corinthians 9:16, 2 Corinthians6:4, 12:10
PERILS--- danger, hazard, exposure to injury, harm, or loss. [Romans 8:35; 2 Corinthians 11:26 2 Timothy 3:1]
PERSECUTIONS--- to oppose unjustly for holding a belief or an opinion, to harass. [Acts 13:50, 14:2, 8:1, 11:19; Romans 8:5, 12:14; Matthew 5:11,14, 10:21, 5:10; Mark 4:17, 10:30; Luke 21:12; John 15:20; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 2 Corinthians 4:9, 12:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Timothy 3:11,12]
REPROACHES--- object of scorn, to rebuke, to upbraid, to find fault with. [1 Timothy 4:10, 3:7; Luke 6:22,23; 1 Peter 4:14; 2 Corinthians 12:10; Hebrews 11:26, 13:13, 10:33]
REVILE--- defame, to abuse with opprobrious language. [Romans 8:35; 2 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Peter 2:23]
SAWED ASUNDER--- cut up into pieces [Hebrews 11:37]
STONED--- to throw stones at to cause injury or death. [Acts 5:25, 7:58,59, 14:5,9; 2 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 11:37]
STRIPES--- severe whipping [Acts 16:23, 33; 2 Corinthians 6:5, 11:23,24; 1 Peter 2:24]
SWORD--- causing death. [Romans 8:35; Acts 12:2; Hebrews 11:37]
TEMPTATIONS---causing mental anguish, enticement to do that which you do not desire to do. [Matthew 26:41; Luke 8:13, 22:40,46; 1 Corinthians 10:9,13; Galatians 4:4; 1 Timothy 6:9; Hebrews 2:18, 4:15, 11:37; James 1:2,12,13,14; 1 Peter 1:6; 2 Peter 2:9]
TRIALS--- testing, affliction, proving. [2 Corinthians 8:2; Hebrews 11:36, 1 Peter 1:7, 4:12; trying James 1:3; try 1 Peter 4:12, Revelation 3:10]
TRIBULATIONS--- severe affliction, prolonged suffering especially of mind. [Acts 14:22; Ephesians 3:13; Romans 5:3, 8:35, 12:12; 2 Corinthians 1:4, 7:4; 1 Thessalonians 3:4, 2 Thessalonians 1:4]
TROUBLE--- to stir up, to vex, to distress, to bother, to feel anxiety. [Acts15:24, 16:20; John 14:27; 2 Corinthians 1:4,8, 4:8, 7:5; Galatians 1:7, 5:12; Hebrews 12:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:6,7; 2 Timothy 2:9]
TUMULTS--- commotion as of a crowd, mental disturbance, uproarious. [2 Corinthians 6:5, 12:20]
WATCHING---prayer. [2 Corinthians 6:5, 11:27; Ephesians 6:18]
Note: Please Note all these things listed above even though we suffer them the are never and will never be God will for us. God will for us is perfection (freedom from lack, hunger, sufferings, labours etc)

Source: www.faithsuccess.tk, www.faithsuccess.org

Things Christians are not to suffer

Sickness - He took away our infirmities - Isaiah (read more on 101 things God said about healing)
Pains - Isaiah 53: 4-5
Diseases - Isaiah 53: 4-5
Accidents - Isaiah 53: 4-5, God want us to be in health and prosper even our souls prosper. 3John 2
Suffer for Wrongdoings - Christians are to be blameless, we are not to suffer for wrongdoings, we are the light of the world and we ought to display a good character and bring glory to his name rather than bringing shame to his name by dong wrong(hatred, stealing, lies, cheating, murder, fornication, adultery, gossip etc)
Natural Disasters - earthquake, hurricane, Storms etc
Note: “natural disasters” are often blamed on God. These awful devastating things are many times falsely called “acts of God”. Christians have wrongly taken this as act of God. NO this is not the will of God for you. God will for you is to be in health. Satan is the source of all evil on earth, mistaken as the attitude of God, because scriptures are often misquoted or taken out of context

Conclusion - Must Christians Suffer?

So the answer to the question is YES AND NO
YES - Christians are to suffer persecutions, labour, trouble, tumults etc
NO - Christians are not to suffer sickness, diseases, pains etc

Prayer/Confession

Thank you Lord for your word that has come to bring light to my soul (The entrance of thy word bringeth light and understanding to the simple) i have known your will and will suffer with you so that I can also Glory with you. I refuse to suffer unduly for lack of knowlege/my personal foolishness. Thank you Jesus for your grace upon my life. Amen

Source: www.faithsuccess.tk, www.faithsuccess.org

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Keys to Success/Success Principles – Key 2 & 3

