QUICK SUMMARY: Once you have received your Calling, it is very easy to make assumptions about what is next. But just as God has hand-crafted your overall Niche that He wants you to fill, He has also hand-crafted the Path He wants you to take to get there. And that includes the very first next step you are to take.
And odds are, it's a BE step, not a DO step.
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And all this leads us to the final question of Know Thyself:
"What is the next step in your destined, designed Path?"
For most of us, figuring our calling out does not mean we should immediately quit everything else and jump head-long into it. While that may be true for some, God probably intends for most of us to start making the small, step-by-step changes needed to embrace our Niche/Path fully.
Look back at your answers, and this time, instead of focusing on the general themes that emerged, look to the details. There might be some detail, some clue, that shows you what your next step is. It might give you details as to the 'how' your Calling is going to work.
For example, I had found that my niche was to rekindle people's passions for God, others and self. But how was I to do this? Through teaching mainly. But in what environment would I teach? As a preacher? As a high school/college professor? In some other fashion? As I looked at my answers, it was clear that God had designed in me an independent, risk-taking style of living. He had led me through a business management degree (with an interest in entrepreneurial undertakings). And He had instilled in me creativity and the gift of Administration. I put all this together and came to the realization that He was allowing me to start my organization and put together my own material. Thus Rekindling Ministries was born.
My first step was to get tighter with Him. The more I was in-step with Him, the better off I'd be. My independent streak could not carry over in my relationship with Him. So He continued to break me. I started listening to Him more. This allowed me to begin putting the material together. Then He used my charisma and many, strong relationships to start an informal group, applying the material. It wasn't until 2007 that I actually got incorporated and my 501c3 status. (And don't forget, the non-profit is not my calling; it is just a tool I can use to do my calling.)
And this reminds me to remind you to know and embrace one of the perspectives we teach at Rekindling: BE-DO-HAVE.
Most likely, your first step down your Niche Path will involve the BE. It will be internal and eternal things that you need to work on and develop. Get stronger with God. Begin to replace your bad habits with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5, 1 Corinthians 13, etc). Begin to use and develop your Gifts and Talents, so that you will do less of your Challenges. Get tighter with God. Listen to Him more, be led by Him more, let Him rule and decide the details of your life more.
As you become BE-healthy, you will be better prepared to move into the DO stage. This will be the planning and implementing of your calling/niche. Maybe it's a career switch. Maybe it's more education. Maybe it's starting a program. Don't forget your calling is not necessarily a career. God may say "Work where you want; just make sure you save time for your Niche too". Maybe God has designed you to have a garden in your back yard, and to raise delicious vegetables to share with your neighbors. Keep your current job, just also make time for your gardening. Maybe your calling involves one ten-minute conversation on the metro at age 42. Get an idea of what the topic of conversation will be, and prepare for it. Study, learn, explore, so that you will be equipped and impactful during that conversation.
The diversity of examples could go on forever. Bottom line, once you have an idea what your Niche in life is, figure out the next step down that path. God may give you all the steps in advance; He may only tell you one step at a time. Whatever the method and style, always walk with Him, at His Pace, in His Direction.
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it's the LORD's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
Too often I see most people (including Christians) not going to God for the answers to their questions. For non-Believers, it's a matter of using their own logic and experiences (or maybe the advice of others). For Christians, it might be all of that, but also a general knowledge of the Bible. They might say, "I get the basic tenets of the Scriptures, the general theme and advice of It, and I'll go with that."
But they miss the many, many (did I say many!?) details that the Scriptures offer for the details of our life. I have found that just going with the general ideas taught in the Bible is not enough. There are an unbelievable amount of details in the Bible that will apply to any situation you may find yourself in (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And so when I am answering my own questions (or the questions of others), I don't just look to the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount or Mark 12:29-31. I instead research and explore the nuances of the Scripture passages that touch on the topic. I use Biblegateway.com and E-sword, and I find all the passages that refer to whatever question I'm answering. I look for the context of the passage. I break down the Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic vocabulary. And I tie it all back into the question at hand.
In the same way, please don't take the Purpose you've found is yours and run with it without knowing the details. I've seen it tons of time (including in my own life), where we remember to go to God with our questions, but as soon as He gives an answer, we say "Thanks!" and we're gone! I can see God standing there, confused, saying "Wait, I wasn't finished. I gave you the answer, but I didn't give you all the details and expectations that come with it." We often just assume we can figure the details out on our own, or that we can determine the steps to get to the end goal. And that's a mistake on our part.
So now that you have your Calling/Purpose/Niche figured out, do not assume that the rest is up to you. There are still details, steps, nuances, direction, commands, expectations and more that God wants to give you. So this last Question is all about that. Figure out what the *first* step is that you need to take down your Path in life. It's possible God may show you several steps down the path, or maybe the whole path in some vision. Most likely though, He is going to show you only one step at a time. "Step here. Now step there. Now step here." etc. That requires patience and trust on our part, but that's the whole point, isn't it?
As I mentioned before, when I first figured out I was to rekindle people's passions for God, others and self, I first assumed I would start a for-profit teaching business (a life-coaching type of thing). I was wrong. God had me start a non-profit. I knew nothing about 501c3s, so I had to lean on Him (and others) through the process. In 2005-2006 and 2008, I ended up facilitating a year-long class/small group. I just assumed that would continue in 2009 and started to form another group. I was wrong. God closed that door (temporarily it turns out), to have me focus my efforts elsewhere this year. And on it goes.
Once again, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it's the LORD's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
So ask God what your first step is. Make the safe assumption that not only has He designed you for some Niche, He also wants to walk with you through the details and steps of that Path. This is going to vary greatly from person to person. And I won't even begin to list out the examples and possibilities of what the first step might look like. The best thing I can do is to mention again one of Rekindling's key four themes/perspectives, BE-DO-HAVE, and how that will apply in this process.
I'm tempted to go into detail here, but I'm going to wait until the next blog post. There, I will break down BE-DO-HAVE and practical ways you can prepare for and take the next step God has for you on your Journey!
Until then, now that you have received (at least in part) your Calling/Purpose/Niche from God, for which you were hand-crafted so many years ago, don't make assumptions about what's next. Ask God what the first step down your Path is.
"This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16 NIV
Quick Summary: You have a Calling in life. A powerful, very cool Purpose that you were designed for. There is a Niche in this world that you were hand-crafted to fill. If you pursue it, life will take on a Meaning that you thought you could only dream about.
You will begin to live above your circumstances. You will find what it means to have joy and peace in all things. You will soar on wings like eagles and leap like calves released from the stall. In the end, no bad will really matter to you when you are pursuing your Niche in life.
Each person's Niche is different. For some, it's a career. For others, a hobby. For some, it involves relationships. For others, involves a task. For some, it's a life-long for thing. For others, it involves but a moment. For some, it starts at an early age. For others, it's not until they retire. For some, it is extremely detailed and step-by-step. For others, it's a general pursuit.
Whatever yours is, know that
1) you are perfectly designed to pursue it, so when you do, life begins to fall in place with understanding, purpose and excitement.
2) it is still a difficult, sometimes messy process, but that's totally ok and actually makes it that much more rewarding.
3) because God gets glorified & honored, others get impacted & blessed and you get excited & rewarded, it's a win-win-win situation. The only person that 'loses' is Satan, but who cares. ; )
So discover your Niche in life. Pursue what you've been hand-crafted to do. Let yourself recognize that there is more to life than rat-races and treading water.
Believe, TRULY!, that you have something important to contribute to the world, and that God passionately wants you to fulfill it. Let yourself cry with tears of joys, rejoicing that He designed you and equipped you for some task, and He will move mountains to make it happen.
Committing to the King of Kings- choosing to trust in and serve the Creator of the Universe, the Ancient of Days- is the first, most awesome, most incredible decision you will ever make!
And a close second- a very close second- is the awesome, powerful realization and decision to commit to, fully embrace and pursue the Calling, the Niche, that you were made to do!
Go for it, my friend. Go for it.
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OK, this is probably the toughest, most exciting part.
You've answered the first seven questions of Know Thyself. --You've laid out your Foundational Beliefs, the core 'black&whites' in your life.
--You've prioritized your Values, the things that are most important to you currently.
--You've listed out your Timeline, the stages you've gone through in life.
--You've recognized your Methods & Magnets, you're personality style and how you 'do' life.
--You've acknowledged your Talents and Gifts, the skills God has given you to use in life.
--You've admitted your Challenges, the thorns in your flesh that you consistently struggle with.
--And you've written down your Dreams, the things you most want to Be, Do and Have in this life.
Now, you can attempt to answer Question #8:
"What is your Calling/Purpose/Niche in life??"
First, do keep in mind that the LORD may not be ready to show you yet. Moses did not learn his calling until he was 80 years old. So if the timing is not right, and God is still closing your eyes as to your niche in life, be OK with that. Trust that God's Plans, including the details and the timeline, are perfectly wise. Do not get upset that you can't figure yours out yet. God simply isn't ready to show you.
If He is ready to show you, He may not choose to use this Know Thyself program to do so. So if nothing is resonating with you here, look elsewhere. God speaks to us through His Scriptures and Prayer first and foremost, and will often choose to use other people and circumstances as well. So keep open-eyed and look in different directions for His Message to you regarding your Calling/Niche.
And He may choose to use this Know Thyself. If so, then patterns will emerge in the answers you've given. So look back through your seven questions/answers. What pattern emerges? Is there a common theme, or a trend, maybe a word or phrase, that keeps popping up? Maybe there is more than one. Look through your answers, and see what words kept being used.
Ask a wise, trusted friend to sit down with you and look for the patterns. (This is one of my favorite things to do in the world, and so if you want, say the word and I'll walk through this with you, whether in person or on the phone.)
