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| "belt_spanking" Courtesy of CapesTreasures.com http://bit.ly/oqVdBm |
Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. NLTI have been dealing with a lot of discouragement recently from many, many sources. I have seriously been considering cutting off certain ministries that I have been consistently involved in because of all the opposition I face. Sometimes I wonder if God really wants me to do these things, or if I am seeing this resistance as a direct result of His displeasure.
But I know that I have certain gifts and abilities. I have seen my handiwork and know what capacity God has used me in the past. I know that the ministries that I am involved in benefit from my abilities and people are reached. I have seen people come to church that never have before, I have seen people take stands for Christ as a result of something I planned, and I have seen relationships grow because of the environment I helped create.
And now this verse slaps me right when I was feeling low. And it made me feel even lower--not in despair for myself, but in shame of actually entertaining thoughts of neglecting my gifts. Do I feel opposed? Yes! But it is not opposition from many, it is opposition from one. Ron Ward spoke at BTC last Sunday night. He said If Satan is not bothering you, that probably means you are not worth being bothered. I guess that should have been some encouragement.
In my stubbornness, I chose not to be encouraged. Instead, I starting cruising for a bruising. And that certainly was delivered.