If you ever watched an artist at work, they start with an idea or a
design and then slowly and methodically crafted in to a work of art,
you know, God wants to do the same thing with you and I but before he
can do it, he wants us to get with him so he can help us answer some
basic questions of life, you know, questions.
Like who am I?
What's my specific purpose in life?
What's the
Truth about me.
If you're anything like me, you've pondered those questions several
times, but have you ever paused your life long enough for God to
answer, you see God designed us with a desire, a deep longing, for
truth, the truth about him, the truth about creation.
The truth about ourselves and Jesus himself says the truth will set us
free.
Not May set us free or might set us free, but the truth will set us
free.
And the truth is God Made You
You unique for a purpose and Only You Can Be You, it's like this
painting from a distance.
It's a nice picture of a tree but the closer you get the more detail.
You see you see the brush Strokes the colors and the shapes all
uniting to make a work of art, a masterpiece.
Today we're starting a great journey with God.
It's an adventure that others have already been on its one to help us
understand our unique design our shape.
It's also one that helped us find and fulfill our unique purpose in
life, but it all starts with an honest question.
Who am I?
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that you and I have a specific
purpose in life, a special assignment that God planned long ago for
you to fulfill for him on Earth, the Apostle Paul wrote.
It we are God's Masterpiece.
He has created us Anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good
things.
He planned for us long ago.
This life work is what Pastor Rick, Warren calls.
Your life contribution, in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick
emphasizes.
The five purposes, shared by every Christian worship Fellowship,
discipleship Ministry and evangelism.
Then in chapter 40, he challenges us to consider life.
Us five greatest questions.
On this journey, we're going to focus on answering the question.
What will be the contribution of my life?
As Christ followers, we're commanded to serve and make a kingdom
difference with our lives.
It's really not optional.
Jesus is our role model and he came to serve and not be served and God
desires to say to all of us when we die.
Well done.
Good.
And faithful servant as you can see serving others is a big deal to
God.
I like to call this unique contribution.
Your Kingdom Purpose.
And here's how I Define it.
Your specific contribution to the body of Christ, within your
generation that causes you to totally depend on God and authentically
display, his love towards others, all through the expression of your
uniqueness.
A Kingdom Purpose is much more than a career.
It's the banner of life that you carry and wave for God's glory.
Of course, your Courier, can provide the platform to direct your
kingdom purpose, but it doesn't have to define it.
Most people myself included tended, to find their purpose in life by
one of three things by Trends by what others tell them or by the
truth, when Trends guide us were living to fit into the current styles
of the world.
When others tell us what we should be doing.
We are living to please them or to win their approval.
But when we allow God's truth to Define Our Kingdom Purpose, when we
submit to his authority and desire to please only him.
Life will be one of lasting significance, fulfillment and Kingdom
impact.
One of my responsibilities as a pastor is to perform a memorial
services.
I recently did one for a four month old girl afterwards.
A man came up with, to me with tears, running down his face.
He pointed to the little girls picture on the cover of the program
that little girl made a lasting difference in my life.
He told me, you see what truly counts is, not our duration but our
donation and that's good news.
It means until a pastor performs, your memorial service there, still
time to maximize your days.
Fulfill your Kingdom Purpose.
We really tend to get the whole process of purpose Discovery
backwards.
We ask, what am I supposed to do with my life before asking, who am I
discovering?
Who we are?
Will always help us identify what we are to do.
In life, who God made you to be determines what he intends for you to
do.
You will understand the purpose for which you were created.
When you understand the type of person you are our design always
indicates the difference.
We were created to make.
This is a secret of knowing God's will for your life.
God is always consistent in his plan for each of Our Lives.
He wouldn't give us talents and temperaments and spiritual gifts and
all sorts of Life Experiences.
If he didn't plan to use them, a great way to discover who you are, is
to embrace Rick Warren's shape concept.
Rick says it this way, whenever God gives us an assignment.
He always equips us with what we need to do to accomplish it.
This custom combination of capabilities is called your shape.
King, David knew what it was like to be shaped by God.
Oh, yes, you shape me first inside.
Then out.
You formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you.
Hi God.
You're breathtaking Body and Soul.
I'm marvelously made I worship and adoration what a creation, you
know, me inside and out, you know, every bone in my body, you know
exactly how I Was Made bit by bit how I was sculpted from nothing into
something like an
Book you watched me grow from conception to birth.
