Fired Up The s.p.a.ce shuttles were created to carry out a unique mission. They were designed to go somewhere. Yet because of gravity, the s.p.a.ce shuttles couldn"t go anywhere at all on their own-that is, until they were mounted on rocket boosters.

Before they connected with the boosters, gravity told them, "You aren"t going anywhere. You are grounded." And gravity was right. But when they were in place on the boosters and the rocket engines were ignited, these earthbound mult.i.ton vehicles were able to soar.

Your pa.s.sion is your fire. Yet many of us are grounded in time because of our fears. Many of us are grounded from living out our destiny because of things we"ve been told. We have poor self-esteem, and even though we desire to lift this mess off of the ground, we don"t believe G.o.d can create enough fire. Yet if fire can lift the s.p.a.ce shuttle all the way out of the earth"s atmosphere, fire can do the same for you too.

Things move when they are fired up-including you.

Regardless of how dull you may appear or how thick your gla.s.ses are, and even if you cla.s.sify yourself as a nonemotional, intellectual person, you have fire. You have pa.s.sion. You may not express it the same way other people do. You may not shout, dance, or display your pa.s.sion openly because we all have different personalities. But you have it. You have pa.s.sion. You have that thing, subject, interest, or vision that is connected with eternity and that stirs you up inside.

If you don"t yet know what that thing is, go to G.o.d and ask Him to reveal your pa.s.sion to you. Ask G.o.d to light the fire within you. Ask G.o.d to show you your pa.s.sion in connection with eternity so He can show you your destiny. And then hold on tight because it will be time for the ride of your life.

7.

Vision Some people suffer from a condition called myopia. Myopia, or near-sightedness, occurs when the physical length of the eye is greater than the optical length, causing the eye to reflect light inaccurately. When people suffer from myopia, they are unable to see clearly at a distance. Objects that are far away appear blurred and fuzzy. Details are lost as the sharpness deteriorates within the eye.

Myopia is frequently pa.s.sed down from generation to generation. Those who suffer from myopia will often transfer a genetic predisposition toward it to those who come after them.

Unfortunately, what has happened in many people"s physical vision has happened in many people"s spiritual vision as well. These people struggle to see anything beyond what is directly in front of them.

We are commanded not to worry about tomorrow, but nothing is wrong with looking at it. In fact, taking tomorrow into consideration is important. The book of wisdom tells us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18 KJV).

Your destiny without vision is like a surgeon without a scalpel, a cowboy without a horse, or a dancer without a song. Vision gives your destiny inspiration and direction. Trying to discover your destiny without a vision is similar to trying to ignite a fire with a wet match. It won"t happen. Having vision is like putting feet to your destiny or putting gla.s.ses on a person who suffers from myopia. It enables you to function more fully. It allows you to visualize things and bring them into focus so you can experience them. Your spiritual vision involves looking further than you can physically see.

Illumination Before we go much deeper into vision, I want to carefully distinguish between two important concepts: revelation and illumination. G.o.d"s revelation is closed. What G.o.d recorded within the canon of Scripture is complete. Nothing new is to be added to the biblical revelation (Revelation 22:18). However, G.o.d still illuminates His people. G.o.d illuminates us by showing us how His revelation (His revealed Word) applies to us. The role of the Holy Spirit is to illuminate us. The Spirit doesn"t give us new revelation. Rather, He reveals what we are supposed to do with the existing revelation (1 Corinthians 2:9-13). G.o.d illuminates you by giving you a clear vision of the purpose of your life.

Keep in mind that visions bring clarity. And when you receive a clear mental picture of your destiny, you receive power. Your vision empowers you. The power comes with knowing and seeing your destiny clearly.

When your vision is clear about your future, you will make good decisions in the present-decisions that either directly relate to your vision or steer you closer to it. You will know when to say yes and when to say no. You will have a better att.i.tude when you have to do things you don"t want to do or don"t enjoy doing. When you know those tasks will help you accomplish your vision, you will have more energy to do them.

