PRACTICAL STEPS TO MOVING IN SPIRITUAL GIFTS: USING YOUR FEET, HANDS, AND VOICE
The first time I gave a word of knowledge in public was to a lady at a health club in Chapel Hill, NC. I had never met her before. She was a doctor and her husband was an anesthesiologist. I stumbled around very awkwardly with my words, but managed to get them out. I told her the Lord had given me a word to encourage her. I then said, "You are married to your second husband. Your children are from your first marriage. There is tension in the home because your husband and the children do not get along.” She answered, “That’s right. My husband is rather immature."
I then told her the Lord wanted to encourage her and help her and her family.
My presentation was not polished, but I was relieved
to know the Lord had used me in
spite of my uncertainty.
Every Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit
should be moving in the Holy Spirit to minister to others. My book, Spiritual
Power for Everyday Living, gives definitions and examples of spiritual gifts
and helps the reader to better understand them. I encourage everyone to go to https://www.billylongministries.com to order a copy.
The paragraphs below give some practical
instruction in how to step out and see the Holy Spirit at work. You don’t have to be a spiritual superstar; you simply
have to present yourself by using your feet, hands, and voice in very simple ways. If you follow
the instructions below, you will be surprised at how the Holy Spirit will work
through you as you open your heart to Him and others. ---Billy Long
USE YOUR FEET
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
who brings good news…” Isaiah 52:7
“Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named
Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I
am, Lord.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘arise and go to the street called
Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for
behold he is praying.’” Acts 9: 10-11
Make an Approach.
Go to someone. You may not
know what to say or do. But don’t worry. You must make your approach. Sometimes
it’s like diving for the first time---jump off the board and figure it out on
the way down. It is okay if you “belly-flop” or hit the water at a bad angle.
You learn by doing. Peter sunk in the water, but he was the only one who got
out of the boat. Who is the Lord most pleased with…the ones safely in the boat,
or the bold one struggling to walk on the water? Even sinking, he was ahead of
the others.
“Arise and Go.”
When Jesus appeared to
Ananias with instructions for him to minister to Saul of Tarsus, He told him to
“Arise and go” (Acts 9: 10-16). Sometimes the first act of faith is to simply
get out of the chair and walk over to someone who needs ministry. Sometimes we
miss out on the presence and power of God among us because we remain at a
physical distance.
In approaching Saul, Ananias
had to overcome more fears than we face in our gatherings. He responded to the
Lord’s bidding and went to Paul, and the power of God worked through him. We
will never minister unless we actually go to the person and make an approach. It may mean stepping across the room, going
to someone’s chair, walking to the front of the room, going across the street,
or even across town. The power and the substance of what God wants to give will
be given to us as we arise and go. We show faith and courage in simply stepping
out.
“A Certain Disciple”
God will use you. You
don’t have to be someone special. Ananias was not an apostle or some eminent
person. He was like most of us. The Bible simply calls him “a certain
disciple.” A true disciple is one who learns, follows, and commits to growth
and usefulness in his walk with the Lord. When the Lord spoke to Ananias, his
response was “Here am I,” which is equivalent to “Yes, Lord.” The Lord is
pleased when we say, “Yes.”
“For Behold He is Praying”
We should be encouraged by
the fact that the Holy Spirit works on both ends of the transaction. While the
Lord was prompting Ananias to arise and go to Saul, Saul himself was praying
and waiting before the Lord. He needed the touch and healing that Ananias was
bringing. If we could glimpse into the spiritual realm and really see the
needs, hopes, concerns, cries, and agonies that lie beneath the surface, hidden
inside the hearts of the people around us, if we only realized how much God in
His love desires to speak to, touch, encourage, and bless His children and
those with whom we come in contact every day, we would be more motivated to
reach out boldly with confidence and faith.
Use Your Hands
Implications of the Touch
If you don’t think you’re
spiritual enough to say anything or move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, you
can at least walk over and lay your hand on someone’s shoulder. A touch can say
a lot. The laying on of hands can signify sympathy, love, and caring when
Christians pray and minister to one another. Reaching out to touch someone when
praying for him or her can be a powerful channel for the Holy Spirit. The
physical touch on the arm, shoulder, or head seems to break down the “walls”
and helps people to open their hearts to receive. The touch implies compassion
in the one ministering and receptivity in the one being ministered to. And the
Holy Spirit does His work.
