“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT)
”In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)
We have all been created and gifted for a specific purpose. God wants to use us! As we go about doing what we were created for, He wants us to be open to the things that He would want to do in the lives of those around us.
I have a sister in Christ who works in the Hospice industry. At one time her job was to inform the patients and the families that medically there was nothing that could be done for them, and that the goal was to make the patient as comfortable as possible until they passed away. Since she became a believer she has discovered that as she is doing what she was created to do, God has opened doors for her to lead many people to the Lord, literally in their last breaths here on earth. She has access to people who are on the edge of eternity every day, and she is serious about not letting an opportunity slip away to offer the greatest gift ever given. I have no doubt that one day in the very near future she will begin having testimonies of miraculous healings that she is seeing as she prays for these people that are sentenced to death by illness. She is positioned by God to bring His Kingdom to earth just by doing her job and speaking life as she does so. We are here to bring His Kingdom, on earth as it is in Heaven (Matt. 6:10). That is how Jesus taught His disciples to pray. We can no longer go about our lives thinking that it is just about getting through the day so we can get a paycheck to pay the bills, feed ourselves, and then get some sort of God fix on Sunday, to have just enough to get us through the week.
Where do you work: At home, at a school, at a doctor’s office, at the post office, at the grocery store? Wherever it may be, God wants you to be the one He would use to call forth the destiny in the lives of the people you encounter each day. We can write the history books by hearing what God has for those He brings across our paths, and being bold enough to call that forth in their lives. What if by your obedience in speaking the word of the Lord, you changed the course of our nation? You never know when you will be speaking to the next world leader because you have been intentionally positioned by your King. What joy would you find in your own life knowing that you have released Heaven’s power into the life of the person that you just happen to find right in front of you? What a way to live!
Father, show us the things of Heaven, and give us the bold confidence in Christ to declare them over the people around us. Teach us how to bring your Kingdom here, on earth as it is in Heaven, in every situation and occupation in which we find ourselves.
In Jesus’ Name!
— Kristie Shuman Back
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