A clear vision gives you power to make productive and strategic decisions. It also gives you endurance to carry out what is necessary in order to one day reach your vision. Without a vision, seemingly mundane activities really are mundane. Tasks that seem boring and meaningless really are boring and meaningless. But when G.o.d illuminates you, showing you how He is planning to use those activities to bring you to your vision, you can carry out your tasks with a renewed zest simply because you understand their purpose.

For example, this is what G.o.d said when He gave Abraham his vision: Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father"s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3).

Abraham was instructed to leave his familiar surroundings and venture into the unknown. Traveling across unfamiliar territory and terrain with supplies, people, animals, and the rest was probably not on Abraham"s bucket list. More than likely, it was a long, often uneventful, and difficult journey. But Abraham had a vision that involved the promise of blessing in his future, so he was motivated to do that which most likely did not produce immediate gratification. And he was able to remain motivated for the long haul. We know this because of what the book of Hebrews tells us Abraham did in response to the vision he received.

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going... For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is G.o.d (Hebrews 11:8,10).

Abraham reached his destiny because he responded to his vision. He was told to go to the land G.o.d promised to show him. Abraham did not know where that land was or what it looked like, but he knew that he would find what he was searching for because he had faith that the vision G.o.d had given him would come about.

Becoming a Blessing Based on his vision alone, Abraham set out on a path to his destiny and his blessing. Keep in mind that your destiny and your blessing will always involve others. G.o.d will work in you when He knows He can work through you. When we receive a blessing, we experience G.o.d"s favor so we can extend it to others.

Abraham made himself available as a conduit for a blessing. He set out to seek that blessing even at great personal sacrifice, and as a result, he eventually found both his blessing and his vision. Had Abraham stayed in his safe and secure surroundings with Sarah (at that time known as Sarai) and the rest of his family, he would never have reached his destiny, which was to be the conduit of G.o.d"s blessings to all the families of the earth. Likewise, had Abraham decided to wait until G.o.d gave him the detailed, step-by-step road map to reach his vision, he would never have discovered and lived out his destiny.

G.o.d gave Abraham a vision. Because Abraham believed and acted on that vision as G.o.d had instructed him to, he received his blessing in full and reached his ordained destination.

Looking to the Invisible Like Abraham, when you receive a vision, you look to the invisible. You see a picture of what will happen, though not all the details are clearly filled in. Then, when you fulfill your destiny, you make the invisible visible.

Have you ever seen an invisible coloring book? The pages appear to be blank, but when you color on them with a "magic pen," an elaborate picture appears.

This is similar to what happens with your vision. Before the creation of time, G.o.d had already established your purpose and your destiny. The image of what you will become and what you have been designed to do has already been established. Every line, color, and portion of the image is already there. But you won"t get to see it or experience it until you take the "magic pen" of faith and do what G.o.d has revealed to you to do. Like a child coloring in a blank book, you may begin hesitantly. Yet as G.o.d responds to your movements by revealing more and more of your vision for you, you will be empowered to continue on in faith.

As G.o.d reveals your vision to you, your best response is to act on it. Take a step-G.o.d loves to hit a moving target. As you step out in response to the little He has shown you, He will show you much more. And the more you step out, the more He will show you. If you never respond to the little, you will never discover the rest. That"s why Paul says, "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). It involves doing something; it involves movement.

Vision involves seeing things from G.o.d"s perspective. Colossians tells us that is the way we are to view life: "If you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of G.o.d. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:1-2). When G.o.d gives you a vision, He gives you His view. He gives you an eagle eye. He gives you the ability to see tomorrow as clearly as an eagle can see the ground. You see beyond what is normal and natural. Things you have never seen before suddenly become crystal clear in your mind"s eye-so much so that you might say, "I can see myself doing that" just as if you were already doing it.

You may have heard the story of a visitor saying to the director of Disney World, "Isn"t it a shame that Mr. Disney didn"t live to see this?"

To which the director quickly replied, "He did see it. That"s why it"s here."

