Author: Mercy Peace

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7

Imagine you’re given a box for free. Inside are varieties of beautiful fruit. You take the box, place it on a shelf, then go outside and see people enjoying amazing fruit. You wonder, “Where did they get theirs?” 

Meanwhile, your box is still on the shelf. Unopened. 

That box is the Holy Spirit. Given to you freely. Inside Him are diversities of gifts in one Spirit. Many believers have the Holy Spirit yet feel empty. Why? They collected the gift but never checked what’s inside. 

They see other believers manifesting gifts and wonder why they don’t. Brothers and sisters, what you’re looking for is already with you. Why not unveil the box?

Scripture is clear: the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man. You’re not an exception. Let me break it down.

There are nine gift of the spirit — word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues — all in one Spirit. 1 Cor 12:8-10

God, in His wisdom, didn’t give them to us separately. He wrapped all nine gifts in one Spirit and gave us Him freely. 

So if you have the Holy Spirit, you have all these gifts inside you.

Why were the gift given? For profit not pride. 
1 Corinthians 12:7 – “to profit withal”.
God didn’t give you the spirit so you’d feel spiritual. He gave you the spirit so you’d be useful. Every gift in that box is for someone else’s breakthrough.

The difference between fruits and gifts.
Many confuse them. Gift are what you do. Fruit is who you are. You can heal the sick and still lack love. That’s why Galatians 5:22 comes before 1 Corinthians 12. Character carries the gift.

People have the spirit but it doesn’t flow. Why?
• Ignorance – Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. You can’t use what you don’t have.

• Fear – Fear of error keeps many from stepping out in prophecy, tongues, healing. 2 Timothy 1:6-7 “stir up the gift”…. for God hath not given us the spirit of fear”.

• Consecration level – Your Consecration will determine your depth. When your Consecration is shallow, it will affect the flow of your gift.

Jesus is a perfect example. He operated on all the gift. Jesus had the word of knowledge with the Samaritan woman. Word of wisdom with the Pharisees. He healed, worked miracles, discerned spirits and prophesied. If the spirit of Christ is in you, the ministry of Christ can flow through you. Act 10:38.

How do you activate them?
Jesus spoke of rivers of living water in John 7:38-39: “He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Verse 39 says He spoke of the Spirit. 

He’s already in you. But you must stir up the river inside you for gifts to flow. 

Activate them through:
1. Prayer – “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16
2. The Word of God – The Word feeds the Spirit and reveals what’s in you. Heb 4:12
3. Fellowship – Gifts are caught in the  atmosphere of faith. Stay around people who are flowing.

You have the gift of the Spirit inside you. Don’t leave the box on the shelf. Press until you travail. Stir until you flow.

Numbers 23:23_”surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel”

A quick story;

Balak, the king of Moab sent for Balaam a prophet of God who is known for declaring blessing or curse. Balak was afraid because the Israelites camped near Moab, he  saw how the Israelites defeated the Amorites.

He then sends for Balaam to curse the Israelites but God said unto Balaam not to curse the Israelites for they are blessed. Numbers 23:12_”and God said unto Balaam, thou shall not go with them, thou shall not curse the people, for they are blessed”.

However, Balak kept pressuring Balaam to curse them. He took Balaam to three different high mountains to pay sacrifice to curse the Israelites but instead Balaam blessed them. Every of the enchantment against Israel were reversed into blessing.

Numbers 23:8_”how shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed”. Numbers 23:19_”God is not a man that he should lie, neither a son of man that he should repent; hath he said, and shall he not do it”……

What is an enchantment? It is a spell, a negative word, witchcraft or evil plot spoken in secret.

The Israelites were not aware that Balak was already plotting evil against them, but God was already fighting battles they couldn’t see.

There is no amount of negative words or evil spoken against you that will stand. Why? Because there is no enchantment against you. Someone says you will not succeed, tell them according to numbers 23:23 there is no enchantment against me.

