EXCELLING IN

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Pastor Damian Uzoruo

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 Divine Majesty Worship Ministry
Other Books by the Same Author:

* Maintaining Your Deliverance

First Published October, 2003

* Pathway to Prosperity
First Published April, 2004

* Hindrances to Prayer and Deliverance

First Published August, 2004

* Curses: Sources, Symptoms and Solutions

First Published July, 2005

EXCELLING IN SPIRITUAL GIFTS

First Edition 2006

ISBN 978-37827-2-X
Printed in Nigeria
Copyright © Pastor Damian Uzoruo 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the
publisher.

All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) unless otherwise
identified.

Short extracts may be used for review and teaching purposes.

Published by
Divine Majesty Worship Ministry
19, Olu-Irolu Street, Off Adeshina Street,
Ijeshatedo, Surulere,
P.O.Box 2559, GPO Marina,
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 Lagos, Nigeria
Tel: 01-7914369
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: http://www.divinemajesty.org

DEDICATION

As acknowledged in my previous works, the Holy Spirit updates

me in wisdom and knowledge on a daily basis. I therefore
dedicate this book to The Sweet Holy Spirit for His great power
for accomplishment upon my life.

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 CONTENTS

Dedication
Acknowledgement
Preface
Forward
Introduction
Chapter 1 THE HOLY SPIRIT
Chapter 2 THE NATURE OF MAN
Man’s Spirit
Man’s Soul
Man’s Body

Chapter 3 PREPARING FOR GOD’S USE

Chapter 4 HOLINESS
Chapter 5 MAINTAINING GOD’S FIRE
Chapter 6 SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Chapter 7 HOW YOU CAN RECEIVE THE GIFTS

Chapter 8 HOW GOD SPEAKS

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The Word of God (The Scriptures)
The Inward Witness
Still Small Voice

The Voice of The Holy Spirit

Perception

Through The Advice and Counsel of God’s Ministers

Dreams

Vision

Angels

Trance

Through Prevailing Circumstances

Inner Conviction

Audible Voice

One’s Heart Desire

Positive Thoughts

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 Through Our Conscience
Intuition
Instincts
Divine And Unquenchable Love
Through Songs
Chapter 9 THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Revelational Gifts
- Word of Wisdom
- Word of Knowledge
- Discerning of Spirits
Power Gifts

- Gift of Faith
- Working of Miracles
- Gifts of Healing
Utterance, Vocal Or Talking Gifts
- Prophesy
- Gift of Speaking In Diverse Kinds of Tongues
- Interpretation of Tongues
Chapter 10 KNOWING A GOOD SEER
Chapter 11 CAUSES OF SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS
Chapter 12 DISTINGUISHING THE VOICE OF GOD
Chapter 13 CONTROLLING THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

Chapter 14 MINISTRIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE

MANIFESTATION OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
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Chapter 15 DIFFERENTIATION IN MINISTRIES
Office of Apostle
Office of Prophet
Office of Evangelist
Office of Pastor
Office of Teacher
Office of Elder
Office of Deacon
The Ministry of Helps
Government
Chapter 16 THE HOLY SPIRIT VERSUS
DEMON SPIRIT GUIDES
Chapter 17 CONCLUSION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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I would like to acknowledge the vast spiritual/human resources
made available to me by God Almighty in both the workers of
my Ministry and also some friends in the vineyard. They are too
numerous to mention one after the other. However, their
immense contributions have been as timely as they have been
valuable. I cannot thank you enough, but pray that God will
continue to fulfill His highest heights in your lives in Jesus name.

I will ever remain grateful to God for the wonderful wife (my
Dove) that He gave to me. I often marvel at her work rate and
patience in typing, retyping and administratively putting my
manuscripts together to metamorphose into the wonderful books
the Lord has been blessing us with. You are a blessing to
humanity.

May God bless you all in Jesus name.

Pastor Damian Uzoruo

Ijeshatedo, Lagos, Nigeria
October, 2006.
PREFACE
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A critical look at the Church today reveals so much abuse of
‘spiritual privileges’. In some quarters, there is so much
ignorance and lack of vision and focus that hopelessness and
frustration have become the order of the day. Why has the
Church that Jesus Christ gave special gifts after ascending on
high suddenly become powerless? Why is she being ruled and
controlled by ‘lower’ powers as though she were lacking in grace
for exploits? In Ephesians Chapter four verses seven and eight, it
is written, “But unto everyone of us is given grace according to
the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he
ascended up on high, he led captivity (spiritual wickedness in
both high and low places) captive, and gave gifts (divine
spiritual powers to subdue powers of darkness and bring them
to the obedience of Christ) unto men.”

It is therefore very clear that everyone in the Church is already a

recipient of a particular gift(s). These gifts I maintain, are not just
to make you different from any other, but to make you God’s
battle axe to crush the deeds of darkness. Excelling in Spiritual
Gifts is not just another book to be read and used to decorate

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your library. It is a book that fundamentally addresses the reality
of these gifts, how to receive them and how to put them to
optimal use in order to fulfill your destiny. It is a book that
wonderfully paints an unmistakable picture of who you are
supposed to be in Christ Jesus. It lifts you from the ordinary
plane to the realm of the supernatural, where exploits become a
natural thing to you.

Many are operating in confusion, not knowing where they

belong. Some out rightly, do not know what God’s blue-print for
their lives are, hence today they answer an Evangelist, tomorrow
a Prophet and next tomorrow an Apostle. Now, you have a
spiritual compass in your hands to locate your place in God. You
will henceforth stop labouring in other people’s fields.

You will also receive power as of old, by coming to terms with

what Prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc. meant when they said
“The Lord said to me”. In other words, you will understand the
numerous ways through which God speaks to us. It is possible
you had ignorantly and unwittingly bound God’s voice in the
past, having mistaken it for the voice of the devil. God’s voice

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will now become real to you and you will now begin to feel His
all-encompassing presence on a daily basis.
However, I must stress that mere knowing that something exists
does not give you the right to have it. It takes knowledge that
such a thing belongs to you to have same. Spiritual Gifts are for
the Church - a part of which you are. You can therefore stand and
press in for your own portion.

It is very necessary however, to know that there is almost always

a price to pay for every crown. The price for receiving,
functioning and excelling in these Gifts is purity and
righteousness (Psalm 45: 7)

Excelling in Spiritual Gifts is another Holy Ghost inspired and

empowered project. Teaching on this subject has always
commanded strong divine visitation even amongst the workforce
of Divine Majesty Worship Ministry.

You have been dominated enough. Time for your dominion over
the mighty has come in Jesus Name.

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PASTOR DAMIAN UZORUO
Tel: 0805 645 9997

FOREWORD

In Matthew Chapter 26: 24, it is written “The Son of man goeth

as it is written of him …” This is an indication that everyone
born into this world has a divine agenda (as it is written of
him/her) which of course ought to be fulfilled during the person’s
life time.

Jesus fulfilled His mission and everything as it was written of

Him. Unfortunately, many people come to this world, live and
die without knowing who they are, let alone knowing what is
written of them to be fulfilled in life.

In Judges Chapter 6:12, the Angel of God appeared to Gideon

and addressed him as “mighty man of valour” and went on to
say that the Lord was with him. This came when he was heart
broken, helpless and frustrated as he and his people (the
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Israelites) were under the yoke of oppression from their enemies.
Apparently, this encounter surprised Gideon because as at that
time, he was yet to discover who he was and what the Lord
deposited in him. However, that encounter marked the beginning
of his rise to stardom, as the Lord used him to deliver his people
from the bondage of the enemy. The above instance is still the lot
of many people who are yet to discover who they are and what
God has deposited in them. To this end, the simple message that
Pastor Damian Uzoruo is communicating to you through
Excelling in Spiritual Gifts is that “you are greater than you can
ever imagine”.

In this Holy Spirit inspired and well researched Book, the author
has x-rayed the various spiritual gifts the Almighty God deposits
in people and which when desired, discovered, developed and put
into maximum use, would shatter the shackles or strongholds of
ignorance. To receive and sustain these gifts, one necessarily
needs discipline, holiness and being in right standing with God.

As the reader is further enlightened on the various ways God

speaks to His people, various Gifts ranging from Revelational,
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Power and Utterance Gifts and the various Ministerial Callings or
Governmental Offices in the Church are expounded, then he (the
reader) is transformed from being a spiritual dwarf to a spiritual
giant who is able to strengthen, edify and empower the body of
Christ.

Pastor Damian Uzoruo therefore deserves our commendation for

his courage and boldness to delve into, research and come up
with this inspirational, enlightening and classical master piece
that will not only awaken “sleeping gifts” in many people, but
will also expose them to the tremendous power these gifts can
generate.

I therefore recommend this book to all who wish to excel in their

various callings in life.

Obiefule L. Alisigwe Esq.

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 INTRODUCTION

It is certain that we need special guidance in most areas of our

lives. This is because ignorance of what to do in life and the
circumstances of life are what actually defeat people, hence most
people’s problem are not caused by the devil, but ignorance. For
instance, we are charged in I Corinthians 12:31:

“But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a
more excellent way.

In this context, the word “Covet” means desiring eagerly or

earnestly. It is only spiritual things that we are permitted to covet
(not worldly things). The gifts of the Spirit are not received by
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accident. You can receive the gifts when your desire is so
strong/intense to have them. Many people have been desiring the
spiritual gifts without knowing that they had the gifts before they
even became born again Christians, they put them (the gifts) in a
“box” due to ignorance of either how to stir up these gifts or use
them. In other words, lack of knowledge has been hindering them
from identifying and manifesting these gifts up to God’s ordained
standard, hence the need for this write-up.

You will not receive the gifts of the Spirit by accident. You will
receive the gifts of the Spirit only because your desire is so
intense that you must have them; then you will receive them

In this book, we shall be discussing about Spiritual gifts, why

God gave us the gifts, and how tremendous the operation of these
gifts can be in our lives as well as help us realize the fact that we
are candidates of not just one of the gifts, but all of them. We
shall also take a look at the gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit
as well as their operations in the body of Christ today.

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God can win a mighty battle with just a few people. By using
only Gideon and his faithful 300, God defeated tens of thousands
of the enemies (Judges 7 and 8). God does not need a host of men
to win a battle. He just needs sincere and dedicated people whose
hearts are fully turned to Him. In this case, to win a total victory,
He needs those who have received the endowment of the gifts of
the Spirit to function in their lives and Ministries.

The body of Christ is an advancing army; we do not retreat. Our

warfare is not carnal: it is spiritual. We are not fighting doctrines
or peoples or denominations. We are warring in the spirit and the
gifts of the Spirit are a necessary part of our fighting gear, both
defensive and offensive but especially offensive. It is the power
of God flowing from our spirits that convinces people.

Jesus does not want to come back for a Church that is sick, sad
and defeated. He wants to come back for a Church that is
glorious; winning victory after victory and setting men free by
the power of God. This is necessitated by the fact that church
members need to be equipped to perform their respective duties
in the body of Christ so that the Church can perform the work
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God has given to her effectively. It is my desire that through this
study of the gifts of the Spirit, you will recognize the true
greatness of these Spiritual gifts and allow them to become a vital
part of your life. In other words, this write-up will help us to
identify how we are supposed to utilize the gifts so that they can
yield blessings to us and the body of Christ as a whole.

Chapter 1

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Who is the Holy Spirit?

He is the third person of the Godhead but a deeper sense, He is
God Himself.
Genesis 1: 1-3 states:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the
earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the
face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of
the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was
light.

God the Father has great respect for the Holy Spirit, likewise
Jesus Christ. He is so important that God the Father could not
commence creation without Him. When the earth was without
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form and was void and the darkness was upon the face of the
deep, God did nothing. It was until the Spirit moved that God
spoke. God never said anything until the Spirit came. He has so
much respect and regard for the Holy Spirit because He cannot
do anything without the Spirit.

John 6: 63 says:

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the

words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

The Holy Spirit is the one that gives life, makes one effective,
empowers, quickens, strengthens, raises up, etc. He is life, the
source of strength and the joy of our salvation. If He is all these,
then serving God and doing His work without Him and His
virtues will be frustrating. The Christians of today do not know
the importance of the Holy Spirit nor do they accord Him His due
respect. Problems will never cease in our lives until we
understand His importance and give Him a place in everything
we do.

No prophet standing as God’s mouthpiece can speak or act

without the Holy Spirit. This was the same Spirit that came upon
Moses and enabled him to write the 5 books of Moses or the
Torah especially the Book of Genesis. The Holy Spirit took him
back thousands of years before he was born, even to the time of
creation and enabled him to write about what happened during
those times. Moses wrote about the Book of Genesis from the
revelations of the Holy Spirit.

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Chapter 2

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 THE NATURE OF MAN

It is important we briefly look into man’s nature as created by

God. Basically, man’s nature comprises of three parts namely:
the Spirit, the Soul and the Body. That explains why Apostle
Paul, while speaking to the Thessalonians in I Thessalonians 5:
23 prayed thus:

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God
your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Based on the above quoted Scripture, we understand that man is a

spirit who has a soul and lives in a body.

Man’s Spirit
As we have known, a part of man is made up of the spirit simply
called man’s spirit. God (man’s creator) guides him through his
(man’s) spirit. That is why we are meant to understand in
Romans 8: 16 and 14 that:

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“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God.”

God’s Spirit leads us through our spirits. Remember that God

created man in His image and after His likeness (Genesis 1:26-
27) and John 4:24 clarifies that:

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth.”

If we must be led by the Spirit of God, we must become more

spirit conscious by realizing the fact that we are spirit beings.

Man’s spirit is called different names in the Bible. For instance,

Apostle Peter called man’s spirit “the hidden man of the heart”.
This can be found in I Peter 3:4:

“But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not
corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God of great price.”
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The scriptural quotation above makes it clear that this hidden
man of the heart (man’s spirit) is in the sight of God a great price.
No wonder Proverbs 20: 27 informs us that:

“The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the
inward parts of the belly.”

It means that the spirit of man is so important that it is the lamp

or light bulb of the LORD.

Also, Apostle Paul called man’s spirit “the inward man” as

written in II Corinthians 4: 16:

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man
perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

The inward man which is “man’s spirit” is the real you. The
inward man never grows old. He is renewed day by day. He is
never old. Yes, he is renewed day by day. He is the spirit man.

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The Spirit of God bears witness with the spirit of man. II
Corinthians 5:17 says:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old

things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

The spirit of man is the part of man that is born again. It is the
part of man that becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus.

Man’s Soul

This comprises of man’s intellect, emotion and mind. The soul is

not the innermost being at all. It is to be renewed and the saving
of the soul is a process. James 1: 18-21 gives us more insight:

“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my
beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak,
slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God.Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”
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Here James is speaking to born again believers. He called them
“my beloved brethren” which means they were in Christ. Yet he
encourages these born again, spirit-filled Christians to receive the
engrafted word with meekness, which is able to save their souls.

Evidently, their souls were not saved despite the fact that they
claimed to be born again Christians, hence, the need for
continuous renewal of our souls.

Apostle Paul speaks about the renewing of the mind in Romans

12: 2:

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by

the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

The Psalmist, David also speaks about the restoring of the Soul:
“He restoreth my Soul…” (Psalm 23: 39). In the word, our
spirits become brand new creatures in Christ Jesus but our souls,
however, must be renewed or restored and it is the word of God
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that saves and renews our souls and our minds. When our minds
are renewed with the word of God, then we think in line with
what God’s words say. It enables us to know and prove the
permissive and perfect will of God. Once we get our souls saved,
we do not have so many questions about the will of God. In fact,
one of the greatest needs in the Church is to have minds renewed
with the word of God. This goes a long way in ensuring excellent
manifestation of spiritual gifts by God’s children.

Man’s Body

This is simply the physical part of a human being. It can also be

called the outward man as written in II Corinthians 4:16:

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man
perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

The above Scripture reference shows that the inward man (the
spirit of man) is the real you, while the outward man is only the
house in which you live in. Ecclesiastes 12: 7 clarifies that it
would return to the earth while the spirit returns to God:

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“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit
shall return unto God who gave it.”

No wonder II Corinthians 4:16 reminds us that:

“…but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is
renewed day by day.”

Even Colossians 3:5 exhorts us to put to death whatever belongs

to our earthly nature. So, when the physical body of man is dead
and in the grave, the spirit lives on.

Colossians 3:5 (NIV):

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly

nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed,
which is idolatry.”

Chapter 3

PREPARING FOR GOD’S USE

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Here, preparing means doing things that would make us ready for
God’s use. That is, making our lives (both spiritual and physical)
to be in such a condition that God would be happy to dwell in and
fully use us to His glory.

Since it has been established that the LORD is righteous in all

His ways, it therefore implies that we as His vessels (created in
His own image and likeness) ought to be totally righteous and
holy before He can fully use us. That is, we should be prepared
by building up ourselves continuously. One of the things that
make churches weak is that only few people among many
(members) build up themselves and they are the ones used by the
LORD to successfully carry out their (churches’) numerous
programmes. Here, building one’s self means one equipping
himself/herself to perform the work that God wants him/her to
perform in the body of Christ excellently. This means we should
be able to carry out our respective duties within the church so that
the church, as a body can effectively perform God’s work as
assigned to her.

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The first requirement for us to successfully carry out God’s
assignment is genuine repentance as made clear in Ezekiel 14: 6:

“Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Repent, …and turn away your faces from all your
abominations.”