Now, let me ask you a question: What is your vision? What do you see? If I were to ask you to write down your vision, could you do it? Or let me put it another way-when you dream, what do you dream about? What are your dreams for the next five, ten, or fifteen years? Where do you envision yourself being and what do you envision yourself doing twenty years from now? Clarifying your vision and your dream is critical because if you see only that which is in front of you right now, you will lose the momentum that comes with a clear direction. Your choices and decisions over the next five years or even the next several decades will lead you in circles rather than toward the goal of discovering, experiencing, and then ultimately maximizing your purpose. When you don"t have a target, you aim for anything. When you aim for anything, you will miss everything.

A Mental Picture Nehemiah is a biblical character who doesn"t seem to get a whole lot of press these days. You don"t frequently hear preachers teaching on the life of Nehemiah even though there is so much to glean from his actions and decisions. Nehemiah serves as a perfect example of someone who received a vision and responded by acting on it.

In Nehemiah"s time, Jerusalem had been decimated for about 70 years. Nehemiah lived in another culture and served another king. He had very little to do with the existing status of his homeland-that is, until G.o.d gave him a vision. G.o.d gave Nehemiah a mental portrait of his purpose in relationship to Jerusalem. We know this because Nehemiah later tells us about it.

I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my G.o.d was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:11-12).

Notice that Nehemiah specifically states that G.o.d put a vision in his mind. G.o.d first placed Nehemiah"s calling and purpose as a thought within him. He gave him a mental picture of what He wanted him to do. G.o.d will give you a mental picture of His purpose for you. He will place within you a concept linked to your pa.s.sion, skills, and desires, and then He will see what you do with what He has given you. The fulfillment of the image G.o.d originally puts in your mind is likely to be so much more than you can imagine. Had He shown you the whole picture at the start, you might not have believed Him, you might have been too intimidated to pursue it, or you might have been too overwhelmed to imagine that it could come to pa.s.s through you.

So G.o.d will often give you a mental picture that includes your vision but not in its entirety. He gives you enough for you to take the next step on the path to your destiny. But as you take that step, remember that you are heading to something that has the potential to be so much larger than what you think right now. Never let your partial understanding limit you. Sometimes G.o.d gives you only enough to get you going. If He is taking you toward something that is larger than you imagined, accept and embrace it. That happens to most of us. G.o.d often reveals only what He knows we can handle at the time.

Seeing and Feeling Nehemiah"s vision for Jerusalem came out of his burden for Jerusalem. If you turn back a chapter in his book, you will see one of the initial ingredients of his vision-his pa.s.sion for his people. When Nehemiah was in Persia, his brother Hanani and some other men from Judah came from the area of Jerusalem. Nehemiah asked them how the people were faring back in his homeland. They replied, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire" (Nehemiah 1:3).

Their response evoked Nehemiah"s deepest pa.s.sions. "When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the G.o.d of heaven" (verse 4). Nehemiah didn"t just hear his countrymen"s report or their words, he felt them-deeply. He felt them in what I call his gizzard... that deep place inside where emotions are authentic and real.

Because Nehemiah felt the report of his fellow Jews, he did something about it. He mourned, fasted, and prayed. He sought G.o.d and His solution to a crisis and desperate situation. Nehemiah"s vision was birthed out of his pa.s.sion for his people, just as your vision will be birthed out of a pa.s.sion that G.o.d has created within you. A burden or a pa.s.sion is something that weighs heavily on you. You can"t shake it easily. You can"t get rid of the thought.

Friend, if something on your heart burdens you or evokes strong emotions in you, before you try to talk yourself out of those feelings or rationalize them, ask G.o.d if they are clues to your vision and your destiny. Most likely they are. Pa.s.sion and vision are two things that G.o.d gives you in order to motivate you for a sustained calling.

