Pokadotted Grace

1 Corinthians 12:1
“Now concerning Spiritual Gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.”

The meaning of the word translated “ignorant” is to be misinformed, unlearned, or unaware.

Do you believe that you have an enemy who desires to keep you ignorant?

If you don't, then perhaps you should do a word study in the Bible concerning the devil, Satan, and Lucifer. Jesus says he is out to kill, steal, and destroy.

On the other hand, God has a specific plan to help us resist the devil and all his minions.


In 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 we see the different kinds or varieties of gifts.
 

1. Motivational 
2. Ministry 
3. Manifestation

Peter tells us that all believers have a special gift for a specific purpose. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each one has received a special gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”


What does the “manifold grace of God” actually mean? ­­­­­­­­­­­­ The Greek word is ποικίλος poikilos poy-kee'-los Of uncertain derivation; motley, that is, various in character: - divers, manifold and it means Pokadotted… Full of many, many different things. God displays His grace in as many different ways as there are people on earth.

We believers are to use our gifts to serve one another. This is not an option but is a command from God our Father. Each of us has the responsibility to:

Discover our gift. Develop our gift. Exercise our gift.

Your motivational gift is what drives you. It is what causes you to do and think and be what God intends you to be. To discover your gift, simply ask God to reveal it to you in an unmistakable way.

There may be some things that keep you from discovering your gift that you need to prayerfully consider:

1. You have unresolved conflicts which are clouding the issue—unforgiveness, anger, pride, resentments. These are less obvious “Christian” sins.
2. You are not currently involved in any kind of ministry. God reveals our gifts as we act not as we sit.
3. Trying to imitate someone else’s gift.
4. Failure to analyze what you do and why. Ask yourself the question: What is my motive/real reason for doing or saying what I did or said? This is the key to finding your spiritual motivational gift after you have asked God to reveal it to you.
5. You are confusing ministry with your gift. 1 Corinthians 12:4-

HOW DO YOU DEVELOP YOUR GIFT?

1. You must learn to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. This takes discipline and practice. This means you are willing to examine your life and cooperate with God to take care of anything that shouldn’t be there. You must admit dependence. We only get our significance from God…As Christians with the mind of Christ, this is who we are.

2. Learn the characteristics of your gift. Ask God to sharpen your focus and to increase your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s motivation of you. You will see results that will dazzle you! There will be a depth to your life that others will recognize but more importantly you will be so much more satisfied in your walk with the Lord. The more you develop your gift the more maturity and fruitfulness you will manifest and the more real joy will fill your heart.

REMEMBER…

If I don’t involve myself in other people’s lives, I won’t see my gift! Is that a shocker? It shouldn't be. Jesus was all about being up in the middle of people's lives, even drawing them out of their lives and putting them to work in a different one, just like He did with His disciples.

Here is an encouraging thought…God can express Himself through you using all the gifts because He equips you for the momentary need.


God uses any means necessary to draw His children to Himself, and to help them. He will give a believer a booster shot of whichever gift is paramount to filling the needs of His children at the right time in the right place. 

In the Pokadotted Grace of God, each believer possesses all the motivational gifts in different levels or amounts. Yet all the gifts are to bring God glory, and to motivate His children  to get His work done. Multi-gifted children do multi-faceted, magnificent things for God.

This is a series of lessons inspired by Charles Stanley's sermons on the Spiritual Gifts, and from Katy and Don Fortune's book on motivational Spiritual Gifts.