Saved and gifted to serve

Galatians 5:13 (AMP) says, “For you, brethren, were [indeed] called to freedom; only [do not let your] freedom be an incentive to your flesh and an opportunity or excuse [for [4] selfishness], but through love you should serve one another.”

Failure to serve reveals that you are not in the spirit and that your flesh is in control. Selfish people don’t serve, they give excuses.

God designed Service to add value to others and then feed you, promote you, increase you and make you relevant and great. Failure to serve on the other hand, carries grave consequences.

Matthew 25:14-30

Wired For Greatness

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Greatness is your birthright but it is provoked by service. Mark 10:44, Genesis 12:2. We were not designed for ourselves.

Your greatness comes from three things in you:

1. The principles you live by (in you). The beliefs that drive you. Your dominant thoughts are the driving forces of your life and therefore determine your outcomes. Your principles determine your promises or opportunities. You can only attract what you think.
2. The presence in you, the spiritual personality that controls you, or the spiritual power living in you. No man is empty; everyone is filled with something. It’s either the Spirit of God or the spirit of darkness. The spirit of darkness works through self. You are either driven by the Spirit of God or by the devil. The presence in you determines the power available to you and determines how much you can do or accomplish. Apostle Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The presence in you determines whether you are building or destroying; what you can build and what you can create. A man had a legion of demons in him, he was not only mad, his life was ruined until Jesus showed up to liberate him. To show you how destructive these demons are, when they were cast out of the man, they entered into a herd of swine, two thousand in number, and they were driven into the lake where they all drowned. You manifest the traits of whatever spirit is driving your life. Those who are filled with the devil manifest the traits of the devil. Galatians 5:17-21. On the other hand, those who are filled with the Spirit of God manifest the exact opposite. Galatians 5: 22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance…”
3. The potential in you. Your gifting. Everyone is born with potential, but not everyone ever gets to use them. We have been brought up to ignore them altogether. To ignore your potential or gift, is to sabotage your value and destroy your greatness. Linked to this is you purpose in life. If you want to know your purpose, look at your potential.

Understanding Your Gift

The value of life is in its impact. A life without impact is wasted life. There’s a gift in you that makes you a gift to the word, particularly your generation. We are not mere consumers but contributors. We consume in order to be able to contribute.

Your significance comes from the lives you touched, the people you taught, assisted, encouraged and lifted. Those whose lives you made better, whose lives you added value to. Beginning from your family, friends, spouse and children, brothers and sisters in the church, people in your community and then the larger society.

Your impact comes from your gift, skill set, and mostly from your heart of love. Self-love and love for others. The Bible says love your neighbor as your self. I can tell how much you love yourself by observing how you treat others. It’s really that simple. Hurting people hurt others. When I see a man sabotaging others, I see a man sabotaging himself.

How many people go to bed thanking God for your life? How many people will notice when you are absent? How many will miss you when you are gone?

You are created and called to fulfill a need. That’s why He put a gift inside you.

Stop digging and burying your gift.

“A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16)

1. Your gift is the source of your value. Your gift determines your relevance. You are practically worthless without your gift. You get paid for the value you bring. Your ministry is important. There are people who will not be saved without you. There are people who will not succeed without you. You are the missing link in someone’s quest for success in life.
2. You are known by your gift. By their fruit you shall know them.
3. You prosper by your gift. Your gift makes you a money-magnet. Until you find your gift, you will struggle to survive. Instead of looking for employment, focus on using your gift.
4. Fulfillment and Satisfaction come from using your gift. Purpose defines your gift. You can only complete your divine assignment when you know and use your gift.
5. Your gift opens great doors.
6. Your gift makes you a people-magnet. Jesus was attracted to a fig tree because of the fruit, unfortunately, He found none. It is your gift that makes you needed.
7. God is glorified when you use your gift. Look at Jesus, every time He healed the sick or carries out a miracle, people glorify God’s Name.

DOES YOUR GIFT HAVE YOU?

When you become a tither God will open your eyes to your gift and help you to develop it. And He will begin to open doors for your gift and your gift will in turn begin to open doors for you! This is the ‘a blessing’ (one thing) God promised to pour into your life.

It’s true you have your gift, but the question is, does your gift have you?

Until you identify your gift and surrender to it, it will not produce for you.

How do you know that your gift has possessed you? When it starts to determine how you spend your time, where you go, what you do and who you hang out with, how you spend your resources, etc.

When Jesus was baptized and the Holy Ghost came upon Him, He came into awareness of His gift.

His gift took over Him. His life was never the same again. Once you allow your gift to take you over, doors begin to open for you. As He began to use His gift, His fame started spreading like wildfire and people came looking for Him from far and near.

Your gift is what makes you a people-magnet. It makes you a money-magnet.

Your gift could be marketing. It could be creativity (remember creative artists – singers, actors, producers, etc. and how they are now making money?), it could be sports, it could be administration, it could be management, it could be writing, it could be information technology or any other technology, it could be communication, it could be cooking delicious meals, it could be service.

Step out today and begin to use your gift. As you do, doors will open for you, you will prosper and succeed, in the Name of Jesus!

Bishop Dr Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l.