The Bible (the word of God) makes us to understand that if we

say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us. But if we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I
John 1: 8-9). Further, II Chronicles 30:18-20 throws more light:

“For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and

Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed
themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was
written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD
pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God, the
LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according
to the purification of the sanctuary. And the LORD hearkened
to Hezekiah, and healed the people.
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The striking point here is that they did not die because they
genuinely repented, sanctified and purified themselves;
otherwise, they would have died. God is always happy seeing our
hearts longing, thirsty, yearning and seeking for Him as declared
by David in Psalm 63:1:

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul

thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty
land, where no water is;”

When God finds such hearts, He does as written in Isaiah 43: 24-
25:

“You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished
on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with
your sins and wearied me with your offenses. "I, even I, am he
who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and
remembers your sins no more.”(NIV)

The Amplified Bible can also be used for more explanation:

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“You have not bought Me sweet cane with money, or satiated
Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have only burdened
Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities. I,
even I, am He Who blots out and cancels your transgressions,
for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

In fact, God searches the hearts. When our hearts are longing,
thirsty, yearning and seeking for God; wanting always to please
Him, He would readily pardon us, blot out our transgressions,
and bless us. It is clearly stated in II Timothy 2: 19-21 that:

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this

seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one
that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a
great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but
also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to
dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he
shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the
master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”

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The foundation of the Lord cannot be perfect without the fruit of
the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness,
faithfulness, meekness and temperance (Galatians 5: 22-23)

Although, we pray for God’s purging (purification), let it be

known that we are the ones that are supposed to purge ourselves.
Purging, in this context, has to do with both physical and spiritual
purification. That is why we are exhorted in I Peter 1: 22-23 thus:

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth

through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that
ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word
of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

If you expect a great move of God in your life, you must

consecrate yourself. That desire for spiritual gifts must come
from within you. It is a craving coming up out of you like liquid
fire, so that you say with determination “I will receive”. In I
Corinthians 14: 12, Paul says:

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“Even so ye, for as much as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts,
seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church.”

Mark the word “zealous” and “seek”. We are to be zealous of

spiritual gifts and seek to excel in them. To seek a fortune
requires effort. You have to go out after it, not just sit in the
house all day.

Note that God did not call any man and label him as gold, silver,
wood, or earth, but our level of purging or purification would
help us to be fit and able for every good work. So, we are the
ones to determine our position – whether gold, silver, earth or
wood. To be physically fit and able for every good work, we
must develop ourselves in diverse fields of life. For spiritual
development, we have to be prayerful (including praying in the
Spirit), holy, righteous and obedient to God. For instance, Moses
grew up in the king’s palace- well educated (Acts 7:21-22). After
that, he passed through spiritual training; then, he was sent back
by the Lord for the main assignment.

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When one is well equipped, he can now be fit and capable to
defend Christ. Note that the training is not totally in God’s hands,
but also in our own hands. We ought to continue learning until
we depart from this world. The way we make ourselves ready for
God, His word and His work determines our position. One can
learn by buying and studying books, listening to other people’s
teachings, interact with other people, etc. When we identify and
pursue the right things, there would hardly be any problem on the
way.

Again, referring to II Timothy 2:20:

“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of
silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and
some to dishonour.”

That is to say the house of God is great. Those that their

foundations are sure are gold and silver, but those that do not
have Christ in truth and in spirit have their foundations made of
wood and earth. It is better to spend time with God than man. If
we spend more time in purging ourselves, then our prayer would
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yield much positive result. In other words, when we spend time
with God in prayers and studying His words, we would become
vessels of honour, sanctified and profitable for the master’s use;
fit and ready for any good work. That explains why David prayed
in Psalm 139:23-24 as thus:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my
thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead
me in the way everlasting”.

So, we need continuous purging. Apart from that, some people

are from wicked backgrounds (probably unknown to them) which
hinder them from being vessels of honour thereby making them
to question God: “Where are you?”

Galatians 5:16-17 says:

“…Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the
flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so
that ye cannot do the things that ye would”.
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There are many things that constitute lust of the flesh: slumber
and over-sleeping, gluttony, drinking alcoholic drinks, smoking
etc. When one is a vessel of honour, he flows in a higher
frequency than others. This requires one to go extra miles in
reading and studying the Bible, fasting, praying, engaging in less
conversation, hating alcoholic drinks, hating covetousness, etc.
The flesh does not like rejecting them; rather, it would give
diverse reasons why one cannot do without them – which would
be supported by human elements. So, we have the privilege to
decide the one we actually want.

Galatians 5: 18 further states:

“But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law”.

That means that if we are led and we walk in the Spirit of God,
we would be in a better position to do right things at the right
time as directed by the word of God. This confirms the word of
God in Ecclesiastes 3:1 which says:

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“To EVERY thing there is a season, and a time to every
purpose under the heaven:”

Further, Galatians 5: 19-21 specifies works of the flesh as

follows:

“…adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (excessive

desire for sex), idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you
before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

They cannot possess what God has in store for them.

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 Chapter 4

HOLINESS

The Scriptures make us to understand that God made us in His

image and likeness as stated in Genesis 1: 26-27. Also Psalm
145: 17 states that:

“The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his
works.”

Therefore, we that are created in His own image and likeness

ought to be righteous and holy in all our ways and works. In other
words, we must live in holiness and righteousness so as to do the
things of God successfully and to His glory.

The word “Holiness” is derived from the adjective “Holy”

which is used to describe a sacred or consecrated being, thing or
creature. God as the Most High being and our Maker clearly
states in Leviticus 11: 44 thus:
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“For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify
yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye
defile yourselves….”

Since holiness and righteousness are some of God’s attributes, we

ought to exhibit them so that His Spirit can dwell in and work
through us. It is written in 1 John 5: 17 that all unrighteousness is
sin; and Proverbs 14: 34 says that:

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any

people.”

The word “Reproach” simply means shame, disgrace, regret and

loss of honour. Living in sin brings or attracts shame, disgrace
and dishonour to people. Unrighteousness hinders people from
operating in God’s gifts; from getting to the main realm God
desires for them. In fact, unrighteousness hinders the
manifestation of God’s fullness and perfect will for man. No
wonder I Thessalonians 5: 22 instruct us to abstain from all
appearances of evil. Also, I Peter 3: 10-13 admonishes:
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“For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his
tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him
eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For
the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are
open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them
that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers
of that which is good?”

Unrighteousness manifests in diverse ways through people. For

example, if somebody gives you money, not as a loan or
refundable, maybe one million Naira to start business; if you
refuse to pay tithe from that money, it is unrighteousness
(Malachi 3:10). Also, when you as a husband raise your hand to
beat your wife, it is not right; or even you as a wife to rebel
against your husband, it is a sin because God says you are to
submit yourself to your husband (Ephesians 5: 22-24). Again,
when a servant disobeys his or her master, it is a sin because the
Bible says servants must obey their masters (Ephesians 6:5).
These and other ungodly attitudes are unrighteousness.

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Anger is another form of unrighteousness because the Bible says
that anger lies in the bottom of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7:9). When
you wake up in the morning and do not pray, it is
unrighteousness because the word of God encourages us to seek
Him early (Psalm 63: 1). It is not good to use your hand to beat
your child, but to use a rod so as to deliver his soul from hell
(Proverbs 23: 14; Proverbs 22:15). Stinginess is an act of
unrighteousness. Covetousness is also a sin, etc.

I Corinthians 12: 2 says:

“Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb
idols, even as ye were led.”

We are aware of the fact that many Christians are not biologically
“original” Jews (by birth), but are adopted as a result of their
acceptance of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour
(Romans 8: 15 and 23; Galatians 4:6). We had gone astray in
many ways before that acceptance.

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Using the Amplified version of the Bible, I Corinthians 12: 3,
admonishes:

“Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking

under the power and influence of the (Holy) Spirit of God (can)
ever say, Jesus be cursed and no one can (really) say, Jesus is
(My) Lord, except by and under the Power and influence of the
Holy Spirit.”

The explanation or interpretation of the above quoted portion of

the Scripture could be sub-divided into different parts. One of the
parts people usually consider as insignificant is when they
(probably in anger) say “go to hell with your Jesus”. Another way
is: “I will keep my Bible and deal with you; after that, I will carry
it again”. It means that the person has kept Jesus aside.

Again, the fact that someone confesses Jesus or attends a

particular denomination of Church does not mean that he is born
again or has accepted Him (Jesus). The time we can easily
identify those that are truly born again is when they mention or
confess the name of Jesus Christ under the strong anointing of the
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Holy Spirit. This can be used as a criterion to detect those that
have been delivered. In other words, those delivered can easily
confess Jesus Christ under strong anointing, and they can be
referred to as true born again Christians. The born again
Christians are made up of those that are living as God’s image
and likeness. This is possible only when we desist from all forms
of evil (i.e. those things God and our conscience disagree with)
and always do good and right things. Further, Psalm 24: 3-5
expatiates:

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall
stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure
heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn
deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and
righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

It is possible for one to have clean hands without a pure heart.

People whose hearts are given to vanity do not have pure hearts,
hence they are so engrossed in material things which cannot
redeem them. They place those things before God and seek them
above God thereby worshipping idols in their hearts or minds.
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This explains why God warns in Ezekiel 14:4-9

“Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his
idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity
before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will
answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because
they are all estranged from me through their idols.

Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn
away your faces from all your abominations. For every one of
the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel,
which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in
his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before
his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning
me; I the LORD will answer him by myself: And I will set my
face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb,
and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall
44
know that I [am] the LORD. And if the prophet be deceived
when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that
prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will
destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.”

Note that God will not force anyone to live right; neither will He
force a person to heaven. He did not force Lucifer the arch-angel
to live right when Lucifer rebelled against Him. He did not try to
make Adam live right after he had sinned in the Garden of Eden.
Nowhere in the Bible was it stated that God forced anyone to live
right. So, you have to want to live right, and you have to want the
gifts of the Spirit. God will not force them on you. When you
receive them, have respect for them. Learn what God has said
about them; then you will have great wisdom in the operation of
these gifts and they shall remain with you. There is no reason for
the gifts to ever leave your life.

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 Chapter 4

MAINTAINING GOD’S FIRE

It is certain that deliverance is a continuous process. The closer

one comes to God, the more He (God) delivers him/her. That is
why Leviticus 6: 7-13 instructs:

“And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the
LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he
hath done in trespassing therein.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command Aaron

and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is
46
the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all
night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be
burning in it. And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and
his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the
ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on
the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. And he shall
put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry
forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.
And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be
put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning,
and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn
thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be
burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”

We have different types of altar:

i. Our lives
ii. Altar in the Church
iii. Church building
iv. Where two or three people are always gathered in the
name of the Lord in truth and spirit.
v. Any place where one worships God
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* It is obvious that when our altars are burning for God, there
would not be convenient places for evil spirits to dwell in us. But
if the fire reduces or is not burning, the enemy encroaches into
people’s lives. So, the fire must be burning if we do not want the
enemies to return into our lives (altars). Physically or naturally,
water quenches fire. But in spiritual interpretation, sin represents
the water that can quench God’s fire in our lives. So, we must not
allow water of sin to quench the fire of God in our lives.
Everything written in the Bible must be practiced as stated; else,
one may still be oppressed or be in bondage even when he is born
again. The word of God represents the wood for the fire. The
enemies may return to one’s life if he does not have (sufficient)
word of God in him.

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*See the book ‘Maintaining your Deliverance’ by Pastor Damian
Uzoruo. (From page 19)

Before the fire starts burning, one must submit himself for
cleansing or washing. That is why Numbers 19: 19 and 12`
instructs us as thus:

“And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the
third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he
shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in
water, and shall be clean at even.

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He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the
seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the
third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.”

Further, Numbers 31: 24 instructs:

“And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye

shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.”

Also, read Numbers 8:6-7

When we wash ourselves and become clean, then all our desired
conceptions would begin to manifest physically.
Numbers 5: 28 clarifies that:

“And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall
be free, and shall conceive seed.”

Note that anyone who has unclean spirit is defiled. Again, if one
comes to a situation where his mood is so bad that he cannot
praise God, the person is defiled. Therefore, for one to conceive
50
and deliver safely, he must be clean and free from defilement. If
you expect a great move of God in your life, you must consecrate
yourself.

Remember that the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit of God

through a defiled vessel or life is a reproach to God and the
Church (the body of Christ). Therefore, be ye perfect and holy as
He is.

No Church body ever decreases when the gifts of the spirit are
fully in operation there. I maintain also that nobody ever becomes
weaker when the gifts of the Spirit holds a dominant role in his
life. These gifts always bring a profit. Your assets are better when
you get the gifts of the Spirit working.

Chapter 5

HOW GOD SPEAKS

God speaks in diverse ways. He is the one that chooses the most
suitable way to speak at different occasions. That is, He is the

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one that makes the choice of the proper medium through which
He speaks so that the devil would not destroy His purpose or
works. This is necessary so as to fulfill His promises to us in
Psalm 32:8:

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt
go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

Therefore, receiving God’s instructions, teachings and or

guidance should be normal things of everyday life for a Christian.
Through them, we discover God’s will for our lives which is very
essential. Many people do not know why they were born, what
they should be doing and when they should be doing certain
things just like Jeremiah as recorded in Jeremiah 1:5:

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou
camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained
thee a prophet unto the nations.”
Due to the fact that people do not know God’s will for their lives,
they find themselves in serious problems. From the above quoted
Scripture, we can deduce that God called Jeremiah to be a
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prophet. Specifically, the gifts of the Spirit can help you to
identify and discover your areas of calling as well as God’s will
for your life. This is essential because whatever God has for man
is always the best for him. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 assures that:

“…if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD
thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I
command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on
high above all nations of the earth: 28:2 And all these blessings
shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken
unto the voice of the LORD thy God.”

It simply implies that God will set you on high above people
around you, based on the condition that you must hearken,
observe and do as commanded by Him (God), otherwise, the
blessings may not come to reality. God always wants us to
choose His ways. That is why He exhorts us to trust Him with all
our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding. Rather, we
should always acknowledge Him in all our ways and He shall
direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Psalm 32:9 also instructs us
not to be like the horse or the mule, which lacks understanding;
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which must have their mouths held firm with bit and bridle, else
it will not come with you. Simply put, we should follow God’s
instructions, teachings and guidance without hesitation since we
are His children.

As able ministers of God, In I Peter 4:10, we read these beautiful

words:

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same
one to another…”

This is one of the most precious verses of the Scriptures that have
been delivered to us from the word of God. They that have
received the gifts should minister the same. I believe that
anything which has been given to us was given to us by God to
share.

God does not dig holes and bury things. He is not a cover-up
man. That is the devil’s business. God is a revealer. I encourage
you to become a sharer and to share everything you receive. As
you give, you receive. The Bible says that they that water are
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watered. (Prov.11:25). As you give out, you will receive back.
In II Corinthians 3:6, the word of God says we should be “able
ministers giving life”. I would reiterate that the fundamental
purpose of these lessons is for us to become able ministers of
truth, giving life- spiritual life, dynamic life to those with whom
we come in contact.

Some of the ways God speaks to us include, but not limited to,
are;
 The Word of God
 Inward Witness
 Still Small Voice (SSV)
 The Voice Of The Holy Spirit
 Perception
 Through Advice And Counsel Of God’s Ministers
 Dreams
 Visions
 Angels
 Trance
 By Prevailing Circumstances
 Inner Conviction
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  Audible Voice
 One’s Heart’s Desire
 Positive Thoughts
 Through Conscience
 Intuition
 Instincts
 Divine And Unquenchable Love
 Through Songs
 Through Songs
 Through the Gifts Of The Spirit
- Word of Wisdom
- Word of Knowledge
- Prophecy
- Speaking in tongues
- Interpretation of tongues, etc.

 The General Way

1. The Word of God (The Scriptures or The Bible):

We are meant to understand in II Timothy 3:16-17 that:

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“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly
furnished unto all good works.”

As a matter of fact, this is the major way God speaks to us. That
is why it is essential to study the Bible regularly so as to identify
and apply what God is saying concerning every situation. If, for
instance, a spirit or voice tells you that you are the head and not
the tail while you are aware that you have been disobedient to
God’s word, naturally, you may be happy. However, the fact
remains that the message is not from God, but from the devil in
order to deceive you. On the other hand, if you have been
obedient to God’s word and a voice speaks to you: “if you can
diligently hearken unto the voice of the LORD…..”
(Deuteronomy 28:1-2), this represents God’s voice which means
you will be uplifted if you are not backsliding from the things of
God.

We are informed in Hebrew 1:1-2 that:

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“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days
spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also he made the worlds.”
Note the phrase “spoken unto us by his son”. The Scriptures
make us to understand that Jesus Christ is His son. This God’s
Son (Jesus Christ) is also His word as confirmed by John 1:1 and
14 which say:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Also, it is clarified in I John 5:7 that:

“…there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

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The Word in the above quoted portion of the Scripture is Jesus
Christ. That is why it is pointed out in Revelation 19:13 b that His
name is called The Word of God. This simply shows that God
has spoken to us (the world) through His Son, Jesus Christ- The
Word of God. This includes all His direct teachings and those He
taught through his apostles and prophets. So, if you want to hear
afresh from God, it is better you hearken to God’s Word
concerning that situation. That is, following what the Word of
God says about what you are doing or what you will do. God
directs us through His word as written in Isaiah 30:21.

“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is
the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when
ye turn to the left.”
(Study also Isaiah 6:8; Jeremiah 1:5; and Ezekiel 1:3)

“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another:
and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of
remembrance was written before him for them that feared the
LORD, and that thought upon his name.” (Malachi 3: 16)

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The word of God in the Bible is the medium by which God
speaks to the people in every generation. Now that we have
known that the word of God is what God uses to speak to people,
it is important for us to be intimated on how God uses His Word
to speak to us.

 By the help and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is

confirmed in II Peter 1:20-21 which says:

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of

any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in
old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

 God could speak to you through His word by leading you to

read a scripture that when you effectively review it, would
refer to the situation at hand or what you are experiencing at
the moment.

 He could also speak as you are calm, meditating, praising

and worshipping Him or praying.
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  God’s word can come to you as you are doing your normal
daily chores or duties, suddenly, you begin to hear some
words you could find in the Bible, which could also have
relationship with the issue of the day.

 One could also be given Scripture(s) through dreams,

visions, trance, etc. (Job 33:14-16).

Such words received from the Lord could generate hope, peace,
joy, faith, patience, love and or more commitment to the Lord. If
it is for correction, it would be made known to you as regards the
area of your life to amend. Therefore, with the help of such
words, God speaks to you. He could guide you daily into what
He wants you to do. But one thing I have found out about God
speaking to people through His word is that a good knowledge of
the Bible is very important. This is why we need to spend quality
time studying God’s word everyday. Store it in your heart since
God uses it to speak to you from time to time. If you do not
know the scripture, you would not be able to identify when God
is speaking to you, let alone understanding what He is speaking.
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Therefore, learn to study your Bible very well so that He could
use those immortal words to speak to you in every situation.

