Do You Question Your God Given Gifts and Talents?
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Have you ever felt as though you had been blessed with certain God given gifts and talents, but then questioned them because of what people have said about you or to you? In this post, learn how to shut out the voices that tell you that you can’t when God has planted those gifts and talents within you!
Updated and republished from 2/28/2020
Have People Made You Question Your Gifts and Talents?
I had been writing since I was a small child. I wrote my first “book” (unpublished of course) when I was about six years old. I would sit in my room for hours on end, writing plays and stories. I had a love for writing that just made me get lost in it. This love of writing went on until I was sixteen.
Then one day, someone told me I couldn’t write.
They simply said it was a waste of time and I would never make anything of myself writing. They essentially said I would never write in a way that would ever be of any benefit, to me or anyone else, and that I didn’t have enough talent for it to ever be a useful endeavor.
Because this was said by an adult family member, and in spite of the fact that this person had never read ANYTHING I had ever written, it stuck with me.
My mother and my sister raved about my writing and encouraged it. My sister even saved some of my writings for years! But this one person told me I couldn’t. So I put the pen down.
I didn’t write again for decades; not a single word. Decades!
Recently I opened up and shared my love of writing with my husband. I shared with him my dream of starting a blogging ministry for women so I could share my experiences, my hurts, my pain, in the hopes of helping someone.
I wanted to share the things I had learned over the years and my experiences as a Messianic Jew in the hopes of helping someone grow deeper in their walk with God.
I told him however that I didn’t believe I could do it. Oh, those old recordings coming back once again. The recordings that always seemed to say “You can’t…..”.
It was on a long car ride when we talked about it. He got excited about my dream. He gave me ideas and made ME get excited about it too.
After all this time, someone was encouraging me to take my love of writing and do something with it. Someone told me I COULD do something significant with it!! There was someone once again who told me my writing was worth something and that I DID have the God given talents to make this happen!
Using Your God Given Talents
Isn’t it funny in an ironic sort of way that we can be told by multiple people that we have a gift, but one person can come along and make us question everything we know about ourselves? All the voices who tell us “you can…” can be silenced by the one who tells us “you can’t…”!
And we can go on, sometimes our whole lives, believing the lie of “you can’t”!
But the wonderful things is that one person can come along that we trust and believe enough to silence that voice and show us how not only do we believe in God but that He believes in us!
He entrusts us with these gifts and talents in life because He knows he has equipped us for them!
You see, I should have listened to God, but I was even doubting that HE even wanted me to write.
Maybe I was meant to do something else!
God has given each of us certain gifts. Some of them spiritual and some of them of the innate kind that anyone could have regardless of their faith.
The enemy wants us to squander those gifts and those talents so that they never benefit anyone, least of all God and His Kingdom!
All the voices who tell us 'you can…', can be silenced by the one who tells us 'you can't…'! Share on XWhat Are the Types of God Given Gifts and Talents?
It would be impossible for me to list all the gifts and talents a person could have. But there is a list in God’s Word of the Spiritual Gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to us as believers:
Gifts of the Spirit
Each one of us in the body of Christ is given spiritual gifts. When we are saved and the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh in Hebrew) comes to dwell inside of us, we receive these gifts. No one inside the Church is omitted.
We are all empowered by the Spirit with these gifts, although not the same gifts as our friends or family! Our gifts are given as God wills. We are all one body with different parts and different functions. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11:
“Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Ruach. There are various kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are various kinds of working, but the same God who works all things in all people.
But to each person is given the manifestation of the Ruach for the benefit of all. For to one is given through the Ruach a word of wisdom, to another a word of knowledge according to the same Ruach, to another faith by the same Ruach, to another gifts of healings by the one Ruach, to another workings of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Ruach activates all these things, distributing to each person individually as He wills.
TLV
So while our gifts may not be the same, we are all given them if we are in Christ! So let no one ever convince you that you are not gifted in some way!
These are God given gifts that no man can take away from us! And these gifts are given to glorify God and to help and encourage one another! No matter what anyone says to you or about you, they cannot take these from you!!
Then there are other gifts!
One person can come along that we trust and believe enough to silence that voice! To show us that not only do we believe in God but that He believes in us!! Share on XInherent Gifts or God Given”Talents”
Then there are inherent gifts.
Inherent gifts are gifts you are born with. It doesn’t matter if a person is saved or unsaved, these are gifts they may naturally have.
Gifts such as these might be the gift of singing, the gift of speaking, the gift of teaching, and yes, the gift of writing.
We often refer to these gifts as “talents”. When someone is a great singer we often say they are “talented”. These are the things we just seem to be able to do without any formal training, etc.
They come naturally to us, regardless of whether we know God and have the Holy Spirit or not. These are in fact God given gifts but not the gifts of the Spirit. Whether you are saved or unsaved, you have certain talents!
Using Your God Given Gifts and Talents to Glorify God
No matter if we are speaking of a gift of the Spirit or a talent you are born with or learn, we should use all of these to glorify God.
If you have a talent for singing, sing to glorify the Lord.
If your gift is writing, write to glorify God! If your gift is encouragement, use it to encourage the body of believers! If your gift is the discerning of spirits, use it to help the others!
We have our God given gifts and talents to be used by Him, but the enemy often tells us we are not gifted and not talented.
He makes us believe his lies! He wants you to squander your talent, like I squandered my writing for so many years, by believing an ill-willed person. Sometimes it’s our own thoughts that tell us we are not good enough.
Maybe he can’t attack us that way because our talent is undeniable, so he makes us believe it is better suited for the world.
He plies us with money or fame so that we use our gifts and talents to glorify ourselves. There is nothing wrong with using your talents IN the world, as long as it is not the world or yourself you are glorifying!
