Here are some points that stood out and ministered to me:
- KNOW YOUR GIFT.
Proverbs 18:16 reminds us that it's our GOD-given gifts are what make room for us and bring us before great men, not our education or our connections. Our prosperity is linked directly to our giftings because these are the areas in which GOD has equipped us to succeed without question. - REFINE YOUR GIFT.
Become your absolute best in utilizing your GOD-given gift. Focus, focus, focus on this more than anything. Don't focus on who else is operating in your gift. Not on whether you will be accepted or rejected. Not even on how lucrative it may or may not be. Your gift is your domain; and in order to exercise dominion over it, you must master it--NO EXCUSES! - SERVE YOUR GIFT.
Our gifts were given to us by GOD to not only prosper us, but to be of service to others. Someone needs what you have to offer; and when you're top notch at utilizing your gift, people will compensate you handsomely for your top notch results. But compensation isn't the motivation for serving one's gift. Passion motivates service because gifted people experience an irreplaceable sense of fulfillment when they go forth in their gift. Nothing says success like success, and the success one experiences in utilizing their gift makes them attractive. People gravitate towards successful people because they seem unstoppable. Little do most people know, when you operate in your GOD-given gift YOU ARE unstoppable. - GOD SUSTAINS.
Life is not always a yellow brick road. Just like Ted, who's journey included drug and alcohol addictions as well as charges of criminal theft and fraud, we don't always stay on the golden path. Even when our life choices land us between a rock and a hard place, GOD sustains us not because of anything deserving we've done but because of His gift within us. It's the gift that will fulfill His purpose, so GOD sees to it that His investment is well-protected. One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 34:19 because, even in our mess, GOD is right there to snatch us out. Our Father sustained Ted through all the aforementioned as well as a decade of homelessness. That's how much GOD is committed to His purpose for Ted's life. - GOD RESTORES.
When the hand of GOD delivers you from a situation, he restores you to a better position than you were in beforehand. Ted was just grateful that through it all GOD didn't take his voice, his gift. But GOD did exceeding abundantly above all Ted could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). Dozens of offers have come Ted's way for him to utilize his GOD-given gift--far more than he had when he worked in broadcasting before. No matter what we've done or how guilty we feel about it, GOD wants to restore us so that His purpose for our lives can be fulfilled. - GIVE GOD THE GLORY.
When GOD moves on our behalf, we can't be timid about glorifying the One who is responsible. Ted acknowledged that before he never really thanked GOD for the blessings in his life. However, after enduring the struggle his life became, Ted doesn't hesitate to express his gratitude to GOD for another chance to operate in his area of gifting. We need to become vocal about the goodness of our GOD because someone needs to hear this witness. It's not our opinion, it's a factual testimony of what GOD has indeed done for us.
Elton, I'm glad you posted this. I was looking at it earlier and was practically brought to tears in praise to God for what He had done in Ted's life. You are 100% right about managing our giftedness for God's glory. I exhort everyone to keep Ted lifted up in prayer during this time of positive transition for him. Glory to God!
ReplyDelete