In the Old Testament, the Prophets would say “And the word of
the LORD came unto me saying…..” Have you ever wondered
how it came? It could not have been literally audible.

If it had been audible, every one present would have heard it.
The prophet would therefore not have had to tell people what the
Spirit said. The word of the LORD came to the prophet’s spirit
from the Spirit of God. It is so real that it seems audible at the
time.

Romans 9:1 says:

“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing

me witness in the Holy Ghost.”

2. The Inward Witness:-

One great experience that made us Christians today is the

conviction of sin and of righteousness (John 16:8-10) just as if a
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scale was removed from our eyes and a revealing light shone into
our hearts. The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit on a
subject. The subject is deeply and strongly impressed upon our
hearts. A reflection on it is attended with peace and assurance.
This is knowing God’s will.

3. Still Small Voice:

This is also called the inward voice. The inward man who is the
spirit man has a voice – just as the outward man has a voice. We
also call this voice of the inward man the conscience or the Still
small voice. Your spirit has a voice and it speaks to you. This
represents the voice that is heard inside one’s spirit. It is only the
person that God is speaking to that would be getting the message.
The still small voice is the voice of our spirit and it speaks. These
spoken words are picked up by the Holy Spirit in us. John 16:13
reveals:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide

you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew
you things to come.”
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Let’s notice some things Jesus said about the Holy Spirit in John
16:13:

“…He will guide you into all truth…”

He will lead you. He will guide you.

“…For he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall

hear, that shall he speak…”

The Holy Spirit does speak. Whatever He hears God say,

whatever He hears Jesus say, He will speak to your spirit.

Where is He to speak?

He is in your spirit, and that is where He speaks. He speaks on

the inside of you.

The Holy Spirit passes God’s message on to your spirit, either by

an inward witness, by the still small voice – the voice of your

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conscience, or by an inward voice which is the more authoritative
voice of the Holy Spirit.

“…..he will show you things to come….”

That is to say, He will show us about future events as recorded in

the word of God. It also means that the Holy Spirit will show me
things to come - in my own individual life, family, etc.

Ezekiel 40:4 states:

“And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine
eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that
I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto
thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the
house of Israel.”

This was the method God used to speak to Elijah in the desert
when Jezebel was searching for him (Elijah), as recorded in I
Kings 19:11-13:

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“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the
LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and
strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks
before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after
the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the
earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was
not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was
so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle,
and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And,
behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou
here, Elijah?”

Note that those natural phenomenon like wind, breaking of

mountains, fire, etc. are signs or experiences used to identify
God’s messages. The Lord also spoke to Peter through His Spirit
and bade him to go with the three men that came to him without
doubting (Acts 11:12). The Spirit of God also ministered to the
Apostles in Antioch to separate Barnabas and Saul for God’s
special assignment (Acts 13:2).

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Further, Acts 16:6-7 gives us an account of how Paul and Silas
were directed by the Spirit of God:

“Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region
of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the
word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed
(tried) to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.”

In order to perfect the operation of this method, we ought to

listen carefully because we are working with the Holy Ghost.
Besides, there are different kinds of voices as written in I
Corinthians 14:10:

“There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and
none of them is without signification.”

So, if one is not very attentive, he may wrongly believe that God
has spoken hence, the need for a reasonable degree of quietness
before using this method. This explains why God made it known
in Isaiah 30:15 that:

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“…In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in
confidence shall be your strength…”

Therefore, prepare yourself. You must be quiet and meditatively

wait upon the Lord always. Do not be in a hurry. Just rest in the
Lord and wait upon Him in an attitude of expectancy. And as
you are expecting, be praising and worshipping Him. Try to
clear your mind of all thoughts of yours. If you truly clear those
personal thoughts, any information that comes to your mind at
that time is from God. In fact, one of the easiest ways to clear
human thoughts is through worshipping the Lord (regularly).
This is one of the major secrets of receiving prophecies or
messages from the Lord. Immediately your mind is cleansed and
purified, any message received in that state should not be doubted
because it is from God.

4. The Voice Of The Holy Spirit:

“While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him,
Behold, three men seek thee.” (Acts 10:19)
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God leads us by what we call the still small voice. But He also
leads us by the voice of the Spirit of God speaking to us. This is
the fourth way we are led by the Spirit.

There is a difference between the inward voice of the Holy Spirit

speaking to our spirits and that still small voice which is the voice
of our spirit speaking to us. When the Holy Spirit within you
speaks, it is more authoritative. Sometimes it is so real. It almost
seems to be an audible voice. You may even look around to see
who spoke. It may seem so audible sometimes that you may
think someone behind you said something, but then you realize it
is in you (see the Book of I Samuel Chapter 3).

5. By Perception:

“Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now
dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul
admonished them, And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this
voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the
lading and ship, but also of our lives.” (Acts 27: 9-10)

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Paul said “I perceive”. He did not say “I have a revelation, or the
LORD told me…”, rather he said “I perceive”. How did he
perceive it? By the inward witness. In his spirit, he had this
witness.

Having an urge is to have a perception. We have missed it

because we haven’t listened on the inside; in our spirits. We have
not been spirit conscious. As we become more spirit conscious,
we can learn how to better co-operate with Him (the Holy Spirit).
Paul said in Acts 26:19:

“Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the

heavenly vision”
Romans 8:14:

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God.”

So we need to look into the Acts of Apostles and other places in

the Bible to see how the Spirit of God led them. At times, some
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receive guidance through a vision. Others receive guidance from
an angel who appear and tell them what to do. Too many times
while the Spirit of God is trying to bear witness with our spirit,
trying to guide us the way He wants or has chosen He would in
His word, we do not listen because we want Him to speak to us
the way we have chosen, not the way He has chosen. And two
cannot walk together except they agree. (Amos 3:3).

We have no right to seek for a particular way God should be

speaking though we do have a right to claim what the Bible
promises. If God wants to send an angel, fine. If He wants to
give a vision, fine, etc. See Acts 13:1-2:

“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain

prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was
called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had
been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they
ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said,
Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have
called them.”

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“As they ministered to the LORD, and fasted, the Holy Ghost
said…” This was a group of five ministers. I do not know how
the Holy Spirit spoke to them. It could have been that one of the
prophets spoke it out. They all heard and they all agreed that the
Holy Ghost was talking. The Holy Ghost said “Separate me
Barnabas and Saul for the work where unto I have called them”.

6. Through The Advice/Counsel of God’s Ministers:

This stands for advice given by God’s servants as led by the Holy
Spirit. Proverbs 20:18 says:

“Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice

make war.”

Also, it is clarified in Proverbs 11:14 that:

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of

counsellors there is safety.”

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God has the sole power and authority to determine how He wants
to speak to us. If He has chosen to speak to us through the
counsel of His Ministers, there is no point waiting for dream or
other means through which God communicates to avoid the
devil’s manipulation. That is why David declared in Psalm 33:11
that:

“The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of

his heart to all generations.”

Let us therefore take the counsel of God’s Ministers seriously

because Proverbs 20:5 states:

“Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of

understanding will draw it out.”

The man of understanding in this context is one that seeks wise

counsel from God’s Ministers. This could be of great
recompense as confirmed by Proverbs 15:22:

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 “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the
multitude of counsellors they are established.”

Seeking counsel and receiving instruction certainly leave us

better people than we started out. Proverbs 19:20-21 clear the air
on this, thus:

“Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be

wise in thy latter end…”

Why is this a necessary condition? Because There are many

devices (plans) in a man’s heart: nevertheless the counsel of the
Lord, that shall stand. (v.21). No matter how numerous the
plans in a man’s heart are, the Bible says it is the counsel of the
Lord that shall hold water. Therefore, he that hearkens to the
counsel of God’s ministers is wise.

7. Dreams:

Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defined dreams as a

sequence of scenes and feelings occurring in the mind during
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sleep. The Scriptures declare that the influence of the Spirit of
God upon the soul extends to its sleeping as well as its waking
thoughts. It is also written in Job 33:14-16 that:

“For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In
a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon
men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of
men, and sealeth their instruction.”

Based on the foregoing, we can deduce that God speaks to us

through dreams. Matthew 2:12-13 illustrates the circumstances
surrounding the birth of Christ, and exemplifies how God speaks
through dreams:
“And being warned of God in a dream that they should not
return to Herod, they departed into their own country another
way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the
Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take
the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be
thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the
young child to destroy him.”

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Further, Matthew 2:19-20 points out how God brought the
promise, word or message to Joseph:

“But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord

appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and
take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of
Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.”

Most times, we want God to speak to us, but we usually ignore or

forget what He speaks through dreams. That is why Job 33:14
makes it clear that:

“For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.”

Infact, if Joseph had ignored God’s instructions he received

through dreams, maybe, Herod would have succeeded in
destroying Jesus Christ and thereby jeopardizing our salvation.
Therefore, let us be careful to observe and adhere to God’s
messages through dreams.

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Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons, at a tender age of seventeen received
a message through dreams of what he would be in life. See
Genesis 37:5-10.

In the Old Testament days, God used to speak to people through

dreams.

There are some basic and fundamental statements (truth) about

dreams which I will like us to know:

 The realm of dreams is as important as the physical realm.

 Dreams are means of communication

 You are a product of your dreams.

 It is very dangerous to ignore what goes on in dream

because dreams monitor what is going on in the spirit world.

 Your dream never lies although you may not understand

what it is saying.
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 Your dream can reveal your past as well as your future.

 Your dream can expose the enemies that are gathered

against you.

 All dreams have unique messages although they may not be

understood. The dream may look disorganized and
disjointed, yet there is a message in it.

 God also can use dreams as a way of protecting His people

from danger. God can also use dreams to expose to His
people, the plans of the enemies against them.

 Satan is much more interested in influencing our dreams.

Satan attacks people with sickness and all kinds of failure
through dreams.

Dreams, good or bad, true or false, come across all mankind,

Christians and non Christians. God is not limited in the way
He leads. In Ecclesiastes 5:3, we see that dreams come
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through the multitude of business, i.e the thoughts, intents,
plans, desires and all activities of the day culminate often times
into the night dreams. Dreams are therefore to be judged by
the Scriptures.

Vision:

This could be defined as the power of seeing things happening

in the spiritual realm in form of word and/or picture so as to
enable one take appropriate decisions. There are three kinds of
visions: spiritual vision, trances, and open visions.
In a spiritual vision, you see with the eyes of your spirit not
with your physical eyes. When Paul saw the LORD in Acts 9,
it was a spiritual vision. He did not see Him with his physical
eyes but he saw into the spirit realm.
(Acts 9:8).
When the LORD spoke to Saul, his (Paul’s) eyes were indeed
shut. One of the ways God chose in speaking and showing His
people things in the New Testament church which started in
the Book of Acts is vision. As you can see from Acts 9:10 to
Revelation 9:17, it was mainly through visions; not dreams.
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This is for the fulfillment of the prophesy of Joel 2:28 which
says:……………………………..
Proverbs 29:18 says:…………………………….

That is why the Lord declared that He would pour out His
Spirit upon all flesh so as to enable sons and daughters to
prophesy old men to dream dreams, and young men to see
vision. (Joel 2:28).

Angels:
Angels (i.e God’s or heavenly messengers) are spiritual beings
of a nature exalted above that of man, whose office is to do
Him (God) service in heaven, and by His appointment to
succour and defend man on earth. Angels are meant to be
spirits as confirmed by Hebrews 1:13-14:………………

The book of Judges (chapter 13) makes us to understand that

God sent His angel to Manoah’s wife who was earlier barren
so as to unveil the conditions that would bring to pass the birth
of Samson. Verses 3 to 5 of Judges 13 record:………………

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Also, Zacharias experienced the appearance of an angel with
the message that Elizabeth (Zacharias’ wife) would bear a son
whose name would be called John. The angel made him to be
temporarily dumb because of unbelief when the angel was
ministering to him (Luke 1:11-21). It also recorded that
Joseph (earthly father of Jesus Christ) was ministered to by the
angel of God before the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ. This account can be found in Matthew 1:20-21:
……………

Trance:
Dictionary defined trance as the state in which a man has
passed out of the usual order of his life, beyond the usual limits
of consciousness and volition, being rapt in visions of distant
or future things. Acts 10:9-11 says:…………………..
Acts 10:19-20 says:…………………………

The Holy Spirit spoke to Peter. It may have been that Peter
looked around to see who had spoken to him, I don’t know.
But he knew that the Spirit of God bade him to go.
Also in Acts 22:17-18 Paul said:…………………….
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Numbers 24:4-16 explain it better; (se particularly verse 4):
………..

By Prevailing Circumstances:
This is a situation where God speaks through facts connected
with an event or action. Let us use the following illustration as
an instance: a man wanted to travel from Lagos to Abuja
Nigeria. To him, he had two options as regards transportation
mode (i.e either by his very good private vehicle or
public/commercial bus). Surprisingly, this sound and new
private car developed complication a day to the journey. The
man discovered that all efforts to put the vehicle in order
proved abortive. Naturally, he felt disappointed and
reluctantly boarded public bus to Abuja. After he returned
from his journey, he checked the vehicle which was formerly
in ‘bad’ state only to find out that nothing was wrong with it.

Based on the foregoing, one could insinuate that the above

narrated circumstances were God’s will. However, this
method of using prevailing circumstances needs maturity and
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extra wisdom so as to differentiate between God’s hands from
devil’s work.

Inner Conviction:
When God speaks through inner conviction, the person
involved experiences inner peace and joy whenever that issue
is remembered. That is why David declared in Psalm 85:8
that:……….

Audible Voice:
This is when God speaks through speech or utterance that can
be heard clearly. For instance, the Scripture records that
before Apostle Paul was converted, he was known as Saul who
was persecuting the disciples of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Acts
9:3-4 informs us that:………………………
(Also, study Acts 26:13-18 for more details).

In Isaiah 30:21 it is written:………………….

Ezekiel 40:4 also admonishes thus:…………………………

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God spoke to all Israel from Mount Sinai as recorded in
Exodus 19:16,18 and chapter 20. And all the people saw the
thundering in Exodus 20:18-19 and requested that Moses
should speak with them:…………………..

One’s Heart’s Desire:

This stands for what one longs for or wishes to possess. That
is why Psalm 37:4 exhorts us to:……………

Positive Thoughts
One easily identifies it when he starts having constructive
ideas and intentions produced by thinking. This comes to
mind first; then succeeded by messages concerning it-for
confirmation.

Through Our Conscience:

This represents our moral sense. We are admonished in I
Timothy 1:5 that…………………………
Here, the phrase ‘vain jangling’ could be represented with
“meaningless talk”.

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That explains why we are exhorted in Acts 24:16 to always
have conscience void of offence toward God and toward man.

Intuition
This means a natural psychic power planted in the human
consciousness by God, to enable us know or realize certain
things without thinking them out. May be someone is coming
to see you without you knowing of it, but before he knocks at
your door, you have sudden realization that someone is coming
to see you. That is intuition. It is a natural psychic power
which the creator God planted in man for good. When one is
pure in Christ, his intuition works solely to the glory of God.
But if one is an agent of darkness, his intuition works to
promote the crafts of the wicked spirits.

Instincts:-
Our God is not limited in the way He speaks. Series of events
can gradually or suddenly develop into what you spiritually
perceive to be God’s doing and ultimate plan. You just feel an
inner beckoning to watch the events which appear to have been
pre-planned and in line with your leading, your direct and
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indirect influences. This means innate ability, natural
tendencies. Inner drive that causes people or things (perhaps
animals) to do things nobody or nothing taught them to do.

Divine And Unquenchable Love:

When God is leading you on knowing His will, He imparts a
supernatural love on both parties for each other if it has to do
with marriage which many waters cannot quench….(Song of
Solomon 8:6-7). If it is in other areas, you find yourself doing
it with joy. Isaiah 12:3 says:………………

Through Songs:
Another way through which God speaks to us is through Songs
(Psalms; Hymns). This can occur or happen to you when you
are in your place of work, office, shop or when you are driving
your car or in any other place.
It can happen or come like a praise worship song, warfare song
etc. God speaks for the purpose of telling or showing things to
come or something which He has done for you or what he has
prevented. Just as the Bible says in Eph.5:19…………..
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 Chapter 6

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

The term “Spiritual Gifts” is derived from a Greek word

“Charisma”. Charisma denotes an extraordinary ability that is
bestowed upon a human being by the infinite strength and power
of the third person of the Trinity. These gifts from God to the
local churches are what we call “sign gifts”. They are
supernatural endowments that God places within our lives.

In this context, Spiritual gifts could be defined as presents given

by God through His Spirit which are made manifest through
human beings for the revelation and actualization of God’s
purposes. God wants the gifts of the Spirit to function in your
life, and none of God’s gifts is for sale. Rather, they are for the
body of Christ. There is hardly any church that decreases in any
good area when the gifts of the Spirit are genuinely and fully
operational. In fact, the power of God is invisible and the gifts of
the Spirit have been given to the Church as weapons of warfare.
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However, many Churches today are going into battle without the
true knowledge of these weapons. One cannot expect to win any
battle when his weapons are not functioning or utilized properly.
Certainly, one of the unique qualities of God is that He can win a
mighty battle with just few people. In Judges 7 and 8, we are
made to understand that by using only Gideon and his faithful
300 men, God overwhelmed thousands of enemies. God does not
need a host of men to win a battle; He just needs sincere and
dedicated people to win a total victory. He needs those who have
received the endowment of the gifts of the Spirit to function in
their lives and ministries.

