Spiritual Pride

Gift Giver and his Gift

Misconception

You can be Spiritual and Operate in the gifts and still be far from God

Operating in the gifts 🎁 is not a sign of maturity or proximity to God.

It also doesn’t confirm someone has salvation

Often times when we see someone operating in the gifts , like

Being accurate with prophetic,

falling under the power of God

shaking and quaking

Blessing

Another misconception is once we can operate in the fullness and power of God that at that place we would be fully satisfied be able to answer

The truth to those misconceptions

The true evidence in being in close proximity is and that someone is saved

The fruit of the spirit

Galatians 5:22–26 CSB

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Matthew 7:15-16 ““Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” ““Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.”

Matthew 7:21-23 ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’”

How do we produce the fruit in our lives you would ask ?

The answer is We do not produce the fruit in our lives.

He does

Our Part in the fruit Producing process is to Abide or Remain

15:4 Abide in me means to continue in a daily, personal relationship with Jesus, characterized by trust, prayer, obedience (see v. 10), and joy.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2054.

john 15:4-6 “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

Another Indication that Jesus mentioned was that

john 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””

What does love look like ?

1 corinthians 13: 1-8 “If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.”

while the word does encourage us to steward the gifts given to us, and pursue for us to also to pray for the sick it is not an indicator

I am less impressed with you operating in the gift and anointing and more impressed about how you live the 90% of your life behind the scenes.

Romans 11:29 “since God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable.”

Putting things into Perspective

Refocusing our attention

Gifts, miracles. signs and wonders are what we are given to be used as a service to others; build the body up until completion

and not a symbol of status for us to boast in our abilities because we are not the source that makes those things happen but just vessels who carry the power of God in us

2 corinthians 4:7 “Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.”

its easy to fix our gaze on these gifts and signs and wonder and make these the point of it all, we replace Jesus because we don’t really want him but just want to be healed, we pursue encounters for the sake of experience and fitting in with people and a sense of validation that your not a second class christian.

My Story

I went to a worship school and as i was seeing everyone encounter God and being slain in the spirit, i told God: lord i want you to touch me like your touching them lord and God’s response to me was do you want to be touched to get closer to me or do you want to be touched to fit it and belong ?

You pursue jesus just enough to feel good, get a touch but not enough to allow him inconvenience your life, not enough to expose the sin in your life, not enough to submit yourself to community/Accountability/correction.

not enough to suffer for the sake of Christ

and i whole heartedly believe anyone can be in that place i listed and if you acknowledged thats the condition your in and repent God grow us in sanctification, Grow us in the knowledge of him and the hope we are called to.

Recap

walking in the gifting and miracles, signs and wonder are not signs of your closeness or an evidence of your Salvation

Sign of being born again, and closeness to God is bearing fruit (changed life, different trajectory, Growth in Character )

I am by no means discouraging pursuing gifts or from exercising your faith

i am trying to put them in their proper place, that they are not misconstrued or put in a place of idolatry, were we are pursuing the things God has for us than the God that has things for us.

They are for the service to build up the Body of Christ and the kingdom

Love is the point

We refocus our attention on God

we Identify our commitment level with God and by the help of God we step into living our whole live for christ.

“The Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to be good. They hope, by being good, to please God if there is one; or — if they think there is not — at least they hope to deserve approval from good men. But the Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him.

How to spot spiritual pride

Never wrong, always someone else fault (does not allow oneself to be held accountable)

not teachable, cant receive feedback

Image is important

Looks down at another for not being at a spiritual place like they are (places judgement) Hard for person to receive from others because they are not

too proud to ask for help

inflated view of importance

How we should respond to spiritual Pride