Let me give three examples of past Know Thyselfs I've done, so you can see how this might work.
--With me, one of the biggest things that jumped out at me was from my timeline. I saw that in almost every job I ever had, I became a trainer for that position. I was a busboy trainer, a waiter trainer, a bartender trainer, a bookkeeper trainer, a teacher trainer, etc. That aligned directly with my spiritual gift of Teaching, and my natural talents of charisma and story-telling. So I knew I was called to be a trainer/teacher of some sort.
My next question then was 'teacher of what?'. History is a passion of mine and so is different cultures and peoples. This showed up in several of my answers. Christianity was of course a common theme as well. Another thing that had jumped out was that my father had instilled in me the importance of practical living and my mother had always set the example of living in faith. The two other big common themes were the fascination I had with the Bible and my desire to always be interacting with individuals. I put all this together, and what emerged was that I was called to encourage, educate and equip others in how to apply the Bible to their lives and how to live the abundant life that Christ promises. (Initially, it didn't come out this clear; I had a general idea of teaching the Bible to others; over the past seven years, it has been clarified.)
The watershed moment came during this process (I took several months to sort through all this), as I was reading JRR Tolkien's "The Silmarillion" (my #2 favorite book of all times). For those of you who know the Lord of the Rings series, Gandalf is one of the main characters. He went around inspiring and encouraging others (Bilbo, Frodo, Aragorn, etc) to step up to their calling and destiny. When he first arrived in Middle Earth, he was given one of the three elven rings (Narya, the ring of fire) to aid him in his quests. In the passage of the Silmarillion where he arrives and receives the ring, the ring-giver (an elf named Cirdan, for those of you interested in that kind of thing) hands the ring to him saying, "and herewith, maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts to the valour of old in a world that grows chill". When I read that, everything came together. I said to myself, "that's my calling. God has put me on this earth to rekindle hearts for Him and His Kingdom." And thus Rekindling was born.
It was a short time later that I came across 2 Timothy 1:6 in the Amplified Version (one of my top 5 versions). Paul is encouraging Timothy (I've really connected with 1 & 2 Timothy; there is a lot of specific instruction that resonates with me and the details of my life in those two books). He says, "And that is why I would remind you to stir up (to rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of and keep burning) the gracious gift of God, the inner fire that is in you." This was the final nail in the coffin so to speak, that rekindling people's passion for God, others and self was my niche in life.
--My cousin Shawn did Know Thyself a few years ago. One of the patterns that emerged was his attention to detail, specifically his ability to connect the dots in complicated situations. This showed itself in his passion for movies (such as being able to name actors and who they've worked with, etc) as well as his knack for video games (he can easily remember the correct path through a complicated video game, figuring out quickly how to 'solve' the game). Another pattern was him being frequently offered supervisor-type roles at work. We saw that the 'higher ups' trusted him and his work ethic, while the 'common man' loved his charisma and easy-going nature. He was designed for that type of work. We took these things and combined them with his passion for the movie industry (at the time, he was taking a class on directing and making videos, which he was loving). It all got wrapped up in the conclusion that God had designed him and called him to direct and make movies of some sort. He wasn't feeling called to Hollywood, but he knew directing and video-ing was in his blood. He, his wife Cheri and I were in tears at this point, because it is so awesome to see someone come to the realization that God has a very specific purpose, a certain niche, that He wants them to fill and that He's perfectly designed them for.
Fast-forward to the present. Through a number of ups and downs and twists and turns, Shawn is now doing the video-ing for a start-up church in southern Missouri and has just started a wedding video company! I'm getting a little choked up as I write this, because it is so incredibly powerful to see people's God-crafted purpose coming to fruition! It's never easy, and usually a pretty messy process, but it's powerful to watch in motion. (And Cheri, I remember that your niche is singing, so I'm pushing you, gently of course, to re-open that avenue in your life!)
--My friend Kristie did Know Thyself about a year and a half ago. It was perfect timing, because her life was at a crossroads. She had just accepted Christ as her King, and was ready to get back on track with her life. She wasn't happy with where she was at and knew it was time for a major change. One of the patterns in her answers was that she was uniquely designed to teach (her carefully-used sarcasm would be a powerful a tool in her belt, she was often a 'counselor' for her friends and she had a knack for effectively communicating complicated knowledge). This was good confirmation for her, as her mother was a teacher and she had always wanted to pursue teaching. But she had gotten side-tracked in life, taking another career path and other pursuits and priorities. The Know Thyself results were a strong confirmation for her that God 1) was so glad she had chosen His Son!, 2) He had a specific plan for her regarding teaching and 3) it was time to do so (ask her about the rainbows).
Fast forward a year and half, and Kristie is finishing up her classes this week, and will be student teaching next Spring. God gave her a job that allowed her the flexibility to do this, and she is right on target with realizing her calling in life! Things are still difficult at times (remember that when you get on God's Radar, you also get on Satan's; and he will do everything he can to bump you off your path), but she's comforted to know she's on the right path and that the end goal (serving God through the calling He designed you for) is worth every jut and danger of the road!
So take a look at your answers and look for the patterns and themes that emerge. Look around at the current circumstances you are dealing with. Spend a LOT of time reading the Scriptures and praying (do more listening than talking during your prayers), and let God whisper to you the exciting, perfectly-designed Calling He has for you!
My friends, your flesh will come up with excuses (an entrenchment in your current rut), Satan will try to create doubt, and your loved ones will (hopefully innocently) bring up fears and obstacles you'd face.
But your spirit will be soaring on wings like eagles! And your LORD, the Ancient of Days, the Creator of the Universe, your loving Papa, King and Counselor, will be smiling broadly, excited that you're on the verge of the next breakthrough in your spiritual walk. He is pumped that you are ready to understand and pursue what He hand-crafted you to do, thousands of years ago, when He first thought your existence into reality. As He was knitting you in your mother's womb, He determined a Niche that He wanted you to fill, and He painstakingly, thoroughly designed you to equip you with everything you needed to accomplish it.
So let your spirit win out over your flesh. Let the Almighty's Whisperings be louder and more persuasive than the whisperings of the Enemy and your loved ones, who might be afraid of you taking the risks needed to walk this path. MAKE THE DECISION TO EMBRACE THE NICHE IN LIFE GOD DESIGNED YOU FOR!
My loved ones (and all of you sincerely, truly are my loved ones)- I could type another 10,000 words on this topic, easily!!! But it's not my words that are important. It's God's Words. So let me just point to you a few of them:
“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because heconsidered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Hebrews 11
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.” 1 Timothy 1:12 NIV
“I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” 1 Corinthians 7:7 NIV
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 NIV
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to hisfaith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8 NIV
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NIV
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1 NIV
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” Philippians 2:12-16 NIV
“for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29 NIV
“This is what the Lord says:
‘Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.’” Jeremiah 6:16 NIV
“You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in You.” Isaiah 26:3 TEV
And in words that may not be Inspired Scripture, but that I feel God inspired nonetheless, in but a different way:
“What you are is God’s gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God.” Danish proverb
“And herewith, maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts to the valor of old in a world that grows chill.” JRR Tolkien, The Silmarillion
“Come, my friends.
Tis not too late to seek a newer world,
for my purpose holds to sail beyond the sunset.
And though we are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven,
that which we are, we are:
one equal temper of heroic heart,
made weak by time and fate, but strong in will,
to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”Alfred Lord Tennyson
[from The Dead Poet Society:]
“Words and ideas can change the world…
[Some think we should]…go quietly about the business of achieving other ambitions.
I got a little secret for you-
…we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion.
Now, medicine, law, business, engineering; these are noble pursuits, and necessary to sustain life.
But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.
To quote from [Walt] Whitman,
‘Oh me, oh life, of the questions of these recurring,
of the endless trains of the faithless,
of cities filled with the foolish,
what good amid these, oh me, oh life?
Answer,
That you are here.
That life exists, an identity.
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.’
What will your verse be?”
My friends, this is very real. This rings with truth and clarity.
Are you not happy with where you're at? Do you feel you are missing something? Do you recognize there is a higher level that you can be living at?
First and foremost, that comes with accepting Christ Jesus as your Savior and your Master. A little over 2000 years ago, He came to this planet in human form, to 1) die for us so that we might enter Heaven and 2) teach us how to live until then.
So give credit to the fact that His death bought your ticket into Heaven. Admit that you cannot do enough good to buy your way into a Pefect, Eternal Life. (The Greek word for 'believe' in John 3:16 is "pisteuo" and it means 'to rely on, to give credit to'.) Rely on Jesus and give credit to Him for what He did for you- that He is your Savior. And not only that, sincerely confess that He is also your Master. He is your boss in life. He makes your decisions for you. You will obey Him...in all things. (The Greek word for 'confess' in Romans 10:9 is "homologeo" and it means 'to sincerely acknowledge as true'; the Greek for 'Lord' in that verse is "kurios" and it means 'master'.)
Once you have chosen to rely on Jesus to get you into Heaven and have truly acknowledged that He is your Master in life, there is one other big commitment you can make: learn what the Master has designed you to do. What servant role are you to play? What niche are you to fill in His Kingdom?
Whatever your calling in life is, recognize that:
1) it will bring glory to your King!
2) it will impact others around you
3) it will stir you up and send you out on wings like eagles, live calves released from the stall! You will be living the Abundant Life, life to the full, that He promises you! (Isaiah 40:31, Malachi 4:2, John 10:10)
You are a servant to the King of Kings! How incredible is that?? How powerful and inspiring is that??
So what role has your King Jesus commanded you to play?