The body of Christ is an advancing army; we do not retreat. Our

warfare is not carnal; it is Spiritual. We are not fighting doctrines,
peoples or denominations. We are warring in the spirit, and the
gifts of the spirit are a necessary part of our fighting gear – both
defensive and offensive; but especially offensive. If we have
these gifts functioning within us, they become our battle axes,
guns, swords and our spears - in short, all the artillery we need to
destroy the works and powers of Satan or the devil. These gifts of
the Spirit are the weapons God gave us to fight and win our
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battles. We must never under-estimate their strength, power and
usefulness, but we must study them deeply and continuously until
they function through us. In some bodies of believers, the gifts of
the Spirit are misused and the misuse of the gifts will only cause
them to cease functioning. When one uses his God’s given gifts
faithfully, he would become a partaker in Christ’s kingdom. In
Genesis 12: 2-3, God expressly promised us as thus:

“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee,
and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I
will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

God blesses us to be a blessing to others. Often times, people do

not prosper because they do not want to be blessing to others. In
fact, the type of prayer that God hears and answers quickly is as
thus: “God, bless me to bless others or God, make me a channel
of blessing to others”. When God, for instance, gives you N500,
you have to share it with some people if you do not want to lose
the opportunity of receiving more blessing from Him. The same
principle applies to spiritual gifts. They are not only for your
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benefit, but also for other people. Remember, the five barley
loaves and two fishes owned by a little boy was used to feed so
many people (John 6:1-4)

Christianity is a unique institution. If you take it and put it in a

golden box, it will die. That is, it would be of no benefit to
anyone. Christianity cannot fit into a box. Some people do not
know how to utilize the gifts given to them by God. They put the
gifts in a golden box (for their own personal benefits) rather than
give it to the world as the “Giver” (God) purposed when He gave
the gifts to them (people). These gifts are meant to serve all
including the outcasts, miscreants, fugitives and those on the
highways to hell fire. Your gifts are meant to be shared, spread to
all, inside and outside the Church. If they remain in you and you
allow them to be unexpressed, they will perish. They were
created and given to you for action. If you are given one of these
gifts or ministries, it is supposed to be used for a purpose as
stated in Ephesians 4: 11-13:

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,

evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
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For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity
of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ:”

Again, none of these gifts is for selfish purpose or motive. So, the
whole structure of Christianity is built upon the concept of
helping others.

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 Chapter 7

HOW YOU CAN RECEIVE THE GIFTS

In order to receive things from God:

1. You must first have knowledge:

God cannot bless ignorance. That is why we are informed in

Matthew 4: 23 that:

…Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,

“

and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all

manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the
people.”

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Note again that Jesus Christ first taught, preached and then
healed. It is by knowledge we reign in the kingdom. You cannot
apply what you do not know, hence it starts with revelation. In
consonance with this reality, Hebrews 11:6 says:

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that

cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him.”

An important as faith is, the word of God asserts it comes

through knowledge for ignorance is an assassin of destiny.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of

God”. (Romans 10:17)

No wonder Hosea 4:6 in part says:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou

hast rejected knowledge…”

2. By receiving the promises: (Acts 2: 38-39)

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When God makes a promise, He keeps it. You can begin seeking
the gifts of the Spirit because the Lord said you can have them.
They are for you, for your children, and for every believer. So,
you have to genuinely and faithfully personalize the gifts of the
Spirit by saying: “the promise is mine”.

3. By divine revelation:
Apostle Paul, for example, received the gifts of the Spirit through
divine revelation from God (Galatians 1:16-18) and he made it
clear in Galatians 2:2:
“And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them
that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to
them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run,
or had run, in vain.”

So, we can receive these gifts directly by revelation of God.

4. By Laying on of hands:

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This comes if a person that is filled with the Spirit lays hands on
another person and prays for the same person in that direction.
That is why we are exhorted in I Timothy 4:14 that “we should
not neglect the gift that is in us, which was given to us by
prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery”.

5. By desiring them:

The desire for spiritual gifts must come from within you. It is a
craving coming up out of you like liquid fire, so that you say with
determination ‘I will receive”. In I Corinthians 14:12, we are told
that:

“…forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye

may excel to the edifying of the church.”

We are supposed to be zealous of Spiritual gifts and seek to excel

in them. To seek a fortune requires effort; you have to go out
after it, not just sit in the house all day.

I Corinthians 14:1 magnifies this truth thus:

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“Follow after charity, and DESIRE spiritual gifts….”

Let me emphasize one point. If you are trying to drink water out
of an empty well, you will get only dirt. If you are seeking your
source of strength at a Church that has no blessing in it, you will
be unable to function in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. To function
in the spirit, you must go where the spirit functions.

Chapter 8

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

Spiritual gifts could be defined as supernatural presents given by

God to mankind to accomplish His purpose. I Cor.12:4-6
clarifies that:……………………………………

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King James version of the Scriptures put it this way:
That is to say that there are divers kinds of gifts, but Holy Spirit
is the giver of all. Here, administration means the way things are
applied. For instance, the Lord used Elijah with mantle, Moses
with the rod and Disciples with olive oil. Even today, different
churches use olive oil. But the Lord administers all. Although,
there are diversities of operations, but the same God who works
all in all. When it has to do with mode of operation, God the
Father is in charge. In administration, Jesus Christ is in charge.
In gifts, Holy Spirit is in charge.
It should be noted that everybody has, at least, a gift to “profit
withal” (i.e common good). The Spiritual Gifts are not
basically for monetary benefits, but for all of us to benefit from
them. These gifts are enumerated in I Corinthians 12:8-10 as
follow” The gift or the word of wisdom (not gift of wisdom),
word of knowledge, gift of faith, gifts of healing (note the
word “gifts”), working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of
spirits, divers kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues.

Then I Corinthians 12:11 points out:………………………….

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Put in another way, even though we “covet” and desire the
gifts, yet the Holy Spirit gives us as He wills. It is true that
loving, desiring, fasting, praying for the gifts are good, but the
fact remains that He would give us according to His will and
He would not give to anybody the one that would lead to his
downfall.. Remember the illustration made in the Scripture
concerning the three servants that were given different
quantities of talents. While two of them traded with theirs and
earned more profit for their master which eventually led to
their promotion, the third one did not use his own wisely. He
went and buried it. This made him to lose all and his initial
portion was given to another servant that used his judiciously
(Matthew 25:14-30).
The above illustration exemplifies how it is with Spiritual
Gifts. No wonder proverbs 14:23 makes us to understand that
in all labour there is profit. So, there must be profit if God is
involved in anything. Also, remember that the unfruitful tree
was cursed by Jesus Christ. So, everybody created by God is
expected to be fruitful. That is why the Bible instructs us to be
fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28)……….

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 The major categories of Spiritual Gifts can be found in I
Corinthians 12:8-10………………….

Here, the mentioned Spiritual gifts could be classified into three

prime categories, namely:

Revelational or Discovery Gifts:

Word of Wisdom
Word of Knowledge
Discerning of Spirit

Power Gifts:
Gift of Faith
Gifts of Healing
Working of Miracles

Utterance or Vocal Gifts:

Prophecy
Diverse kinds of Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues

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Revelational Gifts:

Within this category are the gifts of the Word of Wisdom, the
Word of Knowledge and the Discerning of Spirits. God uses
these three revelational gifts to reveal information supernaturally
to a man or woman, information which comes outside the bounds
of that person’s natural ……… process; information which
comes from beyond the conceiving power of the mind, natural
sight or hearing. Nothing happens to a person unawares and
unexpectedly; it must have been revealed sometime to the person.
The state one may find himself or herself now had been revealed
to such a person in the past but he or she did not understand the
revelation and thus, did nothing about the revelation. This is the
reason why many people are where they are today; stagnated,
frustrated and miserable. Luke 12: 2 clarifies this, saying:

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed;

neither hid, that shall not be known.”

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Once we understand the revelations concerning our lives and deal
with them accordingly, we will end up being achievers and
overcomers in life.

THE WORD OF WISDOM:

The gift of the word of wisdom is a supernatural revelation of the

divine purpose of God, a message to the church, a divine
communication given by the Holy Spirit through a believer. The
word of wisdom has to do with future events, the unborn, the
unforeseen or the future. God gives out a small segment or
portion of information from His vast store house of wisdom as it
is suitable and appropriate or relevant for a particular point in
time or situation. God Himself chooses the type or area of
information He wants to divulge. For instance, when God reveals
to you His intention to send you to study in America, it is not
directly written in the Bible but is rather a personal issue which
will manifest in the future. God reveals things concerning the
future to us in order for us to fully prepare ourselves for or
against the revealed matter. Millions of prophecies have been
unfulfilled because of lack of preparation.
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The entire portion of the Scriptures was written through the word
of wisdom. All that Moses wrote down were based on the word
of wisdom. This gift unveils in part the purpose of God on earth.
Apostle Paul explained it in I Corinthians 2: 7 as thus:

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden

wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.”

It involves speaking the hidden things that we would naturally

not know. It is a fragment of the total wisdom of God (just as a
word is a fragment of a sentence) revealed that makes one wise in
that particular issue or matter. Nobody knows the totality of
God’s wisdom. He only gives you a fragment of His limitless
wisdom for a particular time and season. This shows that you are
not a know-it-all. Remember, this is not a gift of wisdom but a
gift of the word of wisdom. It is a part of the Omniscient God. It
shows that God alone is all-knowing and He is only Him who
gives such revelations when He wills.

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When God converts (empowers) somebody to be wise in a
particular thing in order to relate a message, He has made that
person wise concerning that matter but not wise in all things. The
person empowered should not also assume that he is an expert in
that matter for he only knows in part. If he does this, it depicts
how uninformed he is. In fact, this is one of the problems limiting
people today. When they receive a fragment of God’s word of
wisdom, they feel that they have arrived thereby allowing pride
to set into their lives. They quickly forget the word of God in
Proverbs 29: 23 which says:

“A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold
the humble in spirit.”

The truth remains that God knows how to make the self-
acclaimed wise men foolish. The word of wisdom has nothing to
do with a person’s natural knowledge or wisdom; whether the
person has achieved brilliant academic success or not has nothing
to do with it. A person with little education can operate it as well.
This gift of the Spirit can transform the world in which we live in
today.
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Let us use Canaan Land, the headquarters of Living Faith Church
(Winners Chapel) at KM 10, Idiroko Road, Ota, Ogun State,
Nigeria as an example. The land purchased by the church was
bought and fully developed as Canaan Land between 1998 and
1999. People that earlier received word of wisdom concerning the
effect of the church’s land development on the price of
surrounding lands quickly purchased portions of land in the area
at cheap rates then. Now that the lands around the church have
been sold out as a result of the church’s presence, you can
imagine how astronomical the prices of those purchased portions
of land will be when placed for sale in the open market. Your
guess is as good as mine.

In the same way, God shows us things about our families,

villages, towns, states, etc but we neglect them. This attitude of
negligence to God’s directions does not solve problems. In short,
the word of wisdom is life because it tells us about our future.
Personally, I wouldn’t have been what I am today if not that I
operated based on God’s word of wisdom. You must work out
the word of wisdom given to you or it will not manifest and you
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will have yourself to blame in the long run. Daniel was wise
because he worked upon and prepared himself when he received
word of wisdom. Philippians 2: 12b advices us to:

“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

We are not ready to work out what has been revealed concerning
us and that is why we and the world have not been transformed.
The word of wisdom is given basically for you to plan ahead
since it is a future occurrence.In fact, if you know your future,
you will not worry about the kind of problems you are
experiencing today. If Joseph and the virgin Mary, for instance,
did not hearken to the word of wisdom that instructed them to
take the child Jesus Christ to Egypt, king Herod would have
killed Him. God who gives this gift knows the future.

Note that everything that God has, the devil has its counterfeit.
That is why there are false prophets, fortune tellers, palm readers,
crystal ball gazers and all other paraphernalia used by the devil to
deceive people in our generation. Therefore, we need to use our

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‘God-given’ weapons or gifts to stop the devil’s spiritual
counterfeits.

Through the gift of the word of wisdom, God makes us wise and
prepares us for the future. Instead of worrying about it, we need
to work in making it come to pass. One of the reasons why
people do not really appreciate the word of wisdom is that it may
tarry but it will surely come to pass one day. For instance,
Joseph’s two dreams in Genesis chapter 37 were words of
wisdom bound to manifest physically in the future. However, due
to his brothers’ conspiracy and evil activities, their physical
manifestations were delayed. Nevertheless, they later came to
fulfillment.

Every prophet recorded in the Bible possessed this gift and

prophets who live today also possess it. Remember Noah in
Genesis 6: 14 whom God instructed to build an ark? While he
obeyed God’s instructions, he had enemies who came to mock
him but he never got discouraged. Whenever there is a message
in the form of a word of wisdom, note that there are some evil
forces around that hear it and may do everything possible to
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hinder its physical manifestation. It should also be noted that God
has power to make any miracle to come to pass at anytime –
either by drawing it closer, positioning or repositioning it. This is
exemplified in the Israelites’ journey into the Promised Land
which extended to 40 years instead of the 40 days originally
scheduled/intended by God.

Other examples of the word of wisdom can be found in Isaiah 53,

Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13, Psalm 2:22, Joel 2: 28-29, Acts
23: 11, etc.

How Word of Wisdom Manifests

The Holy Spirit can convey the word of wisdom in many ways.
To Joseph, for example, it was through dreams that God showed
him the future representing his own life and how his brothers
would bow down to him. When Joseph was 17 years old, God
showed him how great he would be in future which later came to
pass. Also, Daniel received word of wisdom by night vision. He
had remarkable vision concerning the Babylonian Empire in
symbols, figures and God giving him explanation of the times
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(through angels). John was caught away into the Spirit on the
Lord’s Day (Sunday) which brought about the Book of
Revelation.

Note that God has no set or fixed way of dealing with the
problems of this world. Rather, He unveils mysteries and the
wisdom to execute His counsels in the way He considers best at
that time. Jesus Christ does not do all things only one way. So,
He can release word of wisdom as a dream, vision, trance, etc.
God has unique ways of doing things. Let it be known that word
of wisdom is not prophecy, but it comes through prophecy. Just
like speaking in tongues is an access door to other gifts, when
one moves from the real of simple prophecy to dictating the
future, he has moved from simple prophecy to word of wisdom.

Moses was first commissioned to deliver Israel when He (Moses)

was talking care of his father-in-law’s sheep. The Bible records
that the bush caught fire, but was not consumed which attracted
Moses’ attention, and he turned aside to observe what was going
on, there he received word of wisdom through which Israel was
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saved or delivered. The word “go to Nineveh” was a revelation
of the purpose and wisdom of God to Jonah and there was an
instance of the operation of the word of wisdom through which
Nineveh was saved ahead of time from imminent damnation.
Daniel also exhibited this gift as he interpreted the king’s dream.
Ezekiel also had this gift. He was caught away into the Spirit in
revelation. In New Testament, Acts 11:25-28 illustrates:
………………….

The message was not given for fun, but for proper planning. One
of the main problems of people is that they overlook word of
wisdom given to them by God. If Joseph, for example, had
overlooked the word of wisdom given to himself and Pharaoh,
there would have been problems in future.
Another illustration can be drawn from Acts 21:8-
11………………..

Prophet Agabus did what is called “Prophetic Act”. When you

have true prophets of God, they do not speak or act anyhow
because every of their actions signifies or represents something
that must come to pass. Those who are pure can understand the
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mind and revelations of God, hence, Psalm 45:7 clarifies:
……………………….

When you love righteousness and hate evil, God would anoint
you above others. That is why Jesus Christ perceived and
understood things in the Scripture even at the age of 12 years
which astonished the elders; hence, those who are pure and
humble in heart, and can read the Scripture without prejudice or
bias would flow in the gifts more than others.

Word of wisdom can be referred to as predictions and it is often

called prophecy. For clarity purpose, let us differentiate word of
wisdom with the following example. Normally, we drink tea.
And this cup of tea comprises of water, tea leaf, sugar, milk and
other condiments. In this sense, prophecy is like a cup of tea.
The sugar may be word of wisdom; the milk may be word of
knowledge, et a. All of them combined are called prophecy. In
Old Testament, they were simply referred to as predictions.

Word of Knowledge

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Word of knowledge is a supernatural revelation of past and
presently occurring events unknown to the exhibitor of the gift.
In other words, it means having insight into events that had
happened in the past or is happening presently. So, when God
gives you a message, either through dream or vision, check
whether the message is happening to you or has happened; if it is
so, then it is word of knowledge. The word of knowledge deals
with that which already exists. Knowledge is a act, something
that exists now, not in the future.

Discerning of Spirits:
The third revelational gift is discerning of Spirits. Some people
claim to have this gift without knowing that it is different from
discerning of things. It is not discerning of characters; it is not
thoughts reading like those who read or study psychology. It has
nothing to do with the realm of the mind. Infact, it has a
congregation. Although, the gift is not easily appreciated, it is
one of the best gifts. Messages can come through open vision,
night vision, dream, trance, etc; as substantiated by Job 33:14-16:
…………………..

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So, nothing happens unawares. It must have been revealed
sometime as confirmed in Luke 10:26:……………..

The earth is too small compared to what is in the spiritual realm.

That is why I Corinthians 2:10 says;………………………

When things are shown in the spiritual realm, it would be better

to enquire from the Holy Spirit for proper interpretation. That is
to say that Holy Spirit is the best interpreter and teacher.
Discerning of Spirit can enable a church to choose suitable
men/women to fulfill their ministries within the church. Where
this gift is operational and you want God to select those that will
be ordained pastors, deacons, evangelists, etc; the best thing to do
is to apply this gift in the selection process because it will
spiritually x-ray their hearts. And when you choose based on the
insight you get, there may be revolt because some people will
argue they have been there for long or have contributed so much
whereas their hearts are not pure.

Besides, there are some people that God would choose to

accomplish a particular purpose (see Isaiah 44:25 concerning
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Cyrus). For example also, Judas Iscariot was chosen among the
twelve disciples for the purpose of fulfilling the word of God
concerning Jesus Christ. That is why we ought to pray that God
should not allow us to be instruments that will be used to fufill
the negative parts of God’s words.
As we read earlier, devil uses counterfeit of every original thing
owned by God; that is why Acts 16:16-19 records:………………

The spirit of divination is the opposite of discerning of spirit.

That is, devil’s counterfeit and she was using it to benefit her
masters. Note that she was using this evil spirit to see clearly.
Apostle Paul was aggrieved because I Corinthians 14:33 says:
………………..

Also, remember that Jesus said in John 14:27 that:……………..

The LORD says:………………………

Romans 14:17 says:………………….

It was this girl’s problem that took Paul and Silas into prison.
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When we read through Acts 13:6-12, we would find another
person named Bar-Jesus who was using sorcery to deceive and
manipulate the Deputy, Sergius Paulus. So, Paul detected that he
was using evil power through this gift of discerning of spirits.
Then, he (Paul) combined it with gifts of faith and working of
miracles to deal with the evil man.

