The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 128

The Gifts Part 33

Prophecy continued...

You belong to God! If you have been redeemed, sanctified, washed and justified, then you are no longer your own, you belong to Him. I keep going back to this thought and it’s a very humbling one. What does it mean to belong to another? What does it mean to no longer be your own, but having been bought with a price, to now belong body and spirit to God?

Ever since I could remember I’ve been a scribbler. Whenever I would hear a quote that rang true, or that was engaging, whenever I would have a thought that exceeded my other thoughts in depth or profundity, I would write it down, whether on a napkin, a piece of paper, or the inside cover of my Bible.

Due to the fact that I know myself to be an avid scribbler, I now carry a pen with me wherever I go, whether I am behind a pulpit getting ready to deliver a sermon, in a car driving somewhere, at home relaxing, or even taking a walk, there is always a pen somewhere on my person or within close proximity. I bought that pen, I purchased it, and therefore that pen belongs to me, and has no say as to where it is placed, how long or how much I write with it, whether I use it frequently or infrequently, or the type of paper that I write with it on. Because I purchased it, the pen now belongs to me, and I can do with it as I please. Because I purchased it however, because I paid a price for the pen I carry on my person, I take care of it, making sure that I do not damage it, that I do not throw it in the wash with my laundry, and that I always know where it is in case I need to use it.

Whenever I do use the pen, it can never take credit for that which I have written, it can never boast that it has accomplished some great feat, it can never stand up and say ‘see I have done this thing, I have written this wisdom’ because in and of itself the pen is useless. It is my hand that guides the pen; it is my hand that writes out the letters, than the words than the sentences.

What’s the point? Well, the point is a multilayered one, beginning with the fact that we are all instruments in the hand of God, and if He performs a work through us, if He speaks a word through us, if He does a miracle through us, it was He who did it, and it is He who should receive the glory and honor for it.

It is the hand that guides the pen that makes the words that stirs the heart, and in and of itself my pen is just a pen, like countless other pens.

It is God who works through His children to do great and mighty works in His name that His name might be glorified, and in and of ourselves, we are just empty vessels like so many empty vessels waiting to be filled.

Belonging to God in both body and spirit, our only course of action is complete obedience. We go where He sends us, we speak what He tells us, we do as He commands us, all the while knowing that we are dependent upon Him to complete the tasks that He has set out before us.

There is a reason for all this, and no, it’s not just to tell you about my trusty pen, it is to solidify the knowledge both in our hearts and minds that if God chooses to use us, it is to His glory, and any man who would allow pride to build up in his heart because God has chosen to use him is headed for the precipice on swift feet.

I’ve run into enough of the ‘prophet Bob’ types to know what pride looks like on a man, to know how it presents itself and manifests itself, and to see firsthand how said pride attempts to make it all about the man rather than the man’s Master.

What do I mean about the ‘prophet Bob’ types? Well, they’re the type of people who insist you call them ‘prophet Bob’ rather than just Bob, who will speak of their exploits ad nauseum but rarely if ever mention Jesus, who will tell you of their spiritual gifting even before they shake your hand for the first time, and who will not have a healthy debate on any given matter, because they’ve already made up their mind and everyone who disagrees with them is a heretic of the highest order.

Regardless of how many scriptures you quote to a ‘prophet Bob’ type, regardless of how wrong they are in their assumptions of certain things, regardless of how blatantly they contradict the Scriptures, their course is set, their track is straight, and the will not be swayed from their preconceived notion no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary.

There is one commonality among all the ‘prophet Bob’ types, and that is the fact that they’ve forgotten that they no longer belong to themselves. Somewhere along the way they forgot the simple truth that they belong to God, their life is no longer their own, and as such they have no say in where they are sent, what service they are called to perform, or what gift will be imparted to them.

If we forget this most crucial truth, it is inevitable that pride will worm its way into our hearts, because if we belong to ourselves, then it is up to us to elevate our status, reach for the brass ring, gather a following, start a ministry, preach to the nations, and do all we can to be all we can be. As unimportant as the issue of pride may seem to some within the context of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I have seen enough good men who stood strong against temptation, who stood strong against corruption, who stood strong against compromise, and finally succumbed to pride, and in doing so wandered from the faith into their own self-perpetuating delusions of grandeur.

Be a vessel; be content being a vessel, and whatever God might choose to pour into you, and wherever He may choose to place you, remember that you belong to Him.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.