And when The Master returns, which will be suddenly and awesomely, will you be able to say that you obeyed and are performing the task and filling the niche He asked you to?
QUICK SUMMARY: This week's Know Thyself Question is "What are your Dreams?!"
So make a list of everything you would like to BE, to DO and to HAVE in life, if you had all the resources you needed (no limitations). Be a kid again, do not be afraid to put anything down that stirs in your heart. Be honest. The more honest and detailed you are, the better this question will help determine your Calling/Purpose in life.
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This week's Know Thyself question is: "What are your Dreams?!" Specifically, what are the things that you want to BE in life, to DO in life and to HAVE in life? Make a list with three columns and write down everything in your heart, everything you dream about, whether big or small. Be a kid again! Don't worry about how *hard* or *unlikely* the item may be. Don't forget- you can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you and EVERYTHING is possible with God. [Philippians 4:13 and Mark 10:27]
That doesn't automatically mean God endorses your desires and makes them happen. But it does mean that if God supports you in your dream (specifically, if an item on your dream list will glorify God, impact someone else and/or increase your spiritual maturity), then it definitely CAN happen.
So what do you dream about? What would make you soar emotionally? If you had the time you needed, the money you needed, the support you needed, the connections you needed, the skills you needed and/or the courage you needed, what type of person would you BECOME, what type of accomplishments would you DO and what type of possessions would you HAVE? Imagine all excuses and roadblocks were gone- what would you chase after?
For me, to give you some examples,
I would Be: a God-fearing and humble person a persevering and hopeful person a loving and caring person a passionate person a perceptive and wise person a happy and thankful person a creative and charismatic and fun person an honest and reliable person an independently wealthy and generous person a well-read and well-traveled person = a Servant of God
I would Do the following: -lead others closer to God -teach, inspire and motivate -study Christianity, fantasy literature, history and international affairs -write books -produce and act in a movie (fantasy or drama) -be a voice in a Disney or Pixar animated film -learn to scuba dive -learn sword-mastery -host a bi-annual, 10-day long festival in a small village, for all my loved ones -spend six months in a foreign monastery -spend a week in an ice-hotel -spend a month on a Caribbean or Mediterranean island, dancing with friends & loved ones -visit all seven continents, specifically Nepal, Mongolia, Tibet, the Himalayas, a Buddhist temple, horseback riding in central Asia, historical tours of Turkey, Syria, Iran, Lebanon and Egypt, explore Stonehenge, Maccu Piccu, the great libraries of the world and hidden/underground cities and complexes, shop at the famous markets of the world and experience the great cultural events such as the Passion Play, Oktoberfest, Carnival, etc. = travel and experience and interact with others around the world (reflecting Christ wherever I go)
I would Have: -an intimate, romantic and edifying relationship with my Soulmate -children to love and nurture -time to enjoy with family and friends -avenues where I am constantly learning something new -a free schedule -health and vitality -a villa in the Mediterranean, a small castle in Scotland, a mountain cottage in central Europe and a nice home in the USA -an extensive library/study, movie/music room and dog & horse ranch (Vizsla, Rhodesian Ridgeback and Pit Bull are my 3 favorite breeds) -a Cadillac EXT truck, a 1920s classic car (Bugatti maybe), a yacht and a jet -wealth, but less that what I need to accomplish everything on my Dream lists, so that I have to lean on God and others still = a comfortable and free lifestyle
Now, the goal is not to pursue and acquire everything on this list (especially the Haves), but rather ask God for them and then pursue them if He gives me the greenlight (especially the Be's). The purpose of making this list is so that you know and have written down the things that you hold dear. Also, it helps flesh out your Calling/Purpose in life, as we will see next week when we address Question 8.
If you would like to reply to this post and tell your Dreams, please feel free to do so! I love seeing what God sets in the hearts of others!
Quick Summary: Last week, we discussed discovering your Natural Talents & Spiritual Gifts. This week, we look at the opposite- your natural challenges and spiritual weak-points. Maybe not as popular or fun to do, but just as important in figuring out how God hard-wired you and for what purpose.
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The sixth question of Know Thyself is "What are your Challenges?"
Your Challenges are basically the opposite of your Talents & Gifts. They are the things you most struggle with, your weaknesses so to speak. It's the things that get you into trouble and that you need to work on the most.
Some examples of Challenges people have answered in Know Thyself before include:
Just as with Talents & Gifts, it may help to ask your closest family and friends what they see as your biggest area for improvement. Ask someone that is going to give you constructive criticism and not take it as an opportunity to attack you. And whatever their response, do not get defensive or irritated. You asked them; they're telling you. Take it as feedback. If someone lists a Challenge that no one else does, maybe you can disregard it (though make sure if they have felt offended in any way that you seek to apologize and reconcile). If you ask several people and they all give similar answers, then you have a pattern and probably need to accept it as one of your Challenges.
Also, I personally feel that just as there are Spiritual Gifts, Natural Talents and Acquired Skills, there are two levels of Challenges: Thorns in the Flesh and Bad Habits.
Bad Habits I see as things that, with a little effort, you can overcome and delete from your behavior. Thorns in the Flesh I see as more ingrained personal attributes that God has allowed to be hard-wired into you, making you realize that you must turn to Him to keep those challenges in check.
For example, "7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV
This idea may not be popular with some and you may disagree with me. Some think that all Challenges can be completely erased with God's Help. I tend to believe that each person will have at least on challenge pretty much their entire life, so that they constantly have to go back to God to overcome it and minimize it. This is NOT to say that we can excuse our sinful behavior because "it's ingrained in us". I believe that with God's Power, we can defeat such Challenges/temptations every time they appear, but we will not delete them fully. For example, the Bible never says to have zero temptations. It says to resist temptations when they come. In the same way, I don't feel the Bible tells us to have zero challenges. It teaches to come running to God every time the weakness pops up. (I did a recent post on how the Bible defines being perfect as "being complete" rather than "being without error".)
So know that you will probably have one or more of your personal challenges follow you through life, so it simply means you need to be clinging to God's Robes frequently. Which is a good thing!
Last point on Challenges- compare your list of Challenges to your list of Talents & Gifts. Odds are, you will see some connections. One of the things that most clearly keeps popping up over the years I've been doing Know Thyself, is that our Challenges are directly related to our Talents and Gifts.
For example, Teaching and Knowledge are two of my spiritual gifts, and Pride is one of my challenges. And if I don't keep my pride in check while I'm teaching, I come across as arrogant and condescending, erasing any good I would have accomplished if I had been humble. Administration is a gift and Laziness is one of my challenges. I'm good at organizing and structuring stuff for Rekindling, but if I goof off and keep postponing it, what good am I doing? I have the gift of Faith but also an intense desire for control. Those two butt heads directly. I have the natural talent of charisma/influence, but I also struggle at times with being manipulative and using my influence to get my way in things.
So do you see how the two lists interact with each other? Do the same for your lists. See how God has wired you do certain things well and impact others in specific ways, but He has also allowed natural challenges or spiritual temptations to arise that will directly hinder those strengths. All this means is you need to be hanging out with God every day, letting Him teach you and empower you to minimize your challenges while honing your talents and gifts.
Christ promised us something called the 'Abundant Life' (in John 10:10). This abundant life includes constant calm, unquenchable joy, complete fearlessness and irresistible strength. And as awesome as this promise sounds, I don't know of a single Christian who actually lives the Abundant Life every single day.
We need to wake up to the FULL possibilities that God promises and chase after them and RECEIVE them! Please recognize that odds are your Christian life is not as awesome as it could be. Reach up to the next higher level in your faith!
Do you want to have zero worries, zero fear and zero frustration? It's possible, my friends. The Scriptures teach us it's available to all of the Master's servants.
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One of my favorite lines that Jesus ever said is:
"I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance." John 10:10 HCSB
The Amplified Version renders it: "I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."
I believe there is a double level of meaning here. It refers to the Eternal Life that we will have in Heaven:
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." Revelation 21:3-5 NIV
It also refers to our life now, in the present, here on this Earth:
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12 NIV
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3 KJV
"I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]." Philippians 4:13 AMP
"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." Malachi 4:2 NIV
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." Psalm 23 KJV
"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." Phillipians 4:4-7 MSG
"Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day." 2 Corinthians 4:16 AMP
GREATER things done! TRUE love! Joy and Peace NO MATTER WHAT the circumstances! Enduring EVERY suffering! Perfect peace at ALL TIMES! Strength for ANYTHING! Jumping around like calves released to FREEDOM! Not lacking A SINGLE THING! Fearing NO evil! Being supplied with MORE THAN WE NEED! God's goodness and kindness ALWAYS around! REVELING in God every day! ZERO worry! NEVER discouraged! Renewed DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY!
My friends, I have to be honest with you- I don't know of a single person who lives this type of abundant life consistently, every day.
And yet God promises us that it is available to us.
So one of us is doing something wrong.
Either God is giving us fluff language, exaggerating a little and not meaning exactly what He says,
or we are simply failing to take what God is freely giving us.
I think we all know what the answer is here. God has promised us an abundant life and we are doing something wrong and not living it every single day.
I see most Christians stressed, uncertain, unproductive, unsatisfied, insecure, afraid, frustrated, complaining, negative, tied up, weak, sad and/or discouraged way too often. Because friends, even once a month is too often.
So this sixth spiritual realization is that God promises us a consistent, incredible, full life every single day and we simply fail to take it.
And think about it- if we do take it, 1) God is happy because we are enjoying His Gift to us of an abundant life, 2) other people are impacted positively and encouraged as we set a magnetic example for them and 3) we obviously are blessed and happy. So it's a win-win-win situation!