All the stages of my life were spread out before you the days of my
life, all prepared.
Each of the five letters in the word shape represents a specific
characteristic of your life.
The S stands for your spiritual gifts.
In other words.
What are you gifted to do?
H represents your heart?
What makes your heart beat faster?
What passions do you have a is for your abilities?
There are some things you naturally do better than others.
What are those?
P is for your personality.
How has God wired you to interact with others to navigate life.
Finally, the E is for your experiences.
Here, you ask yourself.
Where have I been, and what have I learned?
Knowing understanding and acting on these characteristics, knowing
your personal shape is vital to your success in serving God with your
life before we examine the specifics of your shape.
Let's study the one God gave to the Apostle Paul, scripture tells us
how God used Paul's unique design to make a significant Kingdom
difference.
What did that look like?
In a second letter to Timothy, Paul writes that God appointed him to
be a preacher and Apostle and a teacher, each of these are spiritual
gifts.
Scripture also indicates.
Paul's heart beat Paul writes in Romans chapter 15.
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was
not known so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation
in the book of Acts.
We discover some of Paul's abilities.
It says Paul earned his living by making tents.
He debated in the synagogue's every Sabbath trying to convince both
Jews and Gentiles.
Paul had a very
Jedec personality, he wrote for you.
Have heard of my past.
I persecuted the church with fnatic Zeal and did my best to destroy
it.
I was ahead of most of my contemporaries in the Jewish religion and
had a boundless enthusiasm.
He was a self expressive extrovert, and probably very competitive.
Finally, Paul's experiences were vast.
He was imprisoned many times whipped five times with 39, lashes by the
Jews and three times by the Romans.
He was in shipwrecks once spent 24 hours in the water.
And during his travels.
He was an often in danger from floods, robbers, wild animals and even
had some false friends.
As you can see.
God, used all of Paul's unique shape to make a significant Kingdom
difference and just like Paul God wants to use you.
To, he wants you to be who he's made you to be.
The truth is Only You Can Be you let me say it again.
Only you can be you.
And when you're not the body of Christ, suffers, it's that simple.
As you prepare to discover how God has designed you, would you say you
are currently in shape, or out of shape?
I'm not talking about physical fitness.
I'm asking if you are working and serving in ways.
Ways that are in or out of alignment with your god-given shape?
How can you tell?
Let me share three signs of being in shape.
The first sign is focus in your mind, people who know, their God given
shape and have a plan to express it live with tremendous Focus because
they know the difference, they were designed to make on Earth for God.
The second is fulfillment in your heart.
When we express our shape, it creates a Synergy of energy in our
hearts bringing joy and fulfillment and peace to our lives.
Like nothing else.
When you know who you are.
You don't have to compare or compete with anyone else.
You just need to do what your designed to do.
The third is fruitfulness in your life.
When we do what God wired us to do.
We bear?
Good fruit.
Our efforts provide Eternal results for God, passion.
Always.
As Perfection if we don't care about a task, it's unlikely that we'll
do a very good job at it.
The high Achievers in any field are those who love what they do and
know they are doing it because they were designed by God to do it.
Considering these three indicators.
Are you currently in or out of shape?
Most out of shape, people have never taken the time to discover and
embrace who God has uniquely made them to be.
They are serving in areas that don't match their gifts or passions or
possibly, they're working in jobs that don't maximize their abilities
passions or personality.
This misalignment of shape and serving causes some unhealthy symptoms.
Here are three common symptoms of people serving or working outside of
their shape.
The first symptom is frustration in your mind frustration sets in when
we're doing things outside of our shape, for long periods of time.
If we're living outside, our shape serving work in life end up
feeling, very unfulfilling, people who serve and work outside their
uniqueness for long periods of time.
While always end up at the second symptom, which is fatigue in your
heart.
This frustration easily leads to emotional spiritual and physical
fatigue.
We get tired of life, our job and our ministry.
If this situation doesn't change this fatigue, always leads to the
final symptom, which is fear in your life.
At this stage.
We start to wonder if we really have a purpose and if life is really
meant to be fulfilling, we even start to question God, does he really
care about us?
If you are currently experiencing frustration, fatigue or fear, I'm so
glad that you've chosen to be involved in this study.
You are not made by God to live with these symptoms.
Remember, there are no wrong, people only the right people doing the
wrong things.
Whenever I work with people that discover they are out of shape.
