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talents

Looking Back, I Can Still Hear The Sounds

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rebekahandjaredsinging

In the picture above you see me and my sister singing (and cheating by reading off the page too!) at a baptism service on the lake bank. There is no more precious of a moment to share with your brothers and sisters in Christ than during a baptism! Nowadays in what little spare time I have I like to listen to old cassette tapes of services and practices from when we (me and Rebekah) were younger siblings. We would quite young, trying to find a part for harmony with our mother and her two sisters, all the while that our pops was coaching us to ‘get up to the mic’ and to be loud.

Now, as I take a look back into time, I now realize more than ever how precious it is just to sing and worship with those you love. It is not something you get to do forever, nor do you have the promise of another opportunity to do so. I try to iterate my point to our collective singing group and those we have worked with over the years but you can just never do justice the blessing you receive from sharing in the talents of God with others.

If you ever have another chance to share with your friends and family the collective talents God has given you to fellowship with then I say do it while you have the chance. So long as I have a mind and am living in this life I will always remember the days with loved ones as we rejoiced in the Lord together; for this thought is the closest thing that my mind can comprehend to how we shall all celebrate one day in that glorious heaven. There are so many I wish could read this today. To my family whom I love, thank you for encouraging the talents of God more than anything else. And glory to God for allowing me the precious chance of having a family that fears God and serves Him together (regardless of our differences and paths of life).

Keep Yourself In The Game

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When watching competitive sports, one could easily account for the strength and skill of the athletes that you see going for the victory. When hearing and reading about some of the most successful athletes though, you read about a completely different quality: their heart for the game. You can have all the talent and ability in the world, but without the heart and passion for what you love to do it is without profit to you. In our walk serving God, it’s all as much the same; for without a strong love and desire for the things we do for God, the gifts and talents that God has placed in your life will bring little profit to you or anyone around you. God’s spirit is unlocked when you serve Him with a selfless and unwavering desire: that part of you that will go on regardless of how you feel or what is going on around you!

So wherever you are today, whether you are a member of a church in administration or a part of an outside ministry, remember to keep a love and desire for what you do! Remember why it is that you are there each time you execute the part you contribute. Never let what you do become just “going through the motions”. Get yourself in a place where you are a difference-maker, a person that makes an impact not only in the work but by the life and choices that you make. Let God be glorified each and every day.

Keep yourself in the game! Stay encouraged and count your blessings! The race isn’t over yet! God bless you!

What’s Your Superpower?

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One of the hardest things to do in a ministry is not necessarily the work that you perform for others. When you are in the moment there is a part of you that steps up to do what God is calling you to do. What I have came to realize after being part of several different active ministries through the years is that the hardest thing we have a hard time doing is recognizing our talents and strengths.

Music has always been my life, so it was always a given for me that at some point in my life that God would use me and my family through the gift of song. To me, that was a given; in fact it was almost too easy to realize. However when a song is over, there you are: standing there in front of the people God has placed in front of you, and what do you do next? That question was one that lingered a long time. I’ve begun to realize in my latter days that the parts of you that you feel as though are sometimes useless can sometimes be your most powerful tools.

You see, I began to open my mouth and be willing for God to help me to encourage people. I guess you could say that I went from just music into music with exhortation. I loved encouraging people through my testimony and what I knew of the bible at the time. I had a new-found zeal and excitement because I discovered something that God had in store for me ahead in my future. Now? I’m involved in the full-blown ministry! I could have never imagined that. No one could have ever told me that this was the life I was stepping into.

If you only knew the transformation that has took place in my life. God has taken all of my weaknesses and began to make me strong. Instead of being addicted to drugs, I testify of freedom in Christ and teach and minister others to freedom in Christ! Now, instead of just thinking of all the things we wish we could reach out and say to everyone, we have an avenue by reaching through our online ministry!

Learn to recognize what you can do, and be willing to do more! You never know how far you might go if you have a willing heart and made up mind before God!

Giving All That We Have

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Luke 21:1-4

[1] And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
[2] And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
[3] And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
[4] For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

There is a difference in throwing our best in flesh versus our best in spirit. There is something to just coming in and going through the motions versus actually coming in and giving God a sincere effort from your heart. You can have all the wonderful gifts and talents of God, but without casting in all that you have, or in essence that which “all you can give” it cannot fully profit you. God does not want us to hold back nor be ashamed of what lives within us!

