We know that God has already given us all the grace that we will ever need down here. He has already given you the Holy Spirit two thousand years ago. It is your move now, to receive Him or not. He already gave all the gifts of the Holy Spirit too. They were intended only for this life, as they will cease when everything is complete in Heaven. No need to prophesy there, when God can speak directly to us, face to face. No need for healing, even the leave of the trees can do that there. Certainly no need to discern spirits and Heaven. The revelation gifts will not be needed in a place where everything is known. In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul wrote that when Jesus ascended, He gave gifts to men. All the ministry gifts listed in this chapter are for here and now; we will not need to minister prophetically in Heaven. Imagine how frustrated an evangelist would be in Heaven? All this grace is for here and now. We can receive more of it, or reject it, but to be sure, if there is a block in the pipe it is at our end, not His. Here are some common blocks I have had to work through. Perhaps you will be able to relate to some of them as well.

Block 1. Our self-sufficiency

Sometimes, we cannot receive more from the Lord because our hands are already too full. They are full of our own tools and abilities. Where enabling and gifting is concerned, often we are content with a shovel and pick axe to do what we have been called to do, when He has a giant back-hoe all warmed up and sitting idly by. All it needs is a human operator, as it cannot function on its own. The gifts of the Spirit are essential tools, which cannot be substituted. They are just as available and can be received on the same terms as any other form of grace. In fact, that is all they really are: concentrated deposits of grace to help in a time of need. The most common block to the gifts is our self-sufficiency or self-reliance. You know yourself that all too often it is only after we exhaust our ability that we even begin to look to the Holy Spirit. When we become tired and discouraged from trying to accomplish through our own strength what He has called us to do, we begin to look to Him. By then we are too tired to wholeheartedly yield to Him. The gifts of the Spirit are not meant to be a last resort. Paul’s approach was different, as we can see in 2 Corinthians 3:5-6: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, {6} who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant…”

The devil uses spiritual tools as his primary means to accomplish his work, and we must do the same if we are to outdo and undo his work in people’s lives today. All the gifts of the Spirit are spiritual or supernatural in nature. Their results cannot be duplicated by our higher learning or from following textbooks. While the two do not have to be mutually exclusive, they often are, because we tend to rely on what we can control or manage on our own. This is not to say natural training is bad, it is just usually not enough. For example, I provide Christian counseling in our area, which comprises a sizable part of my daily work when I am home. I meet with some people week after week, as that is often what it takes to truly help them. I could get exasperated with the complexities of the needs, but I have learned to press-in for greater grace. On many occasions, I have seen the operation of the gifts accomplish more in a few minutes, than counseling might accomplish in weeks.

Block 2. Pride always blocks grace

One of the reasons we get blocked up is because we become prideful, even after a little experience with God’s power. While God wants us to enjoy being used, especially as it benefits others, we must guard against an attitude of superiority. James wrote “God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble” (4:6). Peter said the same in his first letter (5:5), Solomon said it this way, “He gives grace to the lowly” (Proverbs 3:34). These three verses all point to humility being a great key to more grace. The best defense against pride is having an honest appraisal of oneself or one’s true condition. Also, always be mindful of and grateful to the source of the grace you have received.

Another area where pride deceives us is in our inability to receive. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. It could be said that many times it is easier for us to give to God rather than to receive from Him. It is also hard to receive from those who hold a position that we once opposed. It is hard to receive new experiences for fear of what others may say. This leads to our next big block.

Block 3. The fear of man

The most common block that restricts our release of the gifts is fear: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:6,7)

The fears that block us from using the gifts of the Holy Spirit are:
Fear that He will make you do something you don’t want to do -Whatever God does will always hinge upon our intentional cooperation.
Fear of failure – When you step out, He will be there for you.
Fear of the unknown – Paul told us not to be ignorant.
Fear of presumption – He will support a sincere attempt to initiate our search.
Fear of rejection – We feel that if we mess up, we will be criticized.
Fear of deception – The best defense against this is becoming familiar with the genuine.

