Holy Spirit - Breath of Godنموونە

FAN INTO FLAME

Like natural abilities, spiritual gifts need to be stewarded. We all need to fan into flame the gifts that God gives us. We need other believers who have similar gifts to encourage us, passing on wisdom and learnings. When it comes to spiritual gifts, many of us expect the Holy Spirit to supernaturally tell us what our gift is, when in reality, he works through our desires to prompt us to step out in faith. We discover our gifts by listening to the Spirit’s prompting to try something, stepping out in faith to see if he has gifted us with a certain gift. We discover our gifts by trying them out and seeking feedback from others, remembering that gifts are for the good of the church. If the church believes you don’t have a certain gift, you should listen to their feedback.

Below is some guidance on how to fan into flame some spiritual gifts.

HOW TO PRAY FOR HEALING

1. ASK PERMISSION TO ASK QUESTIONS: Not everyone is in a position to share or is comfortable sharing.

2. ASK CAREFUL QUESTIONS: Where does it hurt? How long have you struggled with this affliction? What have doctors said? Is the problem primarily physical, emotional, or spiritual? Do you feel under spiritual attack? Ask the Holy Spirit as you ask the person! Encourage the person to ask the Holy Spirit as well.

3. DISCERN: Try to discern if the pain is due to illness, sin, demonic influence, stress, addictions, or bad choices. Be careful. Be nuanced. Be gracious.

4. PRAYER: Name the affliction. Be specific in asking for the Holy Spirit’s healing power in the name of Jesus. Ask if you can lay hands on them. Respect their boundaries if they don’t want hands laid on them. Ask the person to close their eyes as you keep yours open. Take your time. If someone is shaking or crying, ask follow-up questions and keep praying.

5. ASK & ENCOURAGE: How do you feel? Remind them of God’s love and how he works in time. Encourage them to keep having faith and praying. Remember that healing or relief is not the measure of success; obedience is.

HOW TO SPEAK PROPHECY/WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

1. FOCUS: Choose someone you will minister to.

2. PRAY: Invite the Holy Spirit to give you a prophetic word, word of encouragement, Scripture passage, or word of knowledge to encourage the person you’re ministering to.

3. WAIT: Leave space and time for the Holy Spirit, don’t be in a rush. We cannot demand the Holy Spirit, so sometimes we will not receive anything, and that’s okay. You don’t have to be perfect—just be faithful, humble, and pastoral in your waiting.

4. REFLECT: Once you’ve discerned the prompting, reflect: why might the Spirit be giving you this prompting? Ask what author Pete Greig calls the A.B.C. of Prophecy:

•Affirming: Is the message encouraging, strengthening, edifying?

•Biblical: Is the message consistent with the teachings of the Bible?

•Christlike: Is the message consistent with the character, mission, and message of Jesus?

Any prophecy that is a prediction of the future, confronting, contentious, or potentially pastorally harmful (e.g. telling a woman struggling to conceive that she will have a child) should be taken to a pastor for weighing before sharing.

5. SHARE: This takes vulnerability, courage, and faith, but trust the Holy Spirit and share what He is putting on your heart. Carefully and pastorally share the Holy Spirit’s message, trying to do so without commentary or promises. Avoid saying, “Thus says the Lord…” Instead, try, “I believe the Lord is saying this…”

6. RECEIVING PROPHECY: The person receiving the prophecy needs to weigh it up and wait on it before walking in it.

•Weighing: Ask the person to weigh the message using the A.B.C framework. Encourage them to pray, seeking the Spirit’s guidance through Scripture and the counsel of saints. Encourage them to weigh not just the message but the messenger.

•Waiting: Not all prophecy is for the now; some may take years to fulfill, as shown in the Bible.

•Walking in It: When the Spirit prompts, obey and step out in faith. Not all words of prophecy will be true or from the Lord, which is why they need to be weighed. Poor attempts at speaking prophetic words should not discourage us from using or receiving this gift. As Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.”