Did I Hit My Head?

One of my Spiritual gifts is Encouragement. I love, love, love to encourage people. I’m like one of those ‘cheerleader’ type people who loves to lift others up.

…or at least I used to be.

I’m pretty sure it started happening when I started seeing others’ through my eyes instead of Christ’s eyes. Through my eyes people are not very nice. As a matter of fact, I’d say they’re downright mean. Well most of them anyway.

My ‘encourager’ is silenced. I catch myself (usually before I say anything audibly) wanting to speak truth from my own tainted vision, rather than Christ’s absolute truth.

I remember reading a Terri Blackstock book called; “The Heart Reader”, where people are given gifts to see, hear, or feel what others are thinking, feeling, etc. I may be combining two books, but I think it’s the same one. The people with the gift didn't even know they had it until it started working. They realized they were hearing the hurts of people that were unable to speak the hurts. They were seeing ‘impairments’ invisible to the eye. They were able to help minister to these ‘broken’ people with their gift.

Perhaps I better reread that book sometime soon. Either that or I’m going to need to see a physician higher up on the ‘scale’…like the Great Physician! How do I schedule those appointments? I’ll bet he just contacts me directly.

Heroes

Confession...I watch Heroes. I have since the beginning and I like it. I know some would say it's a banal waste of time and has no redeeming qualities...it's just television...I would have to disagree.

Heroes reminds me of our own God-given gifts. I know it may seem like a far cry from the television program, but I don't think it really is. You see, I believe each day that we choose to deny our gifts and just live our life for ourselves and our close-little circle of people we choose to interact with, the more we lose a little bit of that gift.

God showed us through the parable of sow/reap, and the parable of the talents and throughout the Bible that if we will not be used, He will find someone who will become a vessel for Him. We have the use it or lose it gifts. Our gifts are not for us...they are for HIM!

When I shut down between churches recently, I quit actively encouraging others and the less I encouraged, the less encouraged I was. It was a palpable difference. Even with the small amount of this I have resumed at church and at work, the more encouraged I am...the more joy I walk in.

The same principle stands for my gifting of teaching and leading. The more I lie down and allow Satan's voice to echo over the audible voice of God inside me, the more battles I defer to the enemy. I can't just lie down and allow him earthly victory when I know Christ died to give us eternal victory and to share that on earth as long as we're here...in our words and deeds.

Remember God won't ask us to do the possible. God will only ask us to do the absolutely, completely, utterly IMPOSSIBLE, so He gets the glory and recognition of the ability He brings us.

So the bottom line is I am a Hero. I have powers. We all do. Our mission is not just to 'save the cheerleader, save the world!' Rather our mission is clear...share the message of the salvation of the world...not through a cheerleader, but through a Savior.

So...are you a hero too?