In yesterday’s devotional, we established that part of the believer’s identity is Charisma. We carry the Spirit of God and have been given spiritual gifts.

Now, the question is no longer whether we possess power and gifts in the spirit, but whether we are actively walking in them.

This is the point where many believers get stuck. We acknowledge that spiritual gifts exist, and we believe that others can operate in them. But when it comes to our own lives, some of us have doubts, or we remain passive towards the gifts of the Spirit. If nothing in your daily life as a believer shows that you know and believe in the charismatic, something is wrong.

The Bible tells us clearly in:
1 Corinthians 14:1
New King James Version
1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

Notice the word “desire” used in this text. The Greek word for desire used here is zēloō, which means to be zealous for, to earnestly seek, to covet. It is active and intentional.
In fact, this is the only place in scripture where the word zeloo is used in a positive light. Through scripture, it is often used to instruct the believer not to covet or be greedy for others’ properties. This goes to show the emphasis the Apostle Paul is placing on these gifts.

He instructed the church in Corinth and us, by extension, to earnestly want these gifts. Desire them. Pursue them. Go after them with intention.
God seeks men through whom He would show mighty wonders. He wants you to actively seek to operate in these gifts. And the truth is that God has given every man freewill, so as much as the supply of the Spirit is real, powerful and available, it requires your participation.

And you might be thinking, “Oh, well, does it really matter? My salvation isn’t lost if I don’t function in the gifts of the Spirit.” To answer that, let’s see what Scripture says in:

1 Peter 4:10
New King James Version
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

God did not give you spiritual gifts just for your own benefit. As beneficial as they would be for your comfort and advantage in life, that’s not the main purpose of spiritual gifts. These gifts were given so that, through them, others can receive something. They are not ornaments for your spiritual resume, but they are tools for ministry. They are expressions of God’s grace designed to meet needs in people’s lives.

If someone is in crisis around you and you have nothing to offer beyond natural advice and sympathy, something is missing. The Spirit within you carries answers, healing, deliverance, wisdom, and power. But if you have not desired the gifts, if you have not positioned yourself to flow in them, you will stand in front of people’s needs with empty hands. And that is a tragedy because you are carrying a solution to their problem: a supply you are not accessing.

Imagine that you have been walking through a desert for days without food or water, and you finally meet someone who has a bottle of cold water, but the person who is carrying the bottle refuses to give it to you because he doesn’t want to open the lid. How would that feel?
That is exactly what you are doing to yourself and to the souls around you.
Those who are hungry for the word of God, those who are parched, those who are being oppressed by the devil. Their souls are in need of the water you carry.

1 Corinthians 12:7 reinforces this:
New King James Version
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.

The manifestation of the Spirit, the outward expression of the gifts, is given for the profit of all.
Every gift you carry was designed to meet a need and bring God glory in someone else’s situation. The word of knowledge you receive could redirect someone’s life. The gift of healing you operate in could deliver someone from years of suffering. The prophecy you speak could bring hope to someone on the edge of giving up. The discerning of spirits you walk in could expose the enemy’s work and set captives free.

You have been given a supply that the world around you desperately needs. And the only thing standing between the gifts lying dormant and the gifts flowing freely is your desire and intentionality.
You should want it enough to walk in it every day. Not just in special meetings. Every single day. In your workplace. In your neighbourhood. In your family. Wherever you go, you are carrying something people need, whether they know it or not.

So desire the gifts of the Spirit. Desire them because they allow you to minister to others. Desire them because they bring God glory. Desire them because the world around you is desperate for what you carry. Position yourself to flow in these gifts and watch what God does when you make yourself available to be used.

Prayer Point
Father, I thank You for the gifts of Your Spirit. Help me to flow in them daily, to stay sensitive to Your promptings, and to minister Your grace wherever I go. Let my life be marked by the manifestation of Your Spirit and bring souls to the light of the Gospel.