Sometimes we feel sure that God has given us a spiritual Gift and then suddenly it is not there. We may feel like we are being punished in some way. We may ask ourselves, "What have I done so bad that God no longer trusts me with this gift?." Maybe the problem is not that we lose our gift but, we don't get them in the way we may have expected.
The Spirit gives us utterance according to His desire. This means that when we are on a mission to a person or people that needs our discernment we get it... adequate for that moment. We don't necessarily get eight weeks worth or 12 years but, His grace is sufficient for us at the required time. This puts the glory of discernment or healing or preaching or almsgiving or any gift where it belongs -- in the Holy Spirit, its source. When we experience this, it is a good routine step to examine our conscience and be reconciled if we find that we are impeding God's plan.
We need not always feel that the Lord took back His gift because we did something bad. We are His servants and He will call on us again. Sometimes we may get these "stand down" periods to look at our lives, train on our weak points and prepare ourselves through practices of study and piety for the next time He will need us. We must thank Him for letting us serve Him even in a little way.
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