Sign of the Resurrection

reply to post by TarzanBeta


Characteristics of the gift of EXHORTATION

-compulsion to motivate people to reach their full spiritual maturity in Christ
-uncanny ability to discern the spiritual maturity of others and interact with them accordingly
-compelled to present plans with precise steps of action to others, urging spiritual growth
-compulsion to explain truth with logical reasoning in order to make it accepted
-uncanny ability to visualize spiritual achievement for others and motivate them to act upon it
-preference for face to face discussion to determine and insure a positive response
-innate ability to identify with a variety of people in order to gain a wider interaction base
-strongly compelled to bring harmony between diverse groups of Christians
-emphatic about making others aware that harmony is basic to spiritual maturity
-consistent ability to welcome personal trials and tribulation as the chief motivator of spiritual growth

Misuse of the gift of EXHORTATION:

-makes grandiose promises and giving others unrealistic expectations
-raises the expectations of others prematurely
-sacrifices time needed by their own family to counsel and uplift others
-treats others as "projects" rather than "people"
-divulges private information to illustrate someones achievement in growth
-jumps on to new projects without finishing existing ones
-tends to encourage others to depend on them, rather than God and their own personal authorities
-places more trust in visible results, rather than trying to determine someones true change of heart
-tendency to neglect emphasis on basic Biblical doctrines
-gives counsel before discerning the type of person or problem

Characteristics of the gift of GIVING

-keen ability to discern wise investments, usually with the intent to have more money available to give to those in need
-desire to give anonymously
-motivated to give unto the Lord and the purposes of His Kingdom at His prompting, not at the requests and appeals of men
-desire to give gifts of high quality
-ability to test faithfulness and discern wisdom by how others handle their funds
-tendency to be frugal with personal needs; content with basic necessities of life
-innate awareness of what others do with their money
-uncanny ability to see financial needs which others tend to overlook
-inclined to use giving as a way to motivate others to give

Misuse of the gift of GIVING:

-too sparing and frugal with their own family
-family resents excessive gift-giving to others
-heeds unscriptural counsel on money management
-pressures others who have less to give
-does not practice discernment for God's prompting to gift
-judges those who misuse funds, rather than advise them
-attempts to control people or ministries by gifts
-enables corruption by giving too much and without regard
-compulsion to invest in projects, even those which may not benefit the lives of people

Characteristics of the gift of ADMINISTRATION

-exceptional ability to visualize the final result of a major undertaking
-easily and consistently able to break down major goals into smaller, achievable tasks
-knows what resources are available and needed to reach a goal
-tends to remove self from distracting details to focus on ultimate goal
-willing to endure interaction and reaction from informed participants as well as uninformed observers
-seeks loyalty and confidence from those being directed to serve
-able to discern what should and should not be delegated to others
-easily able to inspire and encourage workers through consistent cheer, approval, praise and challenges
-takes great joy and fulfillment in seeing all parts come together in a finished whole

Misuse of the gift of ADMINISTRATION:

-views people as human resources, rather than individual, personable human beings
-uses people to accomplish personal ambitions
-shows favoritism to those whom are perceived as more loyal
-takes charge of projects which God did not ask them to be responsible for
-delegates too much work to others
-tendency to overlook serious character flaws in workers deemed more valuable
-can be unresponsive to suggestions and appeals
-feels no obligation to give proper explanations or consistent praise to workers

time to put baby to bed, we'll continue tomorrow with MERCY and I will start the 56-question assessment. After that, we can identify the proportions in which you express your spiritual gifts. For example, mine are as follows:

23 Prophecy
16 Mercy
18 Service
20 Giving
15 Teaching
18 Exhortation
10 Administration

After that, we will continue along at whatever pace we are able and cover Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experience. When we conclude, you will have a much more balanced and focused determination of your place within the Body of Christ and the functions and purposes in which He has best suited you. Of course, I advise prayer and seeking guidance and discernment throughout the process. Only God knows your heart, and only He can give you the resolve and assurance you seek in determining your path.

