You may be familiar with the term, "Spiritual Gifts." These gifts are how God manifests His power in each of His children. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 that there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. These gifts are related to the different kinds of service that exist. No matter what the gift or service, the same God is working in us and through us at all times. All believers participate in the spiritual gifts in different ways. But many never realize their full potential as "gifted" individuals. Why is this?
According to an article by Danielle Bernock, there are three types of spiritual gifts. These include Ministry, Manifestation, and Motivational gifts. In Ministry gifts, God works through us to serve others and meet their needs. Those who walk in gifts of ministry tend to the needs of others. Think of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. In Manifestation gifts, we unfortunately see a lot of over-sensationalizing. And in this misuse of the gift, the one who holds it misses the point of its power. Gifts of healing, prophecy, discernment, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues are some of these. In order to effectively use these, gifts, one must obediently allow the Holy Spirit to move through them. In Motivational gifts, God's power must always be the filter through which we relate to others. Prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, and leading are all part of the motivational gifts.
All too often, the idea of spiritual gifts is misinterpreted by both believers and non-believers as being some sort of superstitious mumbo-jumbo. Many don't believe that gifts exist today; as though God's word had some sort of an expiration date on it. But the Bible clearly states that God gives us gifts and that He expects us to use them. When we run away from our gifting, we may notice that we feel a sense of nagging to return to the thing, but we may not always understand what the pull is or where it is coming from. On the flipside, when we are walking in our gifts, we may feel an unexplainable sense of peace and strength. But there are also things that get in the way of our recognizing and utilizing our gifts and we may not even realize that we are being hindered.
Recently, it was brought to my attention by more than a few people that I should be doing more public speaking, podcasts, etc. This has always been a very scary place for me. For a time, during my childhood, I was so backward that I couldn't speak to people. But as I've gotten older and experienced more "life," I've noticed that things in this area have gotten somewhat easier. Though, they aren't without challenges. For example, the minute I decided that I wanted to put more time and energy into speaking as part of my ministry, I was stricken with some sort of respiratory illness that made it difficult for me to speak for long periods of time. In those times, I would turn to writing as a means of saying what I needed to say. And whenever possible, I would schedule speaking events that were meant to be an opportunity for me to talk to groups of people and deliver either encouragement or education about an idea that God wanted me to convey. And I could always tell when I had done the right thing. In those situations where I spoke to groups and the right message went through, I felt energized and at peace. But if I spoke just to be speaking, the whole thing would inevitably fall apart, and I would come away from it feeling stupid and drained.
When you are given an opportunity to use a skill or talent which comes naturally to you but is often hindered by circumstance or some other obstacle, take a closer look and try to determine why you are experiencing so much opposition to the thing you are drawn to do. The devil also knows that God has gifted His children and he will stop at nothing to prevent you from having the opportunity, confidence, and strength to use those gifts. Don't let him win those battles. God gave you the power to break through those walls and be all that He has called you to be.
Resources:
February 7, 2022. What Are Spiritual Gifts? Understanding the types and discovering yours by Danielle Bernack, Available: http://www.christianity.com/christian-life/what-are-spiritual-gifts-understanding-the-types-and-discovering-yours.html.
This week's feature is all about Using Your Gifts. Check out the resources we have in the HGBM Shop. This week, they're marked down 15% so that you can get those resources easily. Stop in today and be inspired!