Tag: 1 Corinthians

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Room for All

1 Corinthians 12:12 (VOICE) Just as a body is one whole made up of many different parts, and all the different parts comprise the one body, so it is with the Anointed One.

Beloved, there is no need to operate in petty jealousies or competition, for there is room for all. I have uniquely created each of you in My image. I’ve deposited in each of you unique anointings and talents. These are a gift to the Body of Christ. If you busy yourself trying to emulate someone else, you’re defrauding the Body of Christ of the authentic you I’ve created.

Instead seek to find your part within the Body, and fill your role to perfection. For only you can be you, and you are fearfully and wonderfully made. So magnify the beauty of My creation by being your best self and encouraging others to do the same. Continue reading “Room for All”

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Unique Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:7 (VOICE) Each believer has received a gift that manifests the Spirit’s power and presence. That gift is given for the good of the whole community.

Beloved, I have bestowed on you gifts that are unique to you. Even as similar giftings flow within My Body, the manifestation of each is unique to the way I have designed the vessel through which it pours. 

Resist the urge to dismiss your gifts as being without value simply because they are different. Likewise, resist the urge to esteem your gifts more highly than anyone else’s, for each gift is necessary and designed with intention. 

So embrace your unique design, and the way I’ve chosen to manifest My glory through you. Be intentional to yield to My Spirit’s flow as purely as possible – laying down any personal agendas or desires, and simply allow Me to move. For in that, I AM truly glorified, and you share in My glory.

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Prepare to Be Amazed

1 Corinthians 2:7 (VOICE) But we do impart God’s mysterious and hidden wisdom. Before the ages began, God graciously decided to use His wisdom for our glory.

Beloved, you have no idea the scope of what I have for you – greater than the depth of the sea and higher than the height of the heavens, so great is My love for you. The mysteries I have in store for you know no bounds – will you search them out with Me? Open your heart and come explore. Allow Me to be glorified in you. Allow Me to stretch your natural mind and reveal to you the things of the supernatural.

Be open, beloved. There is so much more for you to receive – if you are willing. Engage in this journey with Me. This is an active prospect, not a passive one. You don’t get to sit back and wait for Me to load you up with the gems of heaven. This treasure hunt requires your full participation. So take My hand and come away with Me as we explore together. Prepare to be amazed. Continue reading “Prepare to Be Amazed”

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The Asset of Wisdom

1 Corinthians 8:1 (AMP) …Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom].

Beloved, I don’t bestow My wisdom for the purpose of puffing someone up. In the same way that food is intended to be fuel for your body rather than something indulged in to excess for no purpose, so My wisdom is given with intention. Therefore, be intentional with the asset of wisdom I bestow on you.

Seek My counsel for what to do with the wisdom you’ve been given – the same way you would seek My counsel about your finances or any other asset. Know that sometimes I’ve simply shared wisdom with you to cultivate intimacy between us and not for the purpose of regurgitating to others. 

Regardless of My purpose, be as intentional to seek Me with fervor on what to do with My mysteries as you are in the gaining of them. For those who seek Me to ask for wisdom will receive it without fail.

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Stay Alert

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (VOICE) Listen, stay alert, stand tall in the faith, be courageous, and be strong. Let love prevail in your life, words, and actions.

Beloved, stay alert. Refuse to let fear and worry take root. Stand tall in courageous faith – not in your own ability, but rather in Mine. For I AM able. Nothing is too hard for Me. And while you may think you believe that, realize doubting your own ability is doubting My ability to work through you. 

So trust Me unreservedly, and live from a place of steadfast confidence in the One who made you. Love like I love, and live as I’ve called you to live. Stay alert for anything that threatens to impede that, and live strong, for you are able.

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Be a Wise Caretaker

1 Corinthians 4:1 (VOICE) Rather than power brokers, think of us as servants of the Anointed One, the Liberating King, caretakers of the mysteries of God.

Beloved, be wise with what I give you. Just as you wouldn’t go around indiscriminately handing out currency, you also should be intentional and circumspect about that which I have given you. I reveal with purpose, so align with Me and show you can be trusted with more.

You do not have to prove your intimacy with Me to others by sharing all I’ve given you, just as a married couple has no need to reveal their intimacies to prove the validity of their relationship. Intimacy is cultivated through shared moments, and there are times something is lost in the sharing.

So be a wise steward of the gifts I give you regardless of the form they take. And just as you resist the urge to  squander what I’ve given, also resist the urge to hoard it. What I give you is often for appointed moments, so be willing to pour out just as I have poured in. I will direct you. So be a wise caretaker of My mysteries, so I can share even more.

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Cultivate Good Fruit

1 Corinthians 13:1 (TPT) If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I didn’t express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal.

Beloved, to reflect My voice you must also reflect My character. One cannot speak of humility and have that word be well-received if one is steeped in pride. So be mindful to cultivate the fruit of My Spirit. 

It is more important that you accurately reflect My character than that you repeat My words. When the fruit of your character is sour, your words will taste sour too. So cultivate good fruit and flow from that place. 

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Key to the Kingdom: Act in Humble Obedience

1 Corinthians 15:58 (VOICE) My dear brothers and sisters, stay firmly planted—be unshakable—do many good works in the name of God, and know that all your labor is not for nothing when it is for God.

Beloved, keep your hands to the labor I have entrusted to you. Be not moved by what you see (or don’t see) in the natural, for I see the hearts of all and I instruct you accordingly. Simply respond in humble obedience trusting that your labor is not in vain and that My work will be accomplished in My perfect time.

In seed time and at harvest, I AM still God. Trust Me when the fruit is ripe and when the growth is occurring by faith beneath the surface. In every moment I AM at work and My presence is made known. Trust your hope in My hands, for I AM faithful.

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Stronger Together

1 Corinthians 12:12 (VOICE) Just as a body is one whole made up of many different parts, and all the different parts comprise the one body, so it is with the Anointed One.

Beloved, be one as I AM One. Whole, but unique. Individual, but connected. Separate, but the same. An eye can see much, but without the legs to take it places and the brain to process its vision, it is without greater purpose. In the same way, remember you are stronger and more effective together.

And in the same way an eye, an ear, and a nose process the same situation differently, understand that your unique perspective may seem foreign to some. So extend grace and patiently educate, helping others to understand what is different from them just as you should seek to do for things that are unusual to you.

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Strengthen the Body

1 Corinthians 12:27 (TLB) Now here is what I am trying to say: All of you together are the one body of Christ, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.

Beloved, be intentional to strengthen the connections within the Body. The enemy seeks to divide, so resist the urge to allow your focus to remain on differences or areas of possible offense. Instead look for ways that giftings and strengths can best compliment one another. There is room and purpose for all within the Body of Christ. Each person is vital to success. Because each person is different, it is easy to become tempted by feelings of loneliness, discouragement, or despair. So be vigilant to create connection and build one another up.

Beloved, in the same way that a puzzle cannot be completed if you lose even one tiny piece, so you must ensure that your brethren in Christ are not lost or stolen. Each of you is vital to the whole. Each person is worth the time and effort to draw in and strengthen. And even as your iron sharpens iron and the sparks fly, simply wait for those sparks to fade and choose to live in peace and harmony as one—one strong one. Continue reading “Strengthen the Body”