Have you ever thought you must have been standing in the wrong line when God handed out natural talents?
Are you like me wondering what in the world your natural ability is much less your spiritual gift?
Jill Briscoe in the book, “Here Am I Lord, Send Someone Else!” reminded me God has given us raw talent and we must polish our skills before displaying it before the world.
If you are clueless about what your natural abilities may be, reflect carefully upon the following questions:
What do you like to do?
What things are you good at?
These questions may give you a hint as to what your natural abilities may be. However once you accept Christ as your Savior, you will receive a spiritual gift too!
If you think you don’t have any special talents, then pray and ask God to reveal which abilities should be polished and which items should not be pursued at this time.
Give all your abilities to God, He can put them all to good use.
We tend to think we need to be at the level of Martha Stewart before stepping up to drop off a meal at our neighbor’s. But this is not true. You don’t even have to cook at all, but simply be willing to pick up Publix fried chicken dinner for a neighbor.
Recently, a friend dropped off a bag of goodies on my doorstep and it truly seemed like Christmas in July!
And if you’re thinking “my neighbor” must be a talented chef, think again! She bought all the items pre-prepared and personally delivered them to my home. What a blessing to receive a gift of cookies, lasagna, Caesar Salad, and bread.
But if food delivery is not an option, do you have a hobby or interest?
If so, you may consider inviting friends to join a group on WhatsApp to talk about your hobby. You can use your favorite television show, sports, or crafts to get to know people, have a bit of fun, and share Christ with them as opportunities present themselves.
If you are still scratching your head about what your natural abilities may be, is there something your friends have complemented you on?
If so, have you considered teaching others?
As you get to know people through the process of teaching them you may have the opportunity to share bits of your own walk with Christ.
Whatever your natural abilities are, if you offer them to God and ask Him where He would like them to be used, God will find the perfect place!
“Apart from the weapons of our warfare mentioned in Ephesians 5, God equipped us with our natural abilities and with the empowering Holy Spirit, who gifted us with spiritual abilities as well. Every good and perfect gift is from God (James 1:17)”
Jill Briscoe, “Here Am I Lord, Send Someone Else.”
It doesn’t matter if we aren’t able to complete what we consider big, important jobs. As long as we can do small jobs set apart for the service of the Lord, our small gift is worthy…because in Jesus’ hands, our small gift is multiplied!
I’d love to hear how you are using your gifts to serve the Lord. Please leave a comment to help others generate ideas about how they too can use their natural abilities or spiritual gifts.
Jill Briscoe encourages us to Use our talents and work every day until God tells you to stop. We aren’t just to work for God on Sundays, but every day.
In order to use our spiritual gifts, “We need the filling of the Spirit to accomplish all tasks for God.” I’ve discovered the tasks God’s calls me to do to be way out of my comfort zone!
Speaking to a large group of people was never something I’d ever dreamed of doing. I spent a considerable amount of energy persuading my high school speech teacher, I would NEVER ever need to give a speech. But sometimes, God calls us to do what scares us!
Jill reminds us, “When we recognize that our practical abilities are gifts from God and dedicate them willingly to Him, He will fill us with His Spirit, who will impart the know-how to worship Him with our skills.”
The Holy Spirit will teach us how to use our natural talents and spiritual gifts in ways we couldn’t on our own.
The spiritual gifts God gives are for encouraging and building up the body of believers spiritually. They are used for enlisting, enabling, enriching, and encouraging others (1 Corinthians 12: 1 – 11).
While it is fun to receive a surprise, and to unwrap the gift we’ve received, it is critical that we remember, “The Giver of gifts is greater than the gift itself.”
If you are interested in taking a survey to help you figure out your spiritual gift, you may consider taking the following one from ChurchGrowth.org (It is a free survey but keep in mind, you will need to give email address to receive the results).
Remember it is only a tool to help you identify ways that God has uniquely created you to encourage, enable, enrich, and encourage others.
The survey suggested my spiritual gifts to be Mercy, Shepherding, and Serving. Plus it gave lots of ideas about how to use these gifts for God’s glory.
Resources:
Below are affiliate links where I receive a small commission if you purchase anything through the link. Thank you for your help to keep this website free from WordPress Advertising.
Briscoe, Jill. Here I am Lord Send Someone Else
Abide in Christ's Love 
Excellent post, God bless you.
Thank you reading and taking the time to leave an encouraging comment. So appreciated! 😊