My friends, you need to believe that this is VERY REAL! It's ours for the taking. And please, please recognize that this is NOT some sort of prosperity gospel that we see being preached frequently today. This is not about external happiness and physical possessions and wealth. This is about internal happiness and intangible strength and wealth.
I finish with this: C.S. Lewis, writing in his excellent, fictional "Screwtape Letters", talks about a Christian man taking a stroll one day in the English countryside. The demon who was assigned to him approached him, ready to whisper lies, create chaos and offer temptations. But the demon couldn't get close. The man was walking in what appeared to be a misty cloud, and the demon couldn't penetrate it.
The demon contact his superior and asked him what was going on. The superior, a much wiser demon, recognized the misty cloud for what it was- the direct experience of God surrounding the Christian man closely and powerfully. He explained to the more inexperienced demon that the Christian man was so enveloped by the literal presence of the Holy God, that the demon was not allowed to come anywhere close to the man. He was untouchable. (He was experiencing the fullness of an abundant life.)
But the senior demon then explained that while it is unfortunate for Satan and his minions when this happens (there is absolutely nothing they can do about it), the good news was that most Christians never get that far in their walk.
My friends, this type of full, untouchable, invincible, ecstatic, passionate life has been designed by our Papa and He is giving it to whomever will receive it. The Scriptures clearly teach us this.
So all that needs to be done is figure out how to do it, and we will discuss just that in Spiritual Realization #7.
Lord, my King, I ask that You make this a reality for every single one of Your Servants. Show us the truth of the abundant life and how to feast on it every single day. May it be so and may You be glorified through it.
Brief Summary: There are two questions this week for Know Thyself, figuring out your 'Methods & Magnets' (personality style and how you interact with life) and your 'Talents & Gifts' (the things you do exceptionally well, naturally and spiritually).
There are links to several different tests to determine your Methods and Gifts, as well as quite a bit of information detailing the various possibilities.
This whole thing can take quite a bit of time, so you have two weeks to finish it all before we move onto Question 6.
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Alright, Beliefs, Values and Timeline questions are done! This week, we are covering two questions. They're both pretty intense and time-consuming, and they require several tests to take and information to review. So I've put them together and we'll take two weeks to answer these.
Question 4: What are your Methods & Magnets? Question 5: What are your Natural Talents & Spiritual Gifts?
Your Methods are how you 'tick', how you handle problems and successes; your personality style and perspective on the world. (Your Magnets we discuss further below.)
Question 4A: Methods part 1 (of 3): DISC Profile This is a commonly used profile in businesses and organizations, to help determine people's personality style/methods and how they will interact with each other. There are four basic profile types:
D - Dominant (the take charge, leader type)
I - Influential (the charismatic, social type)
S - Stable (the solid worker, helper type)
C - Calculating (the detailed, planner type)
To give you one quick, simple example. If a group of these four types were hiking a mountain,
the "D" person would be giving orders, delegating tasks, etc
the "I" person would be introducing themselves to everyone
the "S" person would be picking up the supplies and following the "D"
the "C" person would be checking over the map and packing lists
Note: If you do not want to pay the $30 for the on-line test, simply read through the DISC descriptions and see which one resonates with you. You may be a combination of two or three.
FYI: I am a C/I/D. If my "C" is happy, then my "I" comes out. But if my "C" is stressed, my "D" comes out.
Question 4A: Methods part 2 (of 3): Myers-Briggs/Jung Typology Test / Keirsey Tempermants. This is a very common, well-respected personality test, used for many years, laying out different roles or styles we have. There are sixteen possible results:
Note: I have found that sometimes people know themselves better than some test does. So as you read through the descriptions, if one of them resonates better than what your test result said, I recommend you go with your own gut. Obviously, be praying about all this and ask God to show you the truth of who you are.
FYI: I am a combination of Champion and Architect. As you all know, I like to plan and develop different methods to encouraging one to grow (spiritually, etc).
Extra Credit: Compare your results from these questions to the "Seven Roles that Christ Played (and we are to emulate)" that was taught previously. [Spiritual Warrior/Heir, Physical Servant/Served, Emotional Healer/Healed, Intellectual Teacher/Student, Steward, Socialite and Child]
Question 4A: Methods part 3 (of 3): Strengthsfinders Test This is a fairly recent profiling test that is becoming very popular in organizations around the world. It lists out 34 different types of 'strengths', or methods people use to accomplish things. While they are called 'strengths' and could fit into Question 5, I feel this list is more of a 'method' thing and thus better fits with Question 4. The 34 are:
And here is are some brief descriptions I copied from the Strengthsfinder's book:
ACHIEVER-
You feel as if every day starts at zero.By the end of the day, you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself.
ACTIVATOR-
You are impatient for action. Once a decision is made, you cannot not act. You make a decision, you take action, you look at the result and you learn.
ADAPTABILITY-
You live in the moment. This theme enables you to respond willingly to the demands of the moment, even if they pull you away from your plans.
ANALYTICAL-
This theme challenges other people.You do not necessarily want to destroy other people’s ideas, but you do insist that their theories be sound.
ARRANGER-
When faced with a complex situation involving many factors, you enjoy managing all of the variables, aligning and realigning them until you are sure you have them arranged in the most productive configuration possible.
BELIEF-
You have certain core values that are enduring, giving your life meaning and satisfaction, providing you with direction, guiding you through the temptations and distractions of life toward a consistent set of priorities.
COMMAND-
Command leads you to take charge. Unlike some people, you feel no discomfort with imposing your views on others. On the contrary, once your opinion is formed, you need to share it with others.
COMMUNICATION-
You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. This why people like to listen to you; your word pictures pique their interest, sharpen their world and inspire them to act.
COMPETITION-
You need other people.You need to compare.If you can compare, you can compete, and if you can compete, you can win. You like contests because they must produce a winner.
CONNECTEDNESS-
Things happen for a reason.Sensitive to the invisible hand, you can give others comfort that there is a purpose beyond our humdrum lives.
CONTEXT-
You look back to understand the present. As you look back you begin to see blueprints emerge. No longer disoriented, you make better decisions because you sense the underlying structure.
DELIBERATIVE-
You are vigilant, a private person. Rather than denying risks, you draw each one out into the open to be identified, assessed and ultimately reduced. Thus you are a fairly serious person who approaches life with a certain reserve.
DEVELOPER-
You see the potential in others. When you interact with others, your goal is to help them experience success.You look for ways to challenge them.
DISCIPLINE-
Your world needs to be predictable, ordered and planned.So you instinctively impose structure on your world with routines, timelines and deadlines. You are diligent and need precision.
EMPATHY-
You can sense the emotions of those around you.Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective.
FAIRNESS-
Balance is important to you. You are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same, no matter what their station in life. You believe that people function best in a consistent environment where the rules are clear and are applied to everyone equally.
FOCUS-
Your focus forces you to filter; you instinctively evaluate whether or not a particular action will help you move toward your goal.Each year, month, even week, you set goals. You stay on track and efficient.
FUTURISTIC-
You are the kind of person who loves to peer over the horizon.The future fascinates you. You are a dreamer who sees visions of what could be and you cherish those visions.
HARMONY-
You look for areas of agreement,In your view, there is little be gained from conflict and friction, so you seek to hold them to a minimum. You try to find common ground and not rock the boat.
IDEATION-
You are fascinated by ideas, concepts and explanations.You are delighted when you discover beneath the complex surface an elegantly simple concept to explain why things are the way they are.
INCLUSIVENESS-
You want to include people and make them feel a part of the group, expanding the group so that as many people as possible can benefit from its support, for you believe that fundamentally, we are all the same.
INDIVIDUALIZATION-
You are impatient with generalizations, and you are intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You observe each person’s style, motivation, thought-process and how they build relationships.Each person has a one-of-a-kind story.
INPUT-
You are inquisitive and collect things, such as information or various objects.The world is exciting because of its infinite variety and complexity. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away.
INTELLECTION-
You like to think, you like mental activity.You like exercising the muscles of your brain, stretching them in multiple directions. You like your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection.
LEARNER-
You love to learn, irrespective of the topic.The process, more than the content or the result is especially exciting to you, energized by the steady journey from ignorance to competence.
MAXIMIZER-
Excellence, not average, is your measure.After having found a strength, you feel compelled to nurture it, refine it and stretch it towards excellence, polishing it until it shines.
POSITIVITY-
You are generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in a situation. Your enthusiasm is contagious; you lighten people’s spirits, and celebrate every achievement.
RELATOR-
This theme pulls you toward people you already know. You derive a great deal of pleasure and strength from being around your close friends. You are comfortable with intimacy and encourage deep relationships.
RESPONSIBILITY-
You take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, whether large or small, and you feel bound to follow it through to completion.You are committed to getting the job done.
RESTORATIVE-
You love to solve problems. You enjoy the challenge of analyzing the symptoms, identifying what is wrong and finding the solution.You love to restore things to their true glory.
SELF-ASSURANCE-
You have faith in your strengths, knowing you are able to take risks, meet new challenges, stake claims, make solid judgments and deliver. You have an aura of certainty.
SIGNIFICANCE-
You want to be recognized, heard and significant in the eyes of others.You want to be known and appreciated for the unique strengths you bring. It keeps you reaching, in an independent spirit for the goals and qualifications that you crave.
STRATEGIC-
You can sort through the clutter and find the best route, a special perspective of the world at large.You see patterns when others see complexity. You evaluate, decide on the best route and take it.
WOO-
This stands for Winning Others Over.You enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you. You are drawn to building rapport with strangers, getting to know them.
Note: If you do not want to pay the money for the test, I recommend simply looking through the brief descriptions of each strength and deciding which 5 or so are the top ones for you.
