What if you knew that somewhere in your backyard…if you drilled, you would strike oil? Seriously….if you think about it….I don’t know one person who would not take the time and energy to drill and strike to find that oil. Why? The first thing that comes to mind for myself is income…yes, I would make money…and probably a ton of it. I am not ashamed to say that….then the next thought that comes to my mind is….my backyard would look a lot different….then I wonder what my neighbors would think. How much money and time would I have to spend upfront to strike oil? Remember….I already knew the oil was there….I just had to go dig for it!
I find this same thing to be true for everyone…..God gave everyone “gifts”, “Oil,” to be drilled for and discovered. Many times we choose to ignore, doubt, and not put forth the effort to discover what we already have! For years now, I have known that God has blessed me with the gift of encouragement… and four years ago….in my quiet time….God revealed to me that he wanted me to “step it up!” To drill. Using my spiritual gift of encouragement to write a book.
In the past, this gift was used on a daily basis, one-on-one, to find ways to individually encourage people, but now God was telling me to drill and drill deep….through the process of writing…! To be honest…the thought was “overwhelming”. Funny how the word “overwhelmed” has literally been a part of my life in the last several years. LOL….But my thoughts were…I have never written…..Where do I begin? How do I write a whole book? Who will advise me and help me? Publish? I didn’t know one thing about the process and really didn’t know anyone, I thought, to ask. Over a period of several months, the need to write/drill became so apparent…that I couldn’t ignore the prompting any longer….and most of you know, if you are a Back 9 reader…..there now is a book, “The Front 9”. Not only one book, but two more have been written just waiting to be edited and published.
The point I am really wanting to make here is this……WE all have “gifts/oil” that we need to be drilling! God has given us all gifts in “our backyard” that He wants us to dig up or tap into to serve one another! His desire is not exclusive to me, it is for everyone. Sometimes we have a gift that we have discovered and use it in some way, but maybe God wants you to step it up? Maybe His desire is for you to multiply it?
Look at Matthew 25:15, “To one he gave five talents, to another two and to another one, to each according to his ability…..” In this story, Jesus’ desire was for them to maximize and multiply their gifts. And in I Peter 4:10 it states, “As each of you has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” It is plain that everyone has been given at least one gift to be used to serve one another. My personal testimony shows you are never too old or it is never too late…to get quiet in front of a Holy God….and strike “oil” to be used to serve and fuel others. His desire is for all to use and maximize their gifts. For me, it was just the willingness to listen, step out, and trust and obey……God provided every step of the way. Some things were hard and required “sweat” and moving out of a comfort zone. I had to instill in myself a discipline and commitment to the process of drilling….trusting the outcome…to Jesus…….!
I challenge you today….open your heart and your hands to God…..ask Him to show you your gifts. If you know them already….ask Him how you can drill deeper…and fuel more people. And, last…,,roll up your sleeves…..step out of your boat (comfort zone) and start walking……If He did it for me, He will certainly do it for you…..I am no one special….Just a child of the King…Looking to serve, trust and obey….
1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit, and there are varieties of device but the same Lord, and there are variety of activities but it is the same God who EMPOWERS them all in everyone.”
Blessings for starting to Drill….KNOWING….if you drill…..YOU WILL STRIKE OIL!