Gift vs Talent

There is a great deal of confusion about the Gifts of the Spirit in operation; every believer has been given at least one spiritual gift. Why? We are gifted to serve; if Jesus taught us anything, He taught us to serve others in the power of the Holy Spirit! "It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Host." Jesus came and died to alleviate human suffering caused by the meanest of sin. Sin separates us from God; sin isolates us from God; without a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, we'll be the ones in the greatest need for spiritual, emotional, and physical alleviation from suffering. Believers have a command from the Lord to use our spiritual gifts, in whatever form it may be in, to faithfully serve others. But natural talents will destroy the potential of any Christian to live a Christ centered, victorious life! Natural talent should be checked at the door of any Church. When a church is operated exclusively on naturally talented people, look out below because a train wreck is well on the way. Do yourself a favor, commit to only allowing your natural talents to dovetail your spiritual gifts- and not take the place of the Gift. Gifts verses Talents? No contest! Talents are great in their proper place, but talent is unable to sustain the momentum of consistently meeting the needs of others in ministry. Talent is show-n-tell within the walls of the Church; spiritual gifts are the real deal. The Kingdom of God is not show -n-tell, but a matter of spiritual power. Lastly, spiritual gifts empower Christians to live their lives on a supernatural level. This is truly possible-don't let the haters fool you! The gifts of the spirit will always make room for you, because they will always be needed to alleviate human suffering.

Gifted

Christians have grossly underestimated the value of there relationship with the Creator; we know how to take advantage of our relationship with political people, celebrities, business people and so on, but we under estimate the value of our union with Christ! There are so many benefits to being Christian: We are blessed and heaven bound; we are not perfect, but forgiven. The most tangible value of our union with Christ are the Gifts of the Spirit. God has generously lavished on believers spiritual gifts. Most of us have received at least one lavished gift from someone we know personally, but natural gifts, though great, don't whole a candle to spiritual gifts. Sadly, most Christians treat spiritual gifts the same way they treat unwanted gifts. We lay aside unwanted gifts; we appreciate the thought and gesture for the gift, but we find unwanted gifts irrelevant to the moment or mission of our lives. But that's WRONG! Spiritual gifts are the mother-load of gifts. these gifts keep on giving! God wouldn't have given them to you if they would be useless; He wouldn't have presented them to the Church if there purpose would soon become irrelevant. In the Pauline letters of the New Testament, we learn a great deal about these gifts; we know that they are "favored" gifts. That means that God so favored Christians, that He gave them lavished gifts they didn't deserve, and we all know that favor isn't fair! The New Testament identifies 20 different spiritual gifts that God has given to empower believers. Bottom line, it is time for you to unwrap your spiritual gifts and discover there powers. So go ahead and remove the Bow and Ribbons; tear away the wrapping and start using the gifts God favored you with! And remember, the value of spiritual gifts transcend the present, because they are the only gifts on earth that has eternal value! Lastly, you can go back to our homepage and take an assessment designed to help you discover your spiritual gift, and you should attend the upcoming workshop on spiritual gifts discovery, starting on Sunday morning, March 20, 2011. For further information, visit our website.

Call of God

Every person is called by God; non-Christians are called to accept the grace provided through the blood of Jesus. Christians are called upward and higher in their walk with God! The Lord calls us where we are and as we are, but He compels us to grow inward and onward in Christ Jesus! We are first called to the person of Jesus Christ; the power, grace, mercy, and salvation is connected with Jesus. Without His blood, God would only see the sin of our lives and not the redemption of our lives because of the blood. Secondly, we are called to a personal relationship with the Lord; this relationship is the method of transformation. Transformation is the process of discipleship; Jesus called his disciples to follow him in transformation. He clearly told them that if they followed Him, he would transform them! Transformation is vital and necessary for success as a Christian. The call to transformation is a call to successful Christian living on every level. Lastly, we are called to a purpose. God created you for purpose; every aspect of your being solves a problem. Your ears solves a problem with hearing; your eyes solves a problem with sight; your mouth solves a problems with speech. You were created to solve spiritual problems. God has called you to successful Christian living so you can solve the greatest number of problems. To sum it all up, many are called but only a few answer! Resolve to answer the call of God at every level and in every area of your life; your personal, spiritual, financial, and emotional success will depend on it-I promise!

Marriable

Christian dating always have an objective; marriage! That's right! the objective of Christian dating is marriage. Why not? What else could possibly be the objective of dating? For Christians, the objective can't be sex-that's fornication. Fornication comes from the root word porneo; from that word we get the English word porn. God established the rules for Christian dating; the rule is sexual abstinence before marriage. The objective of dating can't just be social interaction; that can be accomplished without the commitment expected with dating. From the Christian perspective, a single Christian content to be along without a compelling desire for a soul mate should rejoice in the knowledge that they are complete and lack nothing from the Lord. Going out for fun, social interaction, and fellowship wouldn't be considered dating. It would simply be what it is. However, if their is a growing desire for companionship; if there is burning passion for the opposite sex, dating serves a God given purpose of attracting, qualifying, and marrying the person you will love, and give yourself fully too. So let's be clear, God expect single Christians to practice sexual abstinence as a living sacrifice to Him. The reward is joy, peace, and power in the Holy Ghost. However, if you are dating or looking to date, prepare yourself for the spiritual, emotional, and relational challenges; and remember, godly boundaries doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the process.