If you belong to God, you are untouchable. Not because you are strong but because your refuge is stronger. When you are diagnosed with a disease, declare this; for there is no enchantment against me. Personalize this in your everyday life.

God does not just block curses. He changes them into a blessing. Everytime Balak paid for the Israelites to be cursed. They got a prophetic blessing instead.

Prophetic declaration: Every time the enemies plots evil agenda over your life, family, business, education, career or future. God will reversed them for your good. They shall not stand in Jesus name.

You are a blessing and not a curse. You are covered and not exposed. You are kept and not abandoned.

There is no enchantment against you. Say it until you believe it.

Psalm 91:2 & 9
² I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. ⁹ Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

The key word here is refuge meaning; a place of rest, peace, and covering.

The psalmist knew how evil the world is. He knew the enemy gangs up against our lives. But he found the solution which is dwelling in God’s secret place and make Him your refuge.

Let’s look at men who did exactly that and how God fought for them:

• David – After God chosed him to defeat Goliath, King Saul became jealous and hunted him to kill him. Yet David knew the battle was not his. While Saul pursued him and enemies surrounded him, David ran to God. He made God his refuge. Psalm 57:1 – “In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”

• Moses – A stammerer chosen to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses made God his refuge and hiding place. He trusted God to bring Israel through the wilderness, and God crushed Pharaoh’s army for them. Deut 33:27 – “The eternal God is thy refuge.”

God will never leave His own. When you make God your refuge, He shields you from evil.

Something happened to me early this year. While coming from a friend’s wedding, a random guy stopped me claiming to be a pastor with a “message.” I discerned he was a scam and walked away. He got offended and, right before my eyes, touched the ground, touched his tongue, and declared, “You won’t get back home.”

I know how powerful words are. I got angry in my spirit and fired back with Psalm 118:17 – “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” I told him, “For Christ lives and reigns forever, I will get home safely. As for you, today is your end.” He ran immediately.

The point is this: when you make God your refuge, He will deliver you. If He saved David from Saul and Israel from Pharaoh, He will surely deliver you.

Refuge is not just hiding from something. It’s running to Someone. God is our safe place when everything else feels unsafe.

That’s why the psalmist could say, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”His boldness came from knowing he had God’s covering.

No matter what you face, when God is your refuge, He will protect you. Trust Him, and He will not put you to shame.

God is our safe place. Are you willing to dwell in His secret place today?

As believers, the moment we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Christ died for our sin, we have been saved (Romans 10:10). As we received him, he also gave us power and authority as sons of God. (John 1:12).

At that point of salvation, there is a transformation that has been made in the realm of the spirit, we are made one flesh with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 2:18).

This is the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation and it must dwell in us always. The devil knows this truth, that is why he fight a lot of unbelievers from getting to this truth. Once we know the truth, the truth shall set us free (John 8:32).

After being saved, we have been sealed with a promise which is the holy Spirit. The holy Spirit is more like a mirror that reveals to us who we are. Christ has given us that power already but without the holy Spirit we would be tossed to and fro.

The devil is talking advantage of our ignorance. We have heard of cases of matured christain who are still under the grip of the devil. Why? We do not know what we carry.

How do we know and use our identity in Christ?

1. Through the help of the holy Spirit – The holy Spirit is the spirit of truth ( John 16:13-14). He is to guide you into all truth, he is the mirror of the word of God. When you have the holy Spirit within you, he will reveal to you the truth in his word, the power and authority given to us in Christ Jesus. He empowers us and makes us grow to fulfill the works of God.

2. By submitting to his will – For you to resist the devil, you have to submit yourself to the will of God (James 4:7). You can have the holy Spirit and also quench or grieve him. How? When we don’t submit to his will, we limit him and give the enemy levity to attack us. It is very important to submit to his will, by doing so we give him the access to use us more.

