When I was little, I used to have this recurring dream. The dream always started with me trying to find something I was good at. I would go through a whole list of talents, and by the end of the list, I would soon realize that I was not good at anything. Consequently, a school bell would then ring, and I would be eaten by dinosaurs. I know… such a dramatic ending, but soon after this I would always wake up sweaty, and my heart would be beating 100 miles per minute because this had always been one of my biggest fears. Not the being eaten by the dinosaur’s part, but the not having a gift or being talented at something. As I have grown in my faith, I have found there is one truth that I think we as Christians overlook.
Coming from a family where everyone seemed to be talented at something, I used to
really struggle with the question of what I was good at. I constantly would ponder
about what my gifts were or what I was created for. As a kid, I was not good at
a sport or musically talented so the fear of not having a gift began to seep in
because I could not clearly see the specific things I was created for. After
years of getting worked up about this question, I had a mentor/friend tell me
to dig into the Word and find out what the Lord says about our gifts. Because
of this, I have been able to let go of this fear.
Today I wanted to talk to the A New Day Family about what the Bible says Christians are made for and the spiritual gifts the Lord has granted to us. I share this in hopes that it can reach a girl like me who was struggling with their purpose in this life. I pray that the Lord would articulate His Word through me and that at the end He is glorified through it all.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands, I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)
“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting
fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”
– John 15:16 (NLT)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will
be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
– Acts 1:8 (NLT)
To start, I think it is important to ask ourselves what we consider our purpose is here on earth. This will help us determine if the way we look at our gifts is through the lens of the world or through the lens of God. As stated in Matthew 28:19-20, John 16:16, and Acts 1: 8, our mission is to go and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, proclaiming His name to all we encounter. As believers, our lives are no longer our own. We are called to set aside our desires and live for the glory of God. If we are truly setting aside our desires, our gifts will not always look like the world. I think this is an important reminder before we step into spiritual gifts. We are to be rooted in the fact that as Christians, whatever our gifts may be, we are to use them to advance The Kingdom.
Through scripture, the Lord makes our mission pretty evident, but one question I used
to wrestle with is: “How my gifts can help further the kingdom?” That is when I found this truth that I am going to talk about in-depth today. Spiritual gifts.
“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers, and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.”
- 1 Corinthians 12: 1 (NLT)
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized be one Spirit to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free— and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so, the body is not made up of one part but of many.”
- 1 Corinthians 12: 12-14 (NLT)
I have finally been able to rest in the Lord’s Truth that we are all uniquely made, and we do not all have the same or even visible talents that meet the human eye. Spiritual gifts are the gifts you have been given that help you walk in the Will of God and serve the people around you. There is a multitude of them. Some of these include evangelism, wisdom, discernment, and the list goes on. These are the gifts that the Lord has granted us to advance His kingdom. One of the lies I always told myself was that I did not have a gift or that I did not have a “good” gift, but that was just one of the ways the devil was seeping in to generate lies and selfish thoughts. Some gifts are more upfront, like evangelism, but others have the gift of hospitality, which is just as necessary but is not always seen. What I am trying to say is at the end of the day, the Lord uses our gifts no matter how big or small for the glory of His BIG plan. As stated in 1 Corinthians 12:1, the Lord creates His children vastly different and unique to help further His Kingdom. With our differences, we can reach all different types of people. So, with all that being said, the Lord created you for a purpose, and your gift is just as important as the next one. Now, I have a question for each of you… How are you going to use the gifts that God has given you to advance His Kingdom? He has given you gifts! Go use them!
Find out your spiritual gifts - if you wanted to dive in a little deeper about what your spiritual gifts might be I attached a link below that takes you to a test that will give you your top spiritual gifts! Full disclaimer, this is just a test and is not meant to define who you are, it is just to analyze areas that you are strong in!
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