Day 31- Understanding Your Shape

Only you can be you

God designed each of us so there would be no duplication in the World. No one has the same mix of factors that make you unique. This means no one on earth will ever be able to play the role God planned for you.

SHAPE: Applying Your Abilities

Your abilities are the natural talents you were born with. Some people have a natural ability with words, others have natural athletic abilities, while some are good at mathematics or music or mechanics.

All of our abilities come from God.

Since your natural abilities are from God, they are just as important and as “spiritual“as your spiritual gifts. The only difference is that you were given them at birth.

Every ability can be used for God’s Glory

Your abilities were not given just to make a living; God gave them to you for your ministry

SHAPE: Using Your Personality

Your uniqueness is a scientific fact of life. When God made you, He broke the mold. There never has been, and never will be, anybody exactly like you.

There is no right or wrong temperament for ministry. We need all kinds of personality to balance the church and give it flavor.

Your personality will affect how and where you use your spiritual gifts and abilities. For instance, two people may have the gifts of evangelism, but one is an introvert and the other is an extrovert, the gift will be expressed in different ways.

When you minister in a manner consistent with the personality God gave you, you experience fulfillment, satisfaction, and fruitfulness.

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SHAPE: Employing Your Experience

You have been shaped by your experience in life. God allowed them for his purpose of molding you.

• Family Expensive: What did you learn growing up in your family?
• Educational Experience: What were your favorite subjects in school?
• Vocation Experience: What jobs have you been most effective in and enjoyed most?
• Spiritual Experience: What have been your most meaningful times with God?
• Ministry Experience: How have you served God in the past?
• Painful Experience: What problems, hurts, thorns, and trails have you learned from?

It is this last category, painful experience, that God uses the most to prepare you for ministry. God never wastes a hurt!

Who could better minister to the parents of a Down syndrome child than another couple who have been afflicted in the same way? Who could better help an alcoholic recover than someone who fought that demon and found freedom? Who could better comfort a wife whose husband has left her for an affair than a woman who went through that agony herself?

God intentionally allows you to go through painful experiences to equip you for ministry to others.

If you really desire to be used by God, you must understand a powerful truth: The very experiences you’ve wanted to hide and forget – are the experiences God wants to use to help others. They are your ministry.

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As we’ve looked at these five ways God has shaped you for service, I hope you have a deeper appreciation for God’s sovereignty and a clearer idea of how he has prepared you for the purpose of serving him.

You will be most effective when you use your spiritual gifts and abilities in the area of your heart’s desire, and in a way that best expresses your personality and experiences.

The better the fit, the more successful you will be.

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