Block 4. God does not grace selfishness

Our basic nature is selfish, which causes us to naturally put ourselves first. We have to learn to be “others-centered”. God never graces selfishness. He intended that all of His grace be given to us for the sole purpose of giving it away to others. Freely we receive, freely we give. We need to be dispensers of grace to help those who cannot find it in their time of need.
We often fail to enter into the gifts because we want them for our personal exaltation, or perhaps to meet our need for approval or acceptance from God and man. We can block God’s grace with baser motives, originating from self. Here is a key verse that points us in the right direction: “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10)

If we sought more grace to give away, we would tap into more grace than we ever thought possible. We then would become `stewards of the manifold grace of God’ rather than stowers of it. The Apostle John, in the opening of his Gospel, described Jesus as someone who was “full of grace”. (John 1:14) We know that He was not full of grace for Himself. It was for our benefit… “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” (John 1:16)

The depth of this verse becomes more apparent when we read it from the Amplified Bible… “For out of His fullness (abundance) we all received– all had a share and all were supplied with–one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, and even favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift.”

We simply become dispensers of this grace, which is given for the profit of others. A steward doesn’t own what he is responsible for. The church treasurer doesn’t own the tithes and offerings he takes home on Sunday; he just manages or disperses them like Joseph did for Potiphar, as the steward of all he had. Peter said that we are stewards of the many kinds of grace God gives. This kind of motivation opens the way to the gifts faster than anything else. We should acquire them and use them for the sole profit of others. In light of this, carefully read the following verses…

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:” (1 Corinthians 12:7)

“But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching?” (1 Corinthians 14:6)

“Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.” (1 Corinthians14:12)

“…just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:33)

We will stand before Him on the Final Day to give an account for what we have been given. This can be seen clearly in the parable of the talents. We will be judged as `stewards’ of the manifold grace of God. This experience will point to two things: God is incredibly generous toward us, and we are responsible to do something with what He has given us. This is what it says in Ephesians 2:7: “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Amen!

Block 5. Grace doesn’t mix well with legalism and formalism

I have noticed that there is little or no expression of the Holy Spirit and His power in the people or churches where there is a strong sense of legalism or formalism. Whenever we start in grace and then try to finish by keeping the Law, we will break step with the Holy Spirit. This happened in the churches of Galatia, which moved Paul to ask them these powerful questions: “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? {3} Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? {4} Have you suffered so many things in vain; if indeed it was in vain? {5} Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?; {6} just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Galatians 3:2-6)

Many of us, even Charismatics and Pentecostals, gradually slip into the same experience as the Galatians. Here is how Paul addressed legalism in the churches he started:
“I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a `law man’, so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not `mine’, but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.” (Galatians 2:18-21) (Taken from “The Message” by Eugene Peterson)

In our legalistic approach to receiving from the Lord, we often put our own merits and conditions on those things that God has meant for us to have without merit. We must not forget that in order to receive anything from the Lord… “It must be by faith, that it might be by grace.” (Romans 4:16)

Block 6. “I want it to be all of God and none of me.”

The person who says “I want it to be all of God and none of me” fails to realize that there is no gift or grace that operates on this basis. In the case of the gifts of the Spirit, if it were all of God and none of us, why would we have need for them to be judged for accuracy or genuineness? God always works in cooperation with people. We need to learn what our part of this co-operation process is. He will do His part.
The gifts operate in proportion to our faith, (Romans 12:6) willingness, yieldedness, and spiritual maturity. He also works with the full participation of our mental faculties. He never uses anyone in a mindless or robotic fashion, and He never does anything against our will. The devil may dominate those through whom he works, but the Holy Spirit never will. Paul wrote, “The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet.” (1 Corinthians 14:32) No one can say, “I am not responsible for what I said, God made me say it.”
When a man plows a field, who actually does it, the man or the tractor? When a woman sews a dress, who actually does the sewing, the woman or the needle? Or both? They need each other. You cannot sew without a needle and it cannot sew without you. Another way of looking at this is; who is growing you? You or God? Is it you and your obedience and yieldedness to Him, or is it God’s grace alone? I see it as a co-operative effort. The combination of God’s will linked with ours is unbeatable. Placing our will into His is like slipping a hand into a glove. I find it such a high thought to consider that God, who can do anything, chooses to limit Himself to work with man, even becoming utterly dependent upon us to accomplish His work in the earth. This is the great meekness of God. Then, when a man, in his meekness, becomes utterly dependent upon Him, yielding to His will, the combination is unbeatable! John Wesley said something to the effect that God does nothing but through answer to prayer. It might also be said that no gift of the Spirit can operate but through the co-operation and yieldedness of man.

