Have you ever wondered why you think and act the way you do? In the 1920s the psychologist Carl Jung’s type theory suggested that human behavior is not random but predictable and classifiable. According to this theory, everyone is born predisposed to certain personality preferences. What type you are says quite a bit about you -- your likes and dislikes, your likely career choices, your compatibility with others, and so on. It is easy to label co-workers or friends as lazy, crazy, or disorganized when their behavior does not match your expectations, but such name calling rarely helps us understand personality differences. They developed a 68 question test and identified sixteen personality types. This test will help people not only to know their personality type but also the others with whom they are working with. These findings helped the corporate world tremendously to help people relate well with others and work together so that they could achieve higher productivity.
How about the Church? Is there a need for us to understand each other in order to work together to build God’s Kingdom? It looks like the corporate world is ahead in their findings. However these findings are not new, when we carefully look at God’s word we see how intricately God created people. I read from the Amplified version of Psalm 139:13-16, “For you did form me my inward parts; you did knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will confess and praise You, for you are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth. Wonderful are your works, and that my inner self knows right well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret (and) intricately and curiously wrought(as if embroidered with various colors) in the depths of the earth( a region of darkness and mystery). Your eyes saw my unformed substance and in your book all the days (of my life) were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.
What a magnificent expression of the design and development of the child in the womb? If God has so precisely planned for the development of your physical body which eventually subjected to disintegration, how much more has he planned your giftedness? This giftedness is called motivational gifts because they shape our personalities. Last week I barely touched on this subject, today we will look into: Does everyone have a motivational gift? If I have a gift why haven’t I known it? What blocks the flow of my motivational gift?
I.U-HAVE A GIFT
Does everyone have a motivational gift or it is only meant for a few selected people? Good news: everyone has a motivational gift! No one has been left out. U-have a gift. The following two scriptures highlight the fact that all humans have at least one gift some have more than one. Proverbs 22:6 reads, “Train up a child in the way he should go (and in keeping with his individual gift or bent) and when he is old he will not depart from it.
The original Hebrew included the insight that each child has a gift a motivational gift a bent. It is our job as parents to discover that gift or bent and train them up in their gift. (The Amplified Bible)
I Peter 4:10-11 reads, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God….so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever Amen” This scripture tells us that each of us received a special gift, it doesn’t specifically tell us when we have received that gift, it is safe to conclude that these were given at the time of conception. We were not only given a gift but were commanded to employ it for His Glory.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman believers that they were given grace gifts. Romans 12:6-8, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: If prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service in his serving, or he who teaches, in his teaching or he who exhorts in his exhortation; he who gives with liberality; he who leads with diligence; he who shows mercy with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:6-8. These two scriptures unmistakably tells us that each of us more or less have received a special gift so. If that is so than why haven’t I known what my motivational gift is?
II. IF I HAVE A GIFT WHY HAVEN’T I KNOWN IT?
Don and Katie Fortune the authors of “Discovering your God given Gift” helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world to discover their motivational gift for the first time. In their book they mentioned a few reasons why you may not know your motivational gift.
A. You were never taught about it.
This is probably the main reason for most people. It was certainly for Wilma and I. We were introduced to the teaching in Romans 12, twenty some thing years ago. Until then we knew nothing about the motivational gifts. Since then we have identified what our primary motivational gifts are and try to use them in building of the body of Christ. Unfortunately less than 10% of American churchgoers know motivational gifts even exist.
B. You have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord.
While every person is gifted by God whether he or she is a Christian or not, the receiving of Christ releases the motivational gifts in far greater measure and opens the way for the gifts to be used as God intended. Before a person becomes a born again Christian, his or her motivational gift will be functioning to some extent, but often in ways that are self-centered and self-serving.
Before Christ becomes central in our lives, we are central.
It is true in my life. From my childhood onwards I always enjoyed being in front of crowds of people entertaining them with my funny jokes, stories and impersonations. I used to draw attention to myself. It was all about me. But when I became a Christian God used the same gift of communication turned it into motivational speaking, by doing that he opened up more doors to preach and teach His word. Now with this gift I want to honor and serve him for the rest of my life. If you haven’t accepted Christ as your personal savior you may do that today by asking him to forgive your sins and inviting him to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. You will see your giftedness take off in a new dimension like you have never seen it before.