Keys to Success/Success Principles – Key 2

2) Meditate/Reflect on God’s Word 

  Wouldn’t it be easy if all you had to do to change what is in your heart was to desire it to change?  You and I both know that doesn’t work!  Change only becomes possible when you refocus your thought life. 
  Meditation is more than just reading.  It involves filling your mind with the Word so that you think about it as you go about your entire day.  Yes, you think about other things as well, but all the while, you are applying the Word to yourself personally and to everything you do.
Take another look at the first part of our opening scripture.  It says,   
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night  (This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night…)
Meditating on God’s Word is the second key to a successful life found in Joshua 1:8. 
 Instead of dwelling on your problems or the latest media report, dwell on what God’s Word says.  As you do, the Holy Spirit will make God’s Word more real to you than anything you can see with your natural eyes.  His Word will become an internal compass helping you determine which way to go in each decision you need to make.
 Psalm 119:164-165 (NIV) says,   Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.  Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
​​​​​​Seven times a day I praise you because of your just regulations. ​​​​​​​Those who love your law are completely secure; nothing causes them to stumble. (NET)
At distinctly different times of the day, the psalmist contemplated the words God had spoken.  He went on to proclaim the truth that loving God’s Word is both a source of peace and success!
 The same is true today.  When you meditate on God’s Word, you will find that it fills your heart and mind.  You will be amazed by how much peace and calmness you have even in the midst of difficulties.  Because God’s Word is in your heart and mind, nothing the devil does can make you stumble.

Keys to Success/Success Principles – Key 3

3) Act on God’s Word

  Remember, Joshua 1:8 said that along with speaking the Word and meditating on it, we should also   do according to all that is written in it. Here we see the third key to success: acting on God’s Word.
  Jesus said, “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall.  (Matthew 7:24-27) KJV

 “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!”  (NET)

  It is not enough to know what the Word of God says.  Good results come only when you also act on the Word in faith.

Ps 119:129 ​​​​​​​Your rules are marvelous. Therefore I observe them.

 Both men Jesus talked about heard the Word, and both houses experienced the storm/hurricane/tempest, yet the results were very different!
  The wise (prudent) man’s house was safe because he built it on a firm foundation.  While his house probably took more time and effort to build, it was well worth it when the storm (tempest) came.
  As you read God’s Word each day and apply the truths revealed to you, you will become like the wise (prudent/intelligent) man. When adversity comes, you will be able to stand because you have built on an immovable foundation “the Word of God. Nothing will be able to keep you from SUCCESS!
Finally/Conclusion
 Understand that God’s Word provides direction for every situation you will ever encounter.  Spend time developing your relationship with the Lord, and let His Word settle deep into your heart so that it influences every aspect of your life.
 Don’t be one of those who miss out on God’s plan for success.  Remember and apply these keys/principles from Joshua 1:8:
Speak God’s Word
  (do not let it depart from your mouth…)
Meditate on God’s Word
  (meditate in it day and night )
Act on God’s Word
  ( do according to all that is written in it)
  Then and only then, will you make your way prosperous and have good success!

By Duane Vander Klok

Paraphrased

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Keys to Success/Success Principles

Keys to Success/Success Principles

Virtually Everybody on earth wants to be successful, but many miss the keys/formula to success.
Real Success comes from God and its principles can be gotten from Gods word. No matter what people call success (being a celebrity, winning a gamble, etc), True and lasting Success can only be achieved by following God’s Word

 Joshua 1:8 mentions three keys that, if applied, lead to a successful life. It says,
 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (KJV)
This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. (NET)
 As you apply the three keys:

·         Speaking God’s Word,

·         Meditating on it and

·         Acting on the truths God shows you,

 You will be changed by what is in your heart, not what is in your head.

1) Speak God’s Word – Key 1

  God’s plan for your successful life starts with keeping His Word in your mouth.
In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, God told Israel,
“These words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (KJV)
“These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 7 and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up. (NET)
He wanted Israel to speak His Word all the time!
Did you notice that Joshua 1:8 begins by saying   this Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth? (This law scroll must not leave your lips! - NET) That is because success will not come until you consistently speak words that line up with God’s Word.
 Did you know that in this life, you are only going to receive what you speak with your mouth?  Matthew 12:34-35 says,    
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. (KJV)
Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart. 35 The good person brings good things out of his good treasury, and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury (NET)

The choice is yours, are you going to speak words that bring forth good or evil?
 Much of what is going on in the world around us is negative and goes against God’s Word.  If you do nothing to counteract that negative influence with the Word of God, your mouth will most likely speak based on your circumstances, your own experience or what others are saying.

Think about this: Are the words you are putting into your heart coming from TV, movies, friends, co-workers, or the news - or are they coming from God’s Word? To find out what is in your heart in abundance, just listen to yourself talk.  If you are speaking words of doubt, fear, lack, or sickness, it is because that’s what is really in your heart. to be continued tomorow...

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