I always Point them to one of my favorite scriptures in Philippians,
4:13, the Apostle Paul writes, whatever I have.
Wherever I am.
I can make it through anything in the one who makes me, who I am.
That's quite a promise.
Paul.
Clearly says, we can live the life.
We were shaped to live as long as we do it with God.
He wants you to live the Abundant Life.
He planned for you, but you must do it through him.
It's the key to discovering your shape and Kingdom Purpose.
He created you and knows the unique Masterpiece you are.
The truth is this process takes time.
It's taken me years.
But now I'm grateful.
I made the commitment to identify my shape.
I was tired of not knowing who I was and what I was truly designed to
do.
You can do the same thing discuss with your group.
If you are currently in or out of shape, then use the study guide to
identify.
The one thing you want God to do in your life over the course of this
study.
Start living with the clarity and confidence of knowing who you are
and what God specifically has shaped you to do within your Generation.
All for his glory.
Have a great discussion.
What's in your mailbox?
It's anything like mine is probably full of some ads and catalogs and
do Bill thrown in for good measure.
Catalogs.
Don't you love them.
They're such great tools.
When you're trying to find that perfect gift.
Have you ever given the perfect gift?
Have you ever received one?
What made us?
So perfect these days?
The perfect gift is often defined by how much it costs or if it fits
in with the current Styles and trends of the world with so many Gift
options.
We're bombarded with I
Years with one gift screaming louder than the other to capture.
Our attention.
God doesn't need one of these.
He often speaks as he spoke to Elijah in a whisper.
God desires, our undivided attention, but it's up to us to move past
the noise of the world and listen to him.
He doesn't make it difficult, but it's up to us Guided by the Holy
Spirit.
We can Embrace and express the
No gifts.
God has given us and use them the way he intended for them to be used
because, you know, some of the best gifts, still come marked some
assembly required.
The concept of spiritual gifts, may seem mysterious and complicated.
But it's really the other way around.
Scripture is very clear on the subject in his first letter to the
Corinthians.
Paul says this, now about spiritual gifts Brothers.
I don't want you to be ignorant.
Paul is not talking about being unintelligent or naive.
He's merely telling us that if we're not informed, will miss out on
the gifts.
God has given us.
And those gifts are the key to the Kingdom Purpose.
He set aside just for you.
And I, as a pastor, I often talk to people who aren't content because
they're serving in areas that don't fit their gifts.
The truth is the most fulfilled and effective people.
I know servant areas that precisely match.
The gifts.
God has given them.
It makes sense, then that in order to serve effectively.
We need to understand the nature of spiritual gifts.
That's the goal of this session.
But let me Begin by clarifying, what they're not.
First spiritual gifts are not the same as personality traits.
Of course, your personality can provide an
Patrol vehicle for expressing your gifts, for example, if your
outgoing your gifts will work best as you engage with others, but
those traits aren't spiritual gifts.
Second.
They're not natural talents.
You can be a very capable architect salesperson or manager, but those
aren't spiritual gifts either.
Third spiritual gifts aren't the same as the fruit of the spirit Paul
describes in Galatians, chapter 5, you know, love peace, Joy patience.
Kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control these
reveal Christ's contribution to our character.
Our spiritual gifts revealed the contribution.
We make to God's kingdom.
Now, we know what spiritual gifts are not but what exactly are they?
Here's a good definition.
A spiritual gift is a God given special ability given to every
believer at conversion by the Holy Spirit to share his love and
strengthen the body of Christ.
There's a vital truth in the first part of that, definition, spiritual
gifts, come from God himself, pretty tough to top that Source.
The Apostle, Peter wrote this, God has given gifts to each of you from
his great variety of spiritual gifts.
Manage them.
Well, so that God's generosity can flow through you.
God gives us spiritual gifts for specific reasons, and they only work
in spiritual ways.
In other words.
They can only be used to their full potential when empowered by the
holy spirit that lives in every Christian.
So, why does God give spiritual gifts Paul writes?
A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the
entire church.
The spiritual gifts God gives you aren't for you or about you.
They weren't given to boost your self-image or given to you as a
special reward.
They are there for the specific purpose of blessing, the body of
Christ, the church.
So who gets spiritual gifts?
The Bible is Shores us.
That every believer receives them.
Listen to these words from Paul.
Each.
One of you has your own gift from God, one has this gift.
