Inhibition of Spiritual Gifts

There are nine spiritual gifts outlined in 1 Corinthians, and they are divided into their own categories based on the nature of the gift. The first of which is the three Gifts of Revelation: The Word of Wisdom, The Word of Knowledge, and the Discerning of Spirits. The second class is the three Gifts of Inspiration: Prophesy, Diverse kinds of Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues. The final group of three are the Gifts of Power: Faith, Healing, and Miracles. There are more “gifts” that expand on these nine that account to sixteen gifts.

There are the “Fruits of the Spirit” that are supplied to all believers: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit we have received are necessary for the edification and equipping of the Body of Christ. Many of which determine our role in the five-fold ministry. These offices are revealed in Ephesians 4:11-13– “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of fullness of Christ.”

I have learned over the years that these various gifts can be hindered by our own sinful actions aside from spiritual warfare. That is not to say that the enemy is not fighting against us in these pursuits, but I have learned much of it we have control over.

Galatians 6:7-8– “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” For every action, both good and bad, there is a consequence.

Too often we believe that the enemy is the one ALWAYS hindering our prayers or gifts, but I have discovered this is not always the answer to this impediment in our life. Often, we are bringing calamity on our own lives then blaming it on spiritual warfare or even God. If the Holy Bible was written to chronicle the Life of Jesus and is a “basic instructions before leaving earth” guide for believers, then it makes sense that our talents and what hobbies we gravitate towards are hints to what our calling is on our life from Yahweh.

In Proverbs 18:16 we read that– “A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.” This means that our gifts reveal our calling, and when we practice them and answer the call, we are walking by faith and worshipping the Lord. Every believer is instructed to do as Jesus did and be disciples rather than just followers. James 1:22-25 states– “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

I see so many Christians today that argue the context of Scripture or that the Dunamis power (“Power of God”) is no longer active today for the “greater works” to be done through us. This unbelief mingling with their faith leads to them becoming “double-minded,” and therefore they can be robbed of their blessings. It is the same concerning spiritual gifts. There are accurate tests that can be taken to reveal which role you play in the five-fold ministry as well as what your dominant areas are in the spiritual gift ranks. I previously believed that out of these gifts, select ones were bestowed upon different saints, but now I see that we all have been granted access to these gifts, we just have different strengths regarding the gifting.

I may be assigned the duty of a teacher in the five-fold ministry with shepherding, evangelizing, and mercy-showing as my most dominant gifts, but I have also had prophetic dreams and received messages from God. I have spoken in tongues and practice my prayer language (angelic tongues) daily, and I have interpreted messages in my own mind before. We are still unique in how we specialize in the gifts, we have our own perspectives, a will, a mind, a heart, a spirit, a soul, a body. But if we are believers, we are all called to ministry, and we should utilize what God has given us.

Since I was little, I have had a passion for writing and art. Throughout my troubled childhood and into my adolescence, I used this talent to write of my sorrows and pain through poetry as my outlet. It was beautiful but it was sad, and it was dark. I found beauty in the pain I was experiencing prior to my salvation. My mom would encourage me to get my works published and in school I would receive awards of excellence for short stories or persuasive essays. I loved writing, but my best works were exorcisms of darkness from my mind on paper. At one point, a depressing poem and suicide attempt got me admitted to a psych ward at age 7.

For the longest time, I did not even have a voice because I was so broken and afraid. As I got older and survived countless near-death experiences and battles that seemed hopeless in my life, I started to believe what my dad always told me–“Everything you experience both good and bad in life will be a reference for later. So do not regret what has been done, learn from it and maybe you can help others that experience in the future.” This was inspiration for me to start sharing testimonies to uplift others.

As I got older, my writing matured more and became more encouraging. I started to feel a draw to the broken, especially those tormented in their minds because I had escaped the darkness and was a survivor of that madness, I am compelled to comfort them with God’s wisdom and sharpen them like iron. Now I am called to blog for It Ain’t Over Ministries, and I answered the call. I know of others like me that have been given gifts that they could not reach the potential of because of the obstacles they faced, by enabling others and allowing themselves to be used to the point of them losing themselves and neglecting their own needs. I have been guilty of the same, so I write what I do to remind those that struggled or are struggling today that they are not alone, and I share in the burdens of my brothers and sisters in Christ and lift you up with what Elohim has given me the understanding of. Proverbs 4:7– “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”