“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.” - 1 Corinthians 12:4

Imagine it is Christmas morning, and there are beautifully wrapped presents under the tree with your name on them. Would you leave them sitting there, untouched? Right now you’re thinking, pastor, you’re crazy! I would open every single one, eager to see what is inside! No one would walk away from a gift meant for them and say, “I will just leave it there.”

Yet so many believers do exactly that when it comes to the gifts God has given through the Holy Spirit. Pastor Max Lucado once said, “How many Christians do not open the gifts of the Holy Spirit under the tree of Calvary and live their whole life not knowing what could be?” That question is not about missing out on material things. It is about missing out on the life God designed for you.

God has given you spiritual gifts. He has placed within you power, wisdom, discernment, and strength that come directly from him. But if you never open what he has given, you will never experience what is possible. You will live far below what he intended, not because he did not offer, but because you never received.

Maybe you feel unqualified. Maybe you believe gifts like peace, joy, and purpose are for other people but not for you. That is a lie the enemy wants you to believe. The truth is, if you belong to Jesus, the Holy Spirit has placed gifts within you. You do not have to live defeated. You do not have to struggle through life without direction. Everything you need is already available.

But just like a Christmas present, you have to open it. You have to receive what God has given. You have to step into the life he has designed for you, walking in the power of the Spirit, not in your own strength.

What gifts have you left unopened? Peace in the middle of your storm? Wisdom in your decisions? Strength to overcome what has held you back? It is all there, waiting for you. Do not leave anything on the table. Open what God has given and step into what could be.