Once you jump into your purpose and start taking strides on the path toward your destiny, you will discover that not every day is a skip down the yellow brick road. Each hour doesn"t bring fireworks and rainbows or exciting adventures to explore and conquer. Along the path to your destiny, you will encounter a myriad of dull moments and just plain hard work. Pa.s.sion and vision are gifts from G.o.d to strengthen you and motivate you through those times. They play a critical role in helping you fulfill your destiny because they are the breath, or the wind, on which you soar. They give you strength to keep going through the tedious and the mundane.

Even when you"re living out your destiny, some moments won"t be filled with bells and trumpets. Your pa.s.sion and your vision will often have to carry you through those everyday moments so that you will arrive at your intended destination.

Nehemiah"s pa.s.sion drove him to his knees. It burdened his heart so much that he went without food. He wept and called on G.o.d to intervene. He asked G.o.d to show him what to do.

What makes you weep? What keeps you up at night? What calls your name louder than food? Many of us live in a culture that revolves around food. Food is conveniently available to us in all sorts of delicious packages. In fact, food often dominates our thoughts, and our health suffers when we don"t eat wisely. What burdens or impa.s.sions you so greatly that even food becomes unimportant? Have you ever been so engrossed in a project or a job or an act of service, so fulfilled and satisfied, that you lost track of time and even forgot to eat? That is pa.s.sion. If that has happened to you, take note. Pa.s.sion and vision are significant clues to your destiny.

Vision and Revelation But don"t let your pa.s.sion and your vision lead you outside of G.o.d"s revelation because if you do, you will end up on your own. Illumination is subjective, so it should always be based on revelation, which is objective. G.o.d"s objective revelation is His Word. Nehemiah didn"t allow his burden or his pa.s.sion to go outside of G.o.d"s revelation. He didn"t allow his own emotions to determine his course of action. Rather, Nehemiah prayed to G.o.d using G.o.d"s own words. He appealed to what G.o.d had already said. He did something that I like to call holding G.o.d hostage to His Word.

Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, "If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell" (Nehemiah 1:8-10).

Nehemiah"s burden led him directly to G.o.d and His Word to look for an answer. If your burden doesn"t drive you to G.o.d and His Word, it is not His vision for you. Your vision will always be connected with G.o.d Himself. His vision for you will point you toward Him.

G.o.d"s Timetable G.o.d"s vision for you will also come about according to His timetable, not yours. Notice that Nehemiah concluded his prayer with a request for that very day.

"O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compa.s.sion before this man." Now I was the cupbearer to the king (verse 11).

G.o.d had positioned Nehemiah in a high-security position-he was cupbearer to the king of Persia. Nehemiah recognized his opportunity in light of his pa.s.sion and burden, and he asked G.o.d to give him favor with the king, who could help relieve his burden. (By the way, notice that Nehemiah was working in a secular occupation in a secular environment for a secular king. G.o.d can use you wherever you are to advance His kingdom.) Yet even though Nehemiah asked for favor on that day, G.o.d had a different timetable. Nehemiah"s visitors had arrived from Jerusalem in the month of Chislev (1:1), but King Artaxerxes didn"t take notice and look with favor on Nehemiah until the month of Nisan, four months later (2:1).

Nehemiah"s situation shows us that we are to pray for today but to remember that G.o.d"s timing is often much different from our own. Timing is everything. As G.o.d prepares you for your destiny, He also prepares everyone else who will play a part in your destiny. He lines up everything to converge perfectly at the right time. Things have to be ordered, constructed, and interlinked exactly for the right time. When that right time comes, all things will need to work together to accomplish G.o.d"s purpose.

Keeping It Real On that day in the month of Nisan, the king noticed his sadness and asked him why he was burdened. Nehemiah shared with the king from an authentic soul-his burden was real. That"s one reason why your purpose is linked to pa.s.sion and vision. People can say all the right things when sharing their vision, but if their communication isn"t authentic, those who are listening will sense that, and they will be less likely to partic.i.p.ate or respond. People respond to sincerity, especially when it is linked to pa.s.sion and vision-just as the king responded to his cupbearer.