3. Dedicating our life to the word of God – The word of God must be hid in our heart (Psalm 119:11). His word is a weapon of the spirit (Ephesians 6:17). As believers, we can’t walk freely because the enemy will always fight us for choosing the way of God. We have to be prepared before the evil day comes. That is why we need to dwell in the word of God, it makes us to be rooted in Christ. Even when temptation comes, we will stand our ground in Christ.

4. Through fasting and prayer (Mathew 17:20-21) – There’s this saying that an idle man is a devils workmanship. Prayer is the key to victory. Fasting builds our spirit. Adequate and consistent prayer and fasting builds up our inner man. You cannot be as cold as ice and want to rule over the enemy. You would never see an ant near fire. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:11). We need to wear the armor of God if we want to fight the enemy and that comes from building up the alter.

5. By taking authority over the enemy (Luke 10:19) – It is very important as believers to take authority over the enemy. God will not do everything for us, he has given us his word and his name. All power has been given to him, he said go therefore in my name (Mathew 28:18-20). You need to stand up and take authority over that situation in your life. Christ has sorted it out already but you still have to play your part.

6. Seeking to know God (Isaiah 55:6) – A believer must always dwell in the presence of God (Psalm 91:1). In his presence, terror flees. Imagine being the son of a king, you carry also the same authority as the king. The same reference that goes for the king will also be yours. How much more being the royal priesthood of God. Seek to know God more because the more you seek him, the more he identifies and draw closer to you.

When you know your identity in Christ, you will no longer be governed by circumstances. Do not forget you are sitted with Christ in heavenly places, far above principalities and power. You also bear unto you the mark of Christ, therefore no man can trouble you. Be blessed.

The holy Spirit is more than an emotion, he is more than a feeling. Some calls him a feeling. Yes, he is a feeling because we have him and we feel him but he is more than that.

How can I describe him? He is undefinable but the way I can best way I can call him is A COMPANION.

Have you ever been with someone you adore? You will always want to be with them. Now imagine having such person inside of you. That person is the holy Spirit.

You don need to phone him before he answers. I call him my best friend. You might have other words to describe him.

Who is he? He is a spirit, a lover and a comforter. Jesus before ascending promised us a precious gift which is to come, he is the spirit of truth. He is to guide us into all truth. He is everywhere every time. He is a teacher, he never scolds yet disciplines you. He is a lover, he loves you. Before you were born, he knew you (Jer 1:5). Even after you were born and yet to identify him, he was with you.

Do you ever wonder why many times, evil things should have happened to you but someway you escaped it? That’s the holy spirit. He is invisible yet visible to them that knows him.

WHAT ARE THE WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1. The holy Spirit transforms – The holy Spirit is holy, he does not dwell in sin. Sin is a separation between us and God. He abides in us because of Jesus, when you yield to him he enables you to live right and above sin.

2. The holy Spirit convicts men – The holy Spirit works with our heart. Act 2:37 says “now when they heard this, they were pricked in they heart……”. While Peter was preaching there was an invisible force working in their heart. They were pricked in their heart. The holy Spirit touches our hearts and draw us back to God.

3. The holy Spirit awakens – The holy Spirit awakens and quickens our spirit being. The holy Spirit activates our inner man and places an hunger in us for God.

4. The holy Spirit renews – The holy Spirit renews our heart. Do not condemn yourself when you fall. Having him does not mean you won’t fall into sin but having him is to make you stand back. (Proverbs 24:16).

5. The holy Spirit empowers – The holy Spirit reveals to us the power and identity we have in Christ. He empowers you and nurture the warrior in you. He gives you dominion. Know that you are no longer governed by circumstances. (Luke 10:19).

6. The holy Spirit loves – Loves comes from God. It is God’s nature to love us regardless. Romans 5:8 says while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The holy Spirit takes away guilt and condemnation and replaces it with his love. The devil makes us feel we do not deserve his love but he loved us before we even love him.

HOW DO YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT? 