“All the Living” vs. “All the Flesh” is two completely different things! If I act and perform out of myself exclusively, it will only help temporarily or even not at all. It is only the things we do that are spiritual and done in love through faith believing that are truly sown and grow over time! That goes for things you do for yourself as well as others!

James 4:5-10

[5] Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
[6] But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
[7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
[8] Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
[9] Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
[10] Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

There is nothing wrong being down to being humble. God cannot use us if we are too proud or think that is “not required” of us to be obedient. God wants to be glorified and is only glorified through our actions in faith! Faith without our works is dead, or in other words cannot go any further than the thought of it. I am faithful to believe I can help people, absolutely. However, it goes much further when I believe that and step out in obedience to God, pouring out myself so others may be exhorted and lifted up in their time of trouble.

We can lose our so-called riches to inherit far greater things! Those things that we consider of worth in this world are made new and fade away. There is nothing that we could ever produce that will ever replicate or replace what God is supposed to fill inside of us. Jesus is the way, and the only way we can grow as an individual, ministry, or a church!

Matthew 5:29-30

[29] And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
[30] And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

If there are things that are standing in the way of your humbleness, work on you first, THEN IN LOVE, encourage, not MAKE others to move to work for Christ in the same manner!

It is better to lose things and it feel like a loss in the short term to gain the greater things in God. It only feels like a loss to us because we have placed such a high value upon it. Things like this should be a clear indicator to us that God is not first or above something that we are struggling with, and should be immediately addressed if the spirit convicts you of it! And it’s not a hard thing to give up with faith and prayer and continual coming to God!

Giving Back To God

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1st Samuel 1:26-28

[26] And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.
[27] For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
[28] Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

The following passage was the words spoken by Hannah, who which God gave a child to. In her prayer, she told God that she would dedicate her son to him for his whole life. In short, she made a commitment to God to give something back in return for her desire. The key part of this that was brought out very well in the lesson was the fact that with Hannah there was more selflessness and less selfishness. In the day and age that we live in selfishness is often justified with our own version of why we need something that allows us to do nothing back in return. This is totally the wrong attitude to have if we are to be a loving, selfless people. One part of even my life I notice daily is that everything is so important in the very moment that I’m in. What can we do to change that? First of all, we need to draw selfishness out and replace it with selflessness. We have always heard that it is better to give than to receive. Our attitude towards God needs to get away from “What can you do for me” and more towards “What can I do for you”. Our relationship with God is a two-way road, and we need to always remember to give back to God by using the gifts and talents that he has given each and every one of us. It should become normal to want to give back, not to retain without giving.

So the question you need to ask yourself is, what am I going to give to God today?

1st Samuel 17:23-26

[23] And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
[24] And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
[25] And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.
[26] And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

When all of the men of Israel retreated in fear of Goliath, David stood around them and had the boldness to say “that he should defy the armies of the living God?” This statement showed a clear display of faith to believe that our living God could conquer all that is ahead of us, no matter the size of the trial to come.  Even in the days of Davids youth, he faced things like killing lions, which would have been considered one of the more trivial tasks to carry forth. David had many tough jobs, and in our day we all have many tough things to face. Let your youth be youth once again, and remember to carry the zeal and energy that God has placed within you. With boldness in your resolve to believe in our living God, there is no trial that you cannot conquer!

Answer The Call

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1st Samuel 3:1-10

[1] And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
[2] And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
[3] And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
[4] That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
[5] And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
[6] And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
[7] Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
[8] And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
[9] Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
[10] And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

Samuel was sure that he was hearing someone call him. He simply just didn’t know who it was. Each and every time he was called on, he was ready and answered the call. This is very important for all of us who listen for God’s voice to lead us and guide us. We need to be careful to listen to when God speaks. Most of the time we pretend like we do not hear anything at all. God is calling us to be a ready people to do his work and follow his will. We need to serve one another, and let others observe that. If we use our talents with purpose together, then we can draw strength from one another. Samuel was a very young individual when he heard the call of the Lord. And with that said, this goes out to each and every one that is out there that believes they are too young for God: WE HAVE TO ANSWER THE CALL! God has so many things that he can speak to us even daily, and all we need to do is tune in and listen. Sometimes what God says may not be to our liking, but it is by his guidance and counsel that we can improve our lives and be a more established servant for him. Always remember to answer when God speaks! You won’t regret it!