The program is based on the one offered through Master's Men
Although that is the base format, what I am sharing with you is an accumulation of what has been tried and refined over many years by my discipleship mentor and what has consistently borne good fruit.
He completed seminary, worked for several large churches and grew in despair as he saw more and more that Christ was treated more like an industry than a ministry of His Gospel message.
He walked away and never looked back. He opened up a Christian book store and began consuming everything he could get his hands on. In the meantime, he committed himself to regular fasting and prayer for God to circumcise his heart and mind to improve upon his own character, and lead him to his designed purpose. That purpose turned out not to be the pastor of a huge church, with an ever-growing congregation, bigger, more and better.

The purpose turned out to be one person at a time. Hard for him to accept at first, as he was utterly dependent upon God to meet the needs of livelihood, but as we all discover, there is no way to describe the fulfillment and peace that comes with doing what we were made and designed to do for our Creator.

After many discipleships he felt it was time to pastor again, so he started a small church in a small town in the rural Houston area. Our congregation is never more than 15 to 20 people each Sunday, but it is holy and undefiled by mainstream religion or breakaway sectoral doctrine. We are all normal, regular people who seek a genuine deeper relationship and understanding of God, who are committed to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ just the way it was given to us by Him.
I feel very protective of it, as I am a seeker who has been on a very well-travelled journey and my choice of faith is a well-informed one. There are many ways of the world I wish I were not wise to and I have been forgiven much.
I have examined God through a microscope and cross-examined Him with His own Word and have never found Him lacking. He is Who He says He is and He is faithful, just and compassionate. He is real and He is there.

And I thought the very same thing about prophecy as you, but it is not what you think.
I was also very reluctant and resistant to the notion of that being my gift, as an inordinate amount of accountability comes with it.
I do not consider myself a prophet, but there is no denying that it is my spiritual gift because any and every description of it, for better or worse, is a comprehensive description of myself.
I was actually laughing when I read most of it because it was like I was just sitting there calling myself out, serving up a big 'ol plate of BOOYAH to my own SELF! I kept thinking about Jim Carrey in the movie Liar, Liar when he's beating himself up in the bathroom and someone walks in and asks him what he's doing and he replies, "I'm KICKING MY OWN ASS!!!"
What we initially think when we hear "prophecy" is some holy person that wears sack cloth and repeats the direct verbiage of God. I would never think such of myself.
I think you will be surprised when you have a better understanding of what that gift entails, should that end up being your gift.

reply to post by stupid girl


Thank you. I will wait for the rest. Thank you for taking time for me.

TarzanBeta, you have described me, spot on. I am the female version of you?

Stupid girl, you have my attention. I have children as well, so I understand the busy day to day life. Please continue, as your description of self is also spot on for me.

I won't even begin to describe my perplexing dreams. I had one dream that felt so real. I woke up, completely broke down in tears. My husband was scared because I couldn't even speak for some time, just sob. Finally, I managed to utter bad dream. He was so precious, just comforted me and held me until i could get myself together. It scared me to death. It took several weeks before I could tell him what I dreamed, it still have trouble talking about it without having a mini meltdown. I can remember every detail to this day, I had that dream 8 years ago.

reply to post by Roguemom


I do indeed know that kind of dream.

I've had a couple I would classify with that particular level of disturbance; all things are indeed relative however. So there is no human way for me to tell whether the comparison is valid by either side.

Other than that, right now, I am tired. I will definitely respond more tomorrow, Female-me.

reply to post by stupid girl

What we initially think when we hear "prophecy" is some holy person that wears sack cloth and repeats the direct verbiage of God.

ahhh.. hold on there...

I have been used specifically in this gift of ability for 30 years and I can tell you for asurity that...yes, I speak as the spirit prompts me to, (99% of the time it's in during service) and fills in the rest...this IS exactly how one portion of the gift is used, it IS direct verbage as God would speak it through his servants; It is no different than in the Old Testament.

the 2nd portion of this gift is used as forthtelling of events to come, specially, time, place or events that will happen before they happen. I can tell you that God told me someone was going to be at my doorstep a week before it happened and the exact time they were going to arrive; it happened exactly the day and time.

