Activating Our Gifts: Embracing the Kingdom Mission

Devotional

Day 1: The Manner of Our Mission Matters

In our journey as agents of the Kingdom of God, it's crucial to recognize that the way we carry out our mission is as important as the mission itself. Our actions, when done with the right heart and attitude, can transform ordinary moments into divine opportunities. Whether we are teaching, serving, or simply interacting with others, the manner in which we execute our tasks reflects our commitment to God's work. This perspective encourages us to apply our unique gifts in every aspect of our lives, ensuring that our actions align with the values of the Kingdom. [46:36]

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV): "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Reflection: Think about a task you often perform without much thought. How can you approach it with a renewed sense of purpose and intention, seeing it as an opportunity to serve God today?

Day 2: Engaging with Our God-Given Gifts

God has uniquely crafted each of us with specific gifts, talents, and abilities meant to be used for His glory. However, it's not enough to simply recognize these gifts; we must actively engage with them. This requires intentionality, a willingness to start small, and the humility to persist despite challenges. By "pushing the button," we activate our gifts and step into the roles God has prepared for us, transforming our initial excitement into meaningful action. [50:07]

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV): "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ."

Reflection: Identify one gift or talent you have been hesitant to use. What is one small step you can take today to begin using this gift for God's glory?

Day 3: Grounding Ourselves in God's Truth

Unbelief is a significant obstacle that can hinder the Word of God from taking root in our hearts. The enemy often uses doubt to snatch away our sense of purpose and the promises of God. To overcome this, we must ground ourselves in the truth of God's Word, which is living, active, and powerful. By reaffirming the truth, we can counter any lie and stand firm in our faith, knowing that God's promises are sure and steadfast. [58:01]

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV): "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Reflection: What is one promise from God's Word that you struggle to believe? How can you remind yourself of its truth today and allow it to take root in your heart?

Day 4: Finding Strength Amidst Overwhelming Pressure

The enemy often seeks to overwhelm us with pressure and attacks from all sides, aiming to make us give up. However, we find strength in God's promises and the divine power of our spiritual weapons. By relying on God's strength, we can resist the urge to retreat and instead press on, knowing that God has already overcome the world. Our faith is not in our own abilities but in the power of God to sustain us through every trial. [01:06:07]

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (ESV): "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."

Reflection: Consider a current pressure or challenge you are facing. How can you rely on God's strength and promises to navigate this situation today?

Day 5: Staying Focused on Our Mission

Distractions can easily choke the life out of the Word, preventing it from maturing and bearing fruit. The cares and pleasures of life often divert our attention from our true calling. To fulfill our mission, we must remain focused, setting our gaze on the path before us and not being swayed by temporary concerns. Recognizing the significance of our calling helps us prioritize our time and energy, ensuring that we stay aligned with God's purpose for our lives. [01:14:16]

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV): "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Reflection: What is one distraction that often diverts your attention from your mission? How can you intentionally refocus your priorities to align with God's calling for you today?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound concept of being agents of the Kingdom of God, likening our mission to that of a daring adventure, much like a "Mission Impossible" scenario. We are uniquely crafted by God, endowed with gifts, talents, and abilities meant to be used for His glory. Our journey began with understanding that it's not merely about what we do, but how we do it that truly matters. This perspective allows us to apply our God-given gifts in every aspect of our lives, whether in teaching, serving, or any other capacity.

We then delved into the idea of "pushing the button"—activating the gifts God has given us. It's not enough to be excited about our gifts; we must actively use them. However, many of us face a "failure to launch," where despite our initial enthusiasm, we falter due to various challenges. We examined the parable of the sower from Luke 8, which illustrates how the Word of God can be hindered by unbelief, overwhelming pressure, and distractions.

Unbelief is the first obstacle, where the enemy seeks to snatch the Word from our hearts, leading us to doubt our purpose and God's promises. We combat this by reaffirming the truth of God's Word, which is living, active, and powerful. Overwhelming pressure is another tactic of the enemy, aiming to make us give up by attacking us from all sides. Yet, we find strength in knowing that our weapons are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

Distraction is the final hurdle, where the cares and pleasures of life choke the Word, preventing it from bearing fruit. We must remain focused, setting our gaze on the path before us, and not be swayed by the temporary things of this world. Our mission is significant, impacting families, communities, and even nations. We are called to push the button, to walk in our gifts, and to fulfill the mission God has entrusted to us.

