A ‘Fully Loaded Gift’ – Make the Most of the Spirit Inside You 

By Steve Nelson 

Reminders of Bible Basics: At your birth as a baby, you had a physical body and the life-giving force that still animates your body; it is called a soul. Only if and when a person gets saved (Romans 10:9) do you then receive the third component of a complete person; it is called a spirit. Since a majority of people do not believe in the saving truths of the Bible, especially in the salvation provided by the Son of God, Jesus Christ, most people do not have a spirit. The world wrongfully promotes the false idea that everyone has a spirit. Not true! 

Further, by getting saved, a human then and only then becomes a child of God. Thus, not everyone on the planet is a child of God. The world wrongly promotes the false idea, even within ignorant Christian circles, that everyone is a child of God. Not true! How can you be a child of God if you do not have the same essence as God? This leads us to the next point. 

God is a spirit being. The Bible reveals this all over (see examples in Genesis 1:2, Job 33:4, John 4:24, 2 Corinthians 3:17). God’s “image” as created first in Adam and Eve was not their physical human bodies as most people wrongfully assume. The Creator is not human. God didn’t create humans until the sixth day as detailed in Genesis 1. God is spirit and the image of God is also spirit. Thus, the part of a human that is God most emphasized in Genesis 1 is spirit. Only humans can have spirit, no other animals. 

In Genesis 1 it does NOT say that every person in all of history will be created in the image of God, rather specifically only Adam and Eve were at that point. Those two people had spirit, and also others throughout history. Going forward through the ages, since Jesus Christ now it is possible for ANY PERSON to get spirit too, and thus be “created in the image of God,” if a person chooses to be saved and get spirit. The world wrongfully promotes the false idea that every human is “created in the image of God.” Not true! 

In summary: upon choosing to get saved, a person becomes a child of God and receives their very own spirit, which is created in the image of God, and which is holy and which is a gift from God. So, it is easy to see why the phrase in the Bible used to describe this spirit is “the gift of the holy spirit.” Just as each person has their own body and their own soul, each person potentially has their own spirit. 

One Spirit and Nine Ways to Use It: Okay friends, we’ve reviewed some Bible basics, now we’re ready to go deeper and we’ll focus on the gift of the holy spirit that each person has the option to receive. Question: when you get a body, do you only get hands? Only feet? Only a nose and ears? Only elbows and eyes? No, a healthy person gets all the parts, right? Similarly, when a person gets spirit, they do not get a limited version of that spirit. Unlike imperfect human bodies we each have when born in this world, every single person gets a perfect spirit. And that spirit can do all things that any other person’s spirit can do. The world wrongfully promotes the false idea that each person’s spirit cannot be used in all the ways it is designed to be used. Not true! 

The only place in the Bible with a complete listing of the nine ways each person’s holy spirit can be used is found in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. Some people are more proficient in their use of their spirit than others, sometimes stronger in application. This is no different than the fact a very tall person can reach higher than a short person, but they can both still reach. Or, some people are fast, some slow, but both can still move. Similarly, although varying levels of impact occur when using a gift of holy spirit, each and every person can still use their gift, period. 

These nine uses are: 1. word of wisdom 2. word of knowledge 3. faith (not normal “faith,” more clearly expressed as supernatural faith) 4. healing 5. miracles 6. prophecy (not predicting future but rather speaking forth edifying words by inspiration) 7. discerning of spirits 8. tongues (to speak in a language unknown to the speaker) 9. interpretation of tongues (by inspiration, interpreting the very tongue you spoke). 

Johnny can heal and discern spirits and receive word of knowledge. So can Jenny. They can both do all nine! Most people, sadly, because they are wrongfully taught in such a limited fashion by unlearned teachers, do not ever learn how to use all nine. Well? What does that make you want to do? That’s right! Make up your mind you want to use your personal and special gift of  holy spirit from God, in all nine ways. Just like salvation, it is a choice to get spirit, it is likewise a choice to use that spirit. Or, you can be like most others and do nothing with it. Although saved and heaven bound, most Christians have a marginal spiritual impact in this life because they don’t use their spirit to the maximum potential. 

(By the way, if and when any person chooses to grow in these subjects, of knowing about and using their spirit, do not think one small article in a magazine will cover the whole topic. This is merely a small synopsis, a Cliff’s Notes version if you will. The only way to get on track to grow big in an ACCURATE knowledge and usage of spirit, is to find a good teacher to point you in the right direction. Find someone and get busy learning about and using your spirit today.) 

May you all enjoy using your fully loaded gift, your holy spirit. God bless you. 

Steve Nelson has been a Bible teacher for over 25 years. This article comes from “One Fully Loaded Gift” Segment 56 of “CORE,” a course for families on how to read and understand the Bible. See T4FAMILYCENTER.COM or reach Steve at [email protected].