1 Corinthians 12:28-31 NKJV
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the [i]best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Paul didn’t stop there. If you continue into 1 Corinthians 13, you will see what is needed to work in these motivational gifts. Remember, chapters and verses weren’t there when Paul originally wrote these epistles.

1 Corinthians 13:1-2 NKJV
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
If you are not operating in love, these gifts won’t manifest out of you or they may manifest into false doctrine.

1 Timothy 1:3-7 NKJV
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may [a]charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from [b]sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

‘Which causes disputes’: I know many of you know that there are many theologians out there that teach something and use that teaching to point out that someone is not teaching it correctly. That’s pretty arrogant of them, which isn’t love. It’s self-driven motivation.

John 14:25-26 NKJV
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the [g]Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

How many theologians currently discuss end time prophecy or when the rapture will happen ‘pointing out’ that someone has it wrong? That’s not teaching through love or any of the fruit of the spirit. Let’s read and remind ourselves what that fruit is:

Galatians 5:22-25 NKJV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [g]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

We need to manifest this fruit in order for people to see us walking in the spirit because you can’t see the spirit but you can see these fruit in action.

This leads to the difference in teaching between the law / flesh or in the spirit.

1 Timothy 1:8-11 NKJV
8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is [c]contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.
Notice the difference. The law does not apply to someone who is righteous. A righteous person already knows what is right and has chosen to walk that way. Whereas, a person who hasn’t made that decision yet, will be contrary and not in the spirit.

We the audience, need to hear the Word of God through the spirit and discern if the teacher is teaching through love or not.

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 NKJV
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the [d]Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Paul separates the two here in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. When we’re taught the Word of God through love, the holy spirit moves in our hearts and minds to understand the wisdom of God and not the wisdom of the world.

Imagine if the doctor tells you there is something wrong with you. What do you do? It seems normal to ask the doctor questions, to obtain a second opinion, to take the medication they give you, but know this, that medicine will only take care of the symptoms not the root cause. But there is a choice here. You can choose to follow the doctors advice or you can go to God and tell Him that they’re telling you this false information but that you don’t accept it. You choose to walk in the spirit when you take this declaration before the Lord. How do you learn this? Through teachers teaching in love the Word of God so that you know the spirit of God. And you can measure this by identifying whether the teacher has the fruit of the spirit in him or her.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 NKJV
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [c]instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The teacher should be edifying and sharing the Word of God through love…so that you are inspired of God, profitable in biblical doctrine, not man’s doctrine, and walk in righteousness. This will make you complete.

Since this is measurable, let’s look at what is not of the spirit so that we can make a distinct difference.

Galatians 5:16-21 NKJV
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: [d]adultery, [e]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, [f]murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The main thing to notice about this list is that each of these are self-desired, driven.

Now, we can see a distinct difference between walking in the soul, influenced by the flesh verses walking in the spirit.

The soul is where we have our thoughts and feelings. It’s who we are, and we measure by what we allow ourselves to be influenced by. For example, our experiences as we grew influences. A person who grew up without a parent will have a different view of God then a person who grew up with both parents.

Psalm 139:13-16 NKJV
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You [f]covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for [g]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My [h]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

Here, we can see our soul created and that our flesh grows around that soul. God wrote a book about us before even our parents named us because He already saw the soul.

As we grew, we allowed the flesh to influence our soul, desires. Our flesh told us when we’re hungry, when we need to sleep, when we go to the bathroom, etc.

But the moment we confess Jesus as Lord, we become a believer and our spirit is born again.

Romans 10:9 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

1 John 1:9 NKJV
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 Timothy 6:11-12 NKJV

11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

John 3:3-8 NKJV
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

So, by walking in the spirit, we can teach, or use the motivational gifts to motivate and inspire those around us to walk in the spirit too.

We can use these visual aids, the fruit of the spirit to see the spirit move in those we listen to and for ourselves to operate in the motivational gifts.