Another has that you may not feel tremendously gifted, but it's a fact
that God has given you a gift.
Not just extraordinary people, get them.
There are no special qualifications needed.
No exceptional levels of maturity.
Purity required.
Not even a particular time span needed in your journey with Jesus.
If you're a Believer, the Bible says, you have the spirit living in
you.
And if you have the spirit living in you, then you have spiritual
gifts to use for God's glory and the benefit of others.
Even if you haven't discovered your gifts or begin to use them yet.
You definitely have them.
You have God's word on it.
Now, the key to discovering your gifts is twofold.
First.
We need to determine what gifts we think we have, and then we need to
start serving in various roles to see which ones bring the greatest
fulfillment to us and the greatest results to God allow scripture to
guide you to these gifts that are Uniquely Yours.
Ask God to reveal how he wants you to use your gifts to accomplish his
work in the world.
You may discover that what you thought was a self-guided.
Desire is actually a reflection of the spiritual gifts.
God has uniquely given you.
That's why we should aspire to serve in, whatever way God has designed
us to serve, rather than being driven by ambition, to achieve what we
think are great goals.
I've seen many people discover their gifts as they,
Minister to others.
And the more you serve, the more clearly you will see your gifts.
Remember that discovering your gifts is important, but it's just the
first step in the process.
Once we've identified them.
Our ultimate goal is to use them to love others and bless others.
Whenever Paul wrote about spiritual gifts.
He always talked about love.
In fact what has become regarded as the definitive message on.
Love appears between two chapters of spiritual gifts.
You know what?
I'm talking about?
First Corinthians 13, the love chapter, Paul wrote.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love.
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of Prophecy and can fathom all Mysteries, and all
knowledge.
And if I have the faith that can move mountains but have not love.
I am nothing.
If I give all, I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the
flames.
Hymns, but have not love, I gain nothing.
So what's the test?
If your actions benefit others, you are serving with love.
If you realize that your primary beneficiary of your actions is
yourself.
You need to realign yourself with God.
You really need a love tune-up because a love Driven.
Life is a life that God uses.
Before you begin your group discussion, let me share three, common
traps that keep us from living.
A life of Love.
Don't miss these.
The first is comparison, this trap slam shut on us when we place
greater value on the more visible gifts.
Those more likely to shine in the spotlight such as leadership or
teaching.
If we have those gifts and compare ourselves with others.
The result can be a prideful spirit.
If we don't, but compare ourselves to those that do we may feel that
we lack significance.
Both are signs that our heart needs a serious love, tune-up more
visible does not mean more valuable.
Evangelism is another area that often invites comparison.
My best friend.
Jeff clearly has this gift and regularly shares stories on how he's
using it to bring others into the family of God.
Initially.
I didn't have many of those stories and I believed, I was letting God
down.
I finally realized that my gift of encouragement.
Helps people find God in a different way.
If I'd continued to see my gift as unimportant compared to my friends.
I would have made myself unavailable to God and missed.
On the Kingdom Purpose, he prepared for me.
Some roles may be less glamorous than others.
But God's word says that all of the parts of the body are needed.
The I can never say to the hand.
I don't need you.
The head, can't say, to the feet.
I don't need you.
In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest or least important, or
really the most necessary.
The second trap is projection, when we expect others to be good at the
same things that we are good at.
We're projecting our gifts on to them.
For example, I have the gift of administration.
If I automatically expect others to be organized and punctual all the
time feelings of frustration and resentment can set in on both sides
and cause the relationship to become strained.
We need to celebrate the unique gifts.
God gives to others and encourage everyone to be who God created them
to be.
That's what God wants.
The final trap is rejection.
This tends to happen with people who have the gift of pastoring or
shepherding but won't acknowledge it most often.
It's because they don't have the right title or official position.
My chiropractor once said to me, I'm not a pastor like you.
So I can't have the gift of pastoring.
He felt that because he lacked a position.
He also lacked the gift.
He needed to embrace the truth that he did have the gift and God had
given it to him.
A few months later.
I saw him after a weekend service, and his face was glowing.
He'd finally taken a step of faith and in with his wife began leading
a small group.
In his home.
He loved the opportunity to encourage Council and pray with his group.
He'd finally accepted that, he had this gift and that he could start
pastoring, just as the way God had designed him, too.
One final word of caution.
Please.
Don't wait to begin using your spiritual gifts and tell you understand
all of the details about how they can be expressed in your life as
Irwin McManus rights.