When Nehemiah expressed his vision and his pa.s.sion for Jerusalem, he found favor. The king gave him a leave of absence to do something about Jerusalem, and he also gave him the tools, manpower, security, and freedom to carry out his vision. Nehemiah"s pa.s.sion and vision merged with his life situation at just the right time to lead him to his destiny.

Friend, G.o.d has a destiny for you. Discovering that destiny begins by discovering your pa.s.sion. As you discover what evokes your deepest emotions and concern, notice the way G.o.d reveals that to you and how it corresponds to His Word. Seek Him. Make Him your highest pa.s.sion, and He will show you your path. Make knowing and living His purpose for you your deepest burden, and He will open your eyes to your destiny.

When your pa.s.sion gives birth to your vision, everything will change-your life, your decisions, and your priorities. You will experience a new fire, drive, and intentionality.

Your life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you want, but only once. Make sure you invest it and don"t just waste it. Invest it in something that matters to you and matters for eternity. G.o.d has placed your destiny within you already. He wants to give you a burden and a pa.s.sion to do what He wants you to do. Focus there. When you do, you will see the vision G.o.d wants to unfold in your life.

8.

Giftedness One of the greatest discoveries you can make as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ has to do with your spiritual gifts. A spiritual gift is a divinely bestowed ability that strengthens the body of Christ in order to optimally service the kingdom.

As we begin our discussion on spiritual gifts, notice the difference between spiritual gifts and talents. A talent is a human ability people have in varying levels. It benefits those who have it as well as mankind in general. You don"t have to be a Christian to be talented; you just have to be human.

But a spiritual gift is much different from a talent. It is something G.o.d gives to certain individuals, and it is specifically designed to service His people and His agenda for the expansion of His kingdom. We call it a spiritual gift because it is given by the Holy Spirit and used through the power of the Holy Spirit for G.o.d"s purposes.

A spiritual gift may not be something you were talented at doing before you became a believer. People often discover their spiritual gifts when they develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the spiritual gift is brand-new and comes at the point of a person"s salvation. Other times, G.o.d sanctifies an existing talent and transforms it into a spiritual gift.

In Christian circles, we sometimes hear people say a singer or preacher is "anointed." That term generally refers to a spiritual gift because the person is functioning beyond his or her talents or abilities. For example, Billy Graham may not be the world"s best preacher in terms of technical abilities or fundamentals of oratory, but his gift, or anointing, evokes a response in people who hear him unlike any other. In fact, other preachers could recite Dr. Graham"s sermons word for word, but they wouldn"t receive the same response simply because they do not have the same anointing.

Some Christian musicians can sing beautifully or perform perfectly but are unable to lead a congregation in a spirit of worship. Conversely, other Christian musicians may not always sing on pitch and may not have as much experience or technical ability, but they usher people into G.o.d"s presence because of their anointing, or gift. A fine but distinct line divides human performance and anointed ministry. Performance often draws attention to the person, but ministry draws attention to G.o.d, who anointed the person.

Many Christians fail to maximize their calling simply because they are not aware of their gifts. They may be stuck trying to utilize their talents rather than seeking G.o.d for the gifts He has given them or discovering how G.o.d wants to transform their talents into gifts. Other Christians fail to maximize their calling because they don"t realize they even have a gift. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have at least one spiritual gift. G.o.d has equipped you with the necessary skills to fulfill the destiny for which He created you. G.o.d provides everything you need to fulfill His calling on your life. So if you are struggling with something you can"t seem to do, either you are not in your calling or you have not yet discovered the gifts that G.o.d has given you and that He intends for you to use. G.o.d always prepares you for His purpose for you.

Grace Gifts To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ"s gift. Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men" (Ephesians 4:7-8).

