Why you’re not using your gifts and talents is a question we need to explore in more detail. The Creator gave us gifts for the Body of Christ and other things He called us to accomplish. Sadly, so many Believers suppress their gifts and talents. We make excuses for not moving forward out of fear or complacency, while others believe using gifts and talents is only for a select bunch.
Last week we explored 7 Reasons to Use Your Gifts and Talents, and this week we want to answer some common reasons why you’re not using your gifts and talents for the glory of God.
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Here are some common excuses as to why Christians don’t use their God-given gifts:
- I’m too old
- I’ve messed up my life
- I had a horrible past
- I don’t have time
- God knows I have to pay the bills
- I can’t start a business
- I don’t have any money
- Who’d listen to me
- I’m too busy
- It’s too hard
- I don’t know where to start
- I don’t have the education
- I don’t have any support
I beg of you; please don’t live off of these excuses, Soulfuls. For every complaint, there is a solution. God gave us His living Word, which contains everything for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3-4). Since you still have breath in your lungs and are reading this article, God wants you to listen.
You will give God an accounting of how you used your gifts, talents, and time on earth. That’s why I desire to share how to use your gifts or use them more if you already use them.
Moses Learned How to Use His Gifts and Talents
Moses was 80 when God called Him into ministry to free Israel from Egyptian slavery. Before the earth’s foundation, the LORD watched over Moses and trained him for his ultimate calling.
As Moses conversed with God in the burning bush, Moses threw out some objections as to why he wasn’t qualified for God’s commissioning to free Israel from slavery.
Exodus 3:11 NKJV says, 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Moses was qualified, but he didn’t know. He settled for living an ordinary life after fleeing Egypt decades earlier. I know you’re not Moses or Aaron. Nonetheless, what’ve you told God that you can’t do?
Exodus 4:10-13 NKJV says, Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” 13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”
Moses and Aaron went forward in faith. Moses grew confident and bolder as he walked with God.
Here are some reasons you’re not using your gifts and talents.
(1) You Haven’t Identified Your Gifts and Talents
Your parents or guardians recognized your gifts early in childhood. Your friendliness, quick-wittedness, grasping of mathematics, braiding your doll’s hair, and love for building things showed up early in your personality and development.
Singing, drawing, playing sports, and other things have also shaped you. Nonetheless, if we fail to hone our gifts and talents, they lie dormant, and we forfeit the blessing of bonding with God through their use.
We all know what our gifts are. People compliment us about how good we do a particular thing(s).
What Comes Easy to You
Your gift is anything that comes easy to you and something you love doing. Others find doing these same things you’re good at quite tricky. Knowing what we’re good at does not mean we mustn’t still practice, develop, and perfect our skills.
When you exercise one gift, doing so will lead you to more areas of gifting. The purpose is unlocked when you spend time with and obey God, apply His principles, and give thanks for what you have.
Deciding where to focus your energy might be challenging if you’re multi-gifted. Also, sticking to the wrong job or career path can make you feel suffocated if you can’t express your gifts openly.
If you have few or many gifts and talents or you’re struggling to find peace in your day job, I encourage you to pray for what area He’d have you concentrate your time. It may be time for a change.
Sometimes you’ll need to work on multiple things throughout various seasons of life. Eventually, you’ll lean closer to your life assignment and calling to use your gifts and talents greater.
Do You Still Need Clarity on bringing out your gifts and talents?
If you still need a little help exploring your gifting, I encourage you to volunteer at your local church or a non-profit organization that fits your interests. You can also lend your skills to a small business owner or online ministry such as Cure 4 the Soul Ministries.
Also, studying the Bible and sharing the gospel helps to move you into your purpose.
Nonetheless, I want to help you to take an inventory of your life and set goals and expectations aligned with biblical principles. Whether you’re looking to grow, start, or restart a business or ministry or need help exploring your gifts grab my free Dream Big Goal-Setting Guide right here:
If you’re desiring to use your gifts to grow, start, or restart a business or ministry or are just looking to take steps to set goals that align with your purpose, please grab my free Dream Big Goal-Setting guide.
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Wherever you volunteer, the coordinator will still ask you, what are you good at? They will want to know where you fit with the availability they have. Most organizations will match you to something based on your answer.
You can find something you enjoy doing if you’re a hard worker and are open to training and acquiring new skills.
(2) Afraid to Use Your Gifts
Fear is a paralyzing enemy of destruction and locks you in a self-created prison. Remember, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Walk by faith and not by sight and keep your eyes on eternity.
After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, divided and held back by the hand of God, they marched out boldly. However, they didn’t know God sent Pharoah and his army after them as they marched out with boldness. Exodus 14:8 NKJV says, And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness.