FYI: My top six are: Strategic, Connectedness, WOO, Input, Relator and Communication. I believe we can all learn from the Bible (Connectedness), so I collect Biblical information (Input), organize it into easy-to-understand analogies (Strategic) and then meet (WOO) and bond (Relator) with people and then teach them those Biblical truths (Communication).
Question 4B: Magnets Just as two magnets either pull towards each other or push away from each other, there are certain types of 1) People and 2) Situations that you are either drawn towards (attracted to, like to be around, intrigued with, fond of, etc) or repulsed by (uncomfortable with, disliking, etc).
So make a list that has four columns:
Types of People you are drawn to
Types of People you are not comfortable with
Types of Situations you are comfortable in
Types of Situations you are uncomfortable in
These Magnet lists will probably have 2 - 7 things in each column.
Note: Remember, there are no 'wrong' answers here. It's simply the types of things that you are naturally drawn to or uncomfortable with. Each person will vary in their lists. Christians often think they should not list anything in the 2nd column (negative people magnets) because they are supposed to love everyone. But recognize that Bible doesn't tell us to 'have no enemies'; it tells us to "love our enemies". God created our personality types and likes and dislikes, so He knows there are going to be certain types of people that we just simply won't like. And He tells us to make sure that even though we don't like them, we must still love them. In fact, God likes to put 'negative people' in our lives to test our Love. And He likes to put us in 'negative environments' to test our Faith.
Question 5A: Natural Talents This is all about your talents and gifts, what you excel at. Note there is a difference between Spiritual Gifts, Natural Talents and Skills. Spiritual Gifts are the spiritual things you do well that were given to you by the Holy Spirit once you accepted Christ. Natural Talents are the non-spiritual things that you do well that you were innately born with (God gave you at your human birth). Skills are the non-spiritual things you do well that you learned from practice and sheer effort on your part. For example, one person may be born with a natural talent for piano playing, while another person learns to play the piano after a lot of practice. Another example is that one person has the Natural Talent of teaching, but not necessarily the Spiritual Gift of Teaching.
Every human is unique, and while there are general tendencies (such as it would make sense to have the Natural Talent of teaching as well as the Spiritual Gift of Teaching), we must recognize that God is going to wire each of us differently. He is the Master of Niche Marketing and thus some of us may be wired 'illogically' so to speak (according to human logic), but that just means God has a very defined, very particular Purpose for us. So make sure you embrace who God has designed you to be as well as embrace every other person and how God has designed them to be!
So make a list of the one to five things that you can do innately well, your Natural Talents. (For Know Thyself, we do not focus on Skills, because while they are very good things, they are acquired and not necessarily directly from God as part of His Purpose for you,.)
Some examples of Natural Talents include:
Intelligence / Smart / Wise / Quick learner / Seeing Patterns / Seeing Cause & Effect / Seeing the Big Picture / Perceptive / Aware / Listener / Influential / Charismatic / Leading / Optimistic/ Spontaneous / Diverse / Original / Fun / Humor / Wit / Joke-telling / Story-telling / Programming / Athletic / Artistic / Theater / Dance / Music / Writing / Public Speaking / Teaching / Communication / Poetic / Perspective / Prioritizing / Self-aware / Self-Honesty / Care-giver / Care-taker / Empathy / Sympathy / Relating well to others / Making others comfortable / Getting on their level / Reaching People where they are at / Encouraging / Protective / Giving / Sharing / Making / Crafting / Inventing / Designing / Planning / Deep Thinker / Investigative / Inquisitive / Asking Questions / Finding Solutions / Motivating Others / Causing Change / Being a Lightening Rod / Giving Advice or Counsel / Patient / Organized / Gentle / Respectful / Emulating / Replicating / Creative / Expressive / Facilitation / Bridging / Compromise / Conflict Resolution / Peace-making / Problem solving / Honest / Open / Accepting / Embracing / Remembering Details / Passionate / Thoughtful / Helping where needed / Follower / Follow-through / Thorough / Prepared / Structured / Others Focused / Imaginative / Cooking / Cleaning / Jack of All Trades / etc
This is not a comprehensive list; it's just to help you get started. Bottom-line, what you are trying to figure out is what are the 1 - 3 things that you do exceptionally well without even trying. It's the stuff that you always get compliments on, but don't know necessarily why, because it's just who you are. You don't know why; you just do those things well, with no real effort. And you really enjoy them!
Note: Ask your closest friends and family what are the 1 - 3 things that you do well that they always marvel at. You might be surprised with the answers. And most likely, you are going to get the same answers repeatedly from everyone. That is a clear sign it is a Natural Talent of yours.
FYI: Mine are Intelligence/Seeing Patterns, Story-telling and Influence/Charisma
Question 5B: Spiritual Giftings Just as any human is born with natural talents (sports, crafts, memory, telling jokes, etc), when someone becomes 'born again', ie a new creation in Christ, they then receive 'spiritual gifts' from the Holy Spirit. There are nineteen commonly accepted Spiritual Gifts listed in 3 different passages of the Bible (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4). Of those 19, six of them are debated today as whether or not they are still given out to Christians. Some believe yes (typically called 'Charismatics' or 'Pentecostals') while others believe no (often called non-Charismatics or Cessationists). There are another eight Gifts that are sometimes added to the list, based on several other Scriptural passages.
I have chosen to list out all 27 here, and let each person decide for themselves (with God's Guidance!!!) which ones are still possible today. (I have bolded the ones up for 'charismatic' debate; I have italicized the ones sometimes added to the traditional list.)
Apostleship
Prophecy Teaching
Knowledge
Wisdom
Evangelism
Exhortation
Miracles Healing Faith
Serving
Mercy
Shepherding
Giving
Leading
Administration
Speaking in Tongues Interpretation of Tongues Distinguishing between spirits
Hospitality Intercession Missionary Voluntary Poverty Helps the Arts Craftsmanship Celibacy
You can take an online test to determine your Spiritual Gifts here: https://www.uniquelyyou.com/details.php?prodId=189&category=16&secondary=0&keywords= FYI, this costs $30, but it includes the DISC profile test as well (see above). Also, this test does not include Missionary, Voluntary Poverty or Celibacy (and it combines Help with Exhortation).
A FREE online Spiritual Gifts test can be found here: http://buildingchurch.net/g2s-i.htm FYI, this one separates Miracles and Ekballism (casting out of demons), and does not include the Arts, Craftsmanship or Celibacy
And here is a quick description of each in my own words:
Apostleship: the founding/building/establishing of local churches (starting, organizing, setting parameters, establishing validity, etc)
Prophecy: receiving God's Will and passing it on to others. While God's overall doctrine is no longer prophesied (God completed that with the finishing of the Bible in the 1st century AD), there is still specific revelation regarding individual matters (such as Agabus in the book of Acts).
Teaching: explaining to others what the Bible says and what that means exactly.
Knowledge: having a knack of understanding what various Scripture references and passages mean.
Wisdom: being able to clearly understand how to apply the truths of the Bible to our daily lives. (Knowledge is knowing what the Bible really means, Wisdom is how to apply that knowledge and Teaching is being able to easily explain it to others)
Evangelism: clearly & impactfully explaining the Good News of Christ to others and the reasons we should trust in Him
Exhortation: effectively guiding someone down the path of Christianity, encouraging when needed, correcting when needed.
Miracles: three basic types- casting out of demons, physical/supernatural healing and overcoming the laws of nature (walking on water, etc). Apostles will have this gift, as well as Prophets or maybe others too. The point of miracles is to 1) glorify God, 2) establish validity and authority and 3) help the individual. They can take place publicly and in private. [Sometimes, ‘Ekballism’ (casting out of demons) is listed as a separate Gift.]
Healing: supernaturally healing others, whether through the laying on of hands or via spoken word or prayer. Same goals as Miracles has.
Faith: excelling in trusting God for the details of a situation, showing no fear and instead just rejoicing and being at supernatural peace. Letting God have complete and real control of the situations of your life.
Serving / Helping: excelling in looking for the needs of others and then acting on it and helping them out, doing so effectively and cheerfully.
Mercy / Compassion: easily forgiving others and showing compassion and grace readily and fully
Shepherding / Pastoring: being a shepherd over a flock (whether a church, small group, family, ministry, choir, etc), tending to their spiritual (and sometimes physical) needs: praying with them, encouraging them, guiding them, protecting them, nourishing them, etc.
Giving/Sharing: easily giving in abundance of your time, energy, skills and money to helping those in need
Distinguishing between spirits: having the ability to see whether something is of God, of the Devil or of the self. For example, a person with this can truly recognize whether someone has the gift of Prophecy or not. Often called 'discernment' but that's not really accurate to what the Scriptures say in the original Greek.
Leadership/Ruling: effectively leading others in a ministry (instilling confidence and effectiveness); making decisions, establishing protocol, punishing disobedience, being in a position of spiritual and/or ministerial authority.
Administration: planning, organizing and implementing spiritual ministry work (logistics, non-spiritual matters).
Speaking inTongues: speaking in a foreign language you don't know (or maybe even a heavenly/angelic language) during prayer. This can only be done in public ONLY IF someone there has and uses the Gift of Interpretation.
Interpretation of Tongues: translating a spoken tongue to others around there, so they can understand.
