"For it will be like a man about to leave home for awhile, who entrusted his possession to his servants. To one he gave five talents [equivalent to a hundred year's wages]; to another, two talents; and to another, one talent -- TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY." Then he left. ~ Matthew 25:14-15 CJB (emphasis added)
The spiritual gifts and talents that we possess are NOT ours but His possessions. He has entrusted them to us for His purposes here on earth - to bring increase of His Glory. Unfortunately, like the servant given one talent, we hide them. There are many factors as to why we do. FEAR being the root of them all. Yet it does not justify the disobedience.
"The one he gave five talents immediately went out, invested it and earned another five. Similarly, the one given two earned two. But the one given one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money." ~ verses 16-18 CJB
Fear as I mentioned, causes us to dig a hole and bury the Master's gifts and talents instead of investing them.
The disobedient servant knew his master and his purpose of entrusting him with the one talent. He said "I knew you were a hard man. You harvest where you didn't plant and gather where you didn't sow seed. I WAS AFRAID, so I hid your talent in the ground. Here! Take what belongs to you!" (verses 24-25 CJB - emphasis added)
I, myself struggled with fear. Intimidation placed fetters around my feet - keeping me bound, unable to move in the gifts. The intimidation came when I compared myself to others. They had five talents and here I am with one.
I became stagnant, complacent, and a spirit of passivity caused me to dig a deep hole and bury the gifts entrusted to me. I became the disobedient servant. I found myself repeating his words "I was afraid, so I hid your talent in the ground. Here! Take what belongs to you!" Yet in the next breath, I was crying out for deliverance!
One Sunday as I was worshiping in His sanctuary, He spoke to me. "Today, I am removing the fetters off your feet which the enemy has placed to keep you from doing my will." Freedom is yours, says the LORD." I cried, and thanked Him for hearing my cries and delivering me.
As time passed, I still found myself procrastinating. The desire to walk in His will was there but somehow the struggle to walk in it was present. I remember questioning whether I was delivered as He had spoken. Isn't that what the enemy would have us do? Doubt! But I refused to give into the lie. I just continued to hold on to His Word of deliverance despite what I saw or felt.
One morning, during my time with the LORD, my spirit began to cry out in a heavenly language that I myself have never heard before. I was able to understand what was being said from my spirit and it was a plea. It was an outpouring of confession, repentance and a letting go of past failures. Father began to speak many things to me. For one, He said "My Child, you are forgiven. Rest in Me."
There was much more spoken but for the sake of this post, I am only sharing what pertains to this message. However, I will share it in another post because there were things I am to speak to His people.
As He continued to speak, He said "Child, listen closely. I have removed the fetters but it requires you to shake them off AND walk. Walk in the gifts I haven given you. Walk in the knowing I have poured out from you - that is where the shaking came in. They were meant to press the oil from you. How will you be able to speak from a place of love and compassion if you yourself were not in that place to receive it from Me. Yes, it was a hard journey but pride must be crushed. Humility was to be birthed out of you. It is in humility that I am found. I am humble and gentle and therefore you shall be."
At first I could not understand what He meant when He said "How will you be able to speak from a place of love and compassion if you yourself were not in that place to receive it from Me." What does this have to do with walking in the gifts, I pondered. Why did He speak about pride? I didn't have pride. How can I have pride if I was fearful? Pride meant confidence and I didn't have none. But indeed pride was a factor. Pride grew from the root of fear. I held on to the belief that the gifts belonged to me regardless because scripture says that He will not revoke them and since they were mine, I had the freedom to chose whether to use them or not. Pride also convinced me that it was through my own abilities that I was able to accomplish anything. Pride will have you take all the credit. Fear having its root, reaffirmed that my inabilities will have me fail before man.
The master took the servant's talent and gave it to the servant who invested his and received double in return. (verse 28). Fear will cause you much.
It was through the shaking and the uprooting of fear that pride was crushed along with the other factors of laziness, procrastination, passivity, complacency and disobedience. During this time of shaking, I cried out for God's love and compassion to be upon me. Now, I came to the understanding that just as fear is the root of hindrance in walking in the gifts, LOVE was the foundation in operating effectively in them. It was not my ability to do, but my ability to love.
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of instruction." (2 Timothy 1:7 Aramaic Bible Translation)
"..and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
It is HIS POWER that works within us as we invest the gifts He has entrusted to us - whether its five, two or one. He WILL do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or THINK when we walk in obedience. Not for us to build our name but for the increase of HIS GLORY to all generations forever and ever.
Remember that he gives "to each one according to his ability". Meaning that He knows what we are capable of handling at that moment and when we are faithful in the small, He will entrust us with the much. Let us remember that whatever He gives us, it should be used for HIS Glory.
Our concerns should never lie within failing before man but failing to disobey God! He is the ONE who enables us through His grace (power) to fulfill all things for HIS glory, not man and not ourselves.
Therefore, Let us pray for more grace to walk in all He has purposed us to walk in humbly and driven by love.....
