1 Corinthians 12:1,9a Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. To another faith by the same Spirit;

I skipped down the list of gifts given to the gift of faith in order not to distract you away from the issue that it is a gift by the Holy Spirit. Are we not all given the gift of faith? Yes but some clarification is required. This will be a point in which some will resist and I fully understand that, but I will take the risk.

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

All it takes to be saved is belief. Faith does not save you. Faith is given for a different purpose.

Now comes the difficult part. What you believe changes. Faith does not change because it does not belong to you, it comes as needed by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Have you stopped listening?

Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Proportions, here a little, there a little, it is not given in bulk, but proportioned as needed, when needed.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

To walk after the Spirit one must hear the Spirit, to listen, direct ones steps, by faith.

Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

As needed, when needed.

Listen.

Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Do you watch basketball? If you do, then you know the foul called goal tending. The ball must not be touched as it is descending upon the hoop or it is a foul. So does this have to do with our scriptures today. I call goal tending.

The Word is coming down upon the goal. These men of Galilee rejected the shot. How you ask?

V23b whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

In their hearts they did not want the salvation message, all they wanted were the miracles. I the Words of Jesus, “No prophet is accepted in his own country.” V24 And what was their response to the truth?

V29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

Is this why we withhold the Good News? Are we afraid of being treated the same way?

Malachi 2:2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

Do you fear man more than God?

Goal tending!!!