don't be afraid of these

 For many years, particularly while I was in college at Asbury University, I was afraid or suspicious of these gifts, & especially the charismatics who demonstrated them.

The gifts themselves seemed really weird.

But the people who were a part of the charismatic movement who demonstrated seemed REALLY weird.

Most demonstrated "the gift of tongues" - which really weirded me out, & also made them like they were on some "natural high."

I realized then that I was kinda sorta a weird person - I didn't need to be leaving myself open to be even weirder.

I also felt that those who demonstrated these gifts were either faking it to get attention or validation.

And some demonstrated them to gain superiority.

Then during the first decade of this century I spent 10 years on staff at Christ Chapel in Macon, GA - a church connected to the Assembly of God denomination.

For the first time I saw these giftings used in a positive manner.

And I lived around people who had these gifts that didn't impress me as weird...

 well, not anymore weird than any of us are 😄

Don't be afraid of them. They really are good gifts. I speak from personal experience.

I've always believed Lynn has/had the gift of faith - she just always believed & trusted in God to take care of her & us & situations - it was a strong, unshakeable faith in Him.

Read this passage & give it some thought - & give the Holy Spirit a chance to gift you will one or more of these gifts...

1 Corinthians 12

4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, 

but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 

5 There are different kinds of service, 

but we serve the same Lord. 

6 God works in different ways, 

but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 

8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; 

to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 

9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, 

and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 

10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, 

and another the ability to prophesy. 

He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. 

Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, 

while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 

11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. 

He alone decides which gift each person should have.