Is God Really Good?PDF Download
By Bill Johnson
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There are some people that can do extraordinary things, I have seen it. If you have an internet connection you can see it also. The internet and television are flooded with them. While the bar is getting set higher and higher for people to make it with their gifts and talents, because of all the people out there who are gifted it is still important to do what you are gifted to do no matter who thinks it has value or not. Most of our talents and giftings are God-given and God wants to see us step out and use them to make the world a better place. So, one can say it is each person's calling to use the gifts God gave them. Of all the extraordinary people out there and those that are not so much but still are doing things, one thing is common and that is their ability to believe in themselves. In Christianity, people shy away from believing in themselves as they often say I am nothing without God, but the truth is God wants you to believe in yourself when it comes to some things. What I mean by that is God wants you to believe in your ability to be able to perform your talent or gift with His blessing that He has given you. If you don't believe in your ability to do it then you will simply have a hard time doing it and you will not be able to fulfill the calling that God has placed on your life in the context of those gifts.
Recently there was a woman who is a close relative of mine that has stepped back into believing in herself again. As a result, she is using her gift again. But for many years she didn't. Back in the 1980s, she was the lead singer of a praise and worship band. She was also a gifted songwriter. She had some success for a little bit and regularly booked gigs and people wanted tapes of her music. Then life happened and she got further and further away from her music and ultimately quit. Over the years she tried to use her gift again, but she had stopped believing in herself. She often said God took her vocal gift away and she could not do it anymore, the same with her songwriting. So, she did not put her music out there anymore and didn't sing very much or write songs. I told her over the years that God never took your gift away, you just need to believe in your ability to sing again. It always fell on deaf ears and she ended up wasting about 30 years by never stepping out with her music or putting herself out there. She rarely would sing in front of anyone and she lost hope in her purpose. But not too long ago I finally convinced her to believe again and to step out. She got back on the horse and you know what, people said her voice sounded just like it did in the 80s. She was able to do it all along, God did not take her gift away from her after all, she just quit believing in herself.
A New Level
There are so many people that quit believing in themselves. Or maybe they just never believed in themselves to begin with. I will be honest, there are some things that do end in our lives and change. Life is full of changes and if you are not changing then you aren't growing. But usually, when God brings something to an end, especially a gift, He upgrades you to a new level or another similar thing that is way better. If your talents ended and you didn't get an upgrade or new level it may not have been God ending it but that you stopped believing in God ability to use you. Granted there are times when we have to take a break from some things, but you will usually come back to it or are upgraded.
As I said at the beginning of this, not everyone is going to value our gifts. People valuing your gifts is not an indication as to whether you should be using them or not. We use our gifts because as Jesus said, "my food comes from doing the will of Him who sent me." We are nourished spiritually by using our gifts and fulfilling our calling no matter who values it or not. A little while back I talked to someone who has a writing gift and they said they are going to quit writing because no one is reading their articles. I told them like it is, that God gave them their writing ability and to use it no matter who is supporting it or not. If it is just one person who our gifts and talents touch it is all worth it. As that one person's life can then touch millions. As Joe Dirt would say, "you just have to keep on keeping on."
Jesus knew who He was and what He was called to do and Satan tempted Him in it. Satan said, "if you really be the son of God." Trying to get Him to doubt who He was and His calling. Satan will tempt us and make us believe that God has taken away our gift or not given us a gift in the first place. Satan will try to get us to not believe in ourselves or God's ability to use us. But we cannot let him win. There is also a principle that goes like this, no one will believe in you till you believe in you. If you do not know who you are or what you are called to do no one else will either. Know that God has placed certain gifts and talents within you and then believe in your ability to perform them and step out. You will be blessed if you do. Don't waste decades not believing in yourself. If you do, the world may miss out on what you have to offer.
Adam Becker
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