Originally posted by Komodo
reply to post by stupid girl

 

What we initially think when we hear "prophecy" is some holy person that wears sack cloth and repeats the direct verbiage of God.

ahhh.. hold on there...

I have been used specifically in this gift of ability for 30 years and I can tell you for asurity that...yes, I speak as the spirit prompts me to, (99% of the time it's in during service) and fills in the rest...this IS exactly how one portion of the gift is used, it IS direct verbage as God would speak it through his servants; It is no different than in the Old Testament.

the 2nd portion of this gift is used as forthtelling of events to come, specially, time, place or events that will happen before they happen. I can tell you that God told me someone was going to be at my doorstep a week before it happened and the exact time they were going to arrive; it happened exactly the day and time.

The gift of prophecy comes with an inordinate amount of accountability.

The degree of humility I exercise over myself as a flawed, fallen human creation keeps me from the inclination to make claims that I am speaking on behalf of God.

As of yet, I have never audibly heard His voice and that would be the only way I would ever claim to be speaking on His behalf verbatim, the likes of the great prophets Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Elisha, Elijah, etc.
Jesus said the last "Prophet" of that caliber was John The Baptist, and that he was the greatest of all of them since He testified about our Lord. I am not going to argue with my Savior.

Truly Brother, there is a difference between the gift of prophecy and being a Biblical Prophet. Not all who have been appointed the gift of prophecy should consider themselves inerrant Prophets on par with those who have been confirmed through their inclusion into Biblical canon. This role within the gift of prophecy is but a small facet of all in which this particular gift entails and manifests itself.

There were MANY prophets in the days of the great Biblical prophets, but not all of them were inerrant and comprehensively and consistently communicating the voice and thoughts of God Himself. That is an extraordinary claim that requires extraordinary evidence, in addition to the fact that everything communicated must rigorously pass the test of consistently ringing true in the deep recesses in which the Holy Spirit resides in all of those whom belong to God-- all, always, without fail, ever. A true Prophet, in the Biblical sense, with a capital "P", can NEVER be wrong. A true Prophet cannot claim himself to be a prophet and the Truth of his words must be witnessed by and attested to by at least two other prophets whom are considered such but not by their own claim.

There are countless people who claim to hear from God, to one degree or another. I would say that the major portion of these would be those who hear in their own spirit-- interpreting the impressions, encouragings, and impetus of the Holy Spirit upon their own. Although the Holy Spirit never errs, we do. Thus any "Word" we feel we have received from the Holy Spirit is filtered through our own id, ego and super ego by the time we receive it. It takes great discipline to rightly divide God's Word in this regard. It takes a perpetual endeavor in discernment and self-examination to sift through the myriad of mental processes and considerations absolutely necessary to even begin to make the claim of authority to believers that you are guiding them with a Truth that has been revealed to you by God.

“But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”Deut 18:20

reply to post by Komodo


I am greatly humbled by Jeremiah 23, which I will post here in its entirety:

Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”

18 For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord
to see and to hear his word,
or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
19 Behold, the storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and accomplished
the intents of his heart.
In the latter days you will understand it clearly.

21 “I did not send the prophets,
yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
and they would have turned them from their evil way,
and from the evil of their deeds.

23 “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. 25 I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ 26 How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, 27 who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal? 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. 29 Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? 30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord.

33 “When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden, and I will cast you off, declares the Lord.’ 34 And as for the prophet, priest, or one of the people who says, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ I will punish that man and his household. 35 Thus shall you say, every one to his neighbor and every one to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But ‘the burden of the Lord’ you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man's own word, and you pervert the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. 37 Thus you shall say to the prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 But if you say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have said these words, “The burden of the Lord,” when I sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’” 39 therefore, behold, I will surely lift you up and cast you away from my presence, you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers. 40 And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’”

Truly Brother, the gift of prophecy comes with an incalculable amount of accountability, for the eternal destinies of countless men can be hinged upon their claim as God's representative.