Hospitality:Opening up your home to others for entertainment, fellowship, lodging, etc
Intercession:Impactful prayer with powerful results
Missionary:a call to move out of your home area to do ministry work for the Kingdom
Voluntary Poverty:a call to give up all possessions for a dedicated call to service
Help:investing your talents into others of the Body, increasing the effectiveness of their use of their own gifts
The Arts:Music, singing, writing, acting, etc, all for the glory of the Lord
Craftsmanship: building things for glorifying the Lord and serving others
Celibacy: the ability to overcome sexual desires and stay single for the Lord
Note: I also want to take this moment to point out three key issues with Spiritual Gifts:
1) remember that the call to Christian living is summed up in this: love God, love others and love self. Another way to say this (in my own words) is do things to please and honor God, look for ways to impact others and do things that will strengthen who you are and get you excited. If you apply this principle to everything you do, you CANNOT go wrong! So in any situation, you need to ask yourself if you are 1) glorifying God, 2) impacting others in a good way and 3) edifying who you are as a child of God; if so then you're probably in good shape. If not, or if there is another path that will do those three things even better, than you need to consider making a change. Bottom line, whenever you are using your Gifts, cloak and drench them in Agape Love!
2) I believe STRONGLY! that each Christian should be discovering, using and developing the gifts that the Spirit has bestowed upon them. So each Christian MUST find out what their spiritual giftings are and use them. Don't look for the ones that you can do OK; look for the ones that you *excel* at (and recognize that you excel at them only because the Holy Spirit is working through you). Figure out which gift(s) you have, and use them!!
3) if you don't have a certain gift, it is not necessarily an excuse to not perform a certain task. For example, not everyone has the gifts of Evangelism, Serving, Faith and Mercy, but we are all called to evangelise, serve, have faith and show mercy to others. Those people with these Gifts will just do so more often and more impactfully. On the other hand, not everyone is called to be an Apostle, Teacher, Prophet or Leader, so if you don't have those gifts, odds are you are not called to perform such tasks. There may occasionally be exceptions, where you are called to teach someone or lead a group in a specific, short-term situation, but we can probably accept that we will not be called to do that regularly or for long periods of time. We can trust that God will equip such leaders with the necessary gifts.
FYI: Mine are Knowledge, Teaching, Faith and Administration
And that's it for now. These two Questions are by far the most time-consuming out of all nine. If you have any questions, let me know!
I really recommend parents and children do this together because parents, it will help you in connecting with your children and understanding how they are wired. It's a pretty powerful thing to do for a family to figure out what each of the members' God-given calling is. Maybe they all go hand-in-hand, maybe they are completely different. Regardless, cheer each other on!!
We have it so good when compared to what other Christians are going through elsewhere in this world, and we need to radically shift our perspective and priorities. Radically!
Did you know in certain countries, internet companies will send tech crews out to Christian homes to 'repair internet connections', while actually using the time to snoop in the Christians' computers to look for evidence of blasphemy??
And when such charges are made, they will kidnap the families' children or arrest and torture the adult!
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I'm blown away right now.
I was going to post the next item on the Top 20 Spiritual Realizations. But I was catching up on email first and I read the most recent update from the Secret Believers website. On it, two Pakistani Christians, in secret, post occasional blog entries about their lives as followers of Christ in a closed, predominately Muslim country. They both are good writers, and their Biblical mindset-applied-to-their-daily-living is inspiring.
The post I read today hit me in the gut.
I find myself getting irritated when my Vista laptop freezes up, or when someone drives slow in the left lane, or when I simply don't have the funds to move past 'making ends meet'. And so when I read something like I read today, it convicts me that I am not realizing what 'tough circumstances' truly are. I am not thinking enough of my fellow sisters and brothers in Christ (who I will get to hang out with one day in Heaven). I am not praying enough for them, for spiritual strength and the easing up of their persecutions and sufferings and trials. I am not learning enough from them, as to what it means to glorify Christ in any and all situations.
I am not going to be able to explain their devotion. So I am simply going to copy here their most recent blog entries:
Friends, You are a blessing to me. When the storm rages here, I know somewhere else my brothers and sisters have freedom to meet together in Christ’s name and ask God to care for us. I know my brothers and sisters who are filled with compassion for our ministry here in the Muslim world are being led by the Holy Spirit to pray for us. Never before has our need for prayer been greater. Ahmed is in grave danger. I am unable to share details about his situation. Perhaps the best way for me to explain this to you is to ask you to read Luke 21: 14- 17. The passage ends, “All men will hate you because of me.” Jesus’ words are so apt at this time. The spiritual storm in this part of the world has changed direction. For some time there was a deceptive lull and calm for those who belonged to the established Church. Now that has shifted. The stormy winds are blowing directly toward us, both believers who have converted from Islam and those who were born into believing homes. Right now the authorities are actively seeking your brother Ahmed. He is in hiding, and Salima, his wife, cannot be with him. Nadira and I are hindered for several reasons from being able to go and be with either of them. Our going would put them in great danger. Others in the secret church have also scattered in order to throw off the authorities from discovering these communities. I am also concerned for a young lady who came to Christ some years ago. Her family are looking for a Muslim man to marry her. She has little or no hope of escaping this. God is a great God and I know that His plans for her are to prosper her and not to harm her, so I trust Him to care for her. As a man I am unable to go and visit with her. The family who were discipling her are forbidden from having anything more to do with her. We do not know her exact whereabouts. We pray that she is either able to get out of the marriage, or that the man of her parents choosing will also be a secret believer. I find it hard to keep my heart from wandering back to Ahmed. My dear brother needs the prayers of believers all over the world. Pray Luke 21:14 for him, that Ahmed will make up his mind not to worry about how he will defend himself. Sometimes I have an insight into why David wrote the Psalms as he did. The children of believers here ask if we should as Christians (who have to love our enemies) agree with David when he prays about the destruction of His enemies. Nadira comforts them and reminds them that the Bible’s words were not planned by men and women. It was not David but the Holy Spirit who inspired him to write from his experience. Nadira comforts these young people, saying that from God’s vantage Uncle Ahmed is where God has placed him. Why? We may never understand these things. So please my brethren pray for us. Pray that our vision may rise not from the pits of hatred, anger and fear that desperately try to invade our peace. Rather may we have a heavenly response. The storm is beating the doors down but we know “Because He lives we can face tomorrow...all fear is gone...he holds the future and life is worth the living just because he lives.”
and
"Dear Friends it has been so long since I was able to write to you. There were so many reasons for this. I was down with the flu, then my brother Abraham is leaving for University in the West and apart from that our whole phone&internet system decided to go on holiday during the Eid break. This is not uncommon, when Ramadan finally comes to an end&the expenses of the Eid celebration begin to make themselves known to people they begin to look for creative ways in which to make a fast buck on the side.
It is not unusual for cable operators to turn off people's satellite channels so that we have to call them to come in&look at what 'seems to be wrong' and then pay them for the service, or for people's electricity to be cut off so that again the electrician and local supplier will need to be called in. It is the same with water, wireless connections etc... And in the scheme of things guess who is at the bottom of the ' food chain'? Christians. Because when it comes to the Ummah (ie the Islamic brotherhood) there is a strange sense of loyalty, so even though after the Christians have been cut off from the rest of the world and decent living by losing water and electric connections, Muslim brothers will be attacked- but only in the end. After all Eid is an Islamic celebration so they feel more for their Muslim Brothers. It is strange. One would think if they feel sympathy it ought to be the whole way right?
Finally we had the cable and internet provider come in&look at what is going on. As expected he tried his best to open up word documents& picture folder etc pretending that they may hold the cause for our wireless failure. I am just really really annoyed. It was evident he was trying to snoop& see what we view&do on the computer & look for anti Islamic propaganda. We have long known that they are paid by some one or other to keep tabs on the computers' of Christians. But they do it so blatantly - anyone- even I-know that to get wireless running one does not need to read ' recent documents'.
These are the stresses& pressures under which your brothers&sisters live. It is hard for us. It is tiring. We are still mourning for the persecution of the last month or so. We are still shocked at the way the events catalysed and one young man met death because of a false blasphemy accusation.
Anwar the Cable guy could easily have made up something while looking at the computer, printed something, made up a story and then taken it to the police. We would not have a leg to stand on after that. No one could save us or get us out. But then I hear dadi comfort us and encourage us, ' Why do you live in fear? Why not pray that while reading Anwar will meet the heart of Christ in what you write and put on your computer'. Wow! What an absolutely amazing thought? She has lived through so much that he faith has multiplied over the years. Will you pray for the rest of the Maarias and Abrahams and Anwars in Pakistan and the Muslim World. Pray that in our vulnerability we would not seek to be more in control but just to be more faithful to our King."
and
"I watch the news, read the papers, but nothing is as disturbing as hearing the cry of a heart, the fear of a brother or a pastor, saying that he is concerned for his people. One friend comes and tells us that a pastor and his wife have fled, his son and daughter were kidnapped, escaped and now are seeking a refuge to be hidden from possible attacks of the extremists in their neighbourhood. Another Pastors sends an emailing asking that the brothers and sisters spread the word that his people need prayer and that we stand in the gap for one another and our churches. So even in that this blog becomes an answer to the prayers of so many, in that I am passing on to you the cry of their hearts- 'Pray for us, pray for strength and perseverance'.
I am devastated by the news of the Fanish. Did you hear about it. Fanish is the latest victim of the blasphemy law. Yesterday, well almost a day and a half ago now he was found dead in his prison. 19 and dead, accused for blaspheming by desicrating the Koran. His crime was actually that he was supposed to have insulted a Muslim girl. Now they say he committed suicide in prison. But there was enough evidence of torture to his body to suggest that that is not necessarily the truth. Whether or not this was suicide of extra judicial murder, Fanish is the victim of a system which fails to be inclusive and fair to all of its citizens, a system which has failed to birth a generation of Pakistanis who see Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis, Sikhs etc not only as equal citizens but even as equal human beings.
