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Personality: The special way God wired you to navigate life and fulfill your unique Kingdom Purpose.
Are eager to be known as ambassadors for Christ in the world. • Willingly work hard to see churches reach their full potential for God. