Every believer is gifted by God so that he or she can use those gifts to glorify Him.
Scripture describes some of those gifts in Romans 12.
The gifts listed there are prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, contributing, leadership and the showing of mercy.
It also describes how those gifts are to be used.
It really is a wonderful feeling to know both what your gift is and that you are putting it to use.
But what if you are not sure about what your gift is?
How do you go about finding out?
The best place to begin is with prayer.
Mathew 21:22 (NET) - And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive.
Bear in mind that this does not necessarily mean asking for a particular gift.
The better approach is to prayerfully ask God to reveal to you the gift He has in mind for you.
Also, be prepared for the subtle ways in which God sometimes reveals Himself.
While God revealed Himself to Moses through a burning bush, He also revealed Himself to Elijah in a whisper.
Elijah witnessed a powerful wind which caused landslides on the very mountain upon which he stood.
After that, he witnessed an earthquake.
Elijah witnessed still more.
1 Kings 19:22 (NET) - After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a soft whisper.
Elijah recognized that God was in the whisper.
How can we be sure to hear something as subtle as a whisper?
Scripture even provides us with an answer to that question.
Be still.
Psalm 46:10 (KJV) - Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth.
It is important to spend time with God in a quiet place that is free from noise and distractions.
There is one more thing to keep in mind.
When He reveals the gift He has given to you it may not be one you expected.
It may not be the one you would have chosen for yourself.
If that happens, do not worry.
He knows what He has planned for you and He will equip you to use it.
That is a big part of what having faith is all about.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 4, 2014.
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 11, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Always There
The other day I ran into a problem with a company I have been doing business with for some time.
I knew that I would need to talk to someone in their customer service department in order to clear this up.
I picked up the phone and dialed the number posted on their website.
What I got was a recording.
“Thank you for calling the customer service department,” the recording began.
It continued, “Our business hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern time Monday thru Friday.”
I called from a different time zone.
I looked at my watch and it was 5:01 in the Eastern time zone and I had missed getting a resolution to my problem by a single minute.
It would be necessary for me to postpone my call for one more day.
As I hung up the phone, I remember thinking how glad I was that God does not operate on such a schedule.
I can talk to Him any time at all.
God listens to prayer 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
There is no waiting as God can listen to many prayers at the same time.
I think it is that aspect of prayer that bothers unbelievers the most.
After all, how can God listen to many prayers "at the same time"?
If you think about, that concept is not really that difficult to comprehend.
"At the same time" simply applies to the human side of the equation - us!
God is not confined to the limits of time.
God is outside of time.
God always existed; He exists right now; He will continue to exist forever in the future.
God can, and does, listen to every prayer that is lifted up to Him.
Philippians 4:6 (NET) - Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.
We can lift up our prayers to Him at any time of the day or night.
How He chooses to answer those prayers is up to Him.
His will, not ours, will prevail.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 21, 2014.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, March 28, 2014.
I knew that I would need to talk to someone in their customer service department in order to clear this up.
I picked up the phone and dialed the number posted on their website.
What I got was a recording.
“Thank you for calling the customer service department,” the recording began.
It continued, “Our business hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern time Monday thru Friday.”
I called from a different time zone.
I looked at my watch and it was 5:01 in the Eastern time zone and I had missed getting a resolution to my problem by a single minute.
It would be necessary for me to postpone my call for one more day.
As I hung up the phone, I remember thinking how glad I was that God does not operate on such a schedule.
I can talk to Him any time at all.
God listens to prayer 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
There is no waiting as God can listen to many prayers at the same time.
I think it is that aspect of prayer that bothers unbelievers the most.
After all, how can God listen to many prayers "at the same time"?
If you think about, that concept is not really that difficult to comprehend.
"At the same time" simply applies to the human side of the equation - us!
God is not confined to the limits of time.
God is outside of time.
God always existed; He exists right now; He will continue to exist forever in the future.
God can, and does, listen to every prayer that is lifted up to Him.
Philippians 4:6 (NET) - Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.
We can lift up our prayers to Him at any time of the day or night.
How He chooses to answer those prayers is up to Him.
His will, not ours, will prevail.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, March 21, 2014.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, March 28, 2014.
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