The Secret Place: 21 Day DevotionalSample

THE FRUIT OF POWER

1 Corinthians 14:1

Ask for gifts of the spirit, to increase in power for the benefit of the wider body of Christ. With these gifts comes responsibility. Our God is a good father. Knowing what these gifts require to maintain them, like any loving parent, our God will consider that we are responsible enough to handle them. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 sets out the Gifts of the Spirit, “To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.” To increase in power, we need to increase in our Spiritual Gifts. And how do we do that? We ask God, the giver of the gifts and more importantly than asking, we need to show that we are ready for them. A spiritual gift is a high value item. Even though our Heavenly Father gives them freely, we must appreciate that these gifts are highly valuable and worth a lot.

If a child asks their parents for a pet, before the parent answers yes or no, they will consider if their child has consistently shown that they can look after a pet. To gauge this they will look at how they look after other things in their life. How tidy do they keep their room? Commitment they have shown in school or to their extracurricular activities. They may consider how they show love and care for their toys or people in their lives to indicate whether they are ready or not to look after the pet. Drawing on this analogy, when we ask God for spiritual gifts. It's not just because of our persistent asking that He will bestow them unto us. Our character is important. It matters. Spiritual gifts should be on our prayer lists. We cannot grow in power and authority without them. But as children of God we need to show our heavenly Father that we will do what it takes to maintain the gift. How tidy do we keep our hearts? How much commitment do we show to reading the word? And to serve in church? Do we show love and care for the people in our lives? What can you start doing to show God you are ready for a Gift? The Fruit of the Spirit is a great place to start. Consider the Fruit to prepare you for the Gifts. Is there evidence of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control in our lives?

Will we be able to handle the gifts that God freely gives to us so He can use us?To be able to exercise His power effectively we must walk in the Gifts.