"But our Lord gives us more grace; therefore, he said, “God humbles the proud and he gives grace to the humble.” ~ James 4:6 Aramaic Bible Translation
The spiritual gifts and talents that we possess are NOT ours but His possessions. He has entrusted them to us for His purposes here on earth - to bring increase of His Glory. Unfortunately, like the servant given one talent, we hide them. There are many factors as to why we do. FEAR being the root of them all. Yet it does not justify the disobedience.
"The one he gave five talents immediately went out, invested it and earned another five. Similarly, the one given two earned two. But the one given one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money." ~ verses 16-18 CJB
Fear as I mentioned, causes us to dig a hole and bury the Master's gifts and talents instead of investing them.
The disobedient servant knew his master and his purpose of entrusting him with the one talent. He said "I knew you were a hard man. You harvest where you didn't plant and gather where you didn't sow seed. I WAS AFRAID, so I hid your talent in the ground. Here! Take what belongs to you!" (verses 24-25 CJB - emphasis added)
I, myself struggled with fear. Intimidation placed fetters around my feet - keeping me bound, unable to move in the gifts. The intimidation came when I compared myself to others. They had five talents and here I am with one.
I became stagnant, complacent, and a spirit of passivity caused me to dig a deep hole and bury the gifts entrusted to me. I became the disobedient servant. I found myself repeating his words "I was afraid, so I hid your talent in the ground. Here! Take what belongs to you!" Yet in the next breath, I was crying out for deliverance!
One Sunday as I was worshiping in His sanctuary, He spoke to me. "Today, I am removing the fetters off your feet which the enemy has placed to keep you from doing my will." Freedom is yours, says the LORD." I cried, and thanked Him for hearing my cries and delivering me.
As time passed, I still found myself procrastinating. The desire to walk in His will was there but somehow the struggle to walk in it was present. I remember questioning whether I was delivered as He had spoken. Isn't that what the enemy would have us do? Doubt! But I refused to give into the lie. I just continued to hold on to His Word of deliverance despite what I saw or felt.
One morning, during my time with the LORD, my spirit began to cry out in a heavenly language that I myself have never heard before. I was able to understand what was being said from my spirit and it was a plea. It was an outpouring of confession, repentance and a letting go of past failures. Father began to speak many things to me. For one, He said "My Child, you are forgiven. Rest in Me."
There was much more spoken but for the sake of this post, I am only sharing what pertains to this message. However, I will share it in another post because there were things I am to speak to His people.
As He continued to speak, He said "Child, listen closely. I have removed the fetters but it requires you to shake them off AND walk. Walk in the gifts I haven given you. Walk in the knowing I have poured out from you - that is where the shaking came in. They were meant to press the oil from you. How will you be able to speak from a place of love and compassion if you yourself were not in that place to receive it from Me. Yes, it was a hard journey but pride must be crushed. Humility was to be birthed out of you. It is in humility that I am found. I am humble and gentle and therefore you shall be."
At first I could not understand what He meant when He said "How will you be able to speak from a place of love and compassion if you yourself were not in that place to receive it from Me." What does this have to do with walking in the gifts, I pondered. Why did He speak about pride? I didn't have pride. How can I have pride if I was fearful? Pride meant confidence and I didn't have none. But indeed pride was a factor. Pride grew from the root of fear. I held on to the belief that the gifts belonged to me regardless because scripture says that He will not revoke them and since they were mine, I had the freedom to chose whether to use them or not. Pride also convinced me that it was through my own abilities that I was able to accomplish anything. Pride will have you take all the credit. Fear having its root, reaffirmed that my inabilities will have me fail before man.
The master took the servant's talent and gave it to the servant who invested his and received double in return. (verse 28). Fear will cause you much.
It was through the shaking and the uprooting of fear that pride was crushed along with the other factors of laziness, procrastination, passivity, complacency and disobedience. During this time of shaking, I cried out for God's love and compassion to be upon me. Now, I came to the understanding that just as fear is the root of hindrance in walking in the gifts, LOVE was the foundation in operating effectively in them. It was not my ability to do, but my ability to love.
"I may have the gift of prophecy,
I may fathom all mysteries, know all things,
have all faith — enough to move mountains;
but if I lack love, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of instruction." (2 Timothy 1:7 Aramaic Bible Translation)
"..and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
It is HIS POWER that works within us as we invest the gifts He has entrusted to us - whether its five, two or one. He WILL do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or THINK when we walk in obedience. Not for us to build our name but for the increase of HIS GLORY to all generations forever and ever.
Remember that he gives "to each one according to his ability". Meaning that He knows what we are capable of handling at that moment and when we are faithful in the small, He will entrust us with the much. Let us remember that whatever He gives us, it should be used for HIS Glory.
Our concerns should never lie within failing before man but failing to disobey God! He is the ONE who enables us through His grace (power) to fulfill all things for HIS glory, not man and not ourselves.
Therefore, Let us pray for more grace to walk in all He has purposed us to walk in humbly and driven by love.....
"But our Lord gives us more grace; therefore, he said, “God humbles the proud and he gives grace to the humble.” ~ James 4:6 Aramaic Bible Translation
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