Supernatural Power: God’s Way

Acts 3:1-8 “Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.  (2)  And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; (3) who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.  (4)  And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."  (5)  So, he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.  (6)  Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."  (7)  And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.  (8) So, he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.”

The passage above describes an account of the Holy Spirit manifesting the gift of special faith. The apostles Peter and John had likely passed by this lame man many times before and may have even given him alms. However, they had never prayed for his healing until this particular occasion. On this day, the Holy Spirit specifically anointed Peter with the gift of special faith. It was not Peter’s faith that healed the lame man; if it had been, Peter would have healed him the first time he saw him. Nor was it the lame man’s faith, as he was not even expecting to be healed.

This serves as a clear example of how the gifts of the Holy Spirit operate. Although Peter had received the gift of special faith, he did not control when or how that gift would manifest. As someone entrusted with the gift, Peter had to remain open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and obedient to use the gift when prompted. This was such an occasion, and Peter acted in obedience to the Holy Spirit’s prompting.

From these examples in Scripture, we clearly see that the Holy Spirit manifests His gifts as He wills. The one who receives the gift does not decide when or how the Holy Spirit should act. If even Jesus, during His earthly ministry, could not independently operate these gifts, then neither can we. Attempting to do so places us in dangerous territory. God the Holy Spirit does not work for us; we work for Him.

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

The above passage of Scripture clearly teaches that it is the Holy Spirit who works the gifts, according to His will. Unfortunately, this is where many ministers fall into error. Some, having experienced the operation of spiritual gifts in their ministries, mistakenly believe that they can manifest these gifts whenever they choose. When the Holy Spirit does not manifest Himself through their gifts, they attempt to operate the gifts on their own.

It is important to remember that spiritual gifts are supernatural, and human beings have no power of their own to display them. They are entirely reliant on the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. When ministers attempt to produce displays of supernatural power apart from the Holy Spirit’s operation, unclean spirits are often ready to accommodate their efforts. Unknowingly, such ministers begin to operate in the supernatural realm under the influence of demonic spirits, which willingly provide signs and wonders on demand.

In these cases, both the minister and the unsuspecting believers in their meetings may experience supernatural encounters, mistakenly attributing them to the Holy Spirit when, in reality, they are the work of demonic spirits. What begins as a genuine gift of the Holy Spirit becomes defiled by demonic influence. Initially, the Lord may graciously allow the minister to operate in the genuine gift for a time. However, if the minister persists in operating through demonic spirits, the Lord eventually withdraws His anointing and gives the minister over to the snare of the devil (2 Timothy 2:26).

A key indication of such deception is when a minister consistently orchestrates supernatural manifestations at will. In these instances, it is certain the minister is operating through demonic powers, not the Holy Spirit. Typically, the consistent displays involve either prophetic revelations or miraculous signs—demonstrations of supernatural power. Because of these continual manifestations, people are drawn to such ministries, as many are eager to witness signs and wonders.

Similarly, churches that consistently exhibit supernatural manifestations in every meeting are not operating by the Holy Spirit but by demonic powers. History records instances of so-called “moves” of the Spirit that persisted in specific churches for extended periods—even years. These prolonged supernatural displays attract individuals seeking signs. Tragically, because the spirits manifesting in such meetings are not of God, those seeking signs often leave having been influenced by unclean spirits.

Michael E.B. Maher

Holy Spirit Encounters

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