As we continue our journey through spiritual gifts, today's post features a wonderful woman whom I respect very much. Much like me, she has a heart for women and spreading the gospel. She lives in a gorgeous home with a wonderful husband and several joyful children who love her dearly! For more about today's author, check out her blog, A Heart Consumed.
"Exhortation & faith run hand in hand for me as far as
spiritual gifts go. To be quite honest how could they not, in my opinion. I
discovered these gifts became more & more present when I began to seek the
Lord with my whole heart. Sorta like the by-product of my relationship with
Him. The more I sought the Lord the more I felt compelled to exhort & I had
the faith as well to do this no matter the situation.
I realize now after
several years of operating in God’s truth that the ability to “come along side” someone with with words of encouragement and
counsel to help them be all God wants them to be is a gift (Romans 12:8) and so
was the ability to believe God was capable.(faith).
The Greek word for
exhortation is paraklesis or the calling to one’s side. I enjoy this gift &
have learned the importance of keeping it in balance. When you are gifted with
exhortation it is easy to get sucked into the chaos of others. I say this out
of love.
There are times when you offer yourself so much to others that you may
be out of balance with the most important God-given relationships such as a
spouse & children if you are married or a parent. Possibly with your
parents or even closest friends.
It is important to exhort where God leads you,
to be realistic when you see that the receiver is beginning to turn to you as
their source instead of them seeking God for themselves. Always gently remind
those you are exhorting that Jesus death on the Cross bought them all that they
would ever need in life to live victoriously. We are simply allowing God to use
as His vessels when we utilize our giftings!"
If you think Exhortation may be one of your main spiritual gifts, check out this website for more details: http://mintools.com/gifts-list.htm#exhortation
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