Thu 18 Nov 2010
Give Yourself (And Your Gifts) Permission To Shine
Posted by Helen Calder under Kingdom Living, Prophetic Evangelism, Spiritual Gifts
[6] Comments
Last week I shared about how you don’t need a spiritual gift to be a supernatural Christian. And I asked the question, ‘What spiritual gifts do you know that you DON’T have?
But what about the spiritual gifts that you DO have? Can they be expressed in your everyday life?
The Mantle of My Father’s Favour
In Genesis 37, Jacob had a richly ornamented robe made for his favourite son Joseph. Joseph’s coat set him apart and caused him to stand out from the crowd.
Everywhere Joseph went, he wore the mantle that represented his father’s favour.
In God’s Kingdom, each of us is the Father’s favoured son or daughter (Gal 3:26-29). The unique mix of spiritual gifts He has given to us individually is like Joseph’s richly ornamented robe.
‘We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.’ (Rom 12:6)
I want to live an undivided Christian life—where I am the same person in my daily life that I am in my church life and devotional life with God—not confining my faith to set times and places.
In the Gospels, wherever Jesus went, He was simply Himself, and His prayer life and spiritual gifts were on display for all to see. No matter where He was, He was always ready to impart healing, teach, set someone free or share a word of knowledge.
This challenges me.
Lately, I have become more conscious of not holding back my faith and who I am before others, and this includes being open about the spiritual gifts God has given me.
For a start, this is a matter of personal integrity. As I grow in gifts of prophecy, or prayer, for example, why should I be one way with Christian friends or in meetings, and then shut that part of my life down when I am out and about?
And yet (let’s be honest) many times, this is exactly what we do.
Too often, our spiritual gifts are like a coat that we pull out of our wardrobes when we are heading to church or to any place where we are meeting with our Christian friends. But then, when we leave church, we take the coat off as we walk out the door.
What would happen if we started ‘wearing’ our spiritual gifts everywhere we went—in our homes, workplaces, schools, shops and neighbourhoods?
I want to be like Joseph, unashamed to wear the mantle that my Father has given to me. I want to freely display who I am in Christ, as well as the Holy Spirit and His unique expression and anointing on my life.
Embracing Our Unique Giftedness
The Hunk has a ‘missionary’ gift. Wherever we go he delights in talking to people from other cultures, befriending them and discovering where they are from. (This occurs frequently in restaurants, when I want to have a private, romantic moment).
Whilst the focus of this blog is primarily on prophetic and prayer gifts [1], there are many more spiritual gifts that can be expressed in our everyday lives. For example, I have often admired people who have gifts of hospitality, like Mary and Martha did. (Luke 10:38)
Like the colours in Joseph’s robe, we have different many and varied gifts. Even when we have spiritual gifts that are similar to those of others, the expression and strength of those gifts will be unique to us.
We should never compare ourselves with others or feel inferior in our spiritual gifts.
I hear many people express doubt about having a gift, even though they have used it in church life, have seen others helped and brought closer to Jesus by it, and had its presence confirmed by Christian leaders.
Why does it seem more spiritual and humble to downplay or even deny the presence of a spiritual gift in our lives?
Are You Wearing Your Mantle?
If Joseph had hidden away the mantle of his father’s favour, his brothers may have been more accepting of him.
He may have experienced fewer trials. But he would never have been sent ahead of God’s people to Egypt, or have been used of God to save the nations of that region from perishing through famine.
So take ownership of your unique spiritual gifts. Throw the mantle of your Father’s favour around your shoulders for all to see, and give yourself—and your spiritual gifts—permission to shine.
As I go on this journey, here are some things I am starting to do more of:
- Sharing openly with others—regardless of their beliefs—about activities that I am involved with that are to do with my spiritual gifts
- Being honest about interests I have and values I carry that relate to my spiritual gifts
- Being open to the Holy Spirit to use me wherever I am in my everyday life
- Using my spiritual gifts, whatever they are, when opportunities arise for Jesus’ love to be expressed through them to people
- Working on expressing my spiritual gifts (especially those of a revelatory nature like prophecy) in a natural, non-religious way
‘For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.’ (2 Tim 1:6-7)
Questions to Consider:
- What spiritual gift(s) do I know that I have—that have been affirmed and used in the life of my church?
- What would it look like for me to live an undivided Christian life in relation to my spiritual gifts? Am I doing so?
Do you have any thoughts or experiences to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below. If the comments section is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
Notes:
[1] To learn more about spiritual gifts and how to develop your prophetic or prayer gifts, read my e-Book, ‘Grow Your Prophetic And Prayer Gifts.’
Related Posts:
The Secret of Living An Undivided Christian Life
You Don’t Need A Special Gift To Be A Supernatural Christian
© Helen Calder 2010 Enliven Publishing
Now on team with David McCracken Ministries