Any revelation you got and acted on it and it brought confusion,

division, separation or disunity, whether through discerning or
spirit or word of knowledge that was not wisely handled. That
revelation is from a witchcraft mind. You may not believe it, but
this is true because the book of Prov. 15:28 says:……………….

When you study to answer, it will bring peace, unity, joy,

strength, upliftment, strong faith and blessings etc.

But from witchcraft mind and mouth Prov. 24:2 says:…………..

When we study II Kings 8:7-15, we would see the gift of

discernment in operation in the life of Elisha. People encounter
problems in their homes, marriages and offices because the gift
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of discernment of Spirit is not in operation. But where this gift is
in operation, there will not be such problem because it will be
revealed, and preventive measures taken.
In II Kings 5:24-27, Elisha detected all Gehazi took from
Naaman through the gift of discernment of Spirits. Also, in II
Kings 6:8-12, we can see that through the operation of this gift,
even things said in the bedchamber or bedroom will be known.
In fact, Elisha was one of the prophets that operated in the gift so
much in the Old Testament.

This gift does not only detect negative but also positive things. It
detects the presence of God, angels, God’s Glory, God’s grace,
spirit of holiness and righteousness etc. John 1:44-48 illustrates
the encounter between Jesus Christ and Nathaniel. Through
discerning of Spirits, Jesus Christ looked into his heart to know
that this man was an embodiment of truth, righteousness and
without lies. Infact, if you have this gift, you will hardly ail
victim to fraudsters.

With this gift, you can paralyze or uplift somebody. For example,
if this gift is in operation where a person who has used somebody
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for ritual is; if the ritualist is told that there is evil tree or evil
foundation working against him as a result of what he had been
involved in, the message may not touch his heart. But if you hit
the nail on the head by telling the person directly that he used his
mother for ritual or planned the death of somebody and the Lord
says he must make open confession and if he fails to do that, he
will die within three days. This kind of direct message will make
the hardened person to be afraid. With this gift, the entire State
can be won for Jesus Christ within a month.

With this gift, you would not make wrong choice of marital
partner, friends, church, man of God and people to associate with.

It is important to note that if the person who operates in the gift

of discernment of spirits does not do it with faith, he may start
seeing everybody as demon possessed. Therefore, this gift must
be used with wisdom so as to avoid destruction of things. For
one to successfully operate as a prophet or in the office or a
prophet, he must have, at least, either word of knowledge or
discerning of spirits in addition to word of wisdom.

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Also understand there is a great attempt in our country today to
“get inside” people through some potentially dangerous forms of
psychology and psychiatry. If you try to reach beyond the human
mind to gain information supernaturally, the only force you will
contact is the devil. God cannot be reached through this type of
manifestation.
In our world today we have mind readers and gurus with all sorts
of philosophies. We have people who are trained to discern the
inner man but all of it is counterfeit, belonging only to the devil.
It has no relationship to reality and God does not want us to take
part in such things.

The mind is a very precious commodity, be careful not to loan it

to a stranger. Give it only to Jesus Christ.

Power Gifts:
These comprise of the second category of our discussion on
spiritual gifts and the components parts are listed in I Corinthians
12:9-10(a)………………

The Gift of Faith:

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The word “faith” simply means belief or reliance. The gift of
faith is a remarkable gift. There is no human energy exercised in
this gift; it comes purely from the power of God-flowing through
a person. We have different kinds of faith: Saving Faith, General
Faith, Gift of Faith, etc.

In the Gift of Faith, God is working in our behalf, but

independent of us. We do nothing. In the gift of faith God does
something sovereignty, dramatically, gloriously, while we just
watch and marvel. God does the word for us, not through us.

The Saving Faith:

This takes root the day you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Personal Saviour (salvation). There is a level of faith given to
you called measure of faith (Romans 12:3). If you use this level
of faith for soul winning or evangelism; probably, in a hotel or to
attend village meetings, you will be polluted and may
consequently backslide.
However, God expects us to grow to higher level of faith. Of
course, a child grows by nurturing. So, faith grows by nurturing

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it with the word of God. This is found in Romans 10:17:
………………………
And I Peter 2:2…………………

As we listen and hear teachings concerning the truth in various

areas, then our faith increases to higher level which can be used
to win souls. Saving faith is got through action. That is why
James said that faith without work is dead (James 2:20).

General Faith:
This is another type of faith. Both believers and unbelievers have
this kind of faith. For example, everybody knows that articles are
purchased from the market or shop or supermarket. Again, it is
generally known and believed that when you visit an ocean, you
will see water.

Gift of Faith:

This type of directly given to people by God as a spiritual gift. It

is also called God’s kind of faith. It is passive, no action. In fact,
it just comes to people based on God’s will. God does not give it
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to people anyhow, else the world would have been destroyed. He
searches their hearts thoroughly before releasing this kind of
anointing. This is because the words spoken by those that have
this gift usually come to pass whether spoken by jesting or
seriously. That is why such people do not speak anyhow. Those
that have this gift are not common in churches. For instance, in a
church of about 10,000 worshippers, only 5-20 of them may be
given this gift of faith.

Without this gift of faith, the gate of hell would have prevailed
over the churches, but with it, the devil or gate of hell cannot
prevail over her. It is possible for people and churches without
this gift to receive accurate revelations (positive or negative), but
they do not have the power to make them come to pass (if
positive revelations) or reverse them (if negative revelations).
This gift works from generation to generation and it can be used
for both blessing and cursing. In fact, if a sinner is blessed with
it, the person is forever blessed. But anyone cursed with it is
forever cursed. For instance, Isaac exhibited it when he blessed
Jacob and up till today, generations are reaping the benefits.

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The gift of faith is a remarkable gift. There is not human
energy/exercise in this gift; it comes purely from the power of
God flowing through a person. It takes the gift of faith to
multiply bread. Jesus Christ, for example, used this gift to
multiply five loaves of bread and two fishes used in feeding more
than five thousand people. He also exhibited it when He cursed
the fig tree and it withered. When this gift is in operation, the
law of nature is suspended because it breaks through the barriers
or laws. This is exemplified in Hebrew 11:1 which says:
…………

The above quoted Scripture is speaking about Abraham’s wife,

Sarah who had passed the age of conception based on natural
laws, but through faith she received strength to conceive seed and
deliver a child.
This type of faith is not just confessing: “I believe”, but
exhibition of gift of faith or God’s kind of faith.

Also Hebrews 11:32-38 elaborates:…………………….

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Concerning Gideon, the book of Judges chapter seven (7) tell us
how the Lord chose only three hundred soldiers (led by Gideon)
that defeated the Midianites without any death among the chosen
soldiers. This was possible through gift of faith or God’s kind of
faith. In Daniel’s case (Daniel 6), before he was cast into the den
of Lions, God sent His angel and shut the Lion’s mouth that they
could nor hurt him. That was made possible through this gift of
faith. It does not require us labouring, but God does things by
Himself.

It just receives answers and produces results. It was this gift that
Elijah used to stop rain for three and half years.
Those that have this gift are the kind of people suitable for land
deliverance. They may not really be seeing visions, but when
they command, decree or declare, it stands effectively. It can be
used to put a whole community into bondage or set a nation free
from bondage. In fact, do not toy with a man who operates the
gift of faith. This is because whosoever he blesses is blessed
forever and whosoever he curses is cursed forever. God gives it
to the humble in spirit, to the one who has the right hold on his

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tongue and can control his temper. The gift of faith works with
working of miracles.

Working of Miracles:
As stated earlier, this gift of working of miracles goes with gift of
faith, and they work hand in hand. The gift of the working of
miracles means a supernatural intervention by God in the
ordinary course of nature. It is God working through a person, an
animal, or some other instruments, to do something that could not
be done ordinarily. In the gift of the working of miracles, God is
entrusting us with a strength, with an energy, that we do not
normally have, causing us to do or be something that is not
normal or natural to our behaviour. W call this the gift of
working of miracles. By the working of miracles, very often the
laws of nature are altered or suspended, and that which is
abnormal to our natural reasoning becomes effective around us.
In working of miracles, efforts are exerted because it is to be
worked out. Action must be put.
There are aspects to the working of miracles, namely, the
physical and spiritual parts. Acts 3:3-7 exemplifies:
………………..
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We can see that the working of miracle in the above quotation
took place when Peter lifted up the lame man. In the case of
Moses, the working of miracle took place when he (Moses)
stretched the rod towards the red sea to divide it.

Other examples can be found in the Bible. For instance, a

situation where dumb animal spoke (Numbers 22:21-3, 27-28,
29-30). Naturally, the story seems abnormal and unusual, but it
is true story. On this occasion the miracle that took place was a
great one. II Kings 2:8 tells us that Elijah took his mantle, rolled
it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right
and to the left, and the two of them (Elijah and Elisha) crossed
over on dry ground. King David also operated in the gift of
working of miracles.. I Samuel 17:34 makes us to understand
that David slew Lion and bear with his naked hands. Verse 50
tells us that David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and
with a stone, and smote the Philistine and slew him but there was
not sword in the hand of David. Another person in the Bible that
possessed the gift of working of miracles is Samson (Judges
13:25; 14:5-6; 15:14-15 and 16:29-3).
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With this gift of working of miracles, Jesus Christ, at the
wedding feast in Cana of Galilee turned water into wine (John
2:1-11). Also in Matthew 14, when Jesus Christ broke the bread
and the fished to feed the multitude, every break was a miracle of
multiplication. He took each loaf and each fish and with His
natural hands kept breaking them until the disciples had enough
to feed thousands of people. With little, Jesus Christ fed many
and there were twelve baskets of left over! His disciples were
amazed. This is the functioning of the gift of the working of
miracles.

Also through what God is doing either in the Ministry or

Business, just like what is happening at Winnes Capel, Canaan
Land, God using his Servant Bishop David Oyedepo at Winners
(Canaan Land). This is also called working of miracles. Things
or miracles are happening quickly without stress or fatique which
have become a wonder to the world. This is another typical
example of working of miracles.

Gifts of Healing:
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First, note that the word “gifts” is in plural form. That is to say
that nobody has the gift of healing except God Almighty because
He is the only one that can heal all forms of sickness and disease
(Mark 1:32-34). What God does is to empower you in a
particular area of healing. God may give you the grace to be
powerful in the area of healing the blind, and another person in
the area of cancer, leprosy, etc. Even when God uses you to heal
all types of sickness and disease, the truth is that you have more
grace in a specific area that others. For instance, in a
congregation comprising the following, the record of healings
could be represented by the under-stated data thus:

Name of Total Number in Total Number

Sickness Congregation Healed
Leprosy 25 6
Paralysis 10 4
Ulcer 30 5
Blindness 15 14
Cancer 11 3
Typhoid Fever 15 8

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From the above table, we can deduce that even though God used
the man of God to heal different types of diseases, the main gift
to him is healing the blind; while others occurred by God’s
special grace. If God give someone the gift of healing (i.e to heal
all sickness and disease) expressly, people would begin to ascribe
God’s glory to him irrespective of the person’s level of humility.
That is why God distributes the gifts of healing to different
people as He wills.

Now, when the body of Christ understands how God works,

things would be easier. People go astray to the native doctors
because they do not know or follow the truth. We know that in a
church where we have many pastors among whom one has more
grace of God in healing the blind, the senior Pastor (probably,
due to envy) may not want to direct them (the blind) to the right
person. Note that, most worshippers also tend to focus only on
the person God is using per time. So, the problems are not only
caused by the leaders, but also the followers.

One of the unique things about Divine Majesty Worship Ministry

is that everybody is given the opportunity to operate his God-
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given gifts irrespective of his age, status or position in the
Ministry. But one problem that is common and easily noticed in
churches is that worshippers prefer those that see vision and
neglecting other people with their gifts. This, no doubt, makes
those that see visions feel they have arrived and the work of God
cannot move forward without them, hence, some become
rebellious against the constituted authority. If we understand this
truth, there will not be too much break-aways being experienced
in churches these days. You can see vision without having the
power or anointing to affect situations.

Utterance, Vocal or Talking Gift:

As the name(s) implies, it is expressed through spoken word(s).
This can be sub-divided into three parts; namely, gift of speaking
in unknown tongues, interpretation of tongues and prophecy gift.

Prophecy (Vocal or Communication) Gift:

This gift makes one to have the power of telling what will happen
in the future. It could be said to be meant for edification. That is
why the Scripture exhorts us to seek that we may excel to the
edifying of the Church (I Corinthians 14:12). This simple gift of
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prophecy is exhibited by every spirit-filled believer. That is why
I Corinth.14:31 exhorts:………………….

The prophetic office always predicts the future; while the gift of
prophecy never predicts the future. The gift of prophecy is not to
be used for guidance. Guidance is not one of the three blessings
of prophecy.

Three fold purposes of prophecy:

The gift of prophecy is for three reasons: Edification, Exhortation
and Comfort.

Edification:
To edify means to build up. If a man is weak spiritually it will
build him up. If someone is afraid, it removes the fear. This gift
of prophecy in its root meaning signifies, to erect, to strengthen,
to build up. These are multitudes of Christians today who are in
great need of having their spiritual lives built up and
strengthened.

Exhortation:
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In exhortation we have a call to encouragement. Prophecy will
exhort a Church fellowship to holiness, consecration and
separation from the world. Many times when the devil
discourages us, this gift of prophecy will encourage us. It can
being an exhortation: “Jesus is coming soon, keep moving with
God” to keep ourselves built up and strong in God.

Comfort:
The Greek word for comfort is consolation, which may include
the healing of distress, of sorrow, or persecution and of suffering.
We live in a world of broken lives, broken homes and broken
ambitions. The church needs divine comfort from the Holy Spirit
to bring heaven’s healing into their hearts. Some people who
come to our churches are so sad; they don’t know what to do,
some of them are actually contemplating suicide. If there is
anything we should give these people, it is comfort. Healing of
the inner person, healing of the memories, healing of sadness and
depression, we can bring comfort when we shake hands with one
another and embrace one another. We can say, “The LORD
comfort you and bless you”.

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These three ministries of prophecy-edification, exhortation and
comfort should be functioning in every prayer group and church
fellowship.

Foretelling is for service, and it means telling before hand. It is

also referred to as prediction. Foretelling or prediction may not
always be God’s mind; hence, it does not necessarily make you a
prophet. Whenever the inspiration arises in you to speak (or
prophesy), do so. Do not hold it back, else it would cease. Say
it! It is important that you make a start irrespective of how few
the words may be since we walk by faith. Just release what you
believe is being said to you and stop. You don’t have to wait
until you get the whole message since someone else can bring
forth the rest of the prophecy.

Prophecy also means forth telling and this is for the office of a
prophet. That is a situation where one is performing
exceptionally and perfectly well in the area of prophecy. The
person has grown to the level that he does not struggle in that
office. In other words, you speak as God’s oracle and your words

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are confirmed and honoured by God. It is also speaking the mind
of God about the future which shall definitely come to pass.

The gift of prophecy is exercised when your heart is open in true

worship before God. That is why it is easier for those that praise
and worship God to exercise it more than others. This is simply
because their hearts are open to God. Through prophecy, God
can give you an impression. That is, a mark pressed upon the
spirit of the person; an engraving, a print effect produced on the
mind or feeling. Also, it can come through a thought or vision as
made known by Job 4:12-14:………………

It means power of seeing or imagination, looking ahead, grasping

the truth that underlies facts, something seen especially by the
mind’s eye or power of imagination. Also, prophecy can come
through direct audible voice. Again, God may be speaking to
you as you speak the word.

To Practice this gift well, one needs to join a group that loves it
(the church that appreciates it and will allow you to exhibit it). I
am not persuading you to leave your church; rather, you can
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have a fellowship (prayer meeting) where people will love you
and appreciate your desire to move in this direction. Another
way we grow in faith is by speaking God’s words. That is,
speaking what God is saying, but when you are speaking
condemnation, the faith of that person will decrease. In other
words, when you are speaking good and the right words all the
time, your faith must increase, but negative words will puncture
your faith (i.e what we call flat tyre).

There is a way you will train your mind or spirit towards God
that will enable you to know when God is speaking. When you
are in close relationship with God, you will know when He
speaks because you are already conversant with how He operates.
The closer you are with God the more His Spirit becomes clearer
when He speaks.

When you have come to the level where you fully understand
when God is speaking or not, if you say what He did not say you
will be in trouble because you have now passed the stage of
infancy (Jeremiah 23:15-32 and Ecclesiastes 5:3). At times,
when you are engrossed in something, when you see revelation or
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dreams it will be along that line. Nothing gladdens the heart of
God than you telling His people His word so that they can live
right. God does not want His words to be diluted or not properly
preached in truth. This is simple gift of prophecy.

This gift of prophecy is for edification (up-building,

strengthening) and exhortation (encouragement) and comfort
(consolation). This gift of prophecy is for the building of the
church and remembers that it is you and I that make up the
Church.
The first instance of this gift is to build the Church. I Corinthians
14:3. The second is when someone moves from simple gift of
prophecy to foretelling (or referred to as prediction). It shows,
you have moved to higher realms.

The Difference between Prophecy and the Office of Prophet

For one to be a Prophet, he stands in that office and uses that
ministry. Other spiritual gifts beside prophecy must operate in
his ministry. The simple gift of prophecy is for speaking unto
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men for edification, exhortation and comfort. In this simple gift
of prophecy there is no foretelling, no prediction whatsoever.
However, in the Ministry of the Prophet there is foretelling and
prediction. A prophet has the revelation gifts (the word of
wisdom, the word of knowledge and or the discerning of spirit) in
operation along with prophecy.

It is important to realize that spiritual things can be misused just

as natural things can be misused. You are going to lose
everything you have and go bankrupt if you keep listening to
everyone who is advising you. A lot of ministers have lost their
ministries, vision etc. because of wrong prophecies. You have to
judge prophecies by the word of God. If prophecy is not in line
with the word of God, it is not right. If you do not have
something in your own spirit, do not accept a person prophecy.
Do not build your life on prophecies. Do not guide your life by
prophecies.
Build your life on the word. Let those other things be secondary.
Put the word of God first. You have to realize that it isn’t exactly
God doing it. It is men prophesying under the inspiration of the
spirit of God. Anything that man has to do with is not perfect.
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This Spirit of God is perfect. The gifts of the spirit in themselves
are perfect. But they certainly are not always in perfect
manifestation, because they are manifested through imperfect
vessels. This is the reason prophecy and tongues with
interpretation need to be judged by the word. I Corinthians
14:29-30…………………..