God bless you Brother and Vaya Con Dios.

I have discipleship today from 10 to 12, so I will continue with MERCY this afternoon as I have used my morning time for my previous responses....lol....

We will get there, but we will get there according to God's timing, not ours.

Originally posted by stupid girl
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”Deut 18:20

well there you go.... there Are Prophecies that are Not from God, religion is Not the sole gifter of Prophecy

there are Prophecies that are rather called predictions in a secular sense, with no Deity involved in the warning or forecast .... i myself have had dozens of those Futuristic insights, predictions, 'prophecies' ...as have many others all over the planet (these insights/ Epiphanies > Eureka moments are (i suppose) connected to the universal mind-collective consciousness - aka Noosphere)



i will now go back to read the thread thats sometthing about 'resurrection'... i was just linking to the stupid girl post as that is one of the two dozen contributers i read first when they are the most recent reply on a thread

Originally posted by stupid girl
I have discipleship today from 10 to 12, so I will continue with MERCY this afternoon as I have used my morning time for my previous responses....lol....

We will get there, but we will get there according to God's timing, not ours.

Hope your discilpleship goes well.. however..

You'll be the one discipling

Characteristics of the gift of MERCY

-innate ability to sense genuine love
-greater vulnerability to being deeply and frequently hurt from a lack of love
-need deep friendships in which there is mutual commitment
-tend to react harshly when intimate friends are rejected
-great concern over mental joy or distress, rather than physical concerns
-tend to attract people who are mentally or emotionally distressed
-habitually measures acceptance by level of physical closeness and/or quality & amount of time spent with someone
-would rather remove the cause of hurt, rather than look for the benefit that can be gained from it
-tends to avoid firm decisions, confrontation and accountability unless they will eliminate greater hurts
-tend to be attracted to those with the spiritual gift of prophecy

Misuse of the gift of MERCY:

-fail to be firm and decisive when necessary
-taking offense on someone else's behalf when they've been hurt
-deciding with emotions, rather than reason
-illicit improper affections and attention from those of the opposite sex
-no longer fellowship with those whom are more insensitive to others
-interrupt or misinterpret God's purposes in allowing people to suffer
-being an enabler by sympathizing with those who are violating God's standards
-inclined to be possessive in their friendships

Spiritual Gift Assessment

-answer only according to who you truly are right now, NOT how you would like to be or how you think you should be. No one will see your answers but you.
-mark each statement with a 0,1,2 or 3 (0- rarely or never; 1-occasionally or sometimes; 2-often or usually; 3-almost always or consistently)
-there are 56 total question
-once all the material has been covered to determine the rest of your S.H.A.P.E., you will repeat this assessment one final time