In this pa.s.sage, Paul introduces us to the concept of spiritual gifts. He begins by clearly stating that G.o.d has given a gift "to each one of us." So if Christians say they don"t have a spiritual gift, either they are actually not Christians at all or they don"t yet know their spiritual endowments. If you are a Christian, you have a gift-a spiritual gift that is unique to you. Each one of us has a spiritual gift that is unique to our destiny and calling. My spiritual gift may be in the same category as yours, but it is not intended to accomplish the same purpose because each of us has a specific, personalized destiny.

After Paul informs us that each and every one of us has been given a gift, he explains that it is a "grace gift." Your spiritual gift has been given to you through grace. My spiritual gift has been given to me through grace. In other words, G.o.d gets the credit for the gifts. You and I have them because of His remarkable and unfathomable grace.

Gifts in the New Kingdom Paul then goes on to describe the process through which this grace has been given to us. He begins by giving us the very picturesque quote, "When he ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men" (compare Psalm 68:18). Paul then goes into greater detail.

Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens so that He might fill all things (Ephesians 4:9-10).

To fully understand the impact of this pa.s.sage, we need to revisit its history. At the fall of mankind in the garden, Satan convinced Adam and Eve to switch their allegiance to him. He confiscated the gifts G.o.d had intended to use for the propagation of His kingdom, and he began to use them to promote his own agenda. Satan corrupted the talents of humanity, which had been intended to promote G.o.d"s kingdom, and began using them to promote h.e.l.l"s kingdom. He is still using them today as he tries to control our media, fine arts, schools, homes, and communities.

But when Jesus Christ cancelled the certificate of sin on the cross, He abolished Satan"s authority over mankind. On the cross, Jesus began a process of taking back what Satan had stolen and using it for its original G.o.d-given purpose-the advancement of the kingdom of G.o.d.

To better understand this spiritual reality, consider a physical ill.u.s.tration. Imagine an army-for example, the Roman army of the first century-entering an enemy"s territory and defeating its army. The conquering nation would seize the enemy"s resources and use them to promote its own good. If someone had been a talented lawyer under their previous government, he now became a talented lawyer on behalf of Rome. If someone had been a talented doctor under their previous government, he now administered medicine in order to strengthen Rome. The talents of those who had been defeated were to be used on behalf of the conqueror.

In Eden, Satan seized the talents of humanity in order to promote his kingdom of darkness. He set up an enemy outpost and began to utilize the talents of humanity to promote his agenda. Yet something happened on Calvary that forever changed everything. On the cross, Jesus Christ paid the entire payment for the sin of mankind. Therefore, as a result of His death, burial, and resurrection, G.o.d put all things under His authority.

These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:19-23).

Costly Gifts Following Jesus"s death on the cross, He "descended into the lower parts of the earth" and then led a host of captives to the heavenly places that He might give gifts to men. Did you catch all that had to take place? First, Jesus had to die and suffer estrangement from His Father in order to make payment for the sins of humanity. Then He had to descend in order to release and lead out the host of captives. Finally, He had to be resurrected and seated at the right hand of G.o.d in the heavenly places.

Friend, your gift did not come easily or cheaply. The spiritual gift you have received came at great cost to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Purpose of Gifts As you might imagine, He gave you your gift for a purpose-to strengthen the body of Christ as it serves as His church, "the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Therefore, your gift accomplishes two things. First, it increases the impact of your ministry to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 4:10). Second, it provides a testimony of your faith to a watching world (Matthew 5:16).

There will come a day when each of us will stand before Jesus Christ to give an account for the way we used the gifts He gave us. The question won"t be how much college you attended or how many seminars and workshops you partic.i.p.ated in to sharpen your skills. No, the question will focus on how you used those seminars, workshops, and college degrees to support His body of believers and advance His kingdom of light in a world filled with darkness. How did you utilize the gifts given to you to further G.o.d"s kingdom on earth? That is the question you will have to answer. If your skills and abilities did not contribute to the strengthening of Christ"s church and the progression of His kingdom, then they were simply talents that never became fully maximized as spiritual gifts.