“Let the Prophets speak…”

The Bible is talking about prophets not just anyone who
prophesies. Do not accept something just because a prophet said
it. It is to be judged according to the Bible . We do not judge
people, we judge what is said many times when the Spirit of God
is moving. Anyone who can prophesy could do so but that does
not mean one should.

Also, when the spirit is manifestation, anyone who is used in the

ministry gift of tongues and interpretation could speak. But that
does not mean he should.
Don’t marry someone because someone prophesied you should.
Homes have been broken by so called prophecies. Also, don’t go
into the ministry because somebody prophesied you should. Get
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it on the inside of you for yourself. Then, if a prophecy confirms
what you already have, that’s all right. If the prophecy confirms
what you already have, accept it. If it does not, don’t accept it.
E.g the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the
work where unto I have called them (Acts 13:2). He had already
called them. This was just a confirmation of it.

Gift of Speaking in Unknown Tongues:

I Corinth 14:22……………………..

Tongues are for a sign to the unbeliever, to stir him up inside.

Speaking with tongues as the Holy Spirit gives utterances is a

unqiue ministry that has not been used in other dispensations. It
is identified only with the Church age, the age we are living in
today. Speaking in tongues is dynamic. It will change a person’s
life, so satin fights it with every force he can muster. We need to
understand it better, so we can use it more. Only spirit-filled, or
spirit-baptized believers are candidates for this gift.

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Tongues are a part of the Great Commission to the Church.
Church leaders must not forbid the use of this gift.

In I Corinth.14:39 Paul wrote:…………………….

If the word says “forbid not, I think we should be careful about

what we forbid.

In I Corinth.14:5 Paul had previously stated:……………………..

If the word of God says all of us should have this gift, then
without exception all of us should have it. The gift of tongues
should not be neglected, but it can be. It can lie dormant within
us. In 1 Timothy 4:14 Paul wrote to young Timothy:
…………………………..

There was nothing like speaking in unknown tongues in the Old

Testament. It commenced in the New Testament. Acts 1:4
informs us………………….

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The Promise of the Father to the disciples of Jesus Christ became
fulfilled Acts 2:4 which says:……………………………..

It is this gift of speaking in unknown tongues that I Corinthians

14:2 informs us thus:……………………………..

When one is speaking in unknown tongues, he is not speaking to

ordinary man, abut directly to God. In other words, my spirit is
praying when I am speaking in tongues (the spirit of God bears
witness with my spirit).

Secondly, the person is speaking mysteries (i.e secret, hidden or

unknown things) in the spirit. One praying in unknown tongues
does not need to doubt, but continue because the person’s
understanding is unfruitful (I Corinthians 14:14). Isaiah 28:11-12
says…………………

If you want to enter into your rest, you have to be speaking in

tongues. It can change a person’s life positively. Speaking in
tongues is for everybody that has received Jesus Christ as his
Lord and Personal saviour. In Acts 19:1-2, we see that it is
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possible to believe in Jesus Christ without receiving the Holy
Ghost. In Acts 2:4 people received the Holy Spirit without the
laying on of hands. But in Acts 19:6-7 Paul laid hands on them
before they received the Holy Ghost. There are many ways of
receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The fact that somebody
has a title does not mean the person can impart. However, the
heart of the receiver has to be prepared to receive. Romans 8:26-
27 says:……………….

The word infirmities here is talking about our weaknesses and

limitations, not only sickness. When we are speaking in tongues,
the Holy Ghost makes intercession for us according to the will of
God, not according to our will. That is why Jude 1:20-21 charges
us as thus:……………………….

When you pray in the Holy Ghost, it increases your faith; it will
make you not to be afraid of anything and at the same time, you
are building up yourself. One of the ways to enter into the love
of God is by speaking in tongues. By doing that (speaking in
tongues) you will discover that it will be easier to love, forgive or
tolerate people. When you pray regularly in the Holy Ghost, you
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can find yourself (in spiritual realm) in any part of the world¸for
example, in the hospital healing people, or God can bring people
from anywhere in the world to deliver you. If you want to
destroy powers in a shrine or evil tree spiritually, just go close or
near the place and start speaking in tongues.

Speaking with tongues as the Holy Spirit gives utterance is a

unique gift that has not been used in other dispensations. Yes it
is indeed identified with Churches of the age we are living in
today. Speaking in tongues is very dynamic. We need to
appreciate and fully understand it better, so that we can use it
more. Only Spirit-filled believers are candidates for this great
gift.

Tongues are a part of the great gift; we must not forbid the use of
this gift.
In 1 Corinthians 14:39 Paul wrote:………………………..

That means that it is necessary (no exception) for all of us to have

it. The gift of tongues should not be neglected at all.

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These are wonderful words of Paul and Apostle not only to
Timothy, but to all of us today.
Many people neglect speaking in tongues because they do not
understand the reasons for it. Infact, the reasons for speaking in
tongues are numerous:

 Speaking in tongues is an evidence of the infilling of the

Holy Spirit. (Study chapters 2,10, and 19 of Acts).
 It is your prayer language (1 Corinthians 14:2)
 With tongues, you magnify God (Acts 10:46)
 Tongues bring gladness in singing (I Corinthians 14:15)
 It is a source of spiritual refreshing (Isaiah 28:11-12)
 It is also a source of intercessory prayer (Romans 8:26)
 Speaking and ministering to the Lord in tongues is
somewhat like a repository of profit., (I Corinthians 12:7)
 Tongues edify or build (1 Corinthians 14:4

It is important to build yourself before building other people

because you can only give what you have.

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Therefore, take time to prepare yourself to enable you build the
church effectively. Many people pray with carnal minds. When
one is speaking in tongues, he easily connects to heaven. That is
why John 6:63 clarifies that “the Spirit quickeneth; the flesh
profiteth nothing….”.

Also, Romans 8:16 substantiates that:………………..

Remember, it is one of the spiritual gifts, and many people do not

manifest all the gifts. But the gift of speaking in tongues is the
only spiritual gift means for every Christian as proved in Acts 2:4
which states that:………………………

Also, Acts 2:38-39 informs us about Peter’s ministration:

When one is filled with the Holy Ghost, there must be evidence
which is shown by the presence of power. Therefore, receiving
the Holy Ghost means receiving Holy Spirit and His gifts.
Again, other spiritual gifts are not necessarily manifested by
everybody, but as God will’ss But tongues speaking is for every
Christian (i.e those that have given their lives to Jesus Christ as
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their Lord and Personal Saviour). This is because it resides in the
Holy Ghost. If you receive the Holy Ghost, you automatically
receive the gift of speaking in tongues, hence, if you are speaking
in tongues, you are boosting the Holy Ghost in you. So, if you
are not speaking in tongues, you are the one depriving yourself of
great benefits. (See also Mark 16:17).

There are diver kinds of tongues: tongues of men, tongues of

angels, tongues of prayer, tongues of God etc. The tongues of
God are usually referred to as Hebrew tongues. There are people
when they speak in tongues, they speak original Hebrew
language. Such people would need the gift of interpretation of
tongues for interpretation. Tongues of men have to do with
ordinary language of diverse nations Asian language, Italian
language, Indian language, or European language, etc. These
kind of tongues are always useful to International Evangelists.

The Evangelist must be in a country where he does not

understand the spoken language for instance; when he mounts the
pulpit, the Holy Spirit may ask him to start speaking in tongues
which may be the exact language spoken in that country. The
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people of that country would understand their language whereas
he does not understand it. But it would take the person that has
gift of interpretation of tongues to do the interpretation. Also,
devil and his agents have their own tongues. It is important to
note that devil can take over one’s tongues if the person is not
standing right with God.

I Corinthians 12:12-27 and chapter 13 talk about the foundation

that ought to be put in place before talking about gifts of the spirit
which are unity, love, faith and hope. We must realize that
everybody is important in the body of Christ. One person cannot
do God’s work alone. We need one another to fulfill our dreams
in order to achieve the purpose of God for our lives. Never see
yourself as more important than the other person; rather see the
person as helping hand that God has brought to you.

Understanding the importance and role of one another helps you

to grow in the Spirit and Ministry God has granted you grace to
function in. According to I Corinthians 13, love is the more
excellent way, walking outside of love profits nothing. To
manifest spiritual gifts, we must walk in love. The two most
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fundamental pillars upon which the manifestation of spiritual
gifts are built are unity and love.

Interpretation of Tongues:
Here, interpretation of tongues is a spiritual gift meant to give
immediate translation of words spoken in another language
through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. That is, showing or
making clear the meaning of words spoken or uttered in unknown
languages through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. This gift
can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:10 which says:
……………………

The interpretation of tongues can come in two ways: the

interpreter speaks the words inspirationally, or he sees what he
sees what he is speaking about in the form of a vision.
Interpretation of tongues is very important to the Body of Christ,
hence Apostle Paul made a point of it in I Corinthians 14:6, 9-11-
13……………………………

The interpretation of tongues requires a measure of faith. The

interpreter normally receives only one or two words at a time.
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He does not receive the complete message at once. By faith he
must give those words and by giving them, God gives him the
next words. As he speaks, the message will continue to come-a
few words at a time until he finishes.
Speaking in tongues and interpreting them are equal to prophecy.
The General way God speaks
After doing God’s will, it is unnecessary to wait again for what
He will say for the faithfulness of God is behind His promises.
His word is His will and whatsoever He says he would do, He
will certainly do. Whatsoever He says would be yours after
doing His will, that you would receive:
…………………………………

What else do you want to hear? The promises of God are as good
as done. They are eternally settled. Therefore, doing God’s will
gives you everything you will ever need or desire. Name it,
length of days, long life and peace and these culminate into
favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man:
…………………..

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There are so many ways God speaks to us. Their list is almost
inexhaustible. However, for clearer understanding, I have chosen
the most common ways.

Chapter 9

HOW DO WE KNOW A GOOD SEER?

One thing we must guard against spiritually is the devil’s

counterfeiting of these supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Satan
is a deceiver. The Bible says that he sometimes appears as an
angel of light – a counterfeit angel (2 Corinthians 11:14). There
will even be a counterfeit Christ called the ant-christ. In all of
history, anything that is of value has almost invariably some form
of counterfeit. Some people cannot differentiate between the real
from the counterfeit. It is not proper for anyone to be confused
about what is real and what is counterfeit because the Spirit of
God within us will reveal to us whether or not something is real.
This is because God wants us to know these things. These
counterfeits are called witches.

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A witch is a person who seeks to know from negative
supernatural sources other than God, things not known normally
or naturally. Their supernatural source is the devil. Anyone who
follows the satanic counterfeits of the gifts of the spirit will never
see heaven or God. The devil has no relationship with truth. Jesus
Christ said of the devil in John 48:44 that there is no truth in him,
for he is a lair, and the father of it. He was a lair from the
beginning, and he always will be. If you believe him, you will be
deceived.

Witches, soothsayers and magicians seek to know the future and

the unknown by satanic powers. God says we should not be part
of these people. In 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15, we read thus:

“For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming

themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore [it is]
no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the
ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to
their works.”

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I must repeat that in our world today, we have mind readers and
gurus with all sorts of Philosophies. We have people who are
trained to discern the inner man, but all of it is a counterfeit,
belonging only to the devil. It has no relationship with reality and
God does not want us to take part in such things. The mind is a
very precious commodity. Be careful not to loan it to a stranger.
Give it only to Jesus Christ and you will be very glad you did.

Again, we must be on guard against them. How can we recognize

such people? You will know every man by his fruits (Matthew
12:33). You will know every person by the spirit that is within
him. God will reveal these things to us through prayer and
listening to His still- small voice as the Spirit speaks to us.

Deuteronomy 18: 21-22 clarifies that:

“And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word
which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in
the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to
pass, that [is] the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, [but]

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the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be
afraid of him.”

Deuteronomy 13:1-5

“If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams,

and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake
unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast
not known, and let us serve them;
Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that
dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to
know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart
and with all your soul.
Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep
his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him,
and cleave unto him.
And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to
death; because he hath spoken to turn [you] away from the
LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt,
and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee
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out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to
walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.”

Then see Jeremiah 28:9

“The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the

prophet shall come to pass, [then] shall the prophet be known,
that the LORD hath truly sent him.”

Any utterance (in the name of the Lord) from a good Prophet is
supposed to come to pass. In order for us to pray that God should
give us the grace to confirm His words in our mouths. Any
Prophet that says what God did not send him will die (there will
be a separation between that prophet and God). It may not be
automatic physical death, but the Prophet will be experiencing
one problem or the other which will be eventually result in death.
And if God gives a Prophet a message and he delivers it to the
people; if the people refuse to carry out the instruction, it is then
between them and God – the Prophet does not have a problem.

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In Ezekiel 13: 1-22, we see that God can speak to a Prophet
through parables, dreams, visions, mouth to mouth, trance etc,
but always say exactly what God has said when you are giving
the message – do not add or subtract. A Prophet is supposed to be
the mouth piece of God or God’s oracle.

The operation of a Prophet is different from that of a Pastor –

they have different offices as they do not operate in the same
realm. People do criticize because they do not understand this
fact and that is why the anointing of those that criticize is
destroyed by God.

A Pastor is a Shepherd and the duty of a Shepherd is to protect

the sheep. A Pastor is like when a man weds a woman, no matter
what happens in their marriage, he must continue to endure it.

The man must love her the way she is despite her character (he
must be tolerant and accommodating).

Pastors are mainly sent for sinners so that they can convert them.
You can insult a Pastor and go Scot free, but if you do it to a
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Prophet, you will pay for it. A Pastor can collect tithe from
anybody and pray for him, but a Prophet would screen the kind of
tithe the person is bringing to him through the discerning of
spirits (and probably, reject it). When a Prophet comes to a
Church, he does not treat anybody as favourites; he can condemn
both the Pastor and the congregation without giving preferential
treatment to anybody (i.e if they are not pleasing God). If Prophet
delays in warning, God will not be happy with him.

In the same sense, an Evangelist can come and marvel the Church
with signs and wonders or “hot” messages. After he has gone, the
Pastor would gather the congregation together again. A teacher
has no friend. A Pastor can come and declare to a dying person,
“God says you will not die” but a teacher would not do it that
way. In fact, he would tell the dying person that it was due to his
sins that made his condition to be like that and he will show him
Bible references.

Teachers do not pamper sin, they say the mind of God without
hesitation. For a Church to stand, it takes a teaching Ministry
who will always tell raw, undiluted truth. An Apostle means “The
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Sent One” and can handle all the offices. They are the ones that
establish Churches from one place to the other and raise elders to
look after them (before they move to another place). All the
spiritual gifts make the offices of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist,
Pastors and Teachers to be beautiful.

Judging By the Word:

1 Thessalonians 5: 21a says “Prove all things”.

Always remember this: Bible teaches that the Spirit of God and
the word of God agree. Anytime the Spirit of God speaks to you,
it will always be in line with the word. People have heard
“voices” and have gotten every kind of revelation. You can
imagine, some people are always claiming to hear voices.

1 Corinthians 14: 10 says:

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“There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and
none of them [is] without signification.”

You can. And you indeed should judge things by the word.
Someone might ask ‘How can I tell whether it is my own spirit,
or the Holy Spirit telling me to do something?

If your Spirit is a new creature in Christ Jesus and old things have
passed away and all things are become new and your spirit has
the life and nature of God in it and the Holy Spirit in it, and your
spirit is in fellowship that is not right. It is not the inward man of
the Christians that wants to do wrong. It is the outward man. You
ought to be able to tell whether it is the flesh wanting to do
something, or the spirit. Here is a text that has been a puzzle to
many:

1 John 3:9:

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“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed
remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of
God.”

This is talking about the inward man. Spiritually, we are born of

God and partake of His nature. God’s nature is not the nature to
do wrong. God’s seed is in my spirit, not in my flesh. If you
continue to allow your flesh to dominate you, you will continue
to miss it. If you continue to let your natural mind dominate you
and do not get your mind renewed with the Word, you will
continue to miss it.

That is the reason the book of Romans 12:1-2 tells us to renew

our minds. Until your mind is renewed with the word of God,
your flesh and your unrenewed mind will dominate your spirit.
That will keep you as a baby Christians – a carnal Christian. In 1
Corinthians 3: 1, 3, a situation wherein Paul said:

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual,

but as unto carnal, [even] as unto babes in Christ.”

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“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you
envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk
as men?” (V. 3)

Another translation put it this way “for you are yet body-ruled. In
the same verse ….and walk as men”.

What does it mean? It means that they were walking and doing
things just like unsaved men did.

2 Peter 1:4 says:

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious

promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust”

We are born of the word of God. We are to feed on the word of

God. By so doing, we are partakers of the divine nature – God’s
nature. If we have the divine nature in us, our spirits will not tell

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us to do something wrong. Whatever you spirit tells you will be
right.

Proverbs 20: 27 in parts says:

“The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD …”

Your new born spirit has within it the life and nature of God. The
Holy Spirit dwells within your spirit. God has to communicate
with you through your spirit because that is where He is. Your
spirit gets its information through Him. Learn to obey the voice
of your spirit. If you are not accustomed to doing that, of course
you will not get there quickly. As we have said, your spirit can be
built up and strengthened. Your spirit can be educated just as
your mind can be educated. But just as you did not begin school
in the fist day and graduate the next day, so your spirit will not be
educated and trained over night. It is a gradual process.

Chapter 10
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 CONTROLLING THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

According to 1 Corinthians 14: 32, the possessor of the gift of

Prophecy can control that gift:

“And the spirit of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets”.

Whenever a person says of their utterances, “I can’t stop this”,

you can be sure that an alien spirit is involved. At no time is a
person bound by the manifestation of a spiritual gift. This is
difference between being compelled by the devil and being
controlled by God. You can stop God and grieve the Holy Spirit
at anytime. You are not under bondage to the Holy Spirit. You
work with Him and flow with Him because you want to. You
have to keep flowing in the spirit if you expect the gifts to
operate in and through you. I can emphasize this a million times
over.