1. I feel responsible to confront others with the truth of the gospel.
2. I have compassion and I eagerly help others who are hurting.
3. I am quick to lend a helping hand wherever or whenever I am needed.
4. Because I want to see significant things happen for God's glory, I eagerly give more than just a regular tithe.
5. I find joy and fulfillment in thoroughly researching truth for the purpose of effectively communicating it to others at their individual level.
6. I enjoy strengthening the weak and regularly reassuring those who are uncertain and unstable.
7. I am careful, meticulous, thorough and skilled with the details of a matter.
8. I have to speak the truth of God's Word, even when it is unpopular, embarrassing, uncomfortable or difficult for others to accept.
9. I eagerly seek to gain the confidence of people in need.
10. My aversion to telling people "No" often results in my over-involvement.
11. I find great fulfillment in sharing my money and possessions without expecting anything in return.
12. I skillfully study, understand and share truth from God's word.
13. I spontaneously discern the needs of others and encourage those who may be in the trenches.
14. I have a need to clarify goals and like to develop strategies to accomplish them.
15. I am willing to experience personal repentance and prompt repentance in others so that God may be glorified.
16. I am more motivated to alleviate the cause of someone's hurt, rather than look for the benefit of it.
17. I am drawn to visible, tangible needs or projects, that I am able to meet myself.
18. I manage my money well so I can support ministries that further the cause of Christ.
19. I enjoy studying the Bible in order to present truth in an organized, well-laid-out manner.
20. I do not hesitate to challenge or rebuke someone in order to encourage their spiritual growth.
21. Disorganization makes me frustrated and impatient.
22. My greatest joy is to boldly announce the Word of God in a specific situation.
23. I am able to empathize with suffering people and involve myself in their healing process.
24. I would rather support, than perform.
25. I often give anonymously to help meet an individual's or ministry's financial needs.
26. I fearlessly challenge others to understand Truth and to obey it.
27. I gravitate toward those who are confused or troubled in order to encourage them.
28. I am effective at organizing people as well as resources to meet goals which my group has adopted.
29. I feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility to proclaim the Truth of God's word to people.
30. I enjoy ministering to people in hospitals, prisons and nursing homes.
31. I am willing to tackle unglamorous jobs neglected or considered unimportant by others.
32. When I know that the money I share with others is truly needed, I don't worry about whether I will get it back
33. I can communicate difficult Biblical concepts to motivate others to learn and study them more.
34. I gently but firmly challenge others to greater obedience.
35. I am able to devise effective plans to help a group meet specific objectives.
36. I boldly expose cultural trends that contradict Biblical truth.
37. I can easily look beyond a person's handicaps or their lingering problems to see a life that matters to God.
38. I enjoy doing things for others without being asked to do so.
39. I am fulfilled to know that my financial support makes a significant difference in the lives and ministries of God's people.

cont'd next post...

Spiritual Gift Assessment cont'd...

40. I am comfortable responding to difficult questions when I am teaching others.
41. I reassure those who need to take courageous steps in their faith, family or life.
42. I enjoy responsibility coordinating gifts, talents and abilities of people who are working together to accomplish a common task.
43. I am compelled to expose sin in the culture, church or an individual's life in order to help people consistently walk in Truth.
44. I do whatever I can behind the scenes to show God's love to those who are suffering.
45. I am content to work on low-profile jobs whenever I see a need.
46. I am concerned and careful about being faithful in issues of money management.
47. I love to explain the Word in a way that causes people to listen and act accordingly.
48. I strengthen those who may be wavering in faith by directing them to God's promises and Truth.
49. I am able to visualize an event and solve potential problems before they happen.
50. I speak God's Word powerfully and forcefully to bring conviction and change in the lives of others.
51. I help those who are unsupported and thought to be undeserving by others.
52. I enjoy meeting the needs of people or the church no matter what needs to be done.
53. I prefer giving quietly and unnoticed.
54. I look forward to and am able to relate God's truth to daily life to help Christians develop healthy attitudes and values.
55. I inspire others to take the lordship of Christ more seriously.
56. I can handle many details at one time in order to accomplish a task.

Take the number you replied to each question that is listed in a line below, grouped A through G, and total the amount of each line. For example, the maximum total for each line would be if someone answered with a 3 to all the questions listed in a particular line group, which would total 24.

A) 1,8,15,22,29,36,43,50=_______

B) 2,9,16,23,30,37,44,51=_______

C) 3,10,17,24,31,38,45,52=_______

D) 4,11,18,25,32,39,46,53=_______

E) 5,12,19,26,33,40,47,54=________

F) 6,13,20,27,34,41,48,55=________

G) 7,14,21,28,35,42,49,56=_________


Now list your corresponding totals for each line group, which represent a Spiritual Gift:

A) Prophecy _______

B) Mercy _______

C) Service _______

D) Giving _______

E) Teaching ________

F) Exhortation ________

G) Administration _________

Originally posted by TarzanBeta
reply to post by stupid girl

 

Thank you. I will wait for the rest. Thank you for taking time for me.

Lol... I am not taking time for you. God is taking time for you because you are His precious treasure. I am serving you, because you are my Brother and that is what we are called and instructed to do. Jesus came as a servant, but He will return bringin' the Thunder, ya dig? Lol.

