¹⁷ These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The gift of life, the gift of redemption and the gift of Holy Spirit have been subject of our discussion for weeks. These are personified and personal gifts of God to anyone who believe in God – Particularly in Jesus Christ His only begotten son. He is the only way or access to our Father in Heaven. John 14:6 I like to repeat the fact that the gift of the Holy Spirit is the anointing which is in you. And you can attest to his presence in you by the signs we have talked about. Such as: the knowledge of God, his comfort, love of Him, his word, praying, and your everlasting desire to love and relate with Him.

Last week I said that “Desiring the sincere milk of the word of God “is how you know, experience, and understand His presence in you. Like a newborn child who is ever longing for parental care, affection, and relationship. However, Paul said, do not be children or childish in your thought words and action but be mature. 1 Co. 14:20 Because, “… the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. 1 John 2:27 (NKJV) You are born again to be a child of God not like a child of man. You can grow in and from grace to grace because you have access to the throne of Grace. Hebrew. 4:16

Jesus said, these signs will accompany those who believe. The gift of the Holy Spirit precedes the signs which follows and proceed from the Lord Himself. In my name He said, they will cast out demons, speak in tongue and more. He said also, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good;” Matthew 12:33 (KJV) Only good tree can produce good fruit. “I am the vine, (Jesus proclaimed) you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much (good) fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NASB) You and I are made good by His abiding spirit. As a result, these signs which follows are given to bear the good fruits of the kingdom of God and its righteousness. This is the reason the Lord said, “…when He, the Spirit of truth, (the Holy Spirit, the anointing which is in you) comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore, I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16:13-15 (NASB)

These signs which follows our faith in Christ are also Called the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are signs which believers and non-believers can see, hear, and desire. These signs are the power Jesus promised shall come when we receive the Holy Spirit-power to be and do what he commanded Acts 1:8 As I said before, you can personally identify the signs of his presences in you, while everyone around may witness the signs which follows your faith. In our text today, the Lord said that He is the source, the author of these signs.  It is His exclusive right to deliver the accompany sings of your faith through you. You should not solicit for power besides Jesus. This is important because “… even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 (NASB) He can imitate these signs, like a performing artist, if you surrender your anointing to his lies and deceits. Remember Satan tried it even with Jesus. “command that these stones become bread, he asked Jesus, jump off the pinnacle of the temple, and I will give you the whole world if you worship me” But Jesus responded that it is not what a man wants or can do but what God commands. Your will be done O Lord. Anything miraculous is good and gainful in the eyes of people. That is why devil promotes power through the lenses of prosperity and popularity. Therefore, Jesus said, beware of wolves in sheep cloths. Matthew 7:15

The Lord Jesus clearly defines the source and goals of these signs. The Holy Spirit is the source, and He will not speak or do anything of himself or by his own initiatives but as commanded by the Lord.  The divine agenda is to the glory of God the Father. ^“Whether then, you eat or drink or (demonstrate signs and wonders) whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. And of course, with the love of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NASB) These are fundamental truths you must personally understand, appropriate, and enjoy. Our goal on this platform is to edify one another, to promote personal responsibility as believers. The anointing is yours; you must therefore be accountable for what you take in and what you give out in the name of the Lord. From next week, by the grace of God, we will begin to talk in detail about these gifts. Your faith hope and love of God are positively influenced by the Holy Spirit and the accompany signs. I pray that the gift of the Holy Spirit (The Comforter Himself) will continue to teach us all things which are freely given to us in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you and God bless you.