THE VOICE OF YOUR TALENTS AND NATURAL ABILITIES 

But that was only the beginning. As I grew, my talking tilted towards always wanting to explain and explain with a view to ensuring my hearer really understood the point. Soon, I was nicknamed, “Alawiye;” a Yoruba word which means someone who seeks to make you understand whatever he says. Often, this requires more voluminous talking than normal. ??

And sometimes my hearers have had to cut in, “I have really understood, you don’t need to use another analogy.” ??

At the time, I never knew that Preachers are prone to ‘proclaiming’ while Teachers are prone to ‘explaining.’ And I never had an idea of what kind of office God will want me to stand to serve Him in the future.

All I knew was that whenever I find a willing person who had a question or a hunger to learn something that I had information about, if I was hungry before, the hunger will disappear and I could teach that one person for the next three hours and I’ll be enjoying it all the way without feeling the biting hunger I had felt.

The question is who put that attribute there and for what? A parent will give birth to a child that is a talkative and the same parent will give birth to another child that is totally quiet. But they are from the same womb? Why are they totally different? Means someone else other than the parents is determining what the children come out to be. We know who that person is. His name is Jehovah!

It was much later when I had grown into maturity and began to download greater details about my purpose that I realised that they have a strong connection with the talents and graces that had been in me from birth.

I am strongly persuaded therefore that our natural passions, talents and abilities are deposits by God towards our life’s purpose. He knew the Purpose before we were formed in our mother’s womb and He goes ahead to make a deposit of the basic equipments we’ll need to fulfil that purpose right from that womb.

We saw such an example in Joseph. His talent from Childhood was dreaming. That was however only a token of the full blown prophetic ministry he was going to operate in as God’s ensign to Egypt to prepare the way for the  fulfilment of the prophecy God gave to Abraham. There was therefore a clear link between that talent of dreaming and His purpose.

This is why no one can justifiably say he doesn’t have a clue of what God has sent him to do here. The clue is already in you. Those natural abilities that come so easily to you. That special talent. That thing that you know how to do more than anyone else. That natural passion that seems inborn. They are the clues about your assignment.

Of course I know that our talents and abilities do not always provide a conclusive leading about our purpose or else Joseph should have ended up a full time diviner but rather God’s purpose for him was to use that prophetic grace in government, as Prime Minister of Egypt. Take a teaching gift for instance. It can be used in the classroom and on the pulpit. How do I know where God wants me to use my teaching gift? I will still need a direct leading from God to ascertain this.

Nevertheless, the benefit of taking important note of the direction those talents and natural graces are pointing is that this provides a deeper confirmation in your heart as God speaks to you through other means about His call. Everything adds up better with that prior knowledge settled. At least you know that those graces were given to you as an equipping for your purpose and they are to serve the body of Christ.

See what the apostle Peter said about this:

“Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of God’s multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God’s unmerited favor].”

1 Peter 4:10 AMP

Begin to use those talents and abilities to serve the body of Christ and its purposes in whatever way comes to your mind. That can never be wrong even if that isn’t yet your final destination. As you do this and continue to speak to the Lord for more light, he will bring more information that will make everything add up.

No one ever gets all the information about his assignment once. It’s always a journey of knowing and knowing more. What matters is that you are not waiting until you get every detail before you set out in faith to begin to perform (or prepare to perform – as proper preparatory training is often required for successful execution of purpose) the little that God has already shown you.

As you engage God for a direct communication of your purpose, look inwards to discover your holy dissatisfaction without neglecting the voice of your talents and natural abilities. These three approaches will bring you to the knowledge of your purpose assuredly.

But there’s one more point which I’ll share next week. As a way of acting on this message, would you like to make a list of your talents and natural abilities and meditate on what they may be pointing to regarding your purpose.

Are you a great teacher, a good listener, a natural leader, a good encourager? Do you light up when you have an opportunity to mentor young people? Do you love children naturally? Are you a born communicator?

Are you a strategic thinker? Can you motivate others to action with your words? Are you skilled at building things?

Maybe you sit down and list them out and take them to God prayerfully for more light as you also mediate deeply in quietness. May you hear Him speaking to you in accents clear and still.

Your brother,

Peniela Eniayo, Akintujoye.

©Peniela Eniayo, Akintujoye| hello@lovestraighttalks.com

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