I’m currently sitting in a coffee shop along Portstewart Prom relaxing and watching the staff begin clearing the tables and preparing for the new morning, the successful end of one day and the preparation for another, It’s mid-September and the summer season is essentially over even though tonight was a stunningly beautiful evening on the North Coast.
The summer season has been great with the Father speaking and teaching me so much and while that has been great I’m excited for the next season and what that will bring. I’ve been thinking for a few weeks about what I wanted to write on next, with a few ideas floating about but none seemed to sit right until I met a friend for coffee and started chatting away to him.
Encouraged by the fantastic ‘Strengthen Yourself in the Lord’ book we began discussing what our Spiritual Gifts are, now I don’t mean the likes of Healing or Prophesy I mean the gifts God has given us for our day jobs, like having an administrative mindset, or being a leader, having a real thirst for learning new things…..
As we chatted I felt God speaking to my heart and challenging me on wherever I have been using my gifts for the advancement of his kingdom, I consider myself a leader but have I been using my leadership to get people alongside myself to feel popular or have I been a kingdom leader where I have got alongside people and helped to release them into their heavenly identity?
With my friend he said he had a thirst for knowledge, so I challenged him on are you wanting to learn more about God, more about healing and more Bible knowledge just to say how much you know, or is it because you want even more of the Father, even more opportunities to pray for healing, or even more of his word so that you are built up for the challenges that life throws at you ?
It is an incredible challenge to actually look at the things you are gifted at and see if you are using them to advance God’s Kingdom, it’s something that I am asking the Father to reveal to me firstly where I am strong and gifted, then where can I use these gifts for your kingdom and finally where am I using the gifting I have for my own ambition and my own gain ?
Be encouraged reading this, the Father has given us all extraordinary gifts and the opportunity to use these gifts. Don’t worry if you’re reading this thinking ‘I’ve been using my gifts for myself’ The Father in his extraordinary goodness will give you opportunity after opportunity to use your gifting for him !
Ask him how to further reveal what gifts he has given you, ask him how you can use those gifts and then ask him for opportunities to use them! Finally be observant for when the opportunities come, they’ll come in the small insignificant moments much more than the big ones !