17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the Lord.
The Bible contains many promises of God. This one is very encouraging. It is comforting to know that we are being protected by God against all of the weapons of the enemy. It is also comforting that anyone who says anything against us will be refuted, for we have been forgiven all sin. This is our HERITAGE! God will VINDICATE us!
There only appears to be one qualifier – “This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.” Who are the servants of the Lord?
Servants wait upon the master. They are in His service to do His bidding whenever and wherever He directs them. They direct their talents to complete the tasks assigned to them. They are often given guidelines, and are expected to do the work when they see work to do.
There are many gifts given to believers once they accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Here are just a few ( 1 Corinthians 12:4-11):
- Wisdom
- The ability to understand the difference between wise and foolish things (think: King Solomon)
- Knowledge
- Are you able to absorb great amounts of information and then process it so that it is understandable by others?
- Faith
- Do you trust God to move mountains, trusting Him to do things when other people would normally give up?
- Healing
- When you pray, do people get well?
- Prophecy
- Do you know things about what is going on and things that will go on, when you have no reason to know them?
- Does God often let you know something that you should share with a person or people He directs you to share with, even if you don’t understand the message?
- Distinguishing between spirits
- Do you know who’s who?
- Do you sense the presence of angels and demons and their activity in this world?
- Do you know when, if someone is speaking, whether or not what they are saying is Biblical, even though you don’t know why?
- Speaking in tongues (languages)
- Are you able to speak in a known (already existing) language but don’t understand what you are saying?
- Are you able to speak in an unknown language and don’t know what you are saying?
- Interpreting tongues (languages)
- When people speak, do you know what they are saying, even if everyone else around you doesn’t because they don’t speak the language (and you may not know the language either)?
This is not an exhaustive list. There are many others. Here are eight more to think about:
- Craftsmanship
- Can you make a masterpiece out of nothing?
- Or, can you take a box of parts and with a few simple tools, put the item back together without any instructions? If so, you may have this gift.
- Hospitality
- Are you driven to constantly feed and attend to guests at your home?
- Do you enjoy throwing parties and events?
- Are you the first one to get up to pour drinks at an event? If so, you may have this gift.
- Music
- Can you play a musical instrument in a way that inspires others to greatness?
- or, are YOU an instrument (should you audition for “Stomp“)? You may have this gift.
- Leadership
- Do people have a great tendency follow what you say and where you go? You may have this gift.
- Teaching
- Can you take the most difficult subject and explain it to most people so that they have a clear understanding of it? You may have this gift.
- Pastoring
- Do you constantly feel the need to guide and nurture people in their faith and walk with God? You may have this gift.
- Service
- Are you the one who gets great joy from doing the jobs that no one else does, and is content that the job is done and done right, even if no one else notices? You may have this gift.
- Prayer
- Does God wake you up in the middle of the night to pray about something that He then places on your heart?
- Do you struggle (wrestle) in prayer for individuals, issues, leaders, and/or nations (or other things)?
- Do you enjoy spending hours communicating with God in prayer about anything and everything? You may have this gift.
There are over 30 implied and delineated gifts that the Spirit of God gives to us to use to glorify God and help the body. Are you using the gifts that were provided to you in stewardship by the Spirit of God at the direction of the Spirit of God for God’s Glory?
If not, why do you call yourself a servant?
A short prayer of preparation:
Father in Heaven, we all fall short of perfection. You have saved us from this, and give us the wonderful opportunity to know You, the only One True God. You have given us great privileges and responsibilities as well. Show us what gifts the Holy Spirit has provided to us. Empower us to act in these gifts, and guide us in the way that these gifts should be used. Father, do not let me be afraid of these gifts, but help me to embrace them that Your kingdom would grow. I am your servant, Lord God. Speak to me that I may do Your Will, in Your Way, in Your Time, for Your purposes, that You may be glorified. This I ask in the the precious name of your Most Holy Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Want more? Why not try A. B. Simpson or A. W. Tozer?
CHRIST ALLIANCE CHURCH 