At the end of the day, the enemy wants us to waste our gifts and talents as opposed to using them for God’s glory.
Have You Been Questioning Your God Given Gifts and Talents?
As a blogger, I see other faith bloggers all too often question their calling. I do it myself even today!
We look at other bloggers and compare. We wonder if we really heard God’s call to write or if we are just following our own will.
I have seen such anointed singers nearly throw in the towel because of one failed audition. The enemy immediately makes them question their talent. They think maybe they’re not as good as they thought.
What gifts and talents do you often find yourself questioning? Trust God! Trust that He will reveal to you your gifting! Trust that when He does, He made no mistake!
No matter what people tell you, no matter what you tell yourself…trust God! Don’t let the enemy or even other people stifle the wonderful God given gifts you’ve been blessed with!
Share in the comments if you’ve ever felt afraid to pursue something you felt called to because someone made you feel you couldn’t do it!
And be sure to get your FREE Bible Study Worksheets and Coloring Sheets below as my gift to you!
Tree of Life (TLV) – Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014,2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society. Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society.
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What a wonderfully encouraging post! Thank you for these words. Your neighbor at Heart Encouragement, Tammy
Thank you so much!!!
Diane, thank you for sharing your gift of writing with us. This is such a crucial topic. Sometimes the lies I believe are my own. Thanks for the reminder that God has granted each of us gifts and for the inspiration to dust them off or uncover them and use them for His glory.
Thank you so much Carlie! I’m so glad it encouraged you!
Tha k you for this post! I’m struggling with this currently, because I’ve always had an incredible joy and fulfillment through singing, and have taken lessons for years through high school and college. As an adult, I sort of stuffed that desire down because it didn’t seem to fit into life after school. And I’m definitely not as good as a lot of other singers, but that joy is still there. Lately, after having two kids and being married for 11 years with no real musical outlet, I’ve begun to get back into singing, and brushing up on technique, picking up my guitar and practicing every day. But the better I get, the more I doubt myself and question if it’s all a waste of time. Your article has helped me realize that God really did put this desire in me, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to share it, even if it’s imperfect. I’m nervous, but I’m going to do it.
Carrie I am SO blessed that you found it helpful. Believe me, it is SO easy to question these things. I don’t think a single day goes by that the question of whether or not I have what it takes to be a blogger doesn’t pop into my mind even though I have been doing it for 2 years. The enemy makes me compare myself to other bloggers and makes me feel I am not as good as they are. He will get right into your head with those lies if you let him. You just keep making music. God has given you a beautiful gift and the enemy wants nothing more than to stifle it! Share it and don’t worry about perfection! Perfection is the enemy of done!
I know this is an older post, but it hit home for me that I must comment! I knew God blessed me with a beautiful singing voice at a very young age. Throughout my school aged years I remained in choirs and talent shows to keep my talent vibrant. I told my dad when I was 8 that I wanted to sing when I grow up, his response to me: that’s too difficult. I was crushed from that comment for over 30 years. In between that 30 years I was married to a man for 18 years that never encouraged me and prevented my growth by starting arguments with me before Sunday mornings where I was to lead songs at church. I was the choir president and lead praise team singer. My mother never encouraged me, my father never encouraged me, no family, but strangers always informed me of my annointing. I always knew in my heart what God gave me, however, people in my life restrained from validating what I already knew. I kind of feel like they did it on purpose. I am just now walking into my Destiny with my music and I have now learned that my father wished he had of pursued singing which I never knew. I’m also now learning that his mother made a whole album but due to her disability she was never able to release the album, but she was a singer. My father never shared any of this with me. Although, I’m stepping into my Destiny, I have to be very cautious and observant of anyone that communicates with me concerning my gift. I have found that random people family and strangers will say something “ subtle” aimed at making me question my gift. I know it’s the enemy and I am more alert now. I make secular music and gospel music, but I have a purpose and plan for the secular songs I make, which is to draw them into the gospel songs I make. I believe God is using my Gift in a very unique way that is not of the norm. I am growing stronger in Jesus Christ everyday, but I must guard my heart and my gift. Spiritually, I believe my gift is healing, specifically through my music. It’s amazing how quickly the enemy will send “ others” to plant a seed of doubt that will cause you to question yourself. I refuse to feed into this lie that held me back already for 30 plus years. Thank you for your article.
Thank you so much for sharing your story! It is most definitely going to help people coming here to read this post. Your story (and mine) is sadly a common one and many a gifted person has given up on their gift or talent because of what others have said to discourage them. So reading your own story will no doubt give someone the courage and the faith to pursue their gifting in spite of what others say, whether it is from a place of hurt (as in the case of someone who failed to pursue their own dreams) or a place of just plain being mean. Thank you for sharing your gift with the world.
Thank you so much for this blog. I have been desiring to use my gifts as a Career Coach or something related. I know God has given me this gift and I need to trust.
Yes!! Just step out in faith and do it! I know people who have started coaching careers and been very successful with it so yes…go for it!!
Wow, i’m short of words, this article is really touching. I just come across this article because i am writing an article about talents & i needed to compare what i had written down with that in a blog & i’m impressed. well I kind of have the gifting of writing & singing but i don’t know why i just let them go maybe because thought i’m not good enough but i’m in for a change. Thanks, alot.
I am so glad you found the article encouraging and I certainly hope you do explore your writing and singing gifts!! I am sure you do beautifully at both!!
It’s nice to have personal confirmation of what someone’s talents are, even if you do question them. I don’t even have that other than results from a professional aptitude test.
Questioning is ok. Christianity has made so many people feel questioning is wrong. The questioning leads us to seek and dig in further!