Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:9-11New International Version (NIV)

⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,^[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.^[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

The gifts of the Spirit are so underrated that most churches don’t even embrace them anymore. These gifts are what keeps us whole and demonstrates just how awesome God really is. Gifts are given to show how much someone cares for the other person and is meant to bless both the receiver of the gift and the gift giver.

So imagine giving someone a gift that you feel is something that need and would bless them beyond belief, only to have them either tell you “Oh,no thank you I can manage without it” or just simply ignore it?

That’s what a lot of us do on a regular basis, whether we know it or not. It’s time we pick up our bibles and claim those gifts that have been given to us by our heavenly Father. Mankind has never been opposed to gifts, so don’t start now!

These gifts work miracles! And who knows when you will need those gifts in the future….or even now.

What’s the worst that can happen, you get the gift and but only get to use it every great once in a while…well what harm did it do by having the gift? Nothing!

Claim your gifts, by speaking to the Holy Spirit and inviting him in and to give whatever specific gift(s) that you want and believe that they are yours and work it!

It’s never too late to claim your gifts!

Celibacy

1 Corinthians 7:7-9New International Version (NIV)

⁷ I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

⁸ Now to the unmarried^[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. ⁹ But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry,for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Celibacy

One of the toughest things to share with young people who are coming into the faith, has to be the belief on celibacy or chastity. We live in a very sexualized world where the sex scenes on television are becoming longer and more explicit over the years and commercials that more often than not have a very sexy woman or girl advertising something as simple as lotion or a fast food meal.

This all leads to the young men in the world to be hyped up, with the media and societal ideals playing with their hormones and making young women insecure and pressured into believing they have to be just a sexy or sexier than those images on television and in magazines.

Of course there are those out there who believe that by having sex (outside marriage) is liberating and that every woman should be allowed to do so and that it’s empowering, forgetting that they are giving away a piece of themselves to all their partners to that will eventually weaken them whether emotionally, psychologically and sometimes even physically- not very empowering when you really think about.

Unfortunately, when someone says that they are a virgin they are immediately accused of lying or assumed to be a prude or that they must be a religious freak. Although it’s unfortunate that it has come to this, don’t be fooled that it’s just another act and that you need to have sex when you know there is so much at stake when you do.

For those who have already had premarital sex, they are not damned for doing so. The point is to know better to do better. Temptation may be a lot stronger for someone who has already experienced it, however it is not impossible to resist. You will be amazed at the quality of guys or girls you will enter in relationships with because it takes a worthy person to appreciate and wait for marriage.

Value your virginity …..Value yourself moving forward and to resist temptation.