“Progress is obtained only by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems. When you solve problems, all you do is guarantee a return to normalcy.”Peter Drucker.

How much of your life is solving problems?  How much of your life is just putting things back together so you can return to normalcy. In actuality, merely solving a problem only returns us to the status quo

Now Discover Your Strengths?”  At the beginning of the book the authors point out two common misconceptions we have about people.

1. Each person can learn to be competent in almost anything

2. Each person’s greatest room for growth is in his or her areas of greatest weakness.

Two more accurate assumptions to make about people.

1. Each persons talents are unique and enduring

2. Each persons greatest room for growth is in the areas of his or her greatest strength.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. I Peter 4:10

Do you spend too much time evaluating yourself and worrying about your weaknesses?

  • Does much of your time at work and at home revolve around problem solving and getting normalcy back into your life rather than taking advantage of opportunities?
  • Are there times in your life when you question what your purpose really is?
  • Do you think that there is untapped potential in you that you would love to explore?

A spiritual gift is a God-given ability which enables a believer to effectively serve the body of Christ.

A spiritual gift is God using your natural gifts to accomplish supernatural results. 

Getting started on spiritual gifts- 3 steps

1. Read

God details what spiritual gifts are in four chapters of the bible.

Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 I Peter 4.

2. Ask

Here’s what I want you to do. Simply go to several friends who know you well and ask them to tell you what they think you are good at.

3. Take the test

Here are a couple  found a spiritual gift tests on the internet that can help you understand how you are gifted. 

https://spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gifts-test-adult-version/

https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/spiritual-gifts-survey/gifts-survey

A list of spiritual gifts

The gift of Teaching/pastor teacher

Ephesians 4:11, I Peter 5:1-11, Romans 12:7

Henry Brooks Adams said it best, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence ends.”

The gift of mercy

See Romans 12:8, Luke 10:30-37

The gift of Administration/Ruling

I Corinthians 12:28 Romans 12:8, Titus 1:4-5

A leader is best when people barely know he exists.  Not so good when people obey and acclaim him.  Worse, when they despise him. But of a good leader who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, “We did it ourselves.” Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu, 497 B.C.

The Gift of Giving

Romans 12:8, Acts 4:32-37, Galatians 4:15, Philippians 4:10-18, II Corinthians 8:1-5

Eva and the American Girl doll, “That’s not an American Girl doll.  That’s a fake.”

Hi Jack – Just wanted to let you know Ava was thrilled with the American Girl Doll!  We ran an errand yesterday and of course, Samantha had to come with his us, seat belted into the car seat right next to Ava. 

The Gift of Faith

I Corinthians 12:9, Romans 5:1, 12:3, Hebrews 11

Robert Kennedy said about his brother, President John Kennedy: “Some men see things as they are and ask, ’Why?’ Other men see things as they could be and ask, ’Why not?’” That’s exactly how the gift of faith operates. It sees things that could be and asks, “Why not?”

Faith is belief plus unbelief and acting on the belief part.

The Gift of Discernment

I Corinthians 12:10, Acts 5:3-6, 16:16-18, I John 4:1

The gift of discernment is often misused

There is a fine line between discernment and being judgmental. If discernment is misused it can also look like profiling.  Here’s one line for all you discernment people. Speaking the truth in love.  Ephesians 4:15

The Gift of Wisdom
I Corinthians 12:8, James 3:13-17

Several years ago I drove out to Phoenix to do a wedding and I printed out mapquest directions to get me to the wedding rehearsal on time.  I followed the directions to the letter until I got to Gila Bend.  Any of you ever go through Gila Bend.  You been there.  Let me just say “Yikes.”  The only thing you can get in Gila Bend is fast food and heat rash.  The mapquest directions said to go through Gila Bend and take I-84.  But I had never heard of I-84.  Every time I went to Phoenix I took I-85.  So I stopped and asked the manager of the Gila Bend McDonalds how to get to Phoenix.  He steered me down I-85.  That was a Friday night and i-85 took me into the teeth of rush hour traffic and I was an hour late to the rehearsal.  When I got there I told them what happened and the bride’s uncle said, “If you had taken I-84 you would have been here on time.”  To which I responded, “But the manager of McDonald’s told me to go I-85”  To which he said, “That’s why he works at McDonald’s.”

The Gift of Knowledge
I Corinthians 12:8

The gift of Evangelism
Ephesians 4:11, Acts 8:5-12, 26-40, 21:8, Matthew 28:18-20

Canyon Springs offers drive through

A couple of years back I was sitting at home watching TV on a Sunday when my daughter came in and said, “Our neighbors are in their car out front and they want to talk to you.” I walked out to the car and it was a woman from down the street with her 20 year old son.  When I came up she said, “My son wants to accept Jesus in his heart.”  I ‘m thinking, “Okay, we’re doing drive through evangelism today.   I talked with him for about five minutes and while he and his mother sat there crying he accepted Jesus as his savior.