The fear I have is that there is no way of knowing when the person next to me may decide to take matters in to their hand and make a decision of whether I am equal enough in the scheme of things, and if they deicde not, how will they treat me. Will I become a victim of their hatred and anamosity. Who does the responsibility lie with? I could be noble and honourable and say 'ME' and say that I have to be more engaged with my Muslim neighbout and show that I have the dignity of a dignified God breathed into me, and the life of a living God in myself, but can I ever do enough. Can I ever be careful or ready enough for the day someone decides that they want to interpret my behaviour and my actions as blasphemous.
Never, I can never do enough. I can never blog enough, I can never write enough. The only thing I can do is be obedient. Reach out and take the grace and love for my neighbour that is on offer from the bounty of God's gifts to us as member of His body. What I can do and do with faithfulness and faith is to go on my knees and call out to His name and ask Him to fill you with the desire every day more and more of that desire to do the same and stand in the gap for those moments, for those who are abused, are being abused, have been abused and will continue to be abused because they have chosen to walk the road to Calvary. Your prayers and my prayers, our tears before the Lord may become just the strength and courage we all need to face the cross that is ours so one day we can all wear the crown."
Rekindlers, Ephesians 6 lays out the full armor of God. The sixth item is the Sword, which is the Bible. Many times, we think it is our offensive weapon, the one we attack with. However, that is not right. If we look to King Jesus and the example He sets, we see that when He is temped by the Devil in the wilderness, He uses Scriptures in *defense*, to deflect the Enemy's attacks. The Bible tells us that we do not wage war as the world wages war. So we need to know and use our Scripture in defending measures, to resist sin and encourage our brethren.
Our offensive weapon, the one we attack with is Prayer. The Ephesians 6 passage doesn't directly mention a spear, but that was the typical weapon a Roman soldier would've used in addition to his sword. And the last section of Ephesians six talks about prayer, so I call it the Spear of Prayer. That is our seventh piece of Spiritual Armor.
Just as a spear can reach out over long distances or be thrown for even longer distances, prayer is what we are to use in our spiritual battles for our sisters and brothers in Christ around the world, and for the Lost who have not found Christ yet.
So just as M points out in the second blog entry, we need to be praying for her and the other Christians in Pakistan and around the world. AND, we need to be praying for the Lost that are persucting them and/or caught up in their own personal battles. We MUST want, just as God wants (2 Peter 3:9), for EVERYONE to come to repentance and NO ONE to perish.
We must SHOUT!!!!! We must shout in prayer for the Found and for the Lost around the world. Take yourself out of your own little, regional world in northern Virginia, metro-Chicago or wherever you may be and think of the whole world. Think of all people. Think of their spiritual health before anything else. If they are starving or fat, rich or poor, etc, none of that matters without first finding the security and salvation and joy that come with committing to Christ.
So SHOUT!!! Shout in prayer for the Lost to be found. Shout out into the spiritual realms, that God continues to speak to His lost children, telling them that He loves them, explaining to them the Good News of His Son Jesus and encouraging them to run back home to Him and get wrapped up in the greatest of all Hugs! It DOES NOT MATTER how much they have sinned!!!! ALL can be forgiven! So look past their evil deeds, shed tears for their heart and soul, and pray that they might find salvation in the King of the Universe, the returning King, Christ Jesus.
And shout out into the spiritual realms for the protection and strengthening of those who are already apart of the King Jesus' household. Send up your prayers to God (trust me, they work!), that those who are going through troubles around the world (whether emotionally, physically, financially, etc), may first and foremost stay clinging to the robes of the Almighty. Pray that they may be reminded to trust in Him in very real ways and rejoice in that! Pray that they may have supernatural, Spirit-caused joy and peace in their circumstances, so that they can introduce others to God, setting an example and honoring the Ancient of Days. Then pray, after praying those things, for the external circumstances to be changed, if it is Father's Will. After praying for the sailor to be calm and joyous in the middle of the storm, after praying that God be witnessed and glorified because of the storym, then pray that the storm subside. That it go away. That it be defeated. We can pray for all these, but we must pray in the right order (eternal, internal, external).
My friends, readers of this blog, I encourage you to stop right now, and take a few minutes to pray for M and B and other persecuted Believers around the world (missionaries, Christians in closed countries, etc). And then take a few minutes praying for their persecutors. Pray that your heart and attitude towards our 'enemy humans' be the same as God's: that they cease their persecutions by coming into the embrace and fellowship with the Mighty One of this Universe!
SHOUT OUT IN PRAYER FOR A FEW MINUTES!! GET THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE AND PRIORITIES!
Thank you for taking the time to check us out and take a gander at what we have to offer you.
This site is meant to complement the main Rekindling Ministries website (www.rekindlingministries.org), where we can add information on the fly. Please keep checking back here frequently to follow what's happening here at Rekindling!
In a short answer, Rekindling is about rekindling your passion for this life and the one to come. It is about letting God stir up your soul, as you find your Calling/Purpose/Dream in life and pursue it with all you have! It is about serving others and working together to further God's Kingdom, to live life to the fullest, and to prepare for the eternal life to come through our King Jesus Christ!
FIREWATCH is the Rekindling email update that comes out every two weeks or so. If you would like an easy way to follow along with what we are doing (mission trips, Bible exposition, etc), then sign up!
...
Rekindling Ministries is a Christian educational non-profit that sets out to rekindle people's passions for God, for everyone else in the world and for their own lives. We do this through a series of practical modules that aim to encourage, educate and equip individuals and Christian communities for a more in-depth and abundant walk with our King and Savior, Christ Jesus!2 Timothy 1:6 AMP
KNOW THE VISION topics[Understanding the mission of Rekindling and how we view life]
V-1"the Vision & Mission of Rekindling:the 7-Stage Journey" ***
Studying the seven stages in our spiritual walk: Atheist, Agnostic, Seeker, Believer,Disciple, Ambassador & Co-Heir.
V-2"Eternal-Internal-External" ***
Looking at your situations through God's Eyes first, then through the hearts and minds of those involved and lastly turning to the circumstances themselves.
V-3"Be-Do-Have"
Embodying the Scriptural characteristics expected of us, so that we can effectively accomplish the things on our To Do list which will aid us in receiving rewards and resources.
V-4"the 7-Fold Life"
Embracing the Emotional, Spiritual, Intellectual and Physical aspects of our lives while managing our Relationship, Resources and Balance of it all.
V-5"the Spectrum"
Understanding that we are black & white creatures living in a gray world and that we must meet people where they are on the scale of faith, philosophy, politics, methods and more.
KNOW THY WORLD topics[Recognizing that God is not a myth]
KW-1"Evidence in Nature for a Creator God" ***
Looking at the discoveries of science and how they point to a Cause & Effect, Well-Designed Creation.
KW-2"Reasons in theHeart & Mind to pursue God"
Delving into the emotional and intellectual reasons for exploring the reality of God further.[COMING SOON!]
KW-3"Evidence that God authored the Scriptures" ***
Studying the historical and documental accuracies as well as the supernatural elements of the Scriptures, showing that 40+ people in 8+ countries over 1700+ years could not have written It without God's direction.
KNOW THY GOD topics[Being in awe of the Ancient of Days]
KG-1"God's Communication Methods / Knowing His Wishes" ***
Fully embracing the five ways God speaks to us:via Scriptures, Prayer, Others, Circumstances and Silence
KG-2"Making the Scriptures your North Star" ***
Enmeshing yourself in the Scriptures, understanding Its depth and applying It to the details of your daily life.
KG-3"The Core Theme of Scriptures: Reconnecting God and Men"
Looking at the overall message of the Bible, understanding that God has been reaching out to us for 6000+ years, and that Christ is the sole bridge that can bring us to the Father.[COMING SOON!]
KG-4"Names, Titles & Characteristics of God" ***
Studying the Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic descriptions of God scattered throughout the Scriptures, bringing us to the realization that Who God is, is beyond anything we can imagine until we come before Him face-to-face in Heaven.
KG-5"the Ultimate Goal of God: a Relationship with Us"
Rejoicing in the fact that 2 Peter 3:9, John 3:16, Philippians 2:15, Romans 10:9, Titus 3:5-7 and so many other passages teach us that God wants nothing more than to be our Father, our Savior, our Counselor and our King!
KG-6"the Ultimate Work of God: Expanding His Kingdom through Us"
Obeying God's top commandment: to love Him, serve others and live joyfully as we introduce the Lost to Christ and celebrate and work with the Found, expanding God's Family, waiting for our King to return...
KG-7"God's Gifts & Expectations"
Receiving God's gifts of Eternal Life and Abundant Life, giving Him in return our Affection, Adoration, Attention and Action and giving others our Love through the use of our Spiritual Gifts.[COMING SOON!]
KNOW HIS KINGDOM topics[Finding your place in God's World]
KK-1"Who's Who in the Kingdom: King, Citizens, the Lost & the Enemy" ***
Recognizing all the players in this great theater of life, namely that humans fall into either the Citizen or the Lost category while Satan and his minions are the one true Enemy of King Jesus and His subjects.
KK-2"Our Interactions with the Lost"
Understanding that we cannot hold non-Believers accountable to God's Commandments, because they haven't committed to Christ yet; our main goal should be to encourage them and share the Good News, not rebuke them.
KK-3"Our Interactions with fellow Citizens"
Learning what it means to live in unity and submission to our fellow Christians, Celebrating and Working together while Encouraging and Exhorting one another.[COMING SOON!]
KK-4"Church Unity: Freedom within the Boundaries"
Studying the different branches and denominations of Christ's Church and figuring out which doctrines are absolutes and which ones are considered 'freedom areas'.
KK-5"Perfection: Complete or Without Error?"
Learning that the words for 'perfect', in Hebrew and Greek, are better translated "complete" instead of "without error" and discussing the implications of that in our daily walk with God: intimacy with God + Scriptural living.
