Romans 12:6 We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace that God gave us.
God has given you a very unique and important gift. You have a remarkable level of patience when it comes to the artistic expressions found in puzzles, mosaics, and other unique configurations.
You enjoy finding fractured images in piles of scattered pieces of varying hues. You are sure that when the random jagged edges are fit together properly, these tiny colorful segments of will reveal a beautiful picture of what was meant to be. While others may see chaos and confusion, you see a collection of shapes and colors ready for organization.
From a spiritual perspective, this gift is vital to the advancement of God’s Kingdom.
Many people are broken. You have been gifted with the ability to help others piece together their shattered lives and become the masterpiece that God designed them to be.
Your ability to face brokenness with a logical and non-judgmental approach makes you the ideal candidate to bring the message of wholeness to those who are broken.
Proverbs 12:5 The plans that good people make are fair. But the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
Your gift of discernment serves you well as a protective force field in your service to God.
You can practice compassion and fairness when dealing with those who have learned unhealthy defense strategies.
You are able to successfully participate in ministry outreach programs where a less discerning person might fall victim to scammers and schemers.
You do not reject those who have not yet learned to be trustworthy.
You accept and love them while also utilizing your spiritual gift of discernment to determine where the boundary lines must go. In this way, you can set limits for people who have none.
Jesus ministered to everyone, even the deceivers and tax collectors, yet He did not trust them all. He was able to successfully minister to them because He had the spiritual gift of discernment.
You also have this gift. You are compassionate and fair while also remaining discerning and cautious. You have a supernatural ability to identify good and bad intentions.
Sometimes you feel the need to tap the brakes on certain relationships and associations. You may have even thought this ability was a flaw in your personality. However, as you learn more about your calling, you have come to realize that this attribute is a Godly trait which will serve you well in fulfilling your destiny.
Proverbs 12:3 Doing evil brings a person no safety at all. But a good person has safety and security.
The Spirit of God’s goodness resides within you and around you. This creates a protective force-field of safety and security.
As you encounter the icy chill of societal norms, that applaud greed, aggression, and ego, you are warmed from within by the Spirit’s flame.
Like a crackling fire on a cold winter night, the presence of divine light permeates the atmosphere and brings comfort.
Your soul is at rest and your mind is at peace because you know the power of your position in the universe.
Since God is on your side, and has promised to defend you, there is no need to defend yourself. You have an army of angels on standby, ready to assist as you stand your ground.
You know that the forces of darkness cannot take what is yours. God has given you a divine destiny and therefore, you live in safety, knowing that your future is protected.
Along the way, you may encounter opposition in the forms of sabotage, jealousy, or misunderstanding.
Some of these battles are critical and require the strategic planning of you and your Creator. Yet other battles are not worthy of your time or attention. You refuse to be drawn into petty disputes because they waste time and slow you down.
The Divine Spirit gives you the unique ability to maneuver safely through confrontation and conflict without losing ground or losing your peace.
You play a vital role in the next great awakening. You have been given gifts and talents to lay the groundwork for God to reveal new insights and unleash greater power on His people.
You have been chosen by the Creator of the Universe for specific assignments that will change the course of history. You have a divine destiny which is protected and promoted by the Commander of Angel Armies. Nothing can harm you. No one can stop you. Your steps have been ordered by the Lord and nothing can stand in your way.
Genesis 12:2 I will bless you. I will make you famous and you will be a blessing to others.
Having been blessed by God, you are empowered to succeed.
The fear of failure may occasionally drift through your thoughts when you take on a project that you feel inadequate to manage, but knowing that you have been empowered to succeed by the Creator of the Universe, you set aside fearful feelings, and face each challenge head-on.
Being blessed by God, you see His supernatural power at work in all of your efforts. You realize that He is able and willing to make a success out of anything – even things you thought were failures.
Sometimes your successes do not appear all that successful at first. There are times that your initial attempts at success look a lot like failures. But, you live by faith, not by sight. You do not view failure as the end, but rather, the beginning of a new approach.
Empowered to succeed, you rise each day with a purpose and a plan. However, you also remain open to the possibility that an unexpected divine assignment may pop up along the way. If it does, you are willing to change course at a moment’s notice in order to fulfill it.
Genesis 12:1 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s family. Go to the land I will show you.
Following God is not always easy, but you are convinced that is the only way to real life and true joy.
As a follower, you are attentive to the One who is leading. You wait eagerly for His signals which indicate the need to slow down, speed up, or make a turn. Occasionally, you must even make a U-turn, which makes you feel as if you went the wrong way. However, even wrong turns are part of the journey, and the experience gained becomes a valuable reference point for the remaining journey ahead.
Since God designed you specifically for the road you will travel, equipping you with all the necessary provisions for a successful journey, the only thing you lack is the knowledge of where it might lead.
As you move toward your destiny, you learn that God does not reveal everything all at once. Your journey is one of personal discovery and growth.
You keep your undivided attention on the sound of God’s voice and you are always moving toward it. Sometimes it is a song, sometimes it is the wind, and sometimes it is the still small voice whispering your name in the midst of a storm.
Following God is a pleasure for you. As he directs, you happily tag along, never letting Him out of your sight.
As you remain alert to the changing landscape and split-second directives, you are able to avoid the pitfalls and potholes which may have caused injury.
You experience life in a more abundant way, thanks to your choice to travel the road that God chose just for you. The horizon is often hazy and uncertain. God usually doesn’t reveal the next step until you have picked up your foot from the last one. Yet, every stride becomes a place of new promise.
