How To Be Used By God

Every person who has crossed the line of faith has at least one. My personal belief is that all people have spiritual gifts, but they are only activated by a relationship with Jesus Christ. A spiritual gift is a supernatural ability. The Bible tells us :

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. Romans 12:6a (NLT)

Again we explore these in CLASS 301 and you discover what God has invested in you. These gifts positively change other people’s lives, build up the church and bring the one using them a tremendous sense of fulfillment.

You also have at least one spiritual gift. Finding it will lead you to finding your purpose.

· Heart

What are you passionate about? What stirs you up like nothing else. Your heart is inclined in a certain direction and it tells you something about your unique shape. James White, in his book You Can Experience a Purposeful Life, provides some questions you can ask to see where your heart lies.

”What do I really care about?”

When I have an afternoon all to myself, free of family and work responsibilities, how do I want to spend it?

When I look around and think something needs to be changed, what area does my mind tend to travel toward?

What do I dream about?

What would I do to make every morning feel like Christmas day?

If I could leave my mark on any area of life, what would it be?¡¨

Proverbs 27

19As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.

*Abilities

Aside from spiritual gifts we all have some natural abilities. They may be musical or athletic. Maybe you have a mechanical aptitude. Perhaps you’re good with crafts or art. Maybe you’re a number cruncher and love it. Assess your natural abilities because they factor into how your wired up.

2 Corinthians 1

21It is God who gives us, along with you, the ability to stand firm for Christ.

*Personality

What kind of person are you? What are your like and dislike? Are you a type A -- high strung and revved up at all times - or a type B personality -- laid back, a nuclear war wouldn’t get you upset.

If people come to your with their problems and your only solution is “Get a life and stop whining”--You can bet that you don’t have the personality to be a counselor.

Make sure you factor in your personality when you try to determine your unique shape.

*Experiences

Where have you been? What have you done? Think about your painful and pleasant experiences in life. You’ve had educational, vocational and even spiritual experiences that make you unique.

If you can get a handle on those five areas----your spiritual gifts, your heart or passion, your abilities, your personality and your experiences—you’re on your way to determining your shape and your life’s purpose.

When you determine your direction here’s a hint to keep in mind.

3. Your attitude determines your altitude.

Your attitude is the limiting factor in pursuing your life’s purpose. If you think you can, you probably will. If you think you can’t you probably won’t.

Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation’s deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.