KK-6"Obedience vs. Results"
Reminding ourselves that we do not need to focus on results; we just need to focus on obedience to God's Will for our life and trust in Him to take care of the results.[COMING SOON!]
KK-7"the Abundant Life: Living above our Circumstances"
Christ promises us an abundant life, and yet most Christians are stressed, frustrated, unhappy and/or worried; so what do we need to change so that we can have this abundant life and live above our circumstances? [COMING SOON!]
KK-8"Walking in the Spirit: Gifts, Fruit, Folds and Armor" ***
Studying the Holy Spirit and what He offers us exactly, why we should take it and how we can do that practically.
KK-9"Spiritual Warfare : Resisting the Enemy" ***
One of the single greatest failures of Christians is to recognize the Enemy's actions in our lives, and we must learn how to resist Satan, fight temptation and overcome trials, using the power and armor of God.
KK-10"Flight, Fight or Persevere?" ***
Learning whether God wants us to resist and correct a negative situation in our life, flee from it or persevere through it and grow stronger; a powerful, practical application for the Christian life today!
KK-11"Take or Receive? / Stewardship"
Studying God's expectations for us when it comes to blessings and resources He plans forus: do we grab them or receive them and what are we to do with them exactly?[COMING SOON!].
KK- 12"7 Roles and 7 Environments"
Learning how to emulate the 7 roles Christ played: Warrior, Healer, Teacher, Servant, Steward, Socialite and Child and how to navigate the 7 environments of life: Spiritual Waters, Emotional Mountains & Valleys, Intellectual Forests, Physical Tundras, Busy Cities, Relaxing Country-sides and the Skies.
KK-Issuesvarious themes/issues...
There are hundreds of issues that the Scriptures cover in our Christian life; in these special workshops, students will work together to break down the context, original language and meaning of all passages covering a specific topic and reach a conclusion on what that means for us as Christians.So if you have a specific issue or doctrine that you would like to study, let us know and we can research the Scriptures together!
KNOW THY PURPOSE & DESTINY topics[Getting excited about this life and the one to come]
KPD-1"Know Thyself: Pursuing your Calling/Purpose/Niche in Life" ***
God has hand-crafted each of us for a specific purpose in life; so learn what your values, personality style, gifts, challenges, experiences and dreams all point to regarding your Calling in life!
KPD-2"End Times: When are we going home?"
Taking an in-depth look at what the Scriptures say about the end times: who, what, when, where, why and how.[COMING SOON!]
KPD-3"Heaven: What is Home going to be like?"
Looking in the Scriptures for the popular questions about Heaven: What will it be like? Will it be physical? Will we remember each other? Will there be animals there? What will we do?Etc.[COMING SOON!]
*** = Highly recommended by our instructor!
To schedule one of these modules at your church, small group or business, or to see when Rekindling is offering a public course in your local community, contact Mr. Shannon W. Kirkpatrick at:
shannon@rekindlingministries.comor703.899.7442
Rekindling Ministries is a 501c3 non-profit and as such- donations are gladly accepted and tax-deductible!
Videos & Documents
VIDEOS: We videotape all our courses, so if you missed a class or just want to check out a video to see what we're all about, then go to:
(Know the Vision's Week 1 (3 parts) and Know thy World's Week 4are probably the best two to watch and get an idea of what Rekindling is all about.)
DOCUMENTS: We also store all our relevant documents online, including the course outlines (to better follow along with the videos). So contact Shannon at shannon@rekindlingministries.com to get access to those documents!
Following are the seven courses offered by REKINDLING:
KNOW THE VISION: – Perspective Lenses for ‘Seeing the Unseen’
Just as we need corrective glasses to see details from far away or those red-and-blue plastic glasses to see 3D images jump to life, there are specific lenses that will greatly impact how we see our world. There are certain perspectives that will help bring some of the fuzzy issues and questions of life into crystal clarity. In this free four-week course, REKINDLING will teach three ways to open your eyes to the problems and situations around you, to see them in a different light and to help charter a more direct course out of murky waters. Counter to typical perspectives of everyday life in a fallen world, the three perspectives ‘Eternal-Internal-External’, ‘Be-Do-Have’ and ‘the 7-fold Life’ will help you see life for what it truly is! ‘Know The Vision’ will help you draw the map of life as you walk your Path in it. It will also paint the big picture of REKINDLING and what is to come in the remaining six courses! [2 Corinthians 4:16-18]
KNOW THY WORLD: – Does God Exist?
Before anything else can happen, each of us must come to grips with the question ‘Does God exist?’ In this five-week course, we will look at the physical evidence of science and our universe to help us reach our decision on whether or not we believe a supernatural God exists. We will then ask ourselves what are the emotional and mental reasons for seeking such a God and learning more about Him. The third key question to ask is ‘if there is a God and we choose to seek Him, how can we know what is True and what is not?’ So in the remainder of this course, we will jump into a thorough investigation of the Bible, to determine whether or not it truly is the literal Word of God. For those who come to the conclusion that it is, we can participate in the next course and take an inquisitive look into what exactly the Bible teaches. [1 Peter 3:15, Romans 1:20]
KNOW THY GOD: – What does it mean to be a Believer?
Once we have come to accept the Bible as the valid, literal Word of God, we can then begin to learn what God expects of us and what His Plans are for us, which is to obey His Commandments and accept His Son Christ Jesus as the gateway to Heaven! In this five-week course, we will do a thorough study of what it means to be a Believer in Christ. We will look in detail at God’s Plan for us to get to Heaven as well as learn the principle commands that the Bible teaches for Christians and what it means to truly live with a Biblical mindset. We will begin to understand His infinite Character and feel His overwhelming Presence and amazing Love as we take the ‘Know Elohim’ program. For those who have not yet done so, this is an excellent time to choose to accept Christ Jesus as their King and Savior, and to take the first serious step in fulfilling their Purpose and Destiny! [Mark 12:29-30]
KNOW HIS KINGDOM: – What does it mean to be His Disciple? (Part One)
Too often we believe that once we become a Christian, that is all we need to do. Go to church, pray, give some money and God will be happy. But the Bible teaches us that there is much more to be done. The Scriptures are clear that to live life to its fullest, we must seek Jesus constantly. Christ calls His Believers to become His Disciples, which means learning from Him, emulating Him and following Him wherever He leads. This five-week course takes us deep into the Scriptures and the life of Christ, and what it means to be His servant and friend. We will seek to be transformed into Christ-centered individuals who readily give up this life to prepare for the next. We will study the Seven Roles of Christ and the Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit, as we seek to glorify God by emulating His Son through the help of the Spirit. We will begin to replace our worldly mentality with His Kingdom mentality. [Luke 9:23-26]
KNOW HIS KINGDOM: – What does it mean to be His Disciple? (Part Two)
As we become more and more familiar with our King, we can also turn to His subjects, the people of His Church scattered around the world. The five-week, second part of the Kingdom series focuses on what the Scriptures tell us about Christ’'s Church and how we are to interact with one another as well as with those who have not yet accepted Christ as their Lord. A detailed look into the topic of loving one another and a radical implementation of it will stretch us more into His Image. We will also study and discuss the physical reality of spiritual warfare and what it means for us as we serve in God’s Kingdom. We will begin to better understand our enemy, which is no human on the planet, but rather Satan the fallen angel. We will learn what it means to be a part of this spiritual war, standing firm in God’s Armor and trusting in God to protect us and deliver us, through faith, prayer and perseverance. [Galatians 6:10, Ephesians 6:12]
KNOW THY PURPOSE & DESTINY: What it means to be His Ambassador in this life & Co-Heir in the next!
As we become more of whom we are supposed to be, we are then ready to do the things asked of us. Christ calls His Disciples to also become His Ambassadors, representing Him until He returns. We are to become Salt and Light for this hungry and dark world, creating in people a thirst and understanding of God and His Plan. Each of us will accomplish this in our own way, through our own Calling, which we will each discover through the Know Thyself program during this five-week course. Now that we have become who we are supposed to be and are doing what we are called to do, we can look at what we will receive in life. We will learn what it means to receive God’s Grace and blessings in this life, and what we are in store for in Heaven, where we will rule with Christ together for eternity. We will learn what the Scriptures say about Heaven and why we should be extremely excited about the reality of living for eternity in the Presence of God! [Ephesians 4:1, Romans 8:17-21]
TRANSFORMED! – Now that you are rekindled, it’s time to act!
The final five-week course of Rekindling will be similar to an apprenticeship, where Rekindlers will take everything they have learned, review it, begin to master it, and work together with other Rekindlers to discover and implement God’s Designs for each of them. This course will be the practical application of all the studies already done. It will be the cap on the transformation, as we humble ourselves and let God work within us and through us, for the glory of His Name and His Kingdom!
You are rekindled, so let that fire spread! “ [That is why I would remind you to stir up, rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of and keep burning the gracious gift of God, the inner fire that is in you.” 2 Timothy 1:6 AMP]
Posts
Just as we need corrective glasses to see details from far away or those red-and-blue plastic glasses to see 3D images jump to life, there are specific lenses that will greatly impact how we see our world. There are certain perspectives that will help bring some of the fuzzy issues and questions of life into crystal clarity. In this free four-week course, REKINDLING will teach three ways to open your eyes to the problems and situations around you, to see them in a different light and to help charter a more direct course out of murky waters. Counter to typical perspectives of everyday life in a fallen world, the three perspectives ‘Eternal-Internal-External’, ‘Be-Do-Have’ and ‘the 7-fold Life’ will help you see life for what it truly is! ‘Know The Vision’ will help you draw the map of life as you walk your Path in it. It will also paint the big picture of REKINDLING and what is to come in the remaining six courses!