Block 7. “I am not mature enough or pure enough.”

If most ministers had their way, people would not be allowed to use the gifts until after they were spiritually mature with totally pure motives. However, there seems to be a pattern in scripture that would contradict this reservation. The Corinthians did not seem to be examples of either, yet they were using genuine gifts. They did not, however, function with proficiency and accuracy, and there was misuse. One minister told me that he would not mind his people functioning in the gifts of the Holy Spirit provided there was no misuse. I hardly had the heart to tell him that I didn’t think he could have one without the other.

It seems to me that the Lord is taking an enormous risk when He inspires Paul to tell the Corinthians to set their desire on the gifts. It looks like He is making them so easily attainable, especially tongues, interpretation and prophecy. Their participation in them seemed likely and the gifts were appealing to them. He seems to grant them without much regard for their spiritual maturity. We think He should at least put an age limit on the whole thing, but He doesn’t. God seems to prefer working with those who are at least trying to exercise the gifts rather than those who remain idle on the sidelines. As a pastor, I know my heart is thrilled just to see someone attempt to function in the gifts, and I am disappointed with those who are not even willing to try. When I do step in to bring about a more perfect use of a gift, it is only because someone has been hurt by someone’s misuse of a gift or there has been a serious lack of decorum. This rarely happens. Our problem is too little exercise of the gifts.

If the Lord waited until all our motives were absolutely pure, we might never get on board. He seems to give us an initial taste of the gifts, and then our appetite for them sustains us as we go through a purifying process to receive more of them. I have heard a number of our young people say variations of, “Had I known what it would be like to be sifted and challenged to go deeper in love, and even be corrected, I might not have gotten into this stuff in the first place. Yet, now that I have tasted them, it is hard to go back. They are worth the price.” Like all grace, it is free, but there is a “price tag”.

Again, study this pattern in His dealings with the Corinthians. They had the gifts in operation long before Paul wrote to them and said he did not want them to be ignorant of the gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:1) He inserted chapter 13 right after this to set a standard for the right motivation and attitude. Then he spent the entire 14th Chapter correcting them by referring to the manner in which the gifts should operate in the church. Some of this correction must have stung, but their desire had now been stretched, and would sustain them as they were purified. Here’s the pattern again:
- He stirs up a desire for the gifts.
- He invites us to pursue the gifts.
- He gives them severally as He wills.
- He allows hands-on training for our growth and development.
- He begins a process of re-teaching, narrowing the use and correcting the motive. He tends to purify motivations and attitudes by pointing out our misuses according to His Word and by those in leadership.

Finally, He requires us to remain faithful to use these gifts long after their novelty wears off. It is only after we have gone through the stages of development listed above and we learn to function with consistency that we have something truly worthwhile. There is a stage when the responsibility for what we have been given leaves youthful enthusiasm far behind. It is at this point in time that we often need to be reminded as Timothy was, to stir up the gift within us. We tend to neglect what we have been given. It requires real maturity to continue to use the gifts long after the original joy they brought to our lives is replaced with the heart of timidity that so easily besets us.

God bless you as you fervently pursue more of His abundant grace and learn to yield to His Holy Spirit!

Written by – Penn Clark