A Means of Impartation
Our hands represent the
hands of Jesus when we reach out in His name. In the New Testament the laying
on of hands was not just a liturgical, ceremonial activity. It was, and still
is, a means of impartation. The Lord intends that something substantial and
real actually happens. In the New Testament the laying on of hands was a means
of…
a. … imparting blessing. Matthew 19: 13-15; Genesis
48:13-15.
b. …imparting the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:17; 19:6
c. …imparting healing. Mark 16:18; Luke 4:40.
d. …commissioning ministries. Acts 6:6; 13:3.
e. …imparting spiritual gifts. 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy
1: 6; Rom 1:11.
f.
…releasing God’s
purpose. Acts 9: 12-18.
An Instrument of the Holy Spirit
Your hand becomes an
instrument of the Holy Spirit when you reach out in faith and compassion.
Laying your hand on someone releases the flow of God’s power. The efficacy is
in the touch. The woman who had been sick for twelve years said to herself, “If
only I may touch His garment, I shall be made whole.” (Matthew 9: 21). Because of
her faith, the power of God went into her body when she touched Jesus.
No matter where you are in
your spiritual growth, you can always reach out and touch someone. You can
allow your hand to be the instrument through which Jesus touches others, especially
if you have been filled with the Holy Spirit.
USE YOUR VOICE
Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I
am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to your servant; but
I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
So the Lord said, “Who has made man’s
mouth....Have not I the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth
and teach you what you shall say.” −Exodus 4: 10-12
Speak up
The purpose of this segment is to encourage Christians to speak up in
ministering to one another, especially in house groups and in one-to-one
relationships. People are more likely to actively participate and interact with
one another in a living room setting. Small groups, therefore, should be
designed as a platform for openness and communication, a setting where people
are at ease and comfortable enough to let down their walls, to listen, and to
speak. We quench the Spirit when we are closed and silent. We allow the Holy
Spirit to move when we remove the walls and open our hearts to one another.
Churches need small groups that allow for relational interaction rather than
always being centered around some agenda or a mini version of the large groups
where people sit theater style listening to someone up front.
You don’t have to be a pastor to minister a word to others. The man
Ananias whom Jesus sent to Saul was only a “certain disciple.” He held no
ministerial office. A large portion of the church (except the apostles) was
scattered abroad during time of Stephen’s persecution. They were not primarily
preachers. They were Christians who had a testimony and went out “speaking” the
word (Acts 11:19). The word “speaking” in this verse is not the Greek word for
“preaching,” but simply the generic term “speaking.” The term implies
individuals sharing their life and testimony in daily conversation with people
they met every day in informal settings. They were willing to open their mouths
and say something.
You don’t have to preach a sermon. You can share your testimony, tell
someone what the Lord did for you or said to you. You can share the impression
you received while listening or praying. As we interact with one another the
Holy Spirit will use us in any of the following ways:
1. Prayer. To simply walk
over to someone and pray for them.
2. Exhortation. To
compassionately advise, encourage, or stir people to action.
3. Prophecy. To speak a
word from the Lord by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
4. A word of knowledge. To
share a revelation of some fact or issue.
5. A Word of faith. A
confident word that brings God’s answer or stirs others to faith.
6. A word of wisdom. A
word given to help in a difficult situation or time of perplexity.
7. A word of comfort or
encouragement.
8. An expression of love
and care
9. A simple word to let a
person know you are there and that you care. (You don’t have to have all the
answers. People often just need to know someone is standing with them.)
10. Weeping over someone. Our tears are effective in touching the
10. Weeping over someone. Our tears are effective in touching the
hearts of
others.
Our ministry to one another does not have to be thunderous or
overwhelming. The power is in the still, small voice as we share the life of
the Lord through humble and encouraging words or prayers. Even if we have
little to offer, we must realize that the Lord will multiply our “bread” as we
step out in faith and share it. He touches people with His love as we present
ourselves to be instruments of His love.
What’s in the heart is what flows forth in our speech. The mouth
functions properly when the heart is cultivated properly. The Christians who are
most effective in ministry to others are those who have a genuine relationship
with Jesus, who fellowship with Him in daily Bible reading and prayer, and who
desire to reach out to others.
Therefore, when you approach someone who has requested prayer or
ministry, you must remember that the Holy Spirit is with you and “the word is
very near you, even in your mouth and in your heart.” You must simply step out
in faith and share it.
"The Lord has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how
to speak a word in season to him who is weary.”
Isaiah 50:4
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