by George Runyan | Feb 20, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
1 Corinthians 12:9 – To another, gifts of healing by one Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the giver of healing, and He has many gifts or manifestations of healing. Our God is a God of restoration! In order for restoration to take place, it requires some kind of healing. It may be physical, mental, emotional, or relational healing. Mostly spiritual issues are at the core of all healing.
Today, let us consider the physical side of healing. There are multitudes of diseases in this world that oppress people’s lives. Peter spoke of “how God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38). Jesus demonstrated His delight and willingness to heal, even on the Sabbath, when He healed the Hebrew woman whom Satan had bound. Jesus asked the religious leaders, “Should not this woman, whom Satan had bound for eighteen years, be released from this bond on the Sabbath day” (Luke 13:16)?
God appointed the Sabbath as a day of rest. What better way to demonstrate God’s purpose of the Sabbath than to heal one whom the enemy had bound for many years? God gives “gifts of healing” to individual believers because He loves us and wants to help us enter into all forms of His rest. Whether we are addressing the healing of a broken spirit, a tormented soul or perhaps a broken body in some form, Jesus is still the healer today. He uses the body of believers to bring about healing for the masses, just as in His earthly ministry 2,000 years ago. The Holy Spirit will use all who yield to Him and are willing to receive wonderful gifts of His healing power.
oday, ask the Holy Spirit to use you to bring about healing in broken lives. They are all around us, beloved. All we must do is be available for the Holy Spirit to give us a healing gift for another. Father, I ask You to use me as an instrument of healing as often as You would choose.
by George Runyan | Feb 19, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
1 Corinthians 12:9 – To another faith is given by the same Spirit.
Faith is always being exercised in the public gathering of the saints. Each believer exercises their faith simply by assembling with other believers. At times, special faith is required. There are times when the Holy Spirit will impart to an individual believer a special gift of faith. In the public meeting, the Spirit may choose to use one or two individuals in the “gift of faith” to meet a particular need. The Scriptures declare, “We walk by faith” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our daily walk is an exercise of our personal faith in our Lord. There are also times when we must operate in faith through the application of particular Scriptures in various circumstances we face. Perhaps you are trusting for healing, believing for a certain financial need, or facing some impossible situation. We all face these times.
In every believer’s life there are times when a special gift of faith is required. These are times when the Holy Spirit will impart a special gift of faith to meet a need or answer the cry for help as we come to the end of our own operation of faith. Paul operated in special times of exceptional faith. “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out” (Acts 19:11-12).
I have personally had times when the Holy Spirit imparted special faith for a job to be done. I found this to be most often true when traveling into a foreign country and facing certain dangers. I knew, in these times, I was not operating in my normal walk of faith, but in special grace the Holy Spirit was supplying for a specific task. I do not experience the “gift of faith” daily, but over the years I have found the Lord to be so faithful to give me the grace of faith so I could accomplish what He had purposed for me to do.
Father, I pray that You will grace my life with special, even extraordinary measures of faith as needed. I pray to be reminded of Your ever-present help in time of need. I open up my spirit to the Holy Spirit, who is full of grace and gifts.
by George Runyan | Feb 18, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
1 Corinthians 12:8 – To another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit.
Paul reminds us that the same Spirit, who gives the word of wisdom to one, gives the word of knowledge to another. Paul is addressing the public gathering of believers and the need for godly order in the meeting. The Holy Spirit, who is charged with distributing the gifts, is also residing in each believer. He can release a gift through any believer at His will. The “word of knowledge” is not the knowledge one receives by diligent study or from a teacher in the classroom, but rather a supernatural word the Holy Spirit imparts. It is information the Spirit is privy to know, He chooses to share this information to accomplish His particular purpose. The word of knowledge can be very helpful in assisting when ministering to another. At times, the Spirit of the Lord will give a needed word of knowledge to assist a believer in problem solving.
I have experienced this gift operating when I had come to the end of my natural reasoning in a matter. I had exhausted my own resources of information and needed a word which the Holy Spirit held. Other times, while an individual is sharing with me their perspective, I will be praying, “Lord, give me Your supernatural knowledge of what this one needs.” Shortly, a word would come into my mind, or a picture that usually does not make sense to me, but communicated exactly what the other person needed. Our God is great! He is close to us by His Holy Spirit, and so willing to share His gifts with all His children. Develop a discipline of asking the Holy Spirit for a “word of knowledge” and see if He begins to share with you what you need to know. On a personal note, when I have lost something, I have asked the Holy Spirit to give me a word of direction to find the lost item. Many times, He has. It is not magic, but His word of knowledge freely given.