Don't look for God to fulfill all of the blanks, don't wait for him to
remove all of the uncertainty as soon as you can start serving others
around you.
In fact your group is a great place to start.
It's really a small church, so find a way.
To play a more active role.
Don't let your leader or host do it all.
Some may be gifted to lead While others with the gift of
administration can keep the group organized, those with the gift of
hospitality can take the time to make sure that everybody's well-fed
members with the gift of mercy and shepherding can coordinate prayer,
requests and handle other responsibilities that align with their
gifts, to help you in the discovery process.
We've included a list in your study guide of the various gifts,
outlined in the New Testament.
During your discussion time review, this list and talk about the ones,
you think you may have remember, the key is to serve in areas that
best match your giftedness and to start as soon as possible.
When you do this, you'll experience greater fulfillment and see
greater fruitfulness for God.
You were made by God to serve others.
And the truth is, we are better together.
Have a
Discussion time in your group.
I love playing with my son.
No matter how busy I am.
It's just one of those things I enjoy doing.
It's just good for my heart.
One of his favorite things is actually put his hand on his heart
because he loves to feel it race inside.
You know, there's something else that races inside of you and I it's
our emotional heartbeat.
It's what race is when we encounter certain activities, Kay Warren.
Wife of Pastor, Rick.
Warren recently realized that God has given her an emotional heartbeat
for those suffering.
With HIV/AIDS.
Since God is burdened her heart.
She has made it her personal life mission to reach out to this group
of people.
I've asked Kate to share a part of her story with us today.
So you can see how God can take someone's heart and do incredible
things.
Four years ago.
I didn't care at all about HIV/AIDS but one day I picked up a News
Magazine and there was an article on AIDS in Africa and it riveted me,
it was shocking.
It was horrifying, I had no idea that there was a pandemic that there
was a problem that there were millions of Orphans.
I didn't know.
And in that moment God began to do something in my heart that was very
deep and very personal.
And for about a month.
I just mulled over.
Those thoughts of Orphans and millions of men and women suffering.
In a reality that I had not even known existed.
And for a while.
I just put it off because it seemed too overwhelming to Big.
Something that there was nothing I could do.
It was beyond me in my power, but my heart was completely engaged.
And I'll never forget the day that I just had to.
I came to a Crossroads where I had to say to God either.
Yes, or no, and I said yes to him and when I said yes to him, he broke
my heart.
I had
Been interested because of this article.
Now, all of a sudden, my heart was broken and from that broken heart.
I knew that I had to begin to start doing something.
I went to Africa, and it was a, it was an unbelievable experience as I
talk to men and women now who were dying of AIDS as I held children,
whose parents had passed away.
And suddenly it became very personal.
It wasn't just about numbers.
It wasn't about a pandemic.
It was about faces.
It was, it was about Joanna, it was about to mow.
So it was about Ben.
It's
It was about people and God confirmed what had begun by reading this
magazine article.
Now it was yes.
This is what I want you to do.
This is what I these are the people I want you to care about and so
came back to Saddleback and that passion in my heart.
It would wake me up.
It still does every morning I wake up.
And the first thing I think about is, what does God want me to do
today about people who are hiv-positive.
What does, what does he want me?
How can I reflect his heart through my heart to them?
And so, I went from,
Denial to being very disturbed to now determined to do something about
the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
I didn't expect this.
And so to see that God took that desire years ago from another season
of my life.
And now, it has placed it into this season of my life and has given me
a passion that fuels every day is most incredible.
Joyful experience of my life.
I cry more than I've ever cried.
I cry constantly because God broke my heart.
Also, in that broken heart is joy that I never knew was possible as
well.
I love it.
I love what God is doing.
What are the desires of your heart?
I'm not talking about your financial relational.
Vocational desires.
I want to talk about your desires for Ministry.
You're longing to impact the lives of others in this world for God's
glory.
The Bible says, delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the
desires of your heart.
Every believer has them.
It's how we serve God by serving others.
The Bible also tells us that God wants our heart to beat only for him.
The Apostle Paul said, whatever you do work at it, with all of your
heart as working for the Lord, not for men.
Since you know, that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord.
As a reward.
It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
The Bible also tells us that Jesus came to serve and not be served.
So if the Son of God came to be a servant, that means those who love
Jesus are also to serve, but serveware and serve how the ultimate
contribution God has for you to make will align with the passions.
