The gifts of the Spirit can make a difference between life and death. Kingdom leaders are admonished to desire the greater gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31). This means to desire the most useful gifts which are under the influence of the Holy Spirit and motivated by love. In life and death situations, the most useful gifts are also the most powerful gifts: great faith, healing, and miracles. The same Spirit gives great faith to one, the gift of healing to another, and the working of miracles to another (1 Corinthians 12:9-10). The power of these gifts relates to life, so they could be considered as the power-of-life gifts. In this study, you will discover how you can be used by the Spirit to flow in the power gifts to help other people.
Introducing the Power Gifts
The gifts of the Spirit manifest a supernatural flow of God’s energy. Spiritual gifts are the special endowments of supernatural energy given by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1 AMP). The power gifts contain much more energy than other gifts. It takes more energy to create a miracle than to prophesy or to speak in tongues. Each of the power gifts is unique and used in different situations.
Great Faith
The measure of faith which is given to every believer might be considered as the common faith in contrast to the spiritual gift of faith. “God has allotted to each a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). The gift of faith is a powerful force which magnifies a believer’s common faith. The gift of faith is used to help others when their faith is weak or they cannot activate their own faith.
Those who understood the authority of God’s word were described as having great faith. Their miracles resulted from speaking the word of God only. The Centurion believed in the authority of Jesus’s word, so all Jesus had to do was to speak the word and his servant was healed (Matthew 8:5-13). The daughter of the Syrophoenician woman was delivered from a demon because the woman believed the words which Jesus spoke were the truth (Matthew 15:21-28).
Gift of Healing
The gift of healing is given to heal the sick. It is an expression of God’s love for his people, and those who operate the gift of healing are compassionate for those who are sick. Like Jesus, they are moved by compassion and pray frequently for the sick. While believers can have faith to be healed and faith to pray for others to be healed, the gift of healing releases tremendous healing power beyond what an individual already believes.
Working of Miracles
The gift of miracles is the unlimited miraculous power which can change natural situations. The word working here is important because it means energy in the Greek language. Thus, this gift is literally the energy of miracles. Miracles happen when God supernaturally intervenes. God is a miracle-working God. His miracles reveal his presence and glory and create a sense of awe and wonder among the people. As a result of God’s miracles, many people came to him and glorified him (John 2:23, 11-45; Acts 9:36-42). Those who believe in Jesus will do miraculous works like he did and greater ones (John 14:12). They are able to do miracles because Jesus returned to the Father so the Spirit could be sent to believers.
Activating the Power Gifts
Those who operate in the power gifts are sensitive to the presence and power of God through his Spirit. They have a great desire for God to reveal himself and draw many to his Son, Jesus. They point people to Jesus and give glory to God. They understand God can work when and how he desires, but they stay prepared and available for his use. These gifts are accompanied by fully trusting God and fervently praying for his will to be done.
The mighty power of the Spirit is given to those who believe. Until believers are filled with the Spirit they are instructed to wait to receive the Spirit and be equipped with power from above (Luke 24:49). When they receive the Spirit without limit, then they are sent to do the Father’s will. Those whom God sends are filled with the Spirit without measure and equipped with mighty power (John 3:34). However, the Spirit’s power is held in reserve as an inactive force within a believer until it is released by faith.
The Spirit’s Voice Stirs Faith
The Spirit hears the living word of God and speaks that word to those who will believe. The Spirit will not speak on his own but will speak only what he has heard (John 16:13). He only speaks God’s word. Hence the word which the Spirit speaks is the word of God. His word will not contradict the written word, but it will give specific instructions to believers. Faith arises and a divine connection is made when the voice of the Spirit is heard. Today, believers can hear the word of God as spoken by the Spirit and have faith to flow in the power gifts.
Faith Energizes and Activates the Spirit’s Power
The energy of God flowing in and though a believer is the key to operating in the power gifts. The higher the energy expended the greater the miracle. Creative energy is the highest form of energy in the universe for it created everything which is seen. God released his energy and the world was formed.
Power is only stored energy until it is released into transforming or creative energy. A sports car with much power has only stored energy until it starts moving. The Spirit’s power within a believer has the potential to be stored as energy or released to transform and create. The Spirit’s creative energy displaces doubt and unbelief and supersedes sickness and poverty. Sickness and poverty abound in low-energy areas where the voice of the Spirit is not heard. For if the voice of the Spirit was heard, faith would arise and creative energy would cause sickness and poverty to flee.
When believers hear the voice of the Spirit within and speak his words, they release creative energy. The voice of the Spirit stirs up faith and releases his power. As believers give expression to the voice heard within them, they are expressing God’s word on the earth. Then they will produce his fruit; whatever they say and do will be fruitful.
