Spiritual GIFTS and FRUITS of the Spirit

There’s usually a mix up when it comes to gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. Everyone has got a spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit, whether you know it or not. This is evident in the book of I Corinthians 12 from verse 4. Galatians 5:22 lists the fruit of the Spirit which every believer OUGHT to exhibit, and they are a couple of them. The fruit of the Spirit develop in you when you become a new creation in Christ and they become complete by the working of the Holy Spirit in you. This is seen when your character changes (for the good) as you mature in your spiritual walk. Now, do not confuse knowing the scriptures with spiritual maturity. You can know the scriptures yet remain not mature spiritually. In addition to knowing the scriptures, you need to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit for your maturity to be complete. In other words, the fruit of the Spirit should be something grafted into your character and not just something you can put on and off. Unlike the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit are not the same in the Christian believer. Each one is given a different kind of gift one from another as shown in the scripture quoted above. What most Christians fail to come to terms with is that ALL gifts of the Spirit are EQUALLY important. But we all know the tragic approach taken by the average Christian that everyone who works miracles (especially healing and prophesy) is a man of God, anointed for that matter! In other words we judge people, preachers, pastors, ministers, prophets etc based on the gifts they posses and not by the fruit they bring forth while we well know the words of the Lord Jesus Himself that we shall know them by their fruits. It’s in this light that I see it fitting to elaborate a few facts about spiritual gifts:

•     Spiritual gifts are given to everyone. No one works for them lest you find a reason to boast
•    A spiritual gift can be given to a novice, yes, a baby in the Lord
•    A spiritual gift can operate in a person with a questionable character
•     A spiritual gift does not tell you anything about one’s spiritual maturity
•     A spiritual gift does not define one’s character, but the fruit of the Spirit do and that’s what defines pipo

Let not a spiritual gift in a person mislead you, let not a miracle or prophesy blind you. Judge a person by the fruit they portray & by the character they posses. Let it not amaze you when you see a person with a questionable character perform miracles. Don’t allow pipo with questionable character to lay hands on you. Don’t merely trust a person without evaluating their character. And last but not least, don’t be envious of other pipo’s spiritual gifts but rather find your spiritual gift and operate in them. For godliness with contentment is great gain. Selah