Character Before Gifting - Is Jesus Really Enough?
- Kristina Gonzales
- Feb 16
- 5 min read
Back when I got saved around 2021, I remember a prayer I would often pray. I used to say it often to God and it went something like this,
“God, I want the character before the gifting.”
You can read about my testimony here. I was a tarot card reader. I partook in divination, and was sensitive to things in the spiritual realm and would often hear messages (from demons, not the Holy Spirit) for others. Most of the time, folks who have this sensitivity and this “gift” are often prophetic. You see, in the Bible it says “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable”.
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].” (Romans 11:29 AMP).
God crafts us in our mother’s womb, and fearfully and wonderfully makes every single one of us with gifting and talents that make each of us unique. What we are gifted and talented in, we are to use to glorify and worship God. But, because we live in a fallen world that prophetic gifting (this is one example, there are others) becomes distorted and perverted when one is not saved, baptized in the Holy Ghost, and submitted and surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
When we come to Jesus, He sanctifies our gifting and REDEEMS it. He teaches us the TRUE prophetic way and molds us so that we can carry that gifting correctly, and not mixed with the common and the unclean (Leviticus 10:10).
I remember I told one of my friends before that I would pray that prayer, "God, I want the character before the gifting," because I had the "gifting” per se. I operated in it (even if it was perverted and distorted), and I learned how things worked in that realm.
But, the character of God? The character of Jesus? The heart of the Father? The purity behind the messages being given? THAT, I did not have, and because I finally met Him and was getting to know Him, it started to become all I wanted.
Before we continue I want to say that I absolutely do believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today. I attend and serve at a non-denominational church and ministry, but we do veer towards the pentecostal and charismatic expression. It’s the way that Holy Spirit expresses Himself through me, just as for others they veer more towards Baptist, Evangelical, Catholic, etc. I’m not here to discuss or to debate on denominations, because frankly I don’t see it a necessity in the body of Christ.
The leaders in my life have encouraged desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be expressed through prophecy, healings, miracles, and so on. I’m not against the gifts of the Holy Spirit at all. But, what happens when you desire the gifting before character is that the foundation of your pursuing after Jesus can become unstable. Why? Because gifting is irrevocable, it will continue to stay with you.
But character? That is what HOLDS your gifting. It allows you to have integrity, and to be able to maintain your gifting in a way that when the testing, trials, tribulations, and when the storms and the pressures of life come you are able to stand on firm foundation.
Gifting is easy, but character is the true call to discipleship. That’s the taking up daily of your cross and following Jesus. It’s the formation of being FORMED into Jesus Christ.
[Bible verses on "Conforming to the Image of Christ"]
Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 14:1:
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”
NIV says “FOLLOW the way of love”.
NLT says “Let love be your HIGHEST GOAL!”
KJV says “FOLLOW after charity” (love)
What does it tell us to pursue, to run after, to follow? LOVE.
When we start pursuing the gifts first without understanding that LOVE (who IS God 1 John 4:8) is the goal and finish line, then we start veering into dangerous territories. Our whole Christian walk can start to get wayward.
We are to earnestly desire the gifts. Let’s go deep and look at the Greek meaning and context. That phrase “desire earnestly” or “earnestly desire” is zēloō in greek. You can follow along here. We are to burn with zeal for the gifts. We are to go after with great energy and enthusiasm towards the gifts.
But when we go to the Greek word for the word “pursue” in this verse, it’s different than the meaning that is expressed in talking about the gifts. The Greek word for “Pursue” is diōkō. You can follow this one here.
Do you see the difference in INTENSITY?
Imagine someone running really passionately. They’re giving it all they got. They’re running TO something. There is an end goal, a destination. That is how we are to pursue love. That vehement type of run. Meanwhile I would describe going after the gifts as more of an excitement. Something you’re just happy to be running towards to, but it’s not at the same speed as running after love.
As you pursue love and desire eagerly to learn the gifts of the Holy Spirit that Abba does give to His children, He teaches you how to walk in it as you keep your eyes focused on HIM above all else.
When you start chasing the gifts without Him as your focus and main pursuit, you can easily start hungering and opening doors for hidden knowledge (the occult) and that is where it gets dangerous.
I hunger to see more miracles than what I’ve seen already such as blind eyes being opened, people being delivered from demons, and the deaf hearing. I hunger to give more prophetic words that change people’s destiny and cuts them to the soul that they hear not me, but the heart of the Father. I hunger to see people baptized in the Holy Ghost and for them to start speaking in tongues.
As I thought about what blog article to write next, this one came to mind. With the exposure of what is happening in the body of Christ (specifically in the charismatic church right now when this article is being relased) it was impressed on me that it was fitting to release this, and to share the prayer that I often prayed in the beginning of my walk with Christ.
“God, give me character before the gifting.”
Because I want to be able to run when it’s been ten years since my salvation. Twenty, thirty, forty, and so on. I want the transformation from the inside out. I want good fruit, healthy roots, steady and deep roots that will produce during any season, and roots to be able to withstand any storm.
I want to be able to look at Jesus and not just say “look at all of these works I did for you!” But to be able to say, “I was found IN you. Your heart was all that I was after.”
So that’s why “is Jesus really enough?” in the title.
Is His heart, His gaze transfixed on us, His leading, His teachings, is His love - is it truly enough for us? Or have we just become like Eve in the garden of Eden, hungry for our eyes to be opened so that we would be like God rather than desiring to be formed into who we were made as in the very beginning - made in HIS IMAGE, and called to be restored back to that in Jesus Christ.