He has given you for his kingdom, identifying your passions reveals.
Another aspect of your god-given shape, our hearts.
Reflect our dreams and desires the key is to let God help you unlock
your heart.
So it can start beating for him a great way to begin turning.
The key is to ask yourself three questions.
Who do I love serving?
What needs do?
I love meeting and what challenges are causes?
Do I love conquering?
Let's talk about the first one.
Who do you love this serve?
When the Great 19th century preacher do I do Moody was in London
during one of his famous Evangelistic tours, several British clergyman
visited him to learn his secret how and more specifically why was this
poorly educated Americans so effective in winning people to Christ?
Moody took the men in his hotel room to a window and asked each of
them to tell him what they saw one by one, the men described the
people in the park below.
Then Moody looking out the same window started to have tears flow down
his cheeks.
What do you see?
Mr.
Moody?
One of the men asked Moody replied.
I see countless thousands of souls.
That will one day spend eternity in hell, if they do not find their
savior because he saw Eternal Souls were other saw only people
strolling in a park.
Moody approach life with a different agenda.
Clearly Moody's target audience was the spiritually lost.
God wants to use you to reach people in your life just like he used
Moody, but who well, he's left that up to you to discover.
You may feel drawn to people who are spiritually apathetic those
facing marital conflict, or those who simply just need Jesus in their
lives.
He may be called to help teenagers make sound choices with their
lives.
Perhaps, you are driven to make an impact on a specific demographic or
age group such as those in the business, World married couples Young.
Children or even the elderly, we've included some reflection questions
in your study guide to help you start identifying your target
audience.
Once you define the target, start to Define and determine what are the
needs in your audience that you want to meet, no matter how gifted or
driven you are.
You can't meet every need in your target group.
You need focus and I'd encourage you to start by considering the needs
that God and others have met in your own life.
Paul mentioned this concept in his message to the Corinthians.
When he said he Comforts Us in all our troubles so that we can Comfort
others.
Others are troubled.
We will be able to give them the same Comfort.
God has given us.
Maybe there's a painful experience in your past.
Something.
God has helped you overcome.
He can use our weaknesses and failures, as well as our strengths and
passions as part of the Masterpiece.
He is creating your suffering.
Can give you empathy to connect with others suffering with similar
types of experiences because others helped me discover my own worth
and potential in Christ.
I
Now love to help others realize their own potential.
That excitement about my own Discovery makes me want to see others
experience the same transformation.
I also love to encourage and help other people who were either
physically, or emotionally abused as a child because I grew up facing
similar abuse, who better to help people overcome difficulties and
grow with Christ and someone who's been through the same trouble yet,
has accepted it as part of God's master plan and moved on because
there are so many
Needs to be met.
Focus is the key.
Here are several categories to consider spiritual needs?
These typically focus on the spiritual condition of a person's life.
Those led to meet these types of needs long to see people discover
Christ and reach their full potential in him.
Then there's physical, needs people with physical, needs long, to
receive practical expressions of love those who focus on meeting these
needs use their resources to provide clothing.
A shelter food and other simple Necessities, relational needs.
The focus here is on helping people.
Develop authentic, christ-centered relationships with others, those
meeting.
These needs find fulfillment in connecting people with other people
and having them build satisfying deep relationships.
Then there's emotional needs individuals who are hurting emotionally.
Need reassurance to know who they are in Christ.
People find gratification and meeting emotional needs because they can
Use their abilities of counseling, encouraging and listening to help
others.
They desire to be used by God, to help them go through their painful
experiences in their life, through Christ.
Then there's educational needs people.
Drawn to minister in this area.
Enjoy everything from helping people learn to showing them how to live
life to its fullest people who have a heart for meaning, educational
needs tend to enjoy teaching, they use a variety of settings.
And teaching tools in addition to styles of teaching to stimulate
growth all for God's glory.
Then there's vocational needs some individuals need help to maximize
their personal and professional potential.
Whether they aspire to be a stay-at-home mom or a Fortune 500
executive people who meet these needs typically use their expertise to
train coach and consult with others to overcome barriers and reach
their goals.
I hope by now you've identified at least
One kind of need that increases your emotional heart beat.
Now that we've talked about who you love to serve in the need.
You love to meet?
We can move to the final question, which is what causes do you love?
Conquering with God, at the beginning of the session?
You heard Kay Warren.
