I have been taught by the Lord about the gifts that are from God. These gifts are different from the gifts that are from the Spirit. The gifts that are from the Spirit are supposed to enable a believer obey the Lord. If you have been given a gift from the Spirit, you will find it easier to obey the Holy Spirit. When I was called by the Lord to be a prophet, I would struggle to hear Him speak. I needed to withdraw to a quiet room if I was to hear Him speak. I did hear the Lord speak in a soft voice. Later, the Lord’s voice became louder with time. This is a gift of prophecy. The gift of prophecy is a spiritual gift. It is a gift that a prophet needs to obey the Lord. If you do not have this gift, you cannot be a prophet. If you have ever prophesied under the direction of the Holy Spirit, it does not necessarily mean that you have the gift of prophecy. The Holy Spirit, can enable any abiding believer to prophesy for the edification of the church. If you have ever prophesied, you will learn that it happens often in a group of people. The people that have been prophesied to will always be encouraged. If the prophecy is not encouraging, then that is not a prophecy from God. That certainly is a deceiving spirit. If you are interested in a prophecy that is from the Lord, you need to learn that a prophet that is from the Lord is different from a prophet of God. Why? A prophet that is from the Lord is still in training. If that prophet that is still in training desires to go and reach out to people, that prophet will most often either speak in metaphors or be deceived by satan. A prophet that is from God, has been tested by the Lord and tempted by satan. A person who is zealous will often be unable to be patient. The Lord is patient. If you have a gift from the Spirit, it does not mean that you are able to serve the Lord immediately! The Lord will be the One to nurture that gift. My experience is that it takes time for that gift to grow, and it also depends on your obedience to the Holy Spirit.
How are the gifts that are from the Spirit different from the gifts that are from God? This is what we will learn in this chapter. The gifts that are from the Spirit are given at the time a person accepts the Lord’s calling upon him. If you have received a spiritual gift, it is to help you obey the Lord. On the other hand, the gifts that are from God are the gifts that are considered to come with nature. There are some gifts that a person might not even perceive are gifts from God. Who has a gift from God? All of us have gifts that are from God like; peace, wealth, wisdom, marriage, children, grandchildren, beauty, humility, intelligence, creativity, cooking, leadership and giving among many others. These gifts are to be used by a person to profit. If you have children, they should help and encourage you in your later life. If you have a spouse, you have a companion to enable you live better. If you have wealth, you will be able to afford most of the necessities in this life. The gifts from God, are the gifts that are always expected by everyone. Everyone wants a marriage, children, wealth, peace and a home. These are what people work for on a continuous basis to achieve. If you are in lack, that is a curse! The Lord is not going to curse anyone without a cause. If you are under a curse, you will need to have knowledge as to why a curse is upon your life! There are curses for every type of lack upon your life. For instance, if you have been desirous to hear the Lord speak, and has been unable to do so, then you probably have a curse upon your life. Why? If you have either worshipped other gods or practiced necromancy, the Lord has cursed you with a curse of deafness and dumbness! If you are in debt, then you or your forefathers sinned against the Lord by mocking His prophets. If you lack a spouse, then you or your forefathers sinned against the Lord by practicing witchcraft. When you realize that you are under a curse, you need the Lord. The Lord will be able to reveal to you what type of curse you are operating under and why! The Lord has the power to free you from whatever curse that has oppressed you. This is what most people are not able to know from another man. The person who desires to be free from curses needs to draw closer to the Lord. When that happens, you will be amazed at what the Lord can do.
The Lord has been able to teach me about a life of humility. A humble person is a person who has been gifted by the Lord to have favour before both God and man. A humble man will attract the people that are looking for God if that man has been chosen to be a prophet. The gift of humility is a prerequisite for a prophetic calling. If you are a prophet, then you have the gift of humility from God. This is not a spiritual gift. If you thought that this is a spiritual gift, then you have no knowledge of the things of God. This is why most humble men are directed to continue in the Lord. The Lord is able to speak through a humble man even without words! A teacher has a gift of teaching. He will most likely want to be in the midst of people. If he is not in the midst of people, he is unsettled. This is a gift from God. It is not a spiritual gift; however, there is the gift of teaching that is from the Spirit. They are different gifts; How? A teacher can be a person who loves learning, however, he may not have the ability to dispense the knowledge that he has acquired. If he is in the Lord, He will give him the gift of teaching from the Spirit to enable him dispense the knowledge he has received from the Lord. If a pastor has been called by the Lord, that person has a gift of encouragement from God. The gift of encouragement from God includes; the gifts of love, peace, understanding and help. The pastor that has been called by the Lord will be given the gift of encouragement from the Spirit that includes; the gifts of authority, love, peace, teaching, the word of knowledge and discernment of spirits. A person called by the Lord to be an apostle has a gift of leadership from God. If an apostle is called by the Lord, he will be given the gift of prophecy that includes; the gifts of the word of knowledge, teaching, love, oratory, authority, discernment of spirits, and healing. An evangelist is a person who has a gift of oratory from God. A person that has been called by the Lord to be an evangelist will be given the gift of administration that includes; the gifts of oratory, authority, love, encouragement and peace. The Lord has called people that are meant to be exactly what He desires them to be in the kingdom of God. If you are unable to understand that the Lord has called you, start by learning what your desires are. When you understand what your desires are, the Lord will confirm what the Holy Spirit has already hinted to you from the gifts that you have from God. These gifts that are from God are the ones that we have not merited nor asked for from God, but that can be identified in us as we live. When I was called by Lord, He called me a ‘humble man’. He spoke to me words that are from Jeremiah 33:3; “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not”. I did not understand at the time why the Lord was speaking to me and referring to me as ‘humble man’. I later learnt from the Lord that a prophet is a person who has a gift of humility from God. A person that is naturally humble will be a prophet if he comes to the Lord and is obedient. An aggressive person is not called to be a prophet by the Lord. A person who is called by the Lord to be a pastor will enjoy people’s company even before he is called by the Lord. If a person does not enjoy being around people, that person cannot be called by the Lord to be a pastor. An apostle is a person you would call ‘a natural born leader’. If a person is not a leader, he will not be called by the Lord to be an apostle. A person who often loves speaking to people will be called by the Lord to be an evangelist.