What’s Right with You – 1 – Discover Your Gifts and Win

 

Welcome to Redemption Church of Plano, TX. My name is Chris Fluitt!

 

From 1950 – 1953 – THE Korean War was fought.

 

Korean War US POWS

 

The deadliest prisoner of war camps in US military history.

 

38% mortality rate.

 

What makes this statistic so hard to fathom is that on the whole, POW’s were provided with adequate food, water and shelter and for the most part were not subjected to physical torture so prevalent in previous wars.

-Captain Tim Wilson

(https://www.302aw.afrc.af.mil/News/Commentaries/Display/Article/191174/the-prison-of-hopelessness/)

These brave soldiers did not die from physical warfare… but psychological warfare.

 

A Prison of Hopelessness: Nothing but bad news

-Informing: Erode relationships and trust.

-Extreme self-criticism: Small groups, confess all failures, and the good left undone.
-Withhold all good news. Good letters from home were withheld. Bad letters from home were delivered immediately. (Divorce papers, death of a family member, BILLS)

“It was not unusual for a soldier to wander into his hut, go into a corner alone, sit down, pull a blanket over his head and within days he would be dead.”

The enemies operated in the realm of bad news.

We are in the Good News business.

Over the next 4 weeks we are going to focus on Good News about you and for you.

What’s right with you

Not – What’s wrong with you.

What’s RIGHT with you.

Good news – God has uniquely created you to do great things in the world. You have unlimited potential.

Series outline

November 10 – Shift from Weakness to Strength (Choosing to use your strengths, instead of focusing on failures)

November 17 – Expert Level Success (Become a respected authority – rising above average)

November 24 – Bring out the best in others (Become the leader who lifts others… sees strength in others)

PLAN TO BE HERE – WE ARE INVESTING IN YOU!

Today – Discover Your Gifts & Win!

Have you ever felt like you’re just not good enough?

Studies show that 85% of people struggle with low self-esteem at some point in their life.

Cause – focus on weakness.
We are focused on WHAT’S WRONG…

Let’s change that. Focus on WHAT’S RIGHT…

The Strength Revolution

What if we saw our strengths, instead of fixating on our flaws?

Studies show…

People who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life.

Your life can be radically different – change your focus.

God is focused on your Unique Gifts

• You have gifts from God.
• Your gifts are unique.

Gifting from God

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

You are created to do good works.
Prepared in advance – before God created you, he created the good work for you to do.

Unique gifts…

It is GREAT to be different.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

It is GREAT to be different.

The same God has made us all DIFFERENT.

Your job isn’t to become someone else; it’s to become the best version of you.

God uniquely created you to be different and to make a difference.

Get rid of comparisons…

“I can’t do what you do…”
“They are better than me…”

God did not create you to be like them… Be You! Stand out!

Resist the urge to copy… break the mold.

Don Clifton – Strength Finders test

32 areas of gifting and strength.
Focus on your top 5 gifts.

Top 5 gifts – 1 in 32,000 chance of duplicating results.

Impossible to duplicate how you use your gifts.

Even if we had the same areas of gifting, and worked in the same trade, we would bring unique personality and experiences to the work.

Give yourself permission to be different.

Do you know your gifts?

 

Discovering Your Design

3 practical steps:

#1 Take a Strength Assessment: Clifton Strengths assessment…

#2 Reflect on Your Successes: Think about times when you’ve felt most alive and accomplished. What were you doing?

Notice what ENERGIZES YOU and what drains you.

Your natural gifts energize you. (Flow)

#3 Ask God and Others:
Pray – “God, you created me, it is also Your job to direct me.”

Ask trusted friends –
Sometimes, others can see our strengths more clearly than we can.

I want you to commit this month to discovering your unique design.

A tricky issue…

Learned Skills vs. God-Gifted Strengths

There is a difference.

Learned skills are abilities we acquire.

You can become skilled at anything with time… through practice and repetition.

Just because you have a learned skill, does not mean it is your calling in life… won’t energize you… won’t fulfill you.

God-Gifted Strengths are innate talents that, when developed, become your superpowers.

These are the things that make you feel alive, energized, and in your element.

The Power of Alignment

When you align your life with your God-gifted strengths… Powerful.
You’re not just doing a job; you’re fulfilling your calling. You’re not just existing; you’re thriving.

Think about it: Have you ever met someone who’s technically good at their job but seems drained by it? LEARNED SKILL

Now, contrast that with someone who’s in their element, who seems to have boundless energy for their work. GOD-GIFTED STRENGTH

Rick Nolan

LinkedIn – Director of Recruiting- Recruiter of Laboratory & Imaging Professionals

A lot of learned skill.
Great job. Success. Pays the bills.

 

But when Rick touches a guitar…

 

Redemption Church – A place where you can use your God-given gifts.

Come alive! Be energized! Be unique!

If we don’t have an outlet for you to use your gift… let’s create one.

Artist? – Come create.
Leader? – Come lead.
Teacher? – Come teach.
Organizer? – Come organize.
Musician? – Come rock out.

Communicator? – Come communicate.

Come be unique!

Here is how…

Next Steps Slide

Rick went through next steps… now He is rocking.

In Next Steps we have a personality and strength finding assessment. DESIGNED to connect you… to your unique calling.

Call to Action

#1 Discover your Strengths

• Take an assessment
• Think about it
• Ask God & others

#2 Jump in to Next Steps

• Next Steps 1 – Next Sunday!

#3 Embrace your Uniqueness

• Include your creator
• Pray & worship