C. YOU ARE NOT BEING FED SPIRITUALLY:
Just as newborn baby needs nourishment so the person who is “born again” needs spiritual sustenance in order to grow. Many people have been led to Christ but not given follow-up instructions or encouragement. Their ability to recognize their giftedness, like the rest of their spiritual progress is limited. Therefore it is extremely important for believers to regularly on a daily basis feed on the word of God. In Peter 2: 1-3, “Therefore rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” We can not grow spiritually if we don’t read, study, meditate, rely, apply and act upon the word of God, the eternally enduring God’s word.
D. LACK OF PROPER TEACHING ON MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS.
Since the same word in English is used to translate the three different Greek words for “gift” in the New Testament, it has led some to suppose that all biblical teaching on gifts should be lumped together. You may have heard teaching that combines nine manifestation gifts in I Cor 12:10-17; and the five ministry gifts in Ephesians 4:11; the seven motivational gifts in Romans 12:6-8 and few others like, celibacy as well. The result? Confusion.
It is important to have clear teaching on motivational gifts so we identify, and use them for the glory of God. Even when we know about the gifts, however, and have singled out our own, we may not be flowing freely in them in our lives. What is blocking the flow? Let’s look at the hindrances that block the flow of motivational gifts.
III. OBSTACLES THAT BLOCK THE FLOW OF MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS:
A. You may have certain bondages that hinder the flow of your gifts.
Just as a clogged fuel pump block the flow of the gas in a car so the bondages in our lives may block the flow of our God given motivational gifts. Bondages generally results from negative childhood conditions. Unfortunately not every child is brought up in positive home atmosphere. Divorce, fighting parents, alcoholism, drug usage, occult practices, mental problems, abusive parents all these block the flow of the giftedness in a grown up individual. That’s why Paul urged the Roman believers not to conform any longer to the patterns of the world. The most common bondage that many of us struggle with is “Fear” By its very nature fear incapacitates and prevents us from developing in our gifts.
B. ANGER CAN BLOCK THE FLOW OF YOUR GIFT
Anger is our defensive mechanism to being abused, wounded or rejected. If it is not resolved it is either expressed, (as in rebellion, retaliation, resentment, hatred, violence and in some cases even murder) or suppressed (as in self-pity, self-hatred, depression and even suicide) In either way the person winds up in a prison of his own making. Jesus equates the harboring of anger (without cause) with murder (Matt 5:21-26). Anger is harmful to you and to those around you.
. Prov 22:24 , “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man do not associate with one easily angered or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.” In other words If you are a quick tempered person, no one wants to be around you then you wonder why no body wants to be your friend. Three steps are necessary to dislodge the blockage of anger. 1. Release complete forgiveness of all who have angered us in any way, 2) Seeking God to deliver us from the bondage of anger. 3 Asking God to heal our emotional hurts.
C. TRYING TO BE SOME ONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF:
Have you tried walking in some body else’s shoes? It is rather uncomfortable and you won’t go far. In the same way trying to be like somebody else hinders your own individual giftedness. During my early years in ministry I tried to imitate the leader who mentored me. In the process I was not seeing my own style of leadership developing. It took me a long time to come out of my former leader’s shadow. There is nothing wrong in admiring certain leaders for their giftedness but trying to be like them is harmful in the long run. So stop trying to be some body that you are not. Operate in your giftedness rather than coveting someone else’s gift. This is what Paul meant when he said in Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
Thinking of ourselves more highly than others is like a soldier telling the commander in chief how to deploy to the troops or an ordinary citizen telling the president of the nation how to run the country or a congregant telling the pastor how he should lead the Church. It is not that these men or women in leadership do not need any advice from others but if we think we have much better ideas than they then we are overstepping our boundaries and are trying to live like some body else. That is arrogance.
D. SIN CAN BLOCK OR DISTORT THE WORKING OF YOUR GIFT:
Without a shadow of a doubt sin corrupts and pollutes every area of our lives and our motivational gifts are no exception. In fact, the degree to which we are able to use our gift is dependent upon the degree to which we are in the will of God. In other words the more we entertain sin in our lives, the more the function of our motivational gifts is polluted. Sin is missing the mark. All sins of omission and commission will hinder us from functioning to our fullest potential whereby disqualify us from reaching our final destiny. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw of everything that hinders, and sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.. Heb 12:1
Let me summarize this teaching. We all are given a gift at the time of conception.
Understanding our unique gift and humbly employing that gift in the will of God will not only bring glory to God but becomes a source of happiness to us and a blessing to others. We need to get rid of the blockages that hinder the flow of our giftedness. I hope you have become curious by now. If you want to find out your gifts, make sure you won’t miss attending Ministry Leadership Development Course on Wednesday nights.