Exodus 14:10 NKJV, And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.
Form the habit of reading your Bible daily. Familiarity with God’s Word builds your trust in Him and His promises.
(3) Distraction or Busy Doing Other Things
Whether you’re in dead-end relationships, have an unfulfilling job, watch too much tv, or are too tired, these distract you from your objective.
Nothing is more significant than living out the rest of your days in alignment with God’s perfect will. Imagine how Moses would’ve spent his next 40 years if he refused to obey God! Please evaluate your time and see where you spend it.
It’s okay to enjoy the blessings of God and rest, but if you’re living only to give time to your boss to build his dream and meet his goals, you need to evaluate this area of life.
There may be other demanding commitments and responsibilities on your plate, but although you’re doing all the right things, don’t fret! Some seasons don’t allow us to use our gifts and talents, as they are there to train us in other areas for maturity, holiness, and faith.
Do not despise small beginnings, your employment, or your valleys. We all must start somewhere if we desire transformation. Everyone can praise and worship God when things are going well, but how will your life look when you feel restricted and pressed on every side? How do you respond when you know what your gifting is and desire to use it, but God won’t open the opportunity to use it currently?
Be patient. Your time is coming. If you need to shift and remove distractions from your life (people, places, and things), don’t neglect the urgency.
(4) You’re Comfortable
The comfort zone is a dangerous destination. The Israelites cried out to God to rescue them from slavery, but because the journey didn’t go as they expected it to go, they preferred the chains over freedom and a life with God in the wilderness (Exodus 3).
Complaining about something is so easy, but how can we work towards the solution? If it wasn’t for God giving us a new heart and nature and filling and sealing us with the Holy Ghost, how much better would we’ve behaved as opposed to the Israelites?
There is a famous phrase, “comfort breeds complacency”. Bible Gateways 5810 Dictionary of Bible Themes describes complacency as, A self-satisfied state of negligence or carelessness, especially in relation to one’s personal situation.
Don’t be fearful of moving out of your comfort zone. There’s an entire life awaiting beyond its boundaries.
We’ve learned to adapt to dysfunction, distraction, struggle, and settling. We build defenses around anything threatening to move us out of the Fort Knox we made to guard our comfort.
When it comes to growing in Christ, walking by faith, building a company, investing money, and learning a new skill, we want it to be easy; we want to maintain the pattern we set up for ease. That’s why God has to shake our foundation for us to pay attention to following His lead.
Israel lived through and witnessed all the plagues God placed on the Egyptians, and they walked through the parted Red Sea (with walls of water on both sides on dry ground) led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, yet the discomfort was too great for them.
Despite living through many miracles, they wined, complained, and consistently failed to place their faith in God. You have to trust God with your life permanently to walk by faith.
(5) You Gave Up
If you’re like me, you have many battle scars from enduring life’s blows, and you may have tried many times to get up. You learn new lessons and gain more wisdom each time you get knocked down, but it doesn’t make getting back up any easier.
I want you to know that we serve a Mighty God. We are children of the True and Living God. He defeated death and the grave and rose from the grave with all power in His hands.
No matter what! We get up. We’re more than conquers; the Holy Spirit is inside our temples. He will teach, counsel, lift, and guide us down the path to purpose.
Never forget we serve the God of eternity and get back up through His power. Winning is a part of our identity in Christ. Yes, life gets complex and challenging beyond words. Life can beat up on us and rock our world. The devil can try sifting us as wheat–BUT GOD!!!!!
Don’t give up, you’ve come too far to remain stuck. God wants to move you onward into the Promised Land.
CONCLUSION
The story ain’t over Soulful. There is still some get up in you. Get up and use your gifts and talents now. To God be the glory now and forever more.
Eternity is our inheritance, and our Lord Jesus Christ is our reward. One day we will reign with our King forever and meet our God face to face. We can meet all the Old Testament Saints we read about, our saved loved ones, lost babies and other beautiful souls in the faith.
Don’t let your age, lack of education, fear, temporary feelings, discomfort, complaining, past hurts, pain, loss, disabilities, health, or other excuses rob you of living abundantly in the NOW.
Press forward and use your life’s remaining days, weeks, months, and years wisely and with intention. You don’t know when your time will come to go home to be with Lord, but you will give an account of what you did with your time, resources, gifts, and talents.
Soul Actions:
Write down the gifts and talents you believe God placed in you!
Pray and share with God your desire to use your gifts and talents more.
Refuse to be a victim of false evidence appearing real.
Thank you for reading. If this article blessed you, please share it with two friends and family members that this can encourage.
2 Responses
Thank You for your intelligent, motivating, substantive, well written piece on why we don’t use our gifts. Best,
Thank for taking the time to read and comment. God bless sis.