By serving each other, we properly serve Him. But as we continue to encroach deeper into distressing times, I feel that it is prudent for us to use our time and personal investments wisely. I have frittered away lifetimes and lifetimes of moments, I increasingly remind myself that if we are to gain life, we must lose it. To have eternal life, we must pick up the cross and set our sights on finishing this race. He must increase, and we must decrease.

reply to post by stupid girl


I have taken the assessment and recorded my answers and calculated them.

I will wait for the next step.

I have studied the Bible concerning the gifts before. And I have never believed that the gifts just went away. I do believe that because of the hardness of peoples' hearts, and the lack of the faith of people, that the gifts seemed to disappear because there was no one faithful to execute the gifts.

And I was relatively sure that I had a decent understanding concerning the gifts until you started speaking of the gifts. And my post concerning your teachings on the gifts, about how it seems that all the gifts you mention, I possess, unsettled me a little. The reason being that there could only be a few reasons for that: Either the gifts which are being mentioned here are untrue, and they correlate to each other more intimately than the true gifts; or I am endowed with all of these gifts - and the only reason that would be true is if there was no one else, no other body, to which I could join, another people through which these gifts might manifest, and so then they are given to me until a time such as an opportunity arises. Or, either that, I'm completely lunatic and a liar.

But I'm not a liar.

In fact, now on two fronts I have been confronted with ideas that are opposed to my understanding. And that is okay! I have spent the better portion of my life being confronted which things that I do not understand. Some of these things came to be true, and some came to be false.

Now as you have been posting these explanations, you haven't told me to whom these belong. I remember asking for that.

If you say Jesus is Lord, and that Jesus is come in the flesh, these things are said by the Holy Spirit. So you are a Christian.

But I have been led away by things that are false many times as well.

After the previous assessment, it further proved my point: that I am well equipped with all of the gifts that you claim are important to discipleship, Save one gift: and the gift that the assessment claims that is not mine is SERVICE.

I said that I can say without shame that I am a servant. I have spent most of my life being a servant.

I am somewhat inclined to think that whatever the test assesses, I should think the total opposite. But that's going too far. I know that things that are false possess much truth, or else it wouldn't be ingested. Just like someone would willingly eat moldy bread as long as there was a good sauce and and meatballs, and spices, to cover up the bread and hide the mold.

The gifts of the Spirit are mentioned clearly in 1 Corinthians 12.

It dawned on me that someone tried to apply modern terms to the descriptions of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12, and that's how the definitions of this particular Gifting assessment came to life.

But the assessment is severely flawed. I have also taken every personality test, intelligence test, and many other tests of similar fashions. These tests are always flawed. One of the major reasons these tests are flawed is because the questions are often too vague, do not leave the door open for alternative answers, do not take circumstances into account, and also there is a finite set of questions; but we know life is full of questions, everyday, and we grow everyday. Now the gifts of the Spirit are imparted by the Spirit, and should not require that they need "figuring out". As well, the questions for this particular assessment, are at best, easy. Meaning, it's obvious to determine to which these are referring, it's easy to see the circular reasoning; in fact, the same questions are asked multiple times, but reworded. It is as if the tester is attempting to trick the testee.

Now does the Spirit work in this fashion?

As well, when Jesus performed healing, one of the true gifts of the Spirit, did He not also leave it up to the faith of the individual which was being healed? And if the person was dead, did the life also not draw from the faith and the attention of those around?

But we know that faith is also a gift.

And there are indeed more than seven gifts. The Lord has spoken it, so why don't we see that?

I have been led away before. I have been tricked before. The Lord has given me greater discernment, and the ability to be patient, and wisdom, to be able to discern, by means of what torture I had to suffer because I was led away before.

So I am not blaming you. I understand.

But you are being told that you have the gift of prophecy from a test that knows nothing. And further from people who do not understand what they're talking about; Is the Bible full of the words of the Lord greater than the people? Did not the Catholic church become what it is because it relied on the words of the people more than the words of the Lord?

Now the Lord speaks through His children indeed. But if any of what is spoken is contradictory to what the Lord has said, then can it be received?

So I will post the words that the Lord has given us in the next post.