I received email this week from a man who was trying to find his spiritual gift and his calling.
Here is what I shared with him.
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What you seem to be telling me is you see yourself in role of "helps" ... that is one of the spiritual gifts. I Corinthians 12
Tree is known by it's fruit.
Pam Padgett in our group has gift of helps. A man in our group, but now dead, had some type of ruling gift, I could tell when he spoke to me. He was not apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher ... front line ministry offices, but he seemed to have some behind the scenes authority. Romans 12 & I Corinthians 12
The spiritual gift often shows what God intends us to do.
Spiritual gift of Exhortation: warn the church ... (that's what I do.)
Spiritual gift of Exhortation: warn the church ... (that's what I do.)
We know Phillip was evangelist. He went to unsaved. Acts 21:8
I'm definitely not evangelist ... When the person is born again, I move in.
I'm definitely not evangelist ... When the person is born again, I move in.
Spiritual gift of helps ... I couldn't do the work I do without the work Pam Padgett does in our little church group. Even before I met her, God gave her a dream showing her that I was going to be her "supervisor."
God worked out her life to get her into computers.
There is no doubt in my mind she has a call of God to help me, doing all the computer work to get the blog out daily ... getting the books in a computer form for publication ...
I have spiritual gift of discerning of spirits ... I constantly have to deal with people in the church turning them to God.
I have spiritual gift of discerning of spirits ... I constantly have to deal with people in the church turning them to God.
Prophet work.
Strong dealing in scripture and doctrine ... Apostle work.
One person in our group has spiritual gift of giving yet has no money ... but giving is more than money ... encouraging others and such.
I believe God gives us spiritual gifts that fits the assignment HE has for us.
And when we have that assignment, HE makes it happen where we can do our gift.
My gift is not cleaning the physical church building although Pam's might be if we had a church building.
The gift makes a room for you .... Proverbs 18:16
When I first was born again, I attended a Sunday school class where at the end of the class Don, the teacher, always said ... "Does anyone have a word from the Lord." I was always so embarrassed for I always did. But this showed the calling and the spiritual gift God had given me.
Is there something where you seem to excel? That might show your calling.
When I go out to grocery, people often just come up and talk to me leading to spiritual things. One woman in our group, whom I think to be a prophet, says people are drawn to me like a moth to light.
No one in our community knows what I really do ... yet they come to talk with me. Often they do not like what I see for they have their own direction which they want and it is not the direction of God.
One man, an FBI agent, (Federal Bureau of Investigation) came to me and began talking about the book he wanted to write concerning the Bible and the constitution of USA. I knew this book was his own idea and not of God. He even said if the book "takes off" he would quit his FBI job.
Strong dealing in scripture and doctrine ... Apostle work.
One person in our group has spiritual gift of giving yet has no money ... but giving is more than money ... encouraging others and such.
I believe God gives us spiritual gifts that fits the assignment HE has for us.
And when we have that assignment, HE makes it happen where we can do our gift.
My gift is not cleaning the physical church building although Pam's might be if we had a church building.
The gift makes a room for you .... Proverbs 18:16
When I first was born again, I attended a Sunday school class where at the end of the class Don, the teacher, always said ... "Does anyone have a word from the Lord." I was always so embarrassed for I always did. But this showed the calling and the spiritual gift God had given me.
Is there something where you seem to excel? That might show your calling.
When I go out to grocery, people often just come up and talk to me leading to spiritual things. One woman in our group, whom I think to be a prophet, says people are drawn to me like a moth to light.
No one in our community knows what I really do ... yet they come to talk with me. Often they do not like what I see for they have their own direction which they want and it is not the direction of God.
One man, an FBI agent, (Federal Bureau of Investigation) came to me and began talking about the book he wanted to write concerning the Bible and the constitution of USA. I knew this book was his own idea and not of God. He even said if the book "takes off" he would quit his FBI job.
I was horrified. I knew he would fail. But he would not be turned. He wanted to do something big. He wrote his book and paid to publish it and it didn't work out ... He ended up with a bunch of unsold books at his house. He is still upset with me because he saw me as negative. But I believe God showed me this man was not called to do this.
A woman came to me once. She said she was called to be a teacher and to set up Bible class in her home. She bought a house in neighborhood she could afford but then was too afraid of the neighbors to set up a class in that neighborhood. She thought she was supposed to write a book. She showed it to me but it was just one scripture after another and no real anointing nor message. I love scripture but this was a work of her own desire.
I've seen people try to speak when they really didn't have anything to say, no anointing to speak.
But when God calls you to do something, HE does it ...
A woman came to me once. She said she was called to be a teacher and to set up Bible class in her home. She bought a house in neighborhood she could afford but then was too afraid of the neighbors to set up a class in that neighborhood. She thought she was supposed to write a book. She showed it to me but it was just one scripture after another and no real anointing nor message. I love scripture but this was a work of her own desire.
I've seen people try to speak when they really didn't have anything to say, no anointing to speak.
But when God calls you to do something, HE does it ...
January 10, 1980 ... I didn't work for a church ... I was totally unknown in church circles ... In the night while I was sleeping, a very loud trumpet like voice blew three words into my ear:
"Hartford, Seattle, KWJS"
I jumped out of bed and wrote "KWJS" on a note pad.
Turned out to be a radio station in Arlington, TX.
Turned out to be a radio station in Arlington, TX.
I said to God, "Are YOU telling me to go on radio. I wouldn't know how to do that. I'm a writer, not a speaker."
Gentle thought: "Call the radio station manager."
I called that same morning and told manager God might be showing me to go on radio and I asked him, "How would you do that."
(I had never even heard a Christian type radio broadcast.)
The manager told me to make an audition tape 29 1/2 minutes long and send it to him and if I fit their programming they would offer me a contract.
That same morning I made a tape. I didn't edit the tape. Nor did I plan a teaching. I just sat down with a tape recorder and a kitchen timer and recorded 29 1/2 minutes of exhortation.
I just spoke that which God put into my ear.
Within 5 days, I was broadcasting exhortations to the church on KWJS.
By the end of the year, I was on radio from Hartford to Seattle ... just as the 3 words told me.
Within 5 days, I was broadcasting exhortations to the church on KWJS.
By the end of the year, I was on radio from Hartford to Seattle ... just as the 3 words told me.
We know the call of God by that which happens in our life if we have a call of God on our life.
(We can have a spiritual gift without having a call of God to work in the church.)
If you are always drawn to helping in the church, you might have a spiritual gift of helps.
If you always have a word to speak you might be one of the ministry offices. Ephesians 4
The spiritual gift given by God for the church shows you.
If I were you, I would consider the evidence of that which keeps happening wherever you go.
I had a woman come to me at church after I went on radio and she said to me, "I want to do what you do." I replied, "You do?" I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to do what I did.
It was the will of God for me... but not for her.
The fruit shows ... I hope this helps you.
Joan Boney
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