Key Takeaways

1. The Importance of How We Do What We Do: It's not just about the actions we take, but the manner in which we execute them that defines our mission. Our unique gifts can be applied in various contexts, transforming ordinary interactions into opportunities for God's work. [46:36]
2. Activating Our Gifts: We must move beyond excitement and actively engage with the gifts God has given us. This requires intentionality and a willingness to start small, remain humble, and persist despite challenges. [50:07]
3. Overcoming Unbelief: The enemy often uses unbelief to snatch the Word from our hearts. We counter this by grounding ourselves in the truth of God's Word, which is living, active, and powerful, capable of overcoming any lie. [58:01]
4. Resisting Overwhelming Pressure: The enemy seeks to overwhelm us with attacks, but we find strength in God's promises and the divine power of our spiritual weapons. We must not retreat from our faith but press on, knowing that God has already overcome the world. [66:07]
5. Avoiding Distractions: Distractions can choke the life out of the Word, preventing it from maturing. We must remain focused on our mission, recognizing that our calling is greater than the temporary concerns of this world. [01:14:16]
** [74:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Special Invite Service Announcement
[02:00] - Introduction to Limitless Missionaries
[03:45] - Excitement for Zambia Mission Trip
[06:15] - Launching a Third Service
[08:30] - The Growing Church Community
[10:45] - The Importance of Inviting Others
[12:30] - Prayer and Reflection
[14:00] - Being Agents of the Kingdom
[16:45] - Week One Recap: How We Do What We Do
[19:00] - Week Two Recap: Push the Button
[21:30] - Addressing Failure to Launch
[24:00] - The Parable of the Sower
[27:00] - Overcoming Unbelief
[30:00] - Resisting Overwhelming Pressure
[33:00] - Avoiding Distractions
[36:00] - The Call to Action
[38:00] - Preparing for Baptisms and Giving

Sermon Clips

"Week one, we learned that it's not what we do, but how we do what we do that is the key. A lot of us are trying to find the thing. We talked about trying to find the thing. What is the thing that I'm doing? What is the thing that you've called me to do? And I remember in high school and all throughout my young adult mind, Lord, what is the thing? I think I know the thing, but if you just tell me the thing, then I'll do the thing and then I won't have to worry about the thing anymore." [00:46:36] (26 seconds)

"And we said we activate that gift by walking or by using that gift. And we talked about different ways. We talked about starting small. We talked about remaining humble. And so we've been walking through this process and if you haven't been here, I encourage you, please go to YouTube, Facebook, or wherever you get your podcasts from, and type in Limitless Life TV or Limitless Woodland, and go and watch the rest of this series." [00:48:48] (27 seconds)

"Something happens as the days go by. Somewhere we get to this place. Some of us, it's the parking lot. Some of us, it's later in the week. But our optimism slowly fades. Our hope begins to diminish. And we're left wondering if Sunday's message was nothing more than a pep rally for everybody else. We're left wondering if maybe it's a dream for later. We'll tuck away our notes. We're not looking at the sermon replay. When the podcast comes up, we skip past it." [00:52:08] (38 seconds)

"The first thing we see in verse 12, it says the word is sown, and immediately the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart. The devil comes and takes away the word from their heart. The enemy knows the value of your gift. The enemy knows the value of your mission, and the enemy most certainly knows the value of the word of God. And so because he understands these values, his first maneuver is to take the word that has been sown into your heart." [00:56:06] (45 seconds)

"How do we defeat these moments where we're unsure if it was for me, if I can do it, if it will work, if the word is true? We defeat it, but we dismiss the lies of the enemy by reminding and reaffirming ourselves with the truth of the word of God. We dismiss the lies by reaffirming ourselves with the truth. Hebrews 4 verse 12 says, For the word of God is living, it is active, and it is full of power." [00:58:50] (37 seconds)

"Overwhelming pressure. The enemy is doing everything he can. Doing everything he can. He desires you to be overwhelmed. And here's the thing. You know why? Because if we're honest, right, most of us, when the attacks start getting heavy, the first thing we give up is church. The first thing we step back on is our faith. You know, Pastor, you know, I know I haven't been to church. I'm just going through it right now. And, you know, I'm just, you know, but when I get through this, I'll be back." [01:06:05] (45 seconds)

"Your mission, your gift, your talent, your ability is such a threat to the kingdom of darkness that the enemy will do everything he can to get you more worried about your problems so there's no chance that you will go to the problem solver. If I could just get you overwhelmed, if I could just get you to quit, if I could just, I just want to overwhelm you. So that you'll go anywhere but where the answer is." [01:07:14] (37 seconds)

"The main agenda of the enemy is to get us to not walk in our gifts, our talents, or our abilities. He does not want us to make it to the finish. He does not want us to get to the place where we have completed the mission. He wants us to push the button and then have a failure to launch. He does not want to see the kingdom of heaven prevail." [01:14:14] (27 seconds)

"His desire is to get us distracted long enough that we forget who we are and whose we are and why we're here. Distraction, distraction, distraction. Deflect, deflect, deflect. Distraction, distraction, distraction. We get so overwhelmed with what's going on around us that we forget we're not of this world. The things that we have been called to do are greater than what's going on in the news cycle and what's going on around us." [01:16:29] (35 seconds)

"Every week, we recognize more and more the weight of the mission that we have been called to, and that is so much bigger than us. There are families. There are communities. There are cities that will come to know Jesus. There are communities that will take the limits off of the way that they see Jesus, off of the way that they see faith, off of the way that they see the church, simply by you operating in the gift and the ability that has been given to you." [01:19:40] (31 seconds)

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