Today we are sharing on one of the power gifts – “THE GIFT OF SPECIAL FAITH!” 1 Corinthians 12:9 says, “To another (special) faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit.”
In 1 Corinthians 12:9 the Amplified Bible reads, “To another (wonder-working), faith…” This gift of the Holy Spirit is also called “Special Faith.”
There are nine different kinds of faith, but many people appear to mix all of them up and lump them into one container. These different kinds of FAITH are: 1. Saving faith (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 10:17; Tit. 2:11-14), 2. General faith. 3. Weak faith (Rom. 4:17-18), 4. Little faith (Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:15; Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:1-3; Rom. 10:17), 5. Great Faith (Matt. 15:28), 6. The fruit of faith (Gal. 5:22-23), 7. The natural human faith, Sense knowledge faith, Mental Assent or Thomas’ kind of faith (Jn. 20:24-29), 8. The supernatural faith, Real faith, Heart faith, Bible faith, Strong faith or Abraham’s kind of faith, 9. The gift of Special Faith (1 Cor 12:7-10; 1 Cor 12:28).
Our interest right now is on the gift of the Holy Spirit called “THE GIFT OF SPECIAL FAITH” which is defined as a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit whereby a believer is empowered with special faith, or wonder-working faith. This gift is not imparted to all but as the Holy Spirit wills (1 Cor. 12:11).
This gift is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit given to the believer in order that he might receive miracles. By this gift one does not work a miracle, but passively receives a miracle.
One can supernaturally, and against all odds, believe God for a miracle. A typical example is the case of Abraham and Sarah (Rom. 4:17-22). By this gift one is given a supernatural ability to receive a miracle from God.
By this gift God honours your word [your pronouncements] as He honours His own Words. Those who operate this gift believe God in such a way that He honours their word as His own, and He miraculously brings to pass the desired result. Why? This is because faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, and by it the elders obtained a good testimony (Heb. 11:1-2, Heb. 11:6).
The gift of faith is also distinct from the gift of the working of miracles, although both produce miracles. One of them is active and the other is passive. The gift of the working of miracles is active; it actively works a miracle. The gift of special faith doesn’t work a miracle, but passively receives a miracle.
Note that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit operate by Ordinary Faith on the part of the believer through which the gift is being manifested. In other words, a person must step out in faith and completely yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. That’s where simple faith is involved. This ordinary faith is the faith that comes by hearing the Word of God. Therefore, the gifts of the Spirit do not operate by the gift of faith, but they do operate by general or ordinary faith.
Finally, let us look at some of the purposes of the gift of Special Faith?
1. The gift of special Faith operates in receiving blessings or the fulfilment of human utterances as in the cases of the patriarchs of old. By this gift, blessings can be pronounced which can miraculously and permanently change the entire course of one’s life. Many times, when the patriarchs were ready to die, they would lay their hands on their sons and command God’s blessings upon them, and whatever they said would come to pass. They did this by the supernatural manifestation of the gift of special faith.
When the gift of special faith is in operation, it may be that nothing is seen at the time to confirm that the person has his answer. Therefore, special faith may carry over a long period and be sustained or continued in its action of passively receiving a miracle.
For instance, it was by the gift of special faith that the patriarchs of old would lay hands on their children and pronounce a blessing or curse on them which would come to pass many years later. We see this in the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This was the gift of special faith in operation. These patriarchs believed that what they said would come to pass even if it took many years.
2. The gift of special faith manifests for personal protection in perilous circumstances. Throughout the Bible we see how the gift of special faith worked primarily for people who were in danger. And through this gift they possessed a calmness and quiet assurance that was supernatural.
An example is the case of Daniel in the den of lions (Dan. 6:16-23). When Daniel was in the den of lions, he received a miracle. There have never been those who were thrown to the hungry lions in the den of lions, and the lions did not devour them instantly. Why didn’t the lions devour Daniel? The Bible says that “…Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatsoever was found on him, because he believed in his God” (Dan. 6:23).
There is no doubt that God gave Daniel special faith, a special manifestation of this gift of the Holy Spirit, to receive deliverance. Daniel didn’t do anything. He just lay down and went to sleep. His faith was passive rather than active, yet he received a miracle.
Also, Jesus exercised this gift of special faith as He slept in the back of the ship during a raging storm (Mk. 4:38). By this gift, a raging storm that threatened to wreck a ship at sea and destroy human lives was stopped (Mark 4:39).
While the raging storm swept the sea and threatened the safe journey of the disciples to the other side of the lake, Jesus was asleep in the hinder part of the boat (Mk. 4:38). He was not bothered by the storm. And while the lions roamed about in the den, Daniel lay down and slept in the face of danger in perfect peace and calm assurance using one of the hungry lions as his pillow.
Why? Because Jesus and Daniel, each possessed a faith beyond the simple general faith every believer can have through hearing the Word of God.
3. This gift of Special Faith was manifested for supernatural sustenance in the time of famine. For instance, in the case of Elijah when he was fed by the ravens (1 Ki. 17:1-7).
Elijah’s faith had to be given to him supernaturally because it was beyond ordinary faith to believe that ravens would feed him. The gift of faith is manifested by the Holy Spirit to enable a person to receive a miracle beyond the capacity of ordinary faith to receive.
By the gift of faith, the miraculous has been supernaturally manifested and a man was supernaturally fed and sustained (1 Kings 19:4, 6); another lived and laboured for 40 days without food or water and was sustained (Ex 34:28).
The gift of special faith is a divine gift or enabling by the Spirit of God that causes what is spoken or desired by man, or spoken by God to ultimately come to pass. The human or divine miracle, utterance, certainty, cursing or benefit, creation or destruction, removal or change, will eventually come to pass when it has been spoken under the inspiration of this gift.
Watch out for the edition of Good News from the Pulpit.
Your friend, I. I. MADUBUNYI (Head Pastor)
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