Letting go of what you are used to, and stepping out into the unknown is one of life’s most challenging experiences.
However, as the voice of God’s calls to you from the realm of the unknown, you cannot resist. Your heart is anxious, yet you are intrigued. Stepping out into the unknown, you find that the promises of God are waiting.
If you have a coupon you wish to redeem at the grocery store, you are trading a worthless slip of paper for its cash value from the manufacturer. In other words, the real value of the coupon didn’t exist until it was redeemed.
We are not defined by our history, we are remade and redeemed by it. Our true value is revealed through redemption. Our history brings us into an even deeper relationship with our Maker. God takes our past and weaves a new narrative which brings new life and a DEEPER life with Christ as our advocate and example.
In 2nd Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Through faith in Christ, we are made new. This verse reminds us that when we are in a relationship with Jesus, our past no longer defines us. We are transformed into new creations, with a fresh start and a renewed purpose.
Regardless of our past mistakes, failures, or regrets, God’s grace and forgiveness are available to us. In Christ, we can leave our old ways behind and embrace the new life that He offers.
In the book of Revelation, chapter 8, there is a direct link between the victory of God during the final days, and the prayers we pray. Billions of prayers are heard and stored up in heaven. It is proclaimed that the victory of God is coming, and it is coming through the prayers of God’s people. So, the question is not whether our prayers are heard and/or answered, but rather, DO WE UNDERSTAND the answers?
King David authored 73 of the Psalms and some of them have a direct correlation with a specific life event. Many are written in the form of praise to God for answering his prayers.
Psalm 34 specifically states that God always hears our prayers, sees us, and cares for us. He is for us.
In verse 17, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them.” God hears and will respond. In Psalm 5, we read that God is never indifferent to His people when they call out to Him. “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”
David is known for His anointing from God Himself, but He is also known as a prayer warrior. Prayer warriors are summoned and gifted by God to pray for others as intercessors for those of us who have difficulty in the area of prayer.
We have all acted as prayer warriors for those on our prayer lists. I can tell you truly that when I am desperate for prayers there are others, I call upon to pray on my behalf.
When the questions as to when my prayer is answered, or how is it answered, or when will I know it is answered, I ask those prayer warriors for guidance. I know that I am too smart to see the obvious, and too dumb to realize the answer. I am confident that God answers but that I just may not understand His answer today.
God is in my life for the long haul, and yours too. For those of you who are often asked to pray for others, it is likely that you have been anointed by the Holy Spirit as an Intercessor. You are called to be a prayer warrior. Friends, family, and acquaintances come to you with their needs, asking you to pray on their behalf.
Sometimes, you receive a prayer request from the Holy Spirit because an intercessor is required. This appeal comes to you as an inner urgency, placed there by God Himself. You don’t always understand why you wake up in the middle of the night with a news story from across the world, replaying in your mind. All you know is that you must pray.
Other times, prayers are requested by those who sense how powerful your prayers are and how seriously you take your ministry of intercessory prayer warrior.
In Thessalonians 5:18, we are instructed to give thanks in all circumstances because this is the will of God for us.
The writer is not saying that we should thank God FOR everything, but IN everything. Evil does not come from God, so we don’t thank Him for that, but we can thank Him for His presence during that evil, AND for the GOOD He will accomplish through the distress.
In other words, our attitude of gratitude must not be dependent on our circumstances or feelings, but rather on the confidence that God is making all things work together for good.
Remaining thankful in all circumstances places us at the center of God’s will. It creates a spiritual atmosphere that is welcoming to His Presence. Gratitude invites the power of God to alter our perspectives and halt the trajectory of our spiraling thoughts.
You inhabit the praises of your people. Psalm 22:3
Our works, that is our actions in everyday life, is a byproduct of our faith. We are moved by faith.
Many of us have tried to show we had faith through our actions – our good works, but felt unsuccessful and discouraged when we grew tired. This was because we were confusing the cause with the effect.
Think of salvation like a sailboat. God’s grace and promises are the wind — already blowing, already available. Our faith is like raising the sail. Once the sail is truly raised, the boat must move — not by paddling or effort, but because the wind carries it.
That movement of the boat is what we call works — the natural result, not the cause, of salvation. So, when someone says they have faith but there’s no movement — no change, no obedience, no fruit — it’s like saying their sail is raised but the boat isn’t moving. That’s impossible if the wind is real and the sail is truly up.
The book of James says, “Faith without works is dead.” He’s not saying our works save us, but rather, true faith always creates movement.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this the will of God concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
As we prepare for the holiday of Thanksgiving, with all of the planning to gather with family, friends, and loved ones, we get anxious, don’t we? We often worry about shopping, cooking, relationship challenges, or maybe how past holidays turned out.
These are legitimate reservations that we need to listen to, but also realize that we can be thankful for these feelings. All of these holiday anxieties show us that we cherish these relationships regardless of past interactions that may have left us distanced from others.
We have reason to be thankful every day of the year. But Thanksgiving Day is special. A full day dedicated to gratitude is a gift – one we should not take lightly.
Giving thanks is a spiritual discipline, and a day dedicated to developing this life-giving habit with people we’re close to is a luxury and a gift. Giving thanks in everything is the way to achieve the utmost satisfaction in life. God made us and He knows how our brains work best.
Staying thankful is the best way to live our best lives.Being thankful is the way to remain in the center of God’s will, trusting that He is managing the details of our lives.
Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, "It is Finished!" 