Share her passion to help defeat the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
She is following her unique heartbeat and is making an eternal
difference for God, your personal longing to serve, people may be
different than case.
And that's okay.
But if you take time to listen, long enough God will stir in your
heart and direct you to a, cause he is personally chosen for you.
Your study guide, has a list of several causes to help you.
Start identifying the ones that make your heart race and more
importantly race for God's glory.
Now it's time for you and your group to share your hearts with each
other have fun discovering together, how special God has made each of
you use this time to affirm and help clarify things for each other.
Have a great time of discussion.
I love to visit college campuses.
It gives me such a great opportunity to work with students.
You know, they're so excited about life in their future.
When I meet one.
One of the favorite things I love to do is just ask them.
What is your major?
What we major in is a big decision.
Probably one of the biggest decisions, a young person will ever make
and college gives us such a great place.
Check out all the options fact, is some of us actually chose our
careers based off of the abilities and the aptitudes that we
discovered why we were in school.
But sometimes the opposite thing happens, we all know someone that has
chosen a career because it was trendy or paid a lot of money, but at
the end of the day they were miserable because it didn't align with
their natural abilities.
The same thing can happen when we're serving God.
That's why we need to take the time to discover the things that he's
allowed us to excel.
At the things that we love to do.
Those are our natural abilities because when we do, we can find great
places to start using them.
Each of us was born with some natural abilities.
Those abilities are the collection of strings.
God wants us to use to fulfill our unique Kingdom purpose in life
through the years.
However, I've met many people who have never taken the
Time to embrace the things God has made them naturally good at doing.
I know this firsthand a few years ago.
My wife, Stacy stared at me from across our kitchen island.
It was the end of a busy day and she was near the end of her rope.
I'm just a mom.
She's shared.
I really don't have much time to offer at this season of my life.
All I do is clean cook and shuttle kids from one activity to another.
It's a 24/7 assignment.
There's little time to rest.
Let alone think about my kingdom.
Purpose from God.
So as we talked, we took a piece of paper and wrote down 10 things.
She loved to do coach Inspire run Council and courage, listen, help
read provide an organized.
Those are her natural abilities.
Then.
We looked at her current commitments to see where her natural
abilities could be put to use every morning at 5:30.
She exercises with a group of women, a perfect opportunity to coach
Inspire and
Courage, others, the women in our small group at church, need her
gifts to her ability to organize could also help orchestrate, the
annual pastors wives, Gatherings and quarterly Retreats by the end of
the evening.
She'd begun to see that God could use her natural abilities during
every season of her life.
All she needed was to be available and aware.
It didn't matter whether others notice what she did.
That is, never the point of serving God.
He Delights in willing.
Hearts.
The point isn't whether or not what she's doing right now, is her
ultimate Kingdom Purpose, even though it very well, could be.
And the truth is Mother, heard is a big deal.
But like, many women today, Stacy simply wanted to do more for God,
what she'd hadn't realized was by making little deposits of love into
the lives of others.
She is paying into that account.
As someone once wrote the difference between
Ordinary day and an extraordinary day is not so much what you do, but
whom you do it for the Apostle.
Paul had this.
Same idea when he wrote his letter to the Colossians and whatever you
do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord.
Jesus giving.
Thanks to God the Father through him.
Rick Warren says, the abilities you do have are a strong indication of
what God wants to do with your life.
They are the
Clues of knowing God's will for you.
God doesn't waste abilities.
He matches our calling and our capabilities throughout your life.
You'll discover things.
You naturally love to do an Excel at the opposite is also true.
There are certain things.
You naturally, dislike those things you enjoy doing.
Make work fun, seems more like play.
Actually.
You can't wait to get started.
The task doesn't seem tiring or time-consuming people tell you it
seems as if it's
Effortless for you, not because it's easy but because of the ease and
the sense of Joy they see in you when you're doing those things.
So, here's my question.
What do you naturally excel at?
Are you someone who loves to inspire?
Others is creative thinking, just part of how you do things.
Do you love to work with your hands?
Are you musically?
Talented?
Are you known as a team Builder is goal setting.
Just a natural part of your life, whatever you are naturally good at
and love to do find a way to use it for God.
Maybe you're already using your natural abilities for God.
If so, God bless you, but have you considered that he may have more in
store for you.
As you consider your strengths and areas of Interest.
Remember that the idea is not to boost.
