Operating in God's Gifting

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Operating in God's Gifting

Andrea Lende • July 10, 2022

I Timothy 4:14-15

Operating in God’s Gifting

You can listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Operating-in-Gods-Gifting-e1l224p

I Timothy 4:14-15

Do not neglect the gift which is in you, [that special inward endowment] which was directly imparted to You [by the Holy Spirit] by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you.

Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them, so that your progress may be evident to everybody.

Paul urges Timothy to meditate on the gifts God has given him and to practice operating in them.

Sometimes we need a nudge from God in this area as well.

We may be aware of our giftings, but not using them as God intended.

It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of our lives and not find the time to pursue our true calling.

The schedules we develop for ourselves can be so overwhelming that there just isn’t time to think on and pursue God’s plan for us.

We may even be afraid of operating in such special giftings.

We may be afraid of what our friends and family will think.

They may not believe the Lord has given us the gift of healing or prophecy or a ministry of any kind.

And we may be afraid of losing relationships with people we care about.

We may feel unworthy to receive such special gifts.

Maybe we don’t think it’s possible the Lord would endow us with such amazing spiritual gifts.

Maybe we think He’s made a mistake.

There are all sorts of reasons we may not pursue operating in the spiritual gifts the Lord has given us.

But if we take a few minutes to seek God’s guidance, He will gently lead us into His perfect plan.

And His plan leads to true life fulfillment.

Today I will spend time with God and make sure I am aligned with His plan and not just pursuing my own.

May you find time to sit with God and ask Him to show you if you are operating in the gifts He has given you for His purpose.

Daily Prayer:

O Lord, thank You for the gifts You have given each of us. Thank You for giving us such powerful gifts from Your heavenly realm. Remind us that we are here to serve You instead of the busyness of our schedules. Slow us down and show us how to use the gifts You’ve given us for Your purpose and not just for our own gain. Help us sit at Your feet and be refreshed and restored by You today. Keep us at Your feet until we are clear about how to use the gifts You have given us for You. May we be moldable in Your hands, Lord. Rid us of any selfishness and make us selfless instead. Strengthen us to do Your will and steer us away from leaning into our own will. Help us bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing our prayer.

Answer: I desire time with you to love you, teach you, and lead you into the fullness of My plan for you.

Response: May we fully receive Your love, Father. Keep us seeking You and Your plan for our lives. Amen

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By Andrea Lende • December 28, 2022

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By Andrea Lende • December 27, 2022

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By Andrea Lende • December 26, 2022

This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.

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By Andrea Lende • December 24, 2022

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By Andrea Lende • December 22, 2022

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By Andrea Lende • December 21, 2022

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This is a picture of red Christmas balls and the words Merry Christmas

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By Andrea Lende • December 20, 2022

Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.