3 Ways to Maximize Your God-Given Gifts

As a stay-at-home mom who loved raising her children, I never thought I'd be a devotional blogger and the author of two books in my senior years. But I see how God used my life experiences for this later-in-life ministry.

For example, I've loved writing poetry since I was a young child. I was editor of my high school newspaper, and after becoming a Christian, I enjoyed writing my own Bible studies. For a few years, my kids and I published a little newspaper for our homeschool group. And I genuinely enjoyed the writing assignments in seminary.

Do you realize that God is using the details of your life to develop your gifts? And sometimes He reveals gifts you didn't know you had!

That's why we should:

1. Learn from every experience.
Mistakes and successes are good teachers.
Proverbs 9:9

2. Humbly listen to correction.
Listening to more mature/experienced people keeps us from learning everything the hard way.
Proverbs 19:20; Proverbs 10:17

3. Never stop learning.
Be a life-long student of God—never retire (Psalm 92:12-15).  And remember that "to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away" (Luke 19:26).

God designs each of us uniquely. Let's never stop learning and serving.

"God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another." 1 Peter 4:10

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For more on this subject, see Slip on Your Own Shoes and A Popular Lie: You Can Do Anything You Set Your Mind to Do!

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Info about the devotional Wisdom for Life

Info about Lies in Disguise, Half-Truths Many Christians Believe 

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Which Do You Value Most: Sincerity or Truth?

By Marika Marton

 

We may be passionately sincere about something we believe, but that doesn't mean we're right. Sincerity is important, but when it is separated from truth, it becomes deception.

Deception does not require bad motives, only a false source. In other words, good intentions are not enough if we are not grounded in the truth. We can be sincerely wrong.

As Paul explained to those who sincerely thought the law could save them: “I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal… Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way…” (Romans 10:2–3).

What is truth? We can discover it only by returning to its source—God. Jesus calls Himself “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Truth is not merely a concept; it is a Person who is the ultimate source of all truth.

Truth is not subjective. Not “everyone has their own truth,” as some believe. Nor is truth based on feelings. It is objective because it can be tested and verified. 

Unfortunately, people can sincerely believe in a false Jesus and false teachings because they do not know their Bible well.

Some Christians even believe they are helping people through occult practices (e.g., Reiki, yoga, or the Enneagram) because they have good and sincere intentions.

But they are deceived. Sincerity must always be connected to truth in order to be useful. When it is rooted in a false source, it will cause more harm than good.

Therefore, be sober-minded and test everything against Scripture. Be sincere—but be rooted in the truth.

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See also: The Choice Is Yours

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You and God May Not Have the Same Definition of a "Mistake"

Genuine confession is essential for our spiritual well-being.

We distance ourselves from God and damage our relationships when we ignore, excuse, underestimate, or justify our sins. 

We don't simply erase our sins. We honestly confess them and ask Christ's forgiveness, which He graciously gives.

One common problem is believing we only make “understandable mistakes.” See That's Just the Way I Am.

We must understand that when we sin, it's not a mistake. It's a choice. And we must be able to identify and confess it:

“Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” James 1:14 

Did you know that 1 Corinthians 11:26-32 warns us not to take communion until we have first examined ourselves? That's because “whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord” (v. 27). 

“If we would examine ourselves first, we would not come under God's judgment. But we are judged and punished by the Lord, so that we shall not be condemned together with the world” (vv. 31-32 GNT).

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Humble repentance begins when we're saved, and it not only brings us forgiveness, it also refreshes our souls (Acts 3:19). So let's make sure we're honestly and regularly examining ourselves.

Other passages on confession

 

For more insights, I encourage you to read these one-minute devotions: Confronting Sin: Understanding "The Spirit of Cain" and Self-Defense. 

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Lies in Disguise: Think God Heals Everyone if They Have Faith?

“As a new Christian, I heard teachings that assured me I’d be healed of any disease and financially blessed in my new faith. But I quickly realized that Scripture—and life—didn’t support these beliefs. Even if you haven’t been influenced by the health and wealth teachings, it’s important to understand them so you can help others understand why they are not biblical.” Lies in Disguise, Chapter 11, “Half-Truth: Good Christians Enjoy Health and Wealth.” 

God can and does heal, but we live in a fallen world, and He doesn't promise healing to everyone. We don't fully understand why God chooses to heal some and not others, but we know suffering can achieve godly purposes in our lives (2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Romans 8:28; John 16:33). 

Like other half-truths, the claim that God promises earthly healing is not only a contradiction to Scripture, but it also contains huge inconsistencies. 

We need to study God's Word so we know how to respond to this half-truth and help other Christians escape from this lie-in-disguise. It leads people to judge sick people, claiming they don't have enough faith. And it gives others false hope that God guarantees their earthly healing. 

And since it creates promises not found in Scripture, it's usually accompanied by claims that God also promises us wealth.

It's almost as if they chose this combination because health rhymes with wealth. But the fitting rhyme is actually stealth—misusing Scripture in order to sneak into churches and claim Scripture says what it doesn't.

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Lies in Disguise, Half-Truths Many Christians Believe is designed to help Christians graciously and effectively refute this and other false teachings that are weakening the church. 

Each explanation depends on Scripture, taken in context and accurately applied. 

💙 Currently available from the publisher with a discount: Lies in Disguise. Also available on Amazon and CBD. And in the UK: CLC-UK or Eden UK.

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Lies in Disguise: Think All Sins Are the Same in God's Eyes?

How often have you heard the claim that “all sins are the same in God’s eyes”? 

Let me share the first time that statement really got my attention and led me to study what Scripture actually teaches: 

“My husband was a career soldier. In the early 1980s, we lived at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, where he attended the Command and General Staff College. Ft. Leavenworth is also the location of the military prison, and that’s why we met “Bob.” He was out of prison appealing a rape charge, and he’d successfully convinced several local Christian leaders that he was a genuine believer who had been falsely accused. 

“These leaders encouraged Bob to attend our small neighborhood Bible study. After we’d fellowshipped with him for several weeks, we heard he was back in prison. He’d been arrested for raping a local woman, and he was clearly guilty.

“When our Bible study met a few days later, we expressed shock and confusion regarding the behavior of this man who had sat in our midst one week earlier. One woman in our group said something Christians often say when they want to sound fair-minded and forgiving: ‘Well, I know he sinned, but when I gossip, I am no different. God sees all sins the same.’”   – from Lies in Disguise, Half-Truths Many Christians Believe 

This wasn't the first time I'd heard this statement, but it troubled me, and I started researching it with God's Word.  

It became very clear that, according to Scripture, all sins are the same in two ways, but beyond that, God judges sins quite differently.

When Christians correctly handle God's Word (2 Timothy 2:15), we can understand this “lie in disguise” and explain it to others. And that's extremely important. 

All sins are sinful, and all need forgiveness, but God does not see murder the same as childish irresponsibility. God sees sins differently according to a person's knowledge, their ability to understand Scripture, their motives, and their heart. He also judges sins differently by how much they damage individuals and culture. For a few of the Scriptures that address this, see Luke 12:47-48, James 3:1, and 1 Corinthians 6:18.

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To gain a deeper, more thorough understanding of this half-truth, I encourage you to check out Lies in Disguise. 

It will help you understand this truth as well as give you the Scriptures you need to help others understand it.

 💙 Currently available from the publisher with a discount: Lies in Disguise. Also available on Amazon and CBD. And in the UK: CLC-UK or Eden UK.

 
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