For example, if you are gifted in the area of teaching, then as a way of maximizing that gift, you are to discover how you can use your gift not only within the church but also in the culture, perhaps by teaching in a public school in order to bring Christ"s light into a darkened place. Your spiritual gift ought to impact both the body of Christ and the world at large.

Paul references this dual purpose of our spiritual gifts-to strengthen the church as well as increase its impact on society.

He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of G.o.d to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Spiritual gifts are designed to empower the church, and the church"s job is to spread the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Specifically, verse 12 tells us that the gifts are given "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service." I know of no other way to interpret that statement than to say that we-the saints-have a job to do. That job is to build up the body of Christ so that the body of Christ can spread the kingdom in society.

Your Work of Service Many Christians operate under the belief that preachers, missionaries, Christian musicians, and others who work in the church are the only ones who have "spiritual" jobs. But G.o.d has given each saint a gift in order to build up His body. The church where I pastor has a requirement for those who want to become members-they must agree to serve in a ministry of the church. This is not simply a way to recruit volunteers for the various ministries. Rather, it holds believers in our membership accountable to utilize their spiritual gifts.

I"ve seen many individuals in our church discover their spiritual gifts through the process of serving. Many of those have gone on to use those gifts professionally-gifts these believers previously didn"t even know they had. They are now strengthening the church as well as utilizing their gifts in the society as salt and light in a world in need.

Your work of service is essential because G.o.d is bringing His whole family to a unity of the faith and to a mature man, as we read earlier. Your spiritual gifts include you-your personality, pa.s.sion, goals, skills, and more-but they are not just for you. G.o.d gave you your spiritual gifts so you can be a blessing to others. If that blessing ends with you, G.o.d cannot continue to bless and maximize His work in and through you. As I mentioned previously, blessings are always intended for people to enjoy and to extend G.o.d"s favor in their lives. Your gift is meant to bless others.

Gifts Offer Clarity When believers intentionally develop and use their spiritual gifts, the effects are enormous.

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:14-16).

When believers function according to their gifts, they make decisions with clarity and aren"t confused by "deceitful scheming" or "every wind of doctrine." Clear decisions create productive actions on behalf of the church and those in it. In addition to that, people flourish and grow when the whole body is fitted and held together and each member uses his or her own gift.

One night I got out of bed, and in the dark, I stubbed my toe against a table. Maybe you can relate. Now, I knew my toe was hurt because the nerves in my toe sent a signal to my brain. My brain immediately sent another signal to my vocal cords, and I let everyone in the house know I had just stubbed my toe. At the same time, my brain was telling my right hand to reach down and grab my toe. Also at the same time, it told my left foot to support all my weight as I picked up my right foot. In a split second and without even thinking, my body parts all went into immediate action because they function as a unit "by what every joint supplies." They function as a body. And that"s what G.o.d calls the church-a body. We are to function together in order to impact the lives of those around us as effectively as possible.

Your Personality Profile Several factors can help you determine your spiritual gifts, including your personality. Your personality is the part of you that makes you the person you are. Just as no two people have exactly the same thumbprint, no two people have exactly the same personality.

Your personality makes you who you are. We often refer to it as your soul. Your soul is comprised of three parts: your mind, your emotions, and your will. It is your essence-much more so than your body. When you die, your body will remain on earth and eventually decay. However, the real you, your soul, will go either to heaven or to h.e.l.l, depending on whether you have trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and your salvation.

Even though everyone"s soul is made up of the same three components (mind, emotions, and will), people don"t express what goes on in those components the same way. Some people are introverts. They may think deep, complex thoughts or feel strong, powerful emotions, yet they do not express them openly. Then there are extroverts-most people know what they are thinking or feeling before they even enter the room! Each of us is different from everyone else because each soul (or personality) is unique.

Friend, G.o.d gave you the personality you have because it fits perfectly with the destiny He has planned for you. If you have to become somebody else in order to fulfill a certain purpose, then G.o.d wants somebody else to do it. That"s not your purpose or your destiny. G.o.d made your personality to fit your destiny. Your destiny has been designed to flow with you.