November 12

The Gift of Faith

But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
—1 Corinthians 12:11

Scripture reading: Ephesians 3

People say to me, “Do you not have the gift of faith?” I say that it is an important gift, but that what is still more important is for us to be making an advancement in God every moment. Looking at the Word of God, I find that its realities are greater to me today than they were yesterday. It is the most sublime, joyful truth that God brings an enlargement, always an enlargement. Nothing dead, dry, or barren is in this life of the Spirit; God is always moving us on to something higher, and as we move on in the Spirit, our faith will always rise to each occasion.

This is how the gift of faith is manifested. You see something, and you know that your own faith is nothing in the situation. One day I was in San Francisco. I was sitting on a streetcar, and I saw a boy in great agony on the street. I said, “Let me get out.” I rushed to where the boy was. He was in agony because of stomach cramps. I put my hand on his stomach in the name of Jesus. The boy jumped and stared at me with astonishment. He found himself instantly free of pain. The gift of faith dared in the face of everything. It is as we are in the Spirit that the Spirit of God will operate this gift anywhere and at any time.

When the Spirit of God is operating this gift within a person, He causes him to know what God is going to do. When the man with the withered hand was in the synagogue, Jesus got all the people to look to see what would happen. The gift of faith always knows the results. Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand” (Matt. 12:13). His words had creative force. He was not living on the edge of speculation. He spoke and something happened. He is the Son of God, and He came to bring us into sonship. He was the “firstfruits” of the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20), and He calls us to be “firstfruits” (James 1:18), to be like Him.

Thought for today: God cannot trust some people with a gift, but He can trust those who have a humble, broken, contrite heart (Isa. 66:2).

Smith Wigglesworth Devotional: 365 Day Devotional
By Whitaker House

Smith Wigglesworth was a man who took God at his word, and God used his faith as a model for others. Explore these daily truths from Scripture and the writings of the Apostle of Faith, and you’ll quench your spiritual thirst, conquer defeating fears, be an effective soul winner, and see impossibilities turn into realities. 558 pages.

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Smith Wigglesworth Devotional