It is a bit odd that people with the gift of tongue who speaks in tongue do not utilize this gift. In fact, dust is collecting on it so to speak. And they want or desire higher spiritual gifts, power, or realm?
Luke 12:48 (AMP) But he who did not know and did things worthy of a beating shall be beaten with few [lashes]. For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required; and of him to whom men entrust much, they will require and demand all the more.
When we receive a gift or power from the Lord, we are going to be held accountable for how we use it for His Kingdom. We will be responsible for it. Scripture says when more is given, MORE IS REQUIRED. We must understand who we are receiving the gift or power from? We are receiving from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are receiving from the Most High. We should receive and revere with Godly fear of what He has granted to us instead of kicking it around like a tin can. Trampling and taking advantage of His Grace for selfish motives will not get us into the Kingdom of God.
Why do most of us ask for higher gifts and power? The honest answer is that most want to do things the easy way. People think if they can hear God more audibly/clearly or if they can possess higher spiritual power/sight, then perhaps life can become much more easier and manageable. When life seems to be hitting a ceiling, we think the answer to get out of such hardship is to possess more spiritual insight or to hear God more audibly so we can get crystal clear instructions. We have the Bible yet many are looking for the "Bible for Dummies" version. They want someone else to have read it but yet they want to possess the Power of it without the work.
The human nature outside of Christianity is the same. We want the promotion without working from the bottom up. We want to win the lottery without working or laboring. We want the answers to the test in school without studying. We want to be paid more than what we are really qualified or worth. We want to have a college degree without taking all the required classes. We think we should be the star of the sport team or the band without any practice. We want to be the leader just to be popular and famous. We want to live in big houses and drive expensive cars when we cannot afford them so we then go borrow to buy things that are out of our reach and we get in trouble.
Whether living life in the world or spiritually, if we do not have a foundation for the things we are attempting to achieve, at the end, it will all fall apart. People tell me they want to hear God more audibly. I tell them to go hear HIM from the Bible first so they will have a foundation of His Word. People tell me they want to have more spiritual gifts. I tell them go pray and worship more so they may have a foundation in HIM. Unless we have a foundation of His Word abiding in us and unless we have a foundation of daily worship and prayer to sustain our gifts, we may at the end become DECEIVED OR LED ASTRAY. If a person does not have the gift of tongue, I tell them to ask for that gift. The gift of tongue is required so they can pray more.
Professional athletes, car racers, soldiers, weight lifters, doctors etc have to train or sustain at a higher level of time to stay or elevate from their positions. If we receive a higher anointing or spiritual gifts/insight, then in order to sustain such gifts, we are required to spend more time in prayer, reading, and worship. We must constantly be accumulating and storing up those BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS. However, like most people including many Christians, they are but flat out LAZY and the only exercise they are doing and building up anything is with their thumbs changing channels on the remote control for their TVs!!
But an important question that must be addressed first is....are you ready for such a higher gift or power? There are some who persistently ask for such gift or power and are not ready to receive. There are many who continue to TEST God by persistently asking HIM for things in which they do not qualify and/or are not prepared. They have not accumulated or built up the basic building blocks of the Word, prayer, and worship nor waited for His time. However, God will at times answer what we ask. It may not always be the right timing for us but He will answer us to show us our inability to lead ourselves.
In Numbers 11, God's people were experiencing hardship and as a result began to complain and grumble. They also complained of not having to eat meat. They complained of only having to eat the manna that God was sending them.
Numbers 11:7-8 (AMP) The manna was like coriander seed and its appearance was like that of bdellium [perhaps a precious stone].8The people went about and gathered it, and ground it in mills or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it; and it tasted like cakes baked with fresh oil.
Exodus 16:31 The house of Israel called the bread manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and it tasted like wafers made with honey.
Manna was heavenly food. It was the bread the Lord had given them. It was easily digestible. It tasted like wafers made with honey and could be milled, beat, and/or boiled. In a sense, it was spiritual milk for them. But God's people being in the wilderness was not ready for meat because they had not built the foundation of knowing how to trust or appreciate God. They continued to complain and they wanted the easy route. They reminded themselves of how "great" it was back in Egypt.
Numbers 11:5-6 (AMP) We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt and without cost, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.6 But now our soul (our strength) is dried up; there is nothing at all [in the way of food] to be seen but this manna.
How many today complain about how their spirits are dried up and want a "fresh" anointing or want to hear God's voice or want a higher level of spiritual gift or realm thinking that will elevate them and refresh them and it may get them out of their difficult situation when in fact God is still requiring them to do the basics? The basics of just reading ALL His Word, praying more, and worshiping more. Yes, all this on a daily basis. Then when we have that foundation and at God's time, we will be able to receive it.When we have that foundation and we maintain that foundation, then we are being refreshed!
But if we do not have that foundation and we continue to TEST God by persistently asking what we are not ready for then like His people who received meat were judged and killed. The spiritual meat of the spiritual realm may be more than we can handle if we are asking it out of our time and for the wrong reasons.
Numbers 11:31-34 (AMP) And there went forth a wind from the Lord and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall [so they flew low] beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and on the other side, all around the camp, about two cubits above the ground. 32And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day and caught and gathered the quails. He who gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves round about the camp [to cure them by drying].33 While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote them with a very great plague. 34That place was called Kibroth-hattaavah [the graves of sensuous desire], because there they buried the people who lusted, whose physical appetite caused them to sin.
Are you desiring the gifts, power, and the spiritual realm of God because He is leading you or are you desiring it out of your physical lustful flesh? The latter will bring judgment. Instead of humbling ourselves and thanking Him for the gifts, are we caught up with ourselves polishing, caressing, and talking about what we possess all day and all night as God's people had as they gathered the quails?
Pray that as you ask He will grant it when you are spiritually ready to receive. Receiving spiritual gifts can be very dangerous as so many have fallen because of their puff heads.If you already possess spiritual gifts, power, or have an insight of the spiritual realm or at least the beginnings of it, then if you do not have the foundation of His Word, prayer, and worship (accumulating DAILY), then I suggest you catch up quickly.
Fire of God
Steve Yong Kim
April 5, 2012
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