1 Corinthians 14: 29 tell how the gift of Prophecy is regulated.

“Let the Prophets speaks two or three, and le the other judge”.
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There should be at most only three messages of prophecy in a
meeting. Even if you feel a thrust to prophecy, you should control
it if God has already spoken three times. The Word says that is
enough for one service. Verse 33 of that 1 Corinthians 14 tells
how this gift can be safe-guarded and protected.

“For God is not author of confusion, but of peace, as in all

churches of the saints.”

Also, in 1 Thessalonians 5: 20, we are told plainly:

“Despise not prophesyings.”

Some Pastors and Ministers do not want the gift of prophecy to

function in their churches because they cannot personally control
it. When the gifts of the spirit are not functioning properly, they
can be dangerous to the Church. Fire is good for many things and
equally bad when it is in the wrong place. The gifts of the Spirit
have a proper place and a proper time. To function best, they
should function at that place and time. Romans 12:6 exhorts us to
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prophesy according to the proportion of faith. If a person
prophesies things that do not come to pass, he is speaking beyond
his faith and such a person should stop prophesying.

In 1 Corinthians 12: 28, we find two other groups – HELPS and

GOVERNMENTS and 1Timothy 3 mention the offices of Bishop
or Elder and Deacons.
We will examine each of these nine Ministries further in our
study, but first let us consider the nine fold purposes of these
Ministries. This is because God never gives anything without a
purpose. In Ephesians 4:12-16, after listing the five major
Ministry gifts to the Body of Christ, the Apostle Paul states the
nine fold purposes of these Ministries to the Church.

1. For The Perfecting Of The Saints.

When God calls an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor or a

teacher, it is for one purpose: the perfecting of the saints. No gift
that God gives is ever for one’s self.

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When we say, “LORD, bless me, God can’t hear that prayer. He
wants us to be channels of blessing to others. When He gives us
something, it is to share with someone else.

They (gifts) were created for action. If you are given one of these
Ministries, it is not to be used, first of all, to perfect the saints.

2. For The Work Of The Ministry.

The Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ requires work. There is

much work to be done. – apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic,
pastoral and teaching works of the Ministry. Labourers are
needed in the fields to bring in the harvest.

3. For The Edifying Of The Body of Christ.

These Ministry gifts are for the edifying or building up of the

Body of Christ. None of them has to do with inward and selfish
motives. Each has to do with the life of Jesus pouring out of those
who possess them – giving of ourselves, blessing others and
helping others. The whole structure of Christianity is built upon
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the concept of blessing others. That is why what Jesus Christ and
salvation message are all about.

4. Till We All Come in The Unity of The Faith.

It hurts to see Christians divided one against the other,

denomination against denomination. If all the Churches in
Nigeria suddenly start working together, the devil’s work would
have been destroyed and he would pack up and leave this
country.! But as long as we are divided and fighting against one
another, we may not make much headway.

5. …And of the Knowledge of the son of God…

It is easy to have knowledge about so many things except Jesus.

We are to come into a true knowledge of the Son of God – who
He is, what He is, what He has done, and what He can do. What a
tremendous thing it will be when all of us really and truly know
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the totality of what Jesus Christ can do for us. Anything He can
do, He will do.

6. …Unto a Perfect man…

God is shooting for higher stakes. He is not looking for

imperfection nor is He looking for defeat. He intends to have
these Ministries and gifts in the Body of Christ until we become a
perfect man.

7. …Unto the measure of the Stature of the Fullness of Christ

What a magnificent thing! We are going to keep these Ministries

active until we bring the total Body unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ. Look at Christ standing tall with
faith, with no fear of any kind before demons and raging storms.
They didn’t matter-there was no fear! We are to bring our people
up to that same measure – as tall and strong and confident as
Jesus Christ. That is our goal.

8. …That we henceforth be no more Children …

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It amazes me sometime how a person can be a Christian for years
and still act like they are about three to six months old.
Screaming about everything that doesn’t suit them. Some people
will believe anything they hear, but we are to stick to the great
principles of divine truth in the word of God. This is one of the
functions of the Ministry gifts – to instruct us and to keep us from
being led astray into false doctrines by deceitful men.

9 …But speaking the Truth in Love…

Now to me, it is a great commission to speak the truth in love.

We are to speak God’s truth not in anger, but only in love. Why?
That all of us might grow up in Christ.

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 Chapter 11

MINISTRIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN

MANIFESTATION OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS

The Lord Jesus Christ, through the instrument of the Holy Spirit,
gives two types of gifts:-

a. The gifts of the Holy Ghost (the nine Gifts of the Spirit)
b. Men and Women as Gifts to the Body.

These are in addition to the nine separate and distinct gifts of the
Holy Spirit, that were given to the Church after the resurrection
of the Lord, Jesus Christ. We could call them “resurrection gifts”,
because they were given to the body of Christ after the
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resurrection and will belong to us until the Lord, Jesus Christ
returns for His Church.

The book of Ephesians 4:7 tells us:

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the

measure of the gift of Christ.”

The Scripture makes us to understand that we are given the gift of

God according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Christ freely
and abundantly gave His total life, reserving nothing; so we
receive, in like manner, the gifts of God in fullness and total
capacity. God is not stingy with His giving. He gives abundantly;
so we should receive abundantly.

It is good for us to realize how tremendous the gifts of the Spirit

can be as they function in lives. In fact, we are candidates of
these gifts; not for one gift only, but all of them. There is no place
the gifts of the Spirit cannot work –whether Africa, Europe, Asia,
America, Australia etc. including where you are now. The Holy

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Spirit has the fullness of the Ministries whose chief exercise is to
cause men to accept God ( through Jesus Christ).

Jesus Christ, speaking to us about the functioning of the Holy

Spirit told us that the Holy Spirit would be a comforter to us and
He would relay all He heard from heaven to us. The Holy Spirit
is the one that gives and manifests spiritual gifts. He moves
forward and backwards bringing communication from God to us
and ours to God.

Jesus Christ made us to understand that when the Holy Spirit or

Holy Ghost comes, He would not speak of Himself but what He
hears from the Father.
This is found in John 16:13:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide

you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will
shew you things to come.”

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Another word for howbeit is however. The above Scripture
inform us that Holy Ghost will show us all things when He
comes. That is to say that one of the functions of the Holy Spirit
is revelation of the future events or things. But it is unfortunate
that people still go astray after He has spoken to them either
through dreams, trance, and still small voice e.t.c. It is certain that
anyone who follows the directions of the Holy Spirit does not
miss his way.

If we want to know things that will come to pass, and the way
they will come to pass, The Holy Spirit will reveal them. So, we
do not need to go fortune tellers, sorcerers or astrologers, but to
the Holy Spirit. Therefore, The Holy Spirit is our guide into all
truth and revealer of things to come, hence. He expects us to
Minister with the gifts He has given to us. That is why 1 Peter 4:
10 exhorts us:

“As every man hath received the gift, [even so] minister the
same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of
God.”

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So, your gifts are not expected to be buried or die in you. As able
Ministers, we are expected to Minister life through the gifts we
have received from the Holy Spirit.

This is necessary so as to show that we are good stewards. Here

steward means manager, managers of manifold grace of God
which has been given for us to share. It is, therefore, good for us
to give out so that we can receive more blessing both spiritually
and physically. The Bible says in proverbs 11: 25 that:
“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall
be watered also himself.”

The deeper we follow this truth, the stronger our foundation,

especially in Divine Majesty Worship Ministry.
2 Corinthians 3:6 says:

“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament;

not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the
spirit giveth life.”

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I would say that the deep purpose of these lesson is for us to
become able Ministers of truth, giving life – spiritual life,
dynamic life – to those whom we come in contact.

Chapter 12

DIFFERENTIATION IN MINISTRIES

1. The Office of An Apostle

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The Office of an Apostle is the foremost Ministry in the Church
of the Lord Jesus Christ. An Apostle is not appointed by men.
The Bible says the Holy Ghost is the one who established these
Ministries in the Church. The Greek word for Apostle is
“Apostolos” meaning “a delegate; one sent with full power of
attorney to act for another”. An Apostle is a divine delegate – one
who has come to the people of the world, representing the God-
head in heaven.

The Apostle does not act on his own behalf; he is anointed by the
Holy Ghost to act on behalf of the Body of Christ, the Church of
the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, an Apostle is one delegated
with the power of attorney too act on behalf of the Lord Jesus
Christ, sent by the power of the Holy Ghost to you. An Apostle is
one with delegated authority. He does not act on his own and do
as he pleases; he is one sent forth from God with a message from
God for the people. That us humbling situation.

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The position of Apostle as the very word implies, means a person
who is sent forth to do a work for God. Such a person is not
greater than his LORD; not greater than the One who sent him.

Divine Gift

When an Apostle comes into our midst, remember he is a gift of

the Holy Ghost to us as a person. He did not become an Apostle
by studying or working hard. Apostleship does not come that
way. He was made an Apostle by God. Apostles are born through
the power of the Holy Ghost.

The Apostle is different from the other four governmental offices

in that he has the ability to perform those other functions. This is
what makes an Apostle and why the Bible always lists the
Apostle first. Some people think the Prophet should be first but
the Apostle is above the Prophet. Any person – man or woman
with an Apostolic calling has the ability, the authority and
anointing to raise up a Church without any outside help.

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Paul had this amazing ability. He could enter a town, walk into
the market place and have a Church formed before nightfall. Not
only could he raise up Church, he would found and establish it.
He also had the power and ability to remain there as a Pastor. He
would teach the people in that Church, then start a school and
send out workers to other places.

The Apostle is a combination of the other four Church Ministries.

He can be whatever is needed – Pastor, Evangelist, Teacher or
Prophet. In addition, the Apostle can set Church government in
order. He can establish Deacon Boards and Elderships, develop
the Ministry of Helps within a Church body and place
Governments in a Church so the body will function properly.

People today seem so reluctant to recognize the Ministry of an

Apostle. We have no problem with the offices of Pastor and
Evangelists but we are almost afraid to call a man an Apostle –
for many reasons including pride.

But if a person is truly an Apostle, he will never be proud. If a

Minister fills all five offices of Ministry to the body of Christ,
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then he is an Apostle. See these Scriptures: Hebrews 3:1,
Galatians 1:1, 2: 8, Matthew 10: 2-4, 1 Corinthians 9: 5-6,
Romans 1:19, James 1:1, 1 Thessalonians1: 1 and 2: 6, 2
Corinthians 8: 23, Philippians 2:25 and Luke 10:1.

Apostleship is a Ministry for the Church as long as the Church is

upon the face of this earth. They are the divine leaders God has
commissioned to lead His Church.

An Apostle is one who can pioneer, who can construct and begin
a work with no problem. But not only can he conceive and bring
into being a body of believers, he can remain behind to found that
Church and put it on a solid rock of truth. He can organize it, set
it in order, and teach it with great fluency and accuracy.

A price to pay
All those who have a place to leadership in Christ Jesus will
suffer persecution. The bigger the job, the dirtier the devil wants
to get you. But don’t let that deter you. If you want leadership,
reach out of it. Be what God wants you to be.
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See 1 Corinthians 4:9:

“or I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it
were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the
world, and to angels, and to men.”

If you are seeking greatness in God you may not achieve

greatness with humans. You may have to endure many
unpleasant things.

2. The Office of A Prophet

As we have already seen, the office of an Apostle is the highest

Ministry of the Church. While the second Ministerial office is
that if the Prophet. The office of Prophet cannot be filled through
a democratic election. A Prophet is called of God and set apart by
God.

The person God picks to fill this office is not chosen on the basis
of personality, education or public standing. When God appoints

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a Prophet in the land, the people there have nothing to do with it.
It is always God’s arrangement.

3. The Office of A Evangelist.

The Evangelist is a proclaimer of the Gospel. That is his purpose

of Ministry and he does not deviate from it. He simply preaches
the love and forgiveness of God and the salvation that is available
to all through His Son, Jesus Christ. When he preaches this
simple Gospel message, people receive salvation.

An Evangelist is a gift from God to the Church. A person cannot

go to Bible School and study to become an Evangelist. If you
need an Evangelist, call upon the Holy Ghost and He will send
you one (See Matthew 9: 37-38) “Then saith he unto his
disciples, The harvest truly [is] plenteous, but the labourers
[are] few;
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send
forth labourers into his harvest.

And also (Acts 8: 5-6) concerning Philip

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“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached
Christ unto them.
And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things
which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he
did.”

As an Evangelist, nobody has to give you a place to preach.

When God calls you to do something, just go out and start doing
it. Evangelist get discouraged sometimes when they go to a
Church and fail to get many people saved. The reason is that they
are probably doing their evangelism in the wrong place.

Evangelist need to go out and plant their seed where the sinners
are, then they will reap great harvest; not in or around Church
altars.

4. The Office of A pastor

A Pastor is a Shepherd.
Matthew 9: 36 says:

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“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with
compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered
abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”

Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, the Chief Pastor. He saw the

multitudes and was moved with compassion. This demonstrates
the pastor’s heart. There are some people who cannot see a
multitude and be moved.
In Jeremiah 3: 15, God says:

“And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which

shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

This is the Ministry of a Pastor: to feed the flock with knowledge

and understanding; to feed the souls of all who come by the Spirit
of God.

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In fact, the more people there are, the more inspiration a Pastor
can get and better he can feed them. It arouses that force and
anointing within him and enables him to feed them well.
In contrast to a Shepherd, the Bible also speaks of hirelings –
people who say they are Pastors as seen in John’s Gospel (John
10:11-13):

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for
the sheep”.
“But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own
the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep,
and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the
sheep.”
“The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not
for the sheep.”

There is a great difference between someone who has been hired

and someone whom God has commissioned. A real Pastor is
commissioned by God to do his job and he will Pastor even if he
never gets a dime. He will keep doing it, even if he never gets
any appreciation. Why? Because God told him to do it.
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A hireling, on the other hand, will quit if he does not get exactly
what he wants. The distinguishing mark is the Pastor’s heart. A
Shepherd’s heart can not be fabricated. It cannot be received at
Bible School. A Shepherd’s heart comes only from God. It is
either you have it, or you do not. A hireling is after his own gains
and benefit, hence, the protection and well being of the flock are
not his primary concern.

5. The Office of A Teacher

A teacher of the Word can be located in one place, or he can

travel. The office of A Teacher carried a very special anointing
for opening people’s understanding of God’s word.

You might be surprised at the number of great Bible Teachers

who are almost illiterate people. If you ask them a question about
philosophy or some other subject, they are at a loss, but they can
open a Bible and simply amaze you with their knowledge and
understanding.

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As they give an exposition on the word of God, it is truth pouring
forth from them. Though they have little or no education, they are
anointed to teach the word of God. On the other hand, you may
meet a learned Professor who cannot understand a single passage
in the whole Bible.

All the education in the World will not make one a teacher of
God’s word. A teacher is a person who has been set in the Body
of Christ by God for one specific purpose to teach the Word.

There are however other Offices as follows:

*Elders
*Deacons
*Helps
*Governments

6. The Office of An Elder.

1 Timohy 3:1 states:

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“This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop,
he desireth a good work.”

It is good to desire the office of Elder, not title, but the Ministry it
involves.

1 Timothy 5: 17-19 reveals how the Elder is to function in the

Body of Christ thus:

“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double

honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that
treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer [is] worthy of his
reward.
Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or
three witnesses.”

In Acts 20: 17, we read:

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“And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of
the church.”

Paul called them together for a consultation about their Ministry

– what they should do and how they should work in the Church.

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Also see in the Book of James 5: 14-15:

“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the
church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall
raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be
forgiven him.”

Acts 14: 23 states:

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“And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and
had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on
whom they believed.”

These Elders were men of the Church who were mature, both
physically and spiritually. Such men were ordained or anointed
and set aside for service by the laying on of hands.

In Titus 1: 5-6, Paul opined thus:

“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in
order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every
city, as I had appointed thee:
If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful
children not accused of riot or unruly.”
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Here Paul was showing us the responsibilities and qualifications
of these Elders. It is good to obey the LORD in everything,
especially when it concerns Elders, because they are the ones
who function in the spiritual part of the Church.

Verses 7-9a continues:

“For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not

selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not
given to filthy lucre; (that is, not a lover of money).
But a lover of hospitality (one who invites people into his home
and Minister to them), a lover of good men, (association with
good people, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the
faithful word as he hath been taught …”

Notice this last phrase “as he hath been taught” The apostle,
prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher whom God has set in the
Church – take those in the Church and teach them.
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As verse 9 continues, an elder is taught that he may be able by
sound doctrine (as he has been taught) both to exhort and to
convince the gain-sayer (those who come against the Body). This
is the role of the elder: a spiritual overseer in the Church,
involved in blessing the people spiritually.

7. The Office of A Deacon

Next we have the office of a Deacon. The first deacons were

chosen in Acts Chapter 6.

In 1 Timothy 3:” 8-12, we have God’s standard for this office.

As qualifications for both the Elder and the Deaconship, God said
these men should be capable of ruling their own house.
1 Timothy 24 3:11-13, the Bible says:

“Even so [must their] wives [be] grave, not slanderers, sober,

faithful in all things.

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 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their
children and their own houses well. For they that have used the
office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree,
and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus”.

Deaconship is a good work. The Lord expects a deacon to be an

example to the people in His Church.

8. The Ministry of Helps

The Ministry of Helps is what God wraps around us to hold us

together in our stormy times. Some people previously Ministered
in this area of Helps. For example, there is Phebe. In Romans 16:
1-2, Paul says:

“I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of

the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the
Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever
business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of
many, and of myself also.”

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Phebe was a helper. She carried the book of Romans to Rome for
Paul at his request. Though she was not a preacher, Phebe helped
spread the word.

Lydia was another helper who supported Paul. We find in Acts

16: 14-15 how she provided lodging in her home in Philippi for
Paul and his group.

“And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the

city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose
heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which
were spoken of Paul.
And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought
[us], saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord,
come into my house, and abide [there]. And she constrained
us.”

In the Old Testament, there were two men who held up the arms
of Moses during a battle (Exodus 17:8-12). As long as Moses
held up his hands, there was victory for the children of Israel but
when he become weary and let them fall, they began to loose. So
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Aaron and Hur held up Moses; tired arms and helped win the
victory. They were helpers; Moses could not function without
them in old age.

No man of God can function without helpers. I am surrounded

with helpers and when we get to heaven they may get a bigger
reward than myself. That will be God’s business, not mine. You
may ask, why may they get a bigger reward? Because they may
have been more faithful in their helping than I have been in my
Ministering.

