In Romans 6:13 I read, “Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have a new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” (NLT)
The moment I became a follower of Jesus, God gave me spiritual gifts. But how do I start using the spiritual gifts God has put inside of me? Here are four suggested ways to get started:
1. Discover my gifts.
Before I can use my gifts, I need to know what they are. Many Christians have dormant spiritual gifts inside of them. They neglect their gifts, not using them and not even knowing what they are. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:14, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift that is in you” (GNT).
How do I discover your spiritual gifts? There are three steps: examine, evaluate, and experiment. First, I examine by studying each spiritual gift. Then, evaluate what I’m good at. I can start by asking friends what gifts they see in me. Finally, experiment by trying different things. Volunteering for different ministries will help me discover my gifts.
2. Dedicate my gifts to God.
The Bible says in Romans 6:13, “Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (NLT).
Maybe I already know my spiritual gifts, but I’m just not using them for the Lord. I’m using them for myself. I need to humble myself and dedicate to the Lord every gift I have. Push all of my excuses out of the way, and say, “God, I dedicate back to you the gifts that you gave to me.”
3. Develop my gifts.
Gifts are like muscles: The more I use them, the bigger they get. I can and should strengthen, develop, and grow any gift God has given me. I get better at using a gift by practice, studying, and by learning from others who have the same gift.
The Bible says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT).
When God gives me something, he will give me even more of it if I use it well—more talent, money, influence, relationships, or responsibility. He says, “I can trust that person. I’m going to give that person more and more and more.”
4. Deploy my spiritual gifts.
“Deploy” means to put into service. I get out on the field and start doing something. Romans 12:6 says this: “We are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God’s message, we should do it according to the faith that we have” (GNT).
The best place to discover, dedicate, develop, and deploy my spiritual gifts is in a small group of other Christians; it’s like a testing ground. That could be a small group at your church, a Sunday school class, or any small gathering of believers that meet together regularly. This way I can test and develop my spiritual gifts in the safe and supportive environment of friends who will encourage me.
In summary, I need to give myself completely to God, for I was dead, but now I have a new life. So use my whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. God gave me spiritual gifts. But how do I start using them Here are four suggested ways to get started: 1. Discover them. Before I can use them, I need to know what they are. There are three steps: examine, evaluate, and experiment. First, I examine by studying each spiritual gift. Then, evaluate what I’m good at. I can start by asking friends what gifts they see in me. Finally, experiment by trying different things. Volunteering for different ministries will help me discover my gifts. 2. Dedicate my gifts to God, using them for his purpose and not my own. So humble myself and dedicate to the Lord every gift I have. 3. Develop my gifts. The more I use them, the bigger they get. I need to strengthen, develop, and grow any gift God has given me. I get better at them by practice, studying, and by learning from others who have the same gift. He will give me even more of it if I use it well. 4. Deploy my spiritual gifts by putting them into service. I start doing something. The best place to discover, dedicate, develop, and deploy my spiritual gifts is in a small group of other Christians; it’s like a testing ground. This way I can test and develop my spiritual gifts in the safe and supportive environment of friends who will encourage me.
My skills, capabilities, and body can serve many purposes, good or bad. In Christ, every part of me can be an instrument for service. It is the one to whom I offer my service that makes the difference. I need to give myself completely to God, asking him to put me to good use for his glory.
Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to continue to discover my SHAPE so that I can serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.
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