4 Tips on Increasing the Energy
Many want to flow in the gifts but do not know how to prepare their vessel for the Spirit’s use. It takes supernatural energy flowing through an individual believer to flow with the gifts. The more energy flowing through the individual prepares them for greater use by the Spirit in the gifts. Here are four important ways to increase the flow of energy.
1. Pray in the Spirit
An intimate relationship with the Spirit is critical for those who want to flow in the gifts of the Spirit. Speaking in his language by praying in the Spirit is a good way to develop a relationship with him. It shows you are trusting him even when you cannot understand what you are saying with the carnal mind. “You, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 1:20-21). The more you pray in the Spirit, the more your faith and love increase.
2. Study the Word
Keep the word of God preeminent in your life. Believe the word and act on the word. Jesus, who is the word, “will come to have first place in everything” (Colossians 1:18). The word of God is alive and energizing. “The word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]” (Hebrews 4:12 AMP). Faith comes by hearing the word. You can flow in the gifts only according to the measure of your faith, which is consistent with the amount of revealed word in which you walk.
3. Stay Humble
The biggest hindrance to the flow of the energy and the demonstration of the gifts is pride. It’s an avenue the enemy can use when a person is beginning to operate in the gifts. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Grace is the operational power or life-giving energy which enables people to flow in the gifts.
Those who are being used of the Spirit are simply the vessels he is using. Before you have an opportunity to minister to someone, yield yourself to the Spirit by telling him you desire to be used by him. This will help you stay humble and sensitive to the leading of the Spirit.
4. Fellowship with the Father
God’s light is a form of energy. “If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). As you fellowship with the Father, he puts light and energy in you. Peter’s shadow healed people. The more you fellowship with the Father and walk in the light, the more energy will flow through your life.
Radically Initiating the Power Gifts
Many believers are waiting for the Spirit to move them, but they are not puppets on a string. Instead, they are co-workers with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). They can initiate the operation of the power gifts by keeping a fire burning within and yielding their vessels to be used by the Holy Spirit. Believers have been given a spirit of power, love, and self-control; but they have to keep the fire burning within to operate in the gifts (2 Timothy 1:6-7). Do not be timid or cowardly when it comes to operating the power gifts but be courageous.
When the fire burns within you and you are yielded to the Spirit, you will see opportunities to be used by the Spirit in operating the power gifts. Look for these opportunities and follow the prompting of the Spirit. Do not be led by the needs of the people but be motivated by love and sensitive to the Spirit’s leading.
What can you do when the power gifts are not flowing in a particular situation? Be moved by compassion and you can move the Spirit into action. When a leper asked Jesus to heal him, he was moved with compassion and healed him. “Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and . . . immediately the leprosy left him” (Mark 1:41-42). It would have been unlawful for Jesus to touch a leper, but he had so much power flowing through him that the leper was immediately healed.
True worship and fervent prayer move the Spirit. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they created an environment for the Spirit to move. As they prayed and praised God, a great earthquake caused the prison doors to fly open and everyone’s chains to come loose (Acts 16:25-26). Prayer and praise help believers establish an environment in which they can be used in operating the gifts.
Personal Story on Power Gifts
Recently, I prayed for several people to be filled with the Spirit. As they were filled with the Spirit, they were expected to pray for others to be filled. One of the first men I prayed for was catapulted into the air several feet above my head. He fell on the concrete floor on his back. The man laid there for several minutes and then suddenly jumped up and began praying for other people to be filled with the Spirit. Those he prayed for were filled with the Spirit. His being catapulted into the air and then falling on his back without an injury was an amazing demonstration of God’s power. I told the Lord I did not need to see anybody catapulted and fall like that again in order to know that his power operated in my life.
Conclusions
Everyone will face life and death situations, so they need to know how to flow in the power gifts. Now is the time to prepare for this type of situation. Otherwise, it may be too late. The power gifts are high-energy gifts which bring healing and creative miracles from the supernatural realm into the natural realm. Believers can increase the level of energy in their lives by building strong relationships with the Father, his Son, and his Spirit and staying humble before the Lord.
The conventional way to activate the power gifts is for a believer to yield to the Spirit and follow the Spirit’s leading. The Spirit manifests the power gifts as he wills. There are also radical ways to flow in the power gifts. Through true worship and fervent prayer, believers can create an environment in which the Spirit can demonstrate the power gifts. By moving with compassion, believers can seize opportunities for the power gifts to operate.
Study Questions
#1 Who do you know that is facing difficult situations and needs the power gifts to operate in his/her life now?
#2 What hinders you from operating in the power gifts?
#3 What can you do to increase God’s energy in your life?
#4 How can you become more sensitive to opportunities to flow in the power gifts?
#5 To whom would you be able to minister in the power gifts now?