In Matthew 10: 42, our LORD Jesus Christ said that if you give
even a cup of cold water to a Prophet, you shall receive a
Prophet’s reward for helping. There are big stakes involved in
being a helper.

The Secretaries in Offices are helpers. Those who proof-read my

books are helpers. Those who run the printing are helpers. Those
who support me financially to run the Ministry and print these
books are helpers. In the Ministry, there are thousands of helpers

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– in different fields. These helpers are very important to God, and
they have their reward in heaven.
2 Samuel 17: 27-29:

“And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that

Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon,
and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the
Gileadite of Rogelim,
Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and
barley, and flour, and parched [corn], and beans, and lentiles,
and parched [pulse],
And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for
David, and for the people that [were] with him, to eat: for they
said, The people [is] hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the
wilderness.”

9. Governments

This word Governments means the Steering committee. It is has

no reference to power or ruling. Those who possess knowledge to
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steer a Church and guide it around its problems become the
governments of that Church.

Within a Church, there are many kinds of operations, all kinds of

groups and committees. To build a new building, you choose a
building committee. This is an example of Church government.

God wants all of these because He wants order 1 Corinthians 14:

33, 40:

“For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in

all churches of the saints.
Let all things be done decently and in order.”

For everything to run smoothly, there must be organization. God

wants Church government to be well oiled with the Holy Ghost.

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This means that mature men and women can bless the Church be
being set aside to do certain things within the Church; to operate
the Church in the way it ought to be operated.

Men may select us for one thing, but the final selection is up to
God, and when God selects us for a job, it is always good.

Further note, that a government is usually formed to meet a need

at a particular point in time in the Church and once that need is
met, the government is dissolved e.g. if a crusade is to be held, a
committee or government is usually formed to handle it, once the
crusade is over, the committee is dissolved. No committee is
forever but for a particular meeting of a need. No government is
forever and most importantly, governments are not for power or
for ruling.

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 Chapter 13

THE HOLY SPIRIT VERSUS DEMON SPIRIT GUIDES

The following shows comparison between the Holy Spirit and

demon spirit guides.

1. The Holy Spirit is God Almighty with unlimited power and

knowledge. He has all the attributes of the Godhead

Demon spirits are limited created beings. They have none of the
attributes of the Godhead. Their knowledge and intelligence,
though far superior to human intelligence are LIMTED.

2. The Holy Spirit values our individuality. He does not try to

usurp our individual personality in any way.
Demons HATE human beings! They try to usurp the individuals’
personality and replace it with their own.

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3. The Holy Spirit wants us to be in control and responsible for
our own actions. He works in us “to will and to do God’s
pleasure”. (Philippians 2: 13).

Demons want total control. They will frequently knock the

person unconsciously and then use them in any way they want.

4. The Holy Spirit is gentle. When He comes into a person, He is

so gentle that when you look inside yourself, you can’t tell what
is the Holy Spirit and what is you.

Demons are harsh, because of their desire to take over, a person

can always sense a difference between the demon spirit and
themselves. This is true even if they think the demon is a
“Counselor” of part of their own subconscious mind. It is always
an “entity” separate from their conscious mind.

5. The Holy Spirit is holy and pure. He brings purity into our
lives. He gives us POWER to overcome sin.

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Demons are totally corrupt. They will ALWAYS lead a person
deeper and deeper into sin. Even the demons in the New Age
Movement who try to present themselves as being “good”
quickly lead the person into sin. Within the New Age Movement,
the areas of sin to show quickly are sexual immorality and a
desire to delve into the occult and increase contact with the spirit
world.

6. The Holy Spirit always uplifts and glorifies Jesus, thereby

bringing humility into the life of the person He in-dwells.

Demons hate Jesus! They glorify the person in whom they dwell,
always drawing attention to the person himself instead of toward
Jesus. PRIDE is the hallmark of demons AND the people they
inhabit.

7. The Holy Spirit NEVER blanks out our minds. He puts

thoughts into our minds, but does NOT blank them. He wants us
to ‘take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5) and “to will
and to do God’s will” (Philippians 2:13) He always wants us to
ACTIVELY cooperate with Him. We do not have to blank our
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minds for the Holy Spirit to speak to us. He is so powerful that
He can override our active mind at anytime. This is the place
where most Christians make mistakes and fall into deception,
thinking they have to blank their minds for the Holy Spirit to
operate through them or speak to them.

Demons frequently blank out a person’s mind. They function best

when the person passively lets them take over. That is why
Eastern religions and occult meditations ALWAYS use
relaxation techniques to blank the mind. Demons have difficulty
overriding an active strong mind. They always encourage periods
of mental passively.

8. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, but His conviction is

non-destructive. He always leads the person to repentance,
forgiveness, redemption and peace.
John 16: 8:

“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of

righteousness, and of judgment:”

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Proverbs 27:5:

“Open rebuke [is] better than secret love.”

Proverbs 28: 23

“He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour

than he that flattereth with the tongue.”
Demons do one of two things. They help the person justify his
sins, or they bring destructive crushing guilt with no hope of
forgiveness or redemption. Demonic guilt always brings with it
the message: “You cannot be forgiven.”

9. The Holy Spirit will NEVER give us any communication that

contradicts God’s word. Demons will twist and turn God’s word
and take it out of context to justify sin.
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Godly Sorrow
2 Corinthians 7:9:

“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye

sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly
manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.”

2 Corinthians 7:10:

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be

repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

2 Corinthians 7: 11:

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“For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly
sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, [what] clearing of
yourselves, yea, [what] indignation, yea, [what] fear, yea, [what]
vehement desire, yea, [what] zeal, yea, [what] revenge! In all
[things] ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”

10. We can NEVER control the Holy Spirit! He functions when

and how He pleases. We are the servants. He is the master. For
example, we CANNOT Control WHEN the Holy Spirit speaks to
us, gives us a glimpse of the spirit world, makes us aware of
God’s presence, heals, or gives us discernment. The Holy Spirit
never does the same thing twice. He refuses to allow us to depend
on any routine or ritual.
“And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God
which worketh all in all. But manifestation of the Spirit is given
to every man to profit withal … But all these (gifts) worketh that
one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as
He will.” (1 Corinthians 12: 6-11) “God also bearing them
witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles,
and gifts of the Holy Spirit, ACCORDING TO HIS OWN
WILL.” (Hebrew 2: 4)
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Demon spirits dupe the people they indwell into thinking they
can control them. They will come whenever the person calls, heal
when the person wants e.t.c They love rituals and routines. They
enable a person to see the spirit world more and more. The
demonic counterfeits of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are usually
under the control of the person i.e he can heal, prophesy, have
“words of knowledge,” e.t.c whenever he wants.

11. The Holy Spirit demands that we walk in faith; not by sight or
emotions. Therefore, He does not frequently or routinely give us
visions or emotions. The Holy Spirit does not satisfy carnal
desires for emotional rewards. Because we must walk by faith
and not by sight, the Holy Spirit RARELY let us see the spirit
world, and certainly not on a routine basis, or when we want to.

Demons love to manipulate human emotions. They control

MANY by giving them emotional “highs” or rewards. Demons
also love to give humans emotional extremes. Demons
FREQUENTLY help people see the spirit world, thus decreasing
their need for faith. People with demon spirit guides frequently
have visions and supernatural experiences.
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12. We can grieve the Holy Spirit by disobeying Him, He
withdraws and does not function in our lives. The Holy Spirit
NEVER goes against our free will. God doesn’t want puppets or
robots.

Demons bring quick punishment to anyone disobeying them.

They are quick to take over and control, ALWAYS trying to
usurp the person’s free will. Demons love puppets and robots.

13. Th Holy Spirit loves us and brings us into eternal life in the
presence of God.

Demons hate us and lead people into eternal destruction

separated from God forever in hell.

14. Jesus loved us enough to die and shed His OWN blood for us,
paying the price for our purification from sins on Himself

Demons never shed any of THEIR blood for people. They are
always demanding that people shed blood for them, teaching the
people that they must do this for their purification so that Satan
and demons can “bless” them. Also in the case of Christians,
demons bring about all sorts of self-imposed punishment and /or
rigid legalistic rules so that “God” can bless them.
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15. Jesus paid the price for our since ONCE and for all (1 Peter
3:18).

Demons always demand more and more sacrifices. They are

NEVER satisfied.

16. The Holy Spirit gives the desire to read the Bible

Demons try to keep from reading the Bible.

17. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the Scripture (John

14:26).

Demons bring confusion. They block a person from

understanding the Scriptures ‘God is NOT the author of
confusion.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)

18. The Holy Spirit draws us to pray while Demons hinder all
true prayers

19. The Holy Spirit is NOT a show-off while Demons LOVE to

make a show.

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20. When the Holy Spirit “transport a Christians in the Spirit, He
takes good care of the physical body. (Revelation 4:1-2, 2
Corinthians 12: 2-3).

When a person astral-projects, the demon spirit left in his

physical body to maintain it could care less about that person’s
body. That is why astral-projection creates such a terrible
physical drain on the person doing it. The hair of most people
doing astral-projection turns gray quickly.

21. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of truth. He NEVER lies 9john

16:13)

All demons are liars, so are the people they indwell because their
master; the devil is the father of all lies 9John 8:44).

22. The Holy Spirit demands that we actively use our minds to
learn. He is never willing to serve as an information bank,
independent of our minds.

Demon spirits guides are quite willing to serve as an information

bank so that the person they indwell does not need to actually
learn the information with their minds. Therefore, when a person
accepts Jesus and kicks out his/her spirit guide, whatever
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information they allowed to reside in their spirit guide is
immediately and forever lost.

23. Far too many Christians make the fatal error of thinking the
Holy Spirit will come and “take control of them” so that they do
not know what they are doing, or so that they do not control
themselves. ONLY demons do this. They Holy Spirit always
demand our active conscious cooperation with His will. Anytime
we give up the control of ourselves, we have opened the door for
demons to come in and control us.

Demons LOVE to take over and control the people they indwell.

Chapter 14

CONCLUSION
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We now know that everybody has, at least, a gift; no man is left
without a gift. However, no matter how one desires or covets
spiritual gifts, it is still God that gives as He wills. The extent to
which one prepares himself goes a long way in determining the
level the person will be used by God.

2 Timothy 2: 21:

“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a

vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use,
[and] prepared unto every good work.”

If you desire the gifts of the Spirit to function in your life, you
must be a person of action. You must say, ‘I am ready for the
battle field”. This is because the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not
designed just to make you different from other people. They are
given to equip you for God’s service.

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These spiritual gifts should function through you with great
wisdom, so that God is pleased with you. That is why it is
important for us to realize the foundation to put in place before
manifesting the gifts because the fact that one is speaking in
tongues and prophesying does not mean he has the Spirit of God.
The things that can help you have the Spirit of God are unity,
love, faith and hope. These things must be manifested, and the
only way to maintain them are found in Leviticus 6: 12-13.
Whatever that will make the fire to go down must be done –
studying the word of God, prayer, praise and worship, speaking
in tongues, living righteous, holy and upright life – must be done
on regular basis in order to keep the fire burning continuously.

Another important factor that can make God to use us greatly in

this area as we grow in them is that we must guide our tongues.
Remember that Matthew 15:18 clarifies that those things which
proceed out of the mouth defile the man (Also, read proverbs
10:19 and Matthew 12:34). In fact, one of the things that makes
one’s spiritual life to come to zero is the kind of words that come
out from the person’s moth. For example, “is it because we are in
the same church that makes you feel you can insult me? Who is

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your mate? e.t.c. They are not edifying words. When you speak,
speak life not death, peace not war and words that comfort and
edify people, e.t.c (Read proverbs 10:13; 21 and 31, 11: 12-13;
12:18; 15:28 and James 3: 2). If you must excel in the
manifestation of Spiritual gifts, then you must bridle your tongue
by knowing what to say and what not to say Isaiah 50:4-5:

“The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I
should know how to speak a word in season to [him that is]
weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine
ear to hear as the learned.
The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious,
neither turned away back.”

Also, note that the anointing and the gifts of the Spirit without a
good character is deceitful and destructive; people will doubt its
genuineness and it will scare people away from you. But even if
you do not manifest the gifts, through your good character,
people will look for you and acknowledge your God.

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*Character in fellowship, in speech (what are the kind of words
that come out of your mouth?) *Character in the work
environment (how do you do the work assigned to you?) e.t.c.
Are you patient, loving, time conscious, and do you know what to
do and go ahead to do it without being instructed?. You must be
living a total life of obedience.

*Character in your mode of dressing matters a lot. Do not follow

the world to walk in the worldly way or fashion. Put on the dress
that fits your body and covers the important parts as a sister.
*Character in management – the way you utilize things – if you
have $20, 000 for example, utilize it effectively. Utilize it for
important things. Buy things that can build your spiritual life now
or in the future; not carnal things. When you manage what you
have well, God will promote you.

If you want God to anoint you or increase your anointing, you

must be accountable for whatever that is kept in your care. When
one cannot give account of the money God gave to him, then the
person is not ready for anointing. For example, Bishop David
Oyedepo of Living Faith Mission is financially accountable; that
is why he is blessed by God. Some sister’s marriage is being
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delayed because they cannot manage well. Stop comparing
yourself with others. Be unique!. Note that there is no time for
everything. Right from my childhood, God (by His special grace)
has made me a builder. If I deviate from this way, it is dangerous.
If you do not manage what God has given you well, there will be
problem. Therefore, ask God to give you special grace to manage
that gift He has given to you effectively.

To excel in spiritual gifts, you have to keep moving. This is

because you cannot receive the full manifestation of any gift of
the spirit by stopping to rest on a spiritual plateau.

Importantly, Galatians 5:16-24 substantiates that the fruit of the

spirit 9i.e love, joy, peace, patience, long /suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance) are very
indispensable in Christ. Therefore, we need both the fruit and the
gifts of the Spirit so that we can be vessel of honour who can
make the love of Christ known to the world, hence, if these are in
us, the power of God will be made manifest. The love of God
will cover the earth even as the waters cover the sea.

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Apparently, it is now common knowledge that though the Holy
Spirit has the prerogative to give us spiritual gifts as He wills, it
is our desire for them that makes them manifest. However, it is
our choice to practice responsible Christianity that prompts their
ceaseless flow. Gifts of the Spirit are God’s token of love to the
Church to make her useful and productive and above all,
establish God’s eternal purpose on planet earth. If the church
must unleash terror against the kingdom of darkness and
overthrow it, these gifts must be actively and wisely utilized.

They are God’s arsenal against the devil, made available to man
to make him a conqueror who is bent on conquest (Revelation
6:2). What a glorious experience it is to be partakers of God’s
final onslaught against the devil and his kingdom. It is a very
wonderful way chosen by God to puncture the foolish pride of
the devil by putting him where he truly belongs – under our feet!
The devil will always be under the feet of the Ministers who are
vessels of honour (Romans 16: 20). To be a vessel unto honour is
by choice. God does not determine this; we do. The only
qualification is agreeing in totality to God’s plea through Apostle
Paul in Romans 12:1-2:

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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--
this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer
to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)

As you make up your mind to follow and worship God in truth

and in spirit, tell God to forgive you of the past sins, disobedience
and mistakes. Invite Jesus to come afresh into your life and ask
the Holy Spirit to have His way in fullness from henceforth. As
you do this, I want to assure you that something great has taken
place in your life. I congratulate you greatly in Jesus Christ name.
Amen.

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 Chapter 15

SUCCESS NUGGETS/ADVICE

Growth

*Spiritual Gifts cannot grow without exercise

Attitude Determine Altitude

* How do you manage that ‘Little’ that God has given you? God
has the power to bring His promises to pass in your life within
one day. So, why do they take years to manifest? BECAUSE God
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believes in prudent management. If you do not manage the little
ones very well, big ones may be delayed or out rightly cancelled
(Luke 16:10). God does not jump queue or steps (Job 8:7).

Opposition

*There is nothing wrong with accusation. If you pass through

accusation or opposition, standing firm and upright, you will be
uplifted and promoted.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say
all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake (Matthew
5:11).”

You do not need a whole crowd to defend you. One person, an

advocate is enough: JESUS CHRIST.

True Riches

*There are TRUE and fake riches. True riches come from God
and this comes ONLY after you have shown faithfulness over a
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little. Determine to be different. We are covenant people who
must not do what worldly people do, because it does not work.
Before you shout and disturb for more, God is asking “how
faithful have you been in the management of the one I gave you
previously?”

Redemption

*Redemption means re-purchasing somebody out of slavery. You

are God’s slave; redeemed with a price. God owns you in totality
with everything you have (Proverbs 3: 5-6 and Proverbs 23:26).
The Ministry or even that life does not belong to you. Therefore
ask God what to do with the resources (including those spiritual
gifts) He has given to you.

Maturity

*Maturity is not how long you have been in a thing rather; it is in

the effective application of the little that God has given to you. It
means being accountable. There is no room for waste. Life is a
gift. How are you managing it?

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The kingdom of God is not entirely a kingdom of worship, praise,
counseling, tithe, laying on of hands e.t.c. It is basically going
about God’s business the way and manner Jesus Christ did. You
must make a plan. If there is no management structure, growth is
impossible as God may not act in that case.

Dominion

* Genesis 1: 27-28 portrays God as a depositor of resources.

God’s purpose for creating man was for him to have dominion –
rule well, manage well and lead well.
The word ‘BLESS’ in Hebrew interpretation is the ability to
release. We are therefore to reproduce what is inside us.

Miracle

*Your miracle is in what you have (2 Kings 4: 1-7). What do you

have? Do you despise it because it is ‘so small’? There you are!

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The gift of God in your life (spiritual gifts) is like a fruit every
fruit has seed.

Lack

*What you have which you do not ‘like’ (believe in), you will
soon begin to lack it. God will definitely keep away from you
what you are not able to manage well. You cannot make it to the
Zenith of your destiny without good management.

Death

*If you fail to manage well what God has given to you, God will
cause it to die and you will lose it. Always give glory to God and
do not share in it.

Summary

*Mis-management of God’s given resources will always produce

poverty while good management will always produce increase.
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Seek ye first His kingdom and create ability/avenue for
multiplication

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