Day 21 of my 21 Day fast

The race is not given to the swift nor the strong, but to him/her who finishes the race. I have finished the race; the fast is now officially over. My faith is made perfect; the joy of the Lord is my strength. This amazing journey has stretch me to a new level. Fighting through the distractions, body pains, temptations, and the rest, I have learned a great many things about myself, and the power of the Holy Spirit in a brand new way!. I hope that you were able to finish your fast; I trust that obvious distractions weren't compelling enough to move your focus away from having your greatness needs presented to God. Satan's objective is always going to be to kill, steal, and destroy your faith! That's his purpose; your purpose is to worship God on the highest level, and at your best. Remember a very important key in the Daniel's fast, his answer didn't come until after the fast was over. So if you haven't gotten the breakthrough that you have been waiting for, be of good cheer. God has already worked it out; you must simply wait on the blessings to materialize in your life. But, be alert to the enemy. If he can't prevent your blessing from entering your life, he will try and steal it out of your life. If you are praying about your children, don't be surprised if they do something ridiculous to destroy your faith and hope in their salvation and deliverance. That's the enemy trying to fight you back through them. Keep believing; keep praying! I pray that the essences of your fast remains a sweet aroma in the presence of God, and that you constantly operate at a new level of faith and hope, and joy in the Holy Ghost!

Day 20 my 21 day fast

Day 20 and counting; I am in the home stretch. Within the next 24 hours, the fast will be complete. Because of mental and spiritual discipline, I was able to achieve by faith what I couldn't have achieved otherwise. Point of fact: There are mountains we will face that will not move without the help of God and the authority of His Word. But, there are mountains that Jesus said that we can move on our on because of our faith. Endurance teaches perseverance, and perseverance is a friend to our hope. I began this fast with the faith to believe that God would invade my life in a supernatural manner within the period of my fast. And I hoped that my faith wouldn't fail me, and I wasn't disappointed! The greatest lesson learned over the last few weeks is that I wasn't as humble as I thought, and evening after a miraculous change in the level of humility in my life, I am still not there. The flesh is a mess! Paul wrote about the battle between these 2 prevailing forces in our lives; the flesh waring against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. Paul wrote that we will struggle spiritually because these two powerful forces are at different ends of the spectrum. One wants to obey the will of God at all times, and the other one wants do what feels go. Today, my flesh is under the dominion of my (human) spirit and my spirit is actively listening to the Holy Spirit of God. I only pray that I may be able to walk in His divine order for many seasons after the fast. Admittedly, a 21 day fast is a tremendous challenge to your life on many different levels. If you have gone the distance with me, congratulation on an extraordinary journey toward God. May the seed you planted in the fast bear you fruit for many seasons to come!

Day 19 of my 21 day fast

Standing on the bank of the Jordan River; looking over into the Land of Promise! Just a few days before crossing the river into a new season- a transformation. Recognizing that everything God has promised is waiting across the divide; having 2nd sight allows vision and line of sight to the promise. How glorious are the promises of God. They never fade, rust, or can be stolen. I can see so clearly the majestic of the Lord. The Holy Spirit has educated me about the promise, now I don't see it as something to gain, but rather something to become. I think I have a little better understanding about how Moses felt, as he looked over into the Land of Promise as the chosen leader of the Hebrew people. God enabled him to see the realization of his faith; though he wasn't allow to enter into the promise land, he inherited the promise anyway-a better promise. Day 19 is the beginning of the big push toward the end. I refuse to end this fast with a whimper, but rather a BANG in the Holy Ghost! Extending my prayer and praise time; seeking to have my breakthrough to break forth! I can honestly say that I got my breakthrough about a week ago, but I have not allowed by breakthrough to break forth! Breaking forth is out of the box transformation; out of the box change. Change so evident that a child will discern it because of the anointing of the Spirit. I know that I have been sounding Hyper Spiritual lately, but I seriously can't help it. I have read through the 4 New Testament Gospels, prayed fervently daily, and praised my God with my whole heart. I am simply full of God! I am more like my Savior today than I have ever been. This 21 day fast was for me; I invited the church to join me in this journey toward transformation. Why? Because to whom much is given, much is required. The heavenly UPS truck has scheduled an enormous blessing to be delivered at my designation. Why? Obedience! God told me during the Christmas holidays that I would need to fast in order to get what I seek. My mother told me I was born at night, but not last night. When God speaks to you about a matter with clarity and purpose, you position yourself to hear what the Spirit has to say, without exception. Remember, nothing in all of eternity is more important that the whispers of God about your life. When you get these Holy Ghost Whispers, they alert Satan; just as there are Angels assigned to you at certain seasons in your life, so are there demons assigned to you at certain seasons of your life. For example, a spiritual breakthrough will always get their attention. In order for you to walk in victory and the power of God, Demon powers and influences must be pushed back, and if they can prevent you from obtaining the victory and power promised by God in His word, rest assured, they will.