Go ahead. Begin to ask the Holy Spirit for the word of knowledge to operate in your life. Thank Him for the times this gift has operated, even though you did not recognize the knowledge you had received actually came from Him. He is closer than most of us realize. Nurture the relationship we have been so blessed to have with the Living God!
by George Runyan | Feb 16, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
1 Corinthians 12:7 – Each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
It is important to realize that Paul wrote to all the believers at Corinth and not just to a select few. As it relates to the gifts of the Spirit, many think a special few are able to operate in this realm. This could not be farther from the truth. God has no favorites! The Apostle Peter understood this when he said, “I most certainly understand now that God is not One to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34-35). We should rejoice over the fact that any believer can be used of God in regard to these supernatural gifts. The problem is never with God, but with us. The problem is rooted in our thinking and expectation. How do you expect God to use you? Do you trust in the Lord for His gifts to operate through your life? Some think that they are not worthy to be used, while others believe that the Lord does not manifest Himself through the gifts any longer. Whatever the blockage, let it go today. Allow the Holy Spirit to use you in releasing God’s kingdom through your life to another in need today.
Notice, Paul says, “The manifestation of the Spirit is for the common good.” The Lord intends for the gifts to be manifested regularly, not every once in a while. We should expect “Divine” appointments daily, where a gift of the Spirit freely operates through our lives. As we fellowship with other saints who have similar expectations, faith is increased to trust the Lord for His gifts. We do not want to breed familiarity with the work of the Spirit, but we should expect His manifestations regularly and always for the good of those in need. Be ready to be used of God by letting the Holy Spirit work though you. The needs are great and the Lord is calling His people to be workers with Him. Choose today to be an instrument of blessing to others wherever you may be, in the church assembly, at work, or even seated on an airplane. The Spirit of God is ready to use us. Are we ready to be used?
Father, I make myself available to be used by the Holy Spirit for the common good of others. I open my heart to You and yield all of me to the Holy Spirit’s control. I pray to be an instrument of righteousness for the common good of all those I meet today.
by George Runyan | Feb 15, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
1 Corinthians 12:4 – Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
The Holy Spirit chooses many ways to manifest His presence. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul discusses nine spiritual gifts that are manifestations of the Spirit. In verse 4, he lays the foundation for discussing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He begins by helping us know that it is the same Spirit regardless of the individual gift operating in the believer. The Holy Spirit chooses through whom He will manifest a particular gift. He chooses when and what gift to release. He is doing this everywhere in the earth through many different believers. He indeed is the Omnipresent God.
The Holy Spirit is manifesting His gifts through the various ministries our Lord Jesus has operating in the earth. The Spirit anoints individuals as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. He operates through the Deacons and all those who have Help ministries in the body of Christ. He expresses His gifts through the Administrators in the body of Christ. In fact, every believer can be used of the Spirit to express Christ’s love to His body the Church and through His body to the world. If you are a believer, you then are a candidate to be used of the Spirit of God in any variety of ways.
Our part in the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to allow Him to impart the gifts He chooses at any particular time. The rationalization of our mind is our biggest problem. God does not call us to give up our mind, but rather to yield our thinking to His Word. God’s promise is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit who produces God’s divine nature in the believer. This is what Paul meant when he said, “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). His divine nature which was manifested in Jesus Christ is now revealed in His children by the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you turn your mind over to Him. Ask Him to help you let the gifts of God operate when He so chooses. Ask Him to cause you to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and to be filled with the faith of the Son of God in every situation. Father, thank You for Your reservoir of gifts made available in the Holy Spirit. I am Your servant to be used as You choose.
by George Runyan | Feb 14, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Galatians 5:22 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love.
Many today will be celebrating what is called Valentine’s Day, a day that has been set aside to remember those we love. The love of the world has deep roots in the natural and the sensuous dimensions of love. This is not wrong when kept in the context of God’s designs for a man and woman. Paul contrasts love with the deeds of the flesh. This is why Paul uses the conjunction “but” as he begins his statement about the fruit of the Spirit, which consists of nine parts. Paul begins with “love.”
Love is the singular action that connects us to God and to one another. Jesus summed up the law with the word “love” in Matthew 22:37. In the upper room, Jesus gave His disciples a New Commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Love is central to the work of the Spirit because it comes from the very nature of God Himself, who is love. God’s love is like light, revealing the darkness of the works of the flesh.
Whether speaking of redemption or operating in the gifts of the Spirit, love must always be the motivating force. Agape love is the Father’s love, a love which is always putting others first. The Holy Spirit always leads with others in mind. He came because of others, He convicts because of others, and He saves because of God’s love for others. In everything you do, think, “How does this affect others?” Become one who is thinking about the other person. You can only do this by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our basic nature is a self-nature, but the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us Christ’s nature. His nature is a love nature. He cannot help Himself because He is Love.
Today, ask for Christ’s nature to be revealed and fully matured in you. Ask the Holy Spirit to fully accomplish the work of maturity in your life. Celebrate this day with a choice to yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him release the love of God through you to all those you touch.
