Equipped For Your Destiny

In my last blog post I described what happened the first time I prayed with someone and they were healed (find it here).

To be able to share God’s love with another person in that way was incredible. He chose to work through me to bring His kingdom to earth. I mean, there is no sickness in heaven, right? “On earth as it is in heaven…” (Matt 6:10).

God radically changed my view of the world and how He operates in it. I wanted to learn as much as I could and have more opportunities to work with Him and to take 1 Peter 4:10 to heart,

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:10

Reaching Out

However, this was uncharted territory for me and I knew I needed help. How could I be a good steward of something I knew nothing about? Google was not the place I wanted to continue seeking answers. I felt deep down that I needed to find others who are farther along in this journey. 

I contacted the Discipleship Pastor at my church and told her everything I had experience over the weekend. She suggested I take a spiritual gifts assessment so I could learn more about how God has gifted me as his unique child.

I had taken Spiritual Gifts assessments before, but this time it was radically different. It slightly baffled me, but I went with it.

I desperately longed for someone to talk to – someone with whom I could ask questions and hear about real life experiences. I asked my discipleship pastor if she knew of anyone at our church that had similar giftings. She told me she did not. However, she received emails from a woman who started a healing prayer ministry in Bloomington and suggested I contact her. 

Meeting My First Mentor

I went home and emailed her immediately.

She was so gracious in responding and I couldn’t wait to meet her for coffee. I truly believed that if God wanted me on this learning journey He would supply the right people for me to talk with. I mean, since He taught me about how to pray for healing through using His word, then I truly believed He would guide my every step.

He was teaching me to trust Him in this process and I couldn’t wait to see what was next. 

It was a warm sunny day when we met and we sat at a table outside for a few wonderful hours. She had so many stories of how she listened to the voice of the Lord, how she partnered with God, how people were radically healed, and how people’s lives were changed.

I was simply amazed.

She spoke of the supernatural side of God and it was totally different than what I had EVER experienced. I was clamoring for more and hanging on every word. 

Spiritual Gifts

As I sat there and listened to her stories, I started adding up all of the Spiritual Gifts she referenced that helped her spread God’s love. 

At one point I asked her what her top three spiritual gifts were and I will never forget her answer. She said if the Lord asks you to climb a mountain, He isn’t going to give you a step ladder to make it to the top. Instead He will provide everything you need so if you need multiple gifts, He will give them because He wants you to succeed.

The last thing she said has stuck with me and comes to mind often. She said,

“All spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit and since He lives inside of you, you have access to all of them in order to complete whatever job He wants you to accomplish.” 

I was floored! This is in scripture too?

“All these are work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

1 Cor 12:11

What?! I can have more than the top three gifts I had in my assessment? I can receive more gifts as I go in life because the Holy Spirit lives in me and gives the gifts? Is this what happened last weekend?

Is the Lord is equipping me for my destiny? My mountain she talked about? He has a plan for my life and this is a part of it?

If the Lord really was equipping me for my destiny, I was determined to learn as much as I could about my new gift because I wanted more opportunities to use it and experience God’s love in action because this is a part of His plan for my life. 

Now What?

In studying spiritual gifts I learned that I should dive in and learn as much as possible. 

“The primary spiritual exercises for any Christian person is to discover, develop and use his or her spiritual gift.”

C. Peter Wagner

However, using a gift is a lot like a baby learning to walk. A baby doesn’t normally get up and walk across the room on her/his first try. It takes time to strengthen the muscles, learn balance, and figure out the whole coordination process. Spiritual gifts are a lot like that.

The more you learn about your gifts and use them, the more aware you will be of opportunities to share them with others. Then the fruit you will see will increase.  

I have made this a part of my life mission – to be a lifelong learner of the gifts, to always want to take them to the next level as I partner with God in bringing Heaven to earth as I share God’s love with those around me.

This was the first of many more conversations that have launched me to where I am today and for that I am forever grateful to her and to the Lord. 

Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Do you feel equipped for your destiny? I know I needed someone to talk to so that I could get a better understanding of how I am gifted.

Do you have someone you can talk to? If not, The Holy Spirit really is the best teacher (John 14:26). He longs for you to learn more about who you are and how He has created you. You are His child. You are an heir to His throne. He wants to share all the spenders of His kingdom with you. I know He would love it if you asked Him who you should reach out to.

Also, I am happy to get the discussion going. You can reach out through my CONTACT page or comment below.

Resources I Used 

Discover Your Spiritual Gifts by C Peter Wagnar

Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms

What’s So Spiritual About Your Gifts by Henry & Mel Blackaby

Spiritual Gifts Assessment