Your self-esteem is to remind us how exceedingly qualified God is at
putting into action.
Everything.
He has created.
Remember our strengths and abilities are there to show off his
greatness in magnitude.
God always gives you the skills.
You need to serve him.
A great example of this is when Moses gave instructions to various
people to prepare gifts.
Or the Tabernacle, the Bible says, the Lord has given them special
skills as Jewelers designers and Weaver's.
They excel in all the crafts needed for the work, just like these
designers and Weaver's.
God has also given you special abilities to excel in certain areas for
him.
All you need to do is put them to work as a pastor.
I've seen many people struggle with identifying.
Those abilities often.
They've simply lost Focus.
It's easy to become distracted by doing what we think we should do or
feel pressure to do in order to pay for or obtain a certain lifestyle.
But when we pursue the activities for which God has uniquely designed
us using the abilities.
He has given us.
We discover freedom from these pressures.
Which life do you want?
Have you lost your focus?
Are you distracted by self-serving values?
I encourage you to re-evaluate.
The abilities.
God has given you and Light.
His eternal purposes and the life situation in which you are placed.
What you discover could set you free, who knows.
It could open the door to a Ministry more fulfilling than ever
imagined.
You'll find a list of fifty specialized abilities in your study.
Guide as you review, each one, you will be asked to indicate whether
you loved it like it or could live without it.
The goal is for you to embrace the things you love to do.
Not the things you can do your job.
For example, may require you.
The lead, but maybe you don't enjoy leading.
If that's the case.
Why include leadership?
As part of your unique shape.
These principles can be very easy to forget, but one day each of us
will have to give an account of Our Lives to God for what we did with
the talents, he gave us.
So make the choice now to use what he's given you.
Paul wrote of this reality check in Romans chapter 14, so then each of
us will give
An account of himself to God.
Jesus told a story about a man who gave money to three of his servants
before leaving on a journey.
The first to put his money to work and gained a profit.
But a third fearing, his master buried the money when the master
returned.
He rewarded, the two who had increased his estate, praising them for
being good and faithful, but the third wasn't as fortunate.
His master shouted, take the talent from him and give it to the one
who has the tent out.
And for everyone who has will be given more and he will have an
abundance.
Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him, life
is too short to settle for doing less than our best for God.
Annie a young lady who serves at our church, as a great example of
someone who really understands and lives out this truth while working
with high school students and he learned that many of them long to
worship God through ART, but didn't really have an opportunity to do
it.
Realizing she had a responsibility to use the talent God had created
within her.
She began searching for a way to use her own artistic ability to help
these kids.
She began an art Ministry and discovered a life, truly blessed by
simply blessing others.
She helped young adults display their love and offer God in new and
even unconventional ways.
And his experience shows us how important it is to identify and
embrace our God given abilities.
I love how she says it.
I could be doing art anywhere, but I have found much more fulfillment
in meaning and doing it for God and he surrendered both her abilities
and passions to God and she found a purpose that changed other's
lives.
If We Hold Back the natural abilities.
God gave us at Birth or if we use those abilities for purposes that
don't include God, they will not be used for their full capacity.
Do you know the abilities you were born with?
Do you know the things you love doing?
Doing if you're not sure, I want to help you answer.
Yes.
To both of those questions.
You can start figuring these things out and using your abilities.
Every day of your life.
Michelangelo said, the greater danger.
For most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but
that it is too low and we reach it.
So grab hold of your natural abilities and aim high for God's glory.
Have a great discussion.
PE cfd Bridge a very reliable that e DF c z p, you know chances are
most of us have probably had her eyes tested before and no matter if
the experience was enjoyable or not.
One thing's for sure.
Corrected Vision helps us see the world more clearly this equipment
test our vision.
Choice number of each of these lenses has a slightly different focus,
and only a doctor knows how it all works.
But our participation is necessary for this test to truly be
effective.
We can't be passive.
We need to make choices selecting between various options to bring
things into Focus.
And finally, when we get our prescription, we get to pick out our
frames.
We want our frames to match our lifestyle and our personality.
Have you ever tried on someone else's frames?
I'm sure if you have, they felt awkward and uncomfortable.
We get the same feelings when we serve God in ways that don't match
our personality.
That's why we need to take the time to discover how God has wired us.
It's the key to finding in fulfilling our unique purpose in life.
The bottom line is this we need to serve God in ways that match the
way.
He's uniquely wired us.