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10 Steps to Destiny - #4 - Work With Your Gifts

Peace and blessings are wished upon you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While I am very excited about each of the 10 Steps to Destiny that I've been sharing, I am especially excited about Step #4: Work With Your Gifts. And when I say "gifts" I am referring to spiritual gifts. This is exciting to me because it's an awesome thing to see the Word of God in action; to see people who are clearly operating in the gifts that God has given them.

Pastor Alonia Jernigan10 Steps to Destiny - #4 - Work With Your Gift

 Written by Pastor Alonia Jernigan



 
 

Peace and blessings are wished upon you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  While I am very excited about each of the 10 Steps to Destiny that I've been sharing, I am especially excited about Step #4: Work With Your Gifts.  And when I say "gifts" I am referring to spiritual gifts.  This is exciting to me because it's an awesome thing to see the Word of God in action; to see people who are clearly operating in the gifts that God has given them.


 


We know from 1 Corinthians 12:7 and Ephesians 4:7 that every believer has at least one spiritual gift.  That's good news because it reminds us that there is something everyone can do; there is a contribution that we all can bring to the body of Christ, and ultimately, the world.  And if we would turn our attention to Proverbs 18:16, that gives us cause for even greater excitement.  It basically says, "Our gifts make room for us and they also bring us before great men."  For those of you who know my testimony, I'm a living witness to this statement. 


 


To briefly inform those who may not know, there was a time in my life when I felt like a failure because I was unable to continue with something God had given me to do.  He came to me and told me that I would either use the gift that He had given to me or He would take it away.  Of course, I didn't want Him to take it away!  So I began to be more aggressive in using my gift of writing.  The end result was that I was selected to be the feature writer for a major publication, which subsequently gave me the opportunity to write feature articles on some of Atlanta's most profound and accomplished professionals and businesspeople.  It also divinely landed me in the same awards category as former ESSENCE magazine editor Susan Taylor and romance novelist Zane.  So when I talk about your gift making room for you and putting you in the presence of great men, I can personally relate. 


 


So, I assert that if we really want to pursue destiny, we must truly understand our spiritual gifts and then be willing to use our gifts in our daily lives.  We must know that our gifts are not for us to keep to ourselves.  Rather, they should be used to help make a difference in the lives of others.  And so as we speak of working with our gifts as a part of the journey to destiny, we must understand what our spiritual gifts are.  When we gain such an understanding, the path becomes clearer for what we are supposed to be doing with our life.  I found this thought to be further strengthened during a recent teaching on Spiritual Gifts.  I shared that the benefits of discovering your spiritual gifts include: (1) deepening spirituality, (2) self-understanding and self-acceptance, (3) gratitude to God, (4) freedom from "shoulds" and "oughts", (5) self-esteem, (6) joy; (7) fulfillment and (8) purpose and direction. 


 


There are many ways to determine what your spiritual gifts are.  First, you must pray to God to see what it is He would have you to do.  Then you should consider taking a spiritual gifts analysis.  In the corporate realm, something comparable would be called a personality test.  But as for the spiritual gifts analysis, many churches now offer them as part of their new members' orientation.  You may also surf the web, as there are some sites that will allow you to take a spiritual gifts analysis online. 


 


Upon identifying your gifts, it is highly possible that you will be given direction on what you're supposed to be doing with them.  This is so important, and it's a dangerous thing for a person to be working in a position without it being a part of his or her gifting.  Unfortunately, there are many churches that have failed greatly in this area.  For example, have you ever been to a church and saw mean ushers?  Have you ever heard a soloist that was void of talent and/or the anointing? Have you ever heard a preacher preach but nobody understood what in the world they were preaching about?  Those are clear examples of people not operating in their spiritual gifts, and if you check the records I am almost willing to guarantee that, in these, instances no spiritual gifts analysis was given.


 


This is not the plan of God for our lives.  So today, by dear brothers and sisters, I urge you to seek the face of God and ask Him what His plan is for your life and how you can use your spiritual gifts to help get there.  Then take the time to complete a spiritual gifts analysis.  They key to success with the spiritual gifts analysis, however, is to adhere to its findings and not insist upon doing something that may not allow you to be used at your greatest potential. 


 


Pushing You Towards Destiny, I am


Pastor Alonia Jernigan


 


About the Author

Alonia Jernigan is an Atlanta-based award winning journalist, as well as an author, pastor, entrepreneur and destiny coach. She is known as an excellent writer, captivating and witty speaker and challenging teacher/trainer.  For more information, visit her online at www.AloniaJernigan.com or www.Dream2Destinyonline.com.