HLM Live | GOD’S GIFT: GOD’S PURPOSE LOVE THAT NEVER FAILS | Unfailing Love | Clandia Estephane

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing Your Gifts as God-Given for Impact

Every gift, talent, and skill you possess is a divine endowment from God. These are not given for personal status or recognition but are entrusted to you for a purpose. They are tools intended for kingdom impact and to touch the lives of others. You are called to be a steward of these resources, understanding their source and their intended use. Embrace the truth that what you have is meant for something greater than yourself. [52:19]

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10, NKJV)

Reflection: What specific gift, skill, or talent has God entrusted to you, and how might He be inviting you to see it not just for your benefit, but as a tool for serving others?

Day 2: Stepping Out in Faith to Use Your Gifts

It is common to feel hesitation or discouragement when considering how to use your God-given abilities. The enemy often seeks to foster doubt, making you feel unqualified or afraid to step out. Yet, God’s call is accompanied by His grace, which empowers you to move beyond fear and insecurity. The focus shifts from your own inadequacy to His sufficiency working through you. You are called to be a willing and useful instrument in His hands. [53:56]

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you been holding back from using your gifts due to fear or a sense of inadequacy, and what would it look like to take one small step of faith this week in that area?

Day 3: No Gift is Too Small in God’s Kingdom

In God’s economy, there is no hierarchy of gifts where some are considered significant and others insignificant. Every gift, no matter how ordinary it may seem to you, is absolutely necessary for the body of Christ and for kingdom advancement. What you may perceive as a small or simple ability can be transformed by God into something extraordinary for His glory. You are not a liability but a vital asset in His master plan. [57:50]

“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.” (1 Corinthians 12:18-22, NKJV)

Reflection: Is there a particular ability you have that you’ve been tempted to dismiss as too small or unimportant? How might God want to use that very thing for His purposes?

Day 4: Making Your Ordinary Gifts Available to God

The story of Moses illustrates that God often uses what we already have and consider ordinary. The key is not the grandeur of the gift itself, but our willingness to offer it completely to God. When we surrender what we have to Him, no matter how simple, He can perform wonders through it. Your availability transforms the ordinary into a conduit for God’s extraordinary power. [01:00:09]

“Then Moses answered and said, ‘But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, “The LORD has not appeared to you.”’ So the LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ He said, ‘A rod.’” (Exodus 4:1-2, NKJV)

Reflection: What is the “rod” in your hand—the simple, ordinary resource or ability you possess—that God is asking you to make available for His use?

Day 5: Living as a Good and Faithful Steward

The call to steward your gifts is a call to intentional and faithful action. It involves a prayerful dependence on God to help you avoid complacency and to be zealous in your service. Being a good steward means actively using what He has given you to impact your generation and beyond. It is a daily commitment to look to Him for the grace to be a vessel of honor. [55:18]

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” (Matthew 25:21, NKJV)

Reflection: As you consider the various areas of your life—spiritual gifts, talents, time, and resources—what would being a “good and faithful steward” look like in practice this week?

Sermon Summary

The text calls the church to treat every gift as stewardship rather than status, insisting that God equips people to impact lives and advance the kingdom. Prayer focuses on grace to stop hiding talents and instead exercise spiritual gifts, skills, and knowledge with boldness despite discouragement. The assembly prays for empowerment, removal of shame, and freedom from complacency so that each person becomes a useful vessel of honor for God’s purposes. A repeated declaration mobilizes faith: every gift within is being stirred, will not be wasted, and will be used for God’s glory.

The narrative reframes perceived weakness and ordinary things as necessary and usable by God. Biblical imagery of Moses’ rod illustrates how an apparently small, ordinary object became the instrument of miracles when made available to divine power; ordinary tools and simple offerings can become conduits for great wonders. The text rejects any hierarchy of worth in gifts, asserting that no gift is too small and that all contributions matter for kingdom advancement. People receive direct encouragement: not a liability, but an asset when surrendered to God.

Prayers expand beyond individual gifting to communal care and provision. The community prays for replenishment of ministers, blessing on families, favor in work and studies, healing, safety, and breakthroughs for the coming week. Practical rhythms of life—Bible study, prayer hour, outreach—receive emphasis as contexts in which gifts should be exercised and multiplied. The closing calls for vigilance in gratitude, a refusal to take grace for granted, and a posture of expectancy that God will meet needs, open doors, and preserve life for those who commit their plans into divine hands.

Key Takeaways

1. Gifts are for kingdom impact The gifts entrusted to the community carry intentionality: they exist to influence people, advance justice, and propagate the reign of God. Viewing gifts as status crushes missional purpose; viewing them as stewardship compels strategic, sacrificial use. Cultivate a habit of asking how every talent or resource can serve the vulnerable and extend the gospel beyond comfort zones. [52:19]
2. Pray for grace to act Prayer must ask for more than permission; it must request enabling grace that overcomes fear, discouragement, and inertia. Grace to act transforms hesitation into faithful risk—faith expressed through small, consistent obedience. Expect spiritual resistance, but press into prayer that produces forward movement. [53:04]
3. No gift is too small Value in God’s economy measures usefulness, not size or status; small gifts fill gaps large hands cannot. When everyone contributes the little they have, systems shift and breakthroughs become possible. Cultivate humility to offer what seems insignificant; collectively, those offerings birth multiplied outcomes. [57:29]
4. Make ordinary things available to God Ordinary tools and routines become extraordinary when surrendered to divine use. Availability, not novelty, unlocks miracle-working power: the “rod” of daily life can part seas of circumstance. Practice intentional offering—place resources, skills, and time before God and watch transformation follow. [59:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[51:43] - Thanksgiving for provision and gifts
[53:04] - Prayer for grace to use gifts
[54:47] - Be vessels; impact generations
[56:40] - Declaration: gifts stirred up
[57:29] - Every gift matters
[59:11] - Ordinary made extraordinary (Moses)
[63:11] - Replenish ministers; pray blessings
[70:43] - Week prayers, studies, outreach

Bible Study Guide

Based on the sermon summary and transcript provided, here is a Bible study discussion guide.

Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 12:14-22 (NKJV)
*For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.*

Exodus 4:1-5, 17 (NKJV)
*Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), “that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” ... And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”*

Observation questions

According to 1 Corinthians 12:22, what is true about the parts of the body that seem to be weaker?
In the story from Exodus, what was the ordinary object in Moses' hand, and what was its original, everyday purpose? [58:08]
What are the two different ways the sermon summary says we can view the gifts God has given us? [52:19]
What declaration was made about the gifts within us? [56:40]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Paul uses the analogy of a physical body to describe the church and its gifts? What does this reveal about how every member is valued?
Moses felt his ordinary rod was insufficient for God's task. Why does God so often choose to use simple, ordinary things that people already possess to accomplish His extraordinary purposes? [59:11]
The idea that "no gift is too small" is central to this message. What might be the negative consequences for a community of believers if even one person believes their gift is insignificant and decides not to use it? [57:29]
The prayer was for "grace to act," not just for permission. What is the difference between these two requests, and why is the request for enabling grace so important for overcoming fear and inertia? [53:04]

Application questions

What is one gift, skill, or resource you possess that you have been tempted to see as too small or ordinary to be used by God? What would it look like to consciously make that specific thing available to Him this week? [59:11]
Viewing gifts as stewardship compels strategic, sacrificial use. Is there a specific area in your life—your time, finances, or a particular skill—where you are treating God's gift more like a personal status symbol than a tool for kingdom impact? What is one practical step you can take to change that perspective? [52:19]
What is a current situation in your life, family, or community where you feel discouraged or hesitant to step out in faith? How can you specifically pray for the "grace to act" and move from hesitation to faithful risk in that area? [53:04]
The message declares that you are not a liability but an asset in God's hands. What lie or past experience has made you feel like a liability, and what truth from Scripture can you hold onto to combat that feeling? [57:50]
Think about your practical rhythms of life—your work, your family, your weekly schedule. How can you intentionally see these ordinary contexts as the primary place where God wants to use your gifts and create opportunities for you to contribute to the needs of others? [01:10:43]
It's easy to take God's daily grace and provision for granted. What is one specific thing you are grateful for today that you might normally overlook? How can cultivating a habit of gratitude change your posture from complacency to expectancy? [01:16:43]

Sermon Clips

So that little thing, that gift that God has given you, it doesn't matter as one. It doesn't matter as two. It doesn't matter whatever. Just make it available to God. Once you make it available to God, God will make greatness out of it. God will perform great things out of it. Great wonders will perform. Amen. So tell somebody you are not a liability. You are useful. You are useful. You are an asset to God in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. [01:00:09] (32 seconds) #YouAreAnAsset

This week, our going out, our coming in, let it be blessed. In the name of Jesus. Father, we pray that this week we will not lack. We pray that, Lord, this week we have we will have abundance. We pray that this week, oh, God, you'll provide for us as you always do. We pray that this week you'll preserve our lives, preserve our children, preserve our close friends. Father, shield us from any kind of accident. Every trap of the enemy set for any of us, we pray to dismantle. We pray to crush it in the name of Jesus. [01:14:41] (39 seconds) #BlessedThisWeek

So I like one of the points that she made that no gift is too small as far as God is concerned. No gift is too small. Every gift is needed in the kingdom for kingdom advancement. Amen. Hallelujah. Amen. Every gift is needed in the kingdom for what? Kingdom advancement. Amen. You are not a liability. You are an asset. As far as you are in the hands of God, you are an asset. [00:57:34] (29 seconds) #EveryGiftMatters

Sometimes the devil want to discourage you. Sometimes the devil want to, you know, say all kinds of things to make you discouraged, to to get you discouraged so that you don't step out in faith to exercise the gift. Pray for more grace. Father, give us grace that we will not waste the gifts you have given us. Give us the grace, oh, God, that we will be useful with the gift you have given us. [00:53:46] (28 seconds) #GraceToUseGifts

Now I want you to pray. Father, give me the grace not to sit on the gift you have given me. Not not to sit on the skills you have given me. Not to sit on the, you know, potentials that you have given me. Give me the grace to make good use of them. Give me the grace to be useful with the gifts that you have entrusted to me. [00:52:56] (29 seconds) #ActOnYourGift

So what was just an odd appeared to be ordinary stuff, ordinary working stake. What appeared to be ordinary working stake, God used it to part of the Red Sea. It was that stake that Moses pointed to the Red Sea, and the Red Sea made way. Dry land dry land appeared, and they walked through. It was the rod that Moses entered the the the palace of Pharaoh and did all the miraculous things that happened. [00:59:37] (32 seconds) #OrdinaryToExtraordinary

Help us, Lord, to be useful instruments in your hand. Help us be vessels of honor onto you. In the name of Jesus. Help us to touch lives with what you have given us. Help us to impact our generation and generations beyond us. In the name of Jesus. Help us, oh god, to make good use of everything you have equipped us with. [00:54:47] (28 seconds) #ImpactGenerations

Invite somebody, you know, with with a lot of evangelism to do. Let's reach more people for the Lord. Amen. I believe this this year, we we need to do more more outreaches than we have done to bring the gospel to those who need it or those who don't have it. Amen. And bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. [01:11:04] (25 seconds) #ShareTheGospel

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

How should Christians steward their God-given gifts?

What makes ordinary gifts become extraordinary?

How can believers overcome shame and complacency?