1. Accept him into your life – The only way to have the holy Spirit is to believe in Jesus.

Ephesians 1:13
(KJV) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 1:14
(KJV) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Say this genuinely, Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, I am sorry for my sins please forgive me. I confess you came to the world and died for my sin. Come into my heart today and be my Lord.

2.  Believe he is with you – Believe he is with you. For the just shall live my faith (Romans 1:7).

Congratulations, now that you have him, it does not end there. The Bible calls him a river, out of your belly shall it flow. Draw close to him daily in prayer and dwell in his word.

He is the best gift you can ever have.

Obedience is one of the key factors in walking with God and coming in alignment with him.

Many believers prays daily for God to reveal unto them their purpose but they are not willing to align with their purpose.

Some neglect their purpose because of pride, they feel the walk God is calling them into is less their standards. Some because they feel they are not fit to walk in it while there are some that are still struggling to find their purpose.

Acts 26:18-19 , God revealed himself to Paul and showed him his purpose. Paul chosed to obey, he didn’t say because he is a murderer but he obeyed and grew in his purpose according to the will of God.

You need to know that purpose is not something you can enforce but you rather grow in it.

Without purpose, a life is of no value.
How do you find purpose?

1. Willingness – willingness brings sacrifice. You can’t be willing to go to school and not ready to read. If you want to fulfill purpose you have to pay sacrifice. Sacrifice in terms of prayer and word study.

2. Prayer – prayer moves God to revealing purpose. When you seek the face of God, he will reveal himself.

3. Encounter – Encounters brings revelation, it enlightens. Paul encountered Jesus, Jacob encountered an angel. To finding purpose, you need to pray for an encounter.

How do you live in purpose?

1. Seeking God’s guidance – you need to pray and ask God for directions. Proverbs 3:6

2. Know your gift – use your talents to serve others. Through this you will build yourself also.

3. Stay connected – stay rooted in the word of God and be accountable to someone matured than you are in the spirit. Be opened to discipleship.

4. Be obedient – it will not always look rosy but you have to keep taking steps of faith.

Also, to obey your purpose you need the help of the holy Spirit. Jobs 32:8 for there’s a spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, giveth all understanding….
He is the one that places that hunger and burdens of purpose into the heart of men.
Without him, it will be very difficult to obey purpose.

Do you want to discover purpose? Set yourself apart and seek the face of God. Isaiah 55:6.
If God has revealed your purpose, pray for grace to obey.

JESUS CHRIST: THE WAY TO HEAVEN.

If you were to die right now, where do you think is your destination?

Many people run away from this question out of fear of people wishing them death but it’s just a sad reality, we are all going to die one day. Why then do you not bother to think of where you would be if perhaps you die.

It’s a question we all should be eager to answer and not to run from. Have you ever heard of life after death?

As sarcastic as it may sound, there is life after death and that life is going to be eternal (forever). This world we live has its limit but there is a life to come that has no limit.

So where would you want to be? Do you know that being a Christian, going to church, knowing the scripture does not give you the access into heaven? They are just the requirements.

There is only one way to heaven and the way is Jesus. John 14:6; Jesus said ” I am the way the truth and the life. No one goes to the father except through me”

Jesus is the only way to heaven. You need to know him. How?
John 3:1-3 says; “¹ There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. ³ Jesus answered and said unto him, verily verily I say unto you, except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”.

The answer is in verse 3, except a man is born again (saved). If you are thinking of how a man can be saved?  To answer your question

Romans 10:10 says “for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation “

Jesus has done the hard part for you on the cross, it’s left to you to do your part. Believe in him that he came to this world, died for your sin and he rose again on the third day, confess your sins to him and finally accept him into your life as your Lord.

By doing so, you have been saved from eternal damnation. Even if you die, you have the assurance that you are going to meet him.

Jesus is beckoning on you today, tomorrow may be too late. His arms are wide open to receive you. God is waiting on you, do not keep him waiting.

Pray with me:
‘Jesus, I believe You’re the Son of God. I confess my sins and ask forgiveness. Come into my life, be my Lord and Savior. Amen’”
Be blessed.

Introduction.
In the realm of the spirit, believers needs to understand that there are principles that unlocks total victory in Christ Jesus. May your eyes of understanding be enlightened as you read through.

In a world full of battles, we have got ultimate champion on our side. Here are the three powerful ways to claim victory in Christ Jesus;

1. Victory through the blood of Jesus >>> the blood of Jesus carries power and serve many purposes. His blood serves as;

A coverage — when God wanted to smite the first born in the land of Egypt, God instructed the Israelites to put a strike of blood at the front of their doorpost, when he sees the blood, he will Passover the house (Exodus 12:13). The blood of Jesus serves as a coverage over death.

Protection — when a believer is soaked into the blood of Jesus, it protects you from being touched by the agent of darkness.

The blood of Jesus is a voice — it speak over our lives (Hebrew 12:24). It forgives, redeems and serves as convenant.

2. Victory through his word>>> the word of God is a sword of the spirit (Eph 6:17). The word of God serves as;

Light — this world is full of darkness, but Christ came as a light in the midst of darkness (John 1:5). The word of God shares light unto our path, dwelling in his word grants our soul light.

An equipped weapon — Apostle Paul, when describing the Armor of God in Ephesians 6vs17, he called the word of God a sword of the spirit. Aside being a light unto our paths, it is a weapon of warfare not carnal but mighty to bring down strongholds (2 cor. 10:4). Whenever you use the word of God you are holding a sword on the spirit.

3. Victory through his name >>> the name of the Lord is a strong tower (proverbs 18:10) it serves as;

An authority — All power responds to the name of Jesus (Matt. 28:18). Using the name of Jesus is an embodiment of authority, it is a name the father the son and the holy Spirit answers to.

Secret place — The name of the Lord is an hiding place for the righteous. It is a place of rest and insurance of absolute safety (proverbs 18:10).

It has the capacity to make knees bow. (Philippians 2:9-11) — At the mention of the name of Jesus, all knees bows both in heaven and of earth. It is a name principalities and power dreads.

Make these principles a part of your daily routine:

1. Reflect on the blood of Jesus: When faced with challenges, recall the coverage, protection, and forgiveness it offers.
2. Dive into His word: Meditate on scripture, letting it guide and equip you for spiritual battles.
3. Invoke His name: Use the name of Jesus with authority and reverence in prayer and declarations.

NOTE: Do not ever use the name of the Lord as a joke, when you call that name you draw the attention of the Godhead, at the mention of that name you call the attention of God the Father the son and the holy spirit.

To overcome in this world, you conquer through his blood, his word and his name.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVE AS A CHRISTIAN?

It is so unfortunate that most christians are built on the wrong motive. We so much practice religion but we don’t live as christians. A christain is a product of Christ as we were made in his image, after his likeness. It is expedient for us to live as Christ did.

If I may ask, what is your motive as a Christain?

Are you in Christ because you need something from God? Are you in Christ because you want to prove a point to friends or family? Are you in Christ because you desire power and want to be seen?

If your motive is based on any of these, then you have a wrong motive.

What is motive? Motive is a reason or purpose behind an action or decision.

In whatsoever you do, your motive must be on one person which is God. The Bible says;
“looking up to Christ the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrew 12:2)

If your motive as a Christain is not on the person of Jesus, you are built on the wrong motive. The Bible made mention of the hypocrite in the synagogue. They pray and preach just like everyone but the had the wrong motive. They were always wanted to be seen and applaused by men.

Someone might be thinking, how do you keep up with God when life’s challenges and responsibility is knocking on your door?

Bibles says; “seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and every other thing shall be added unto you “(Matthew 6:33).

When you priotize God first, whatsoever you may be in need for will come looking for you because all things are in God.

Examine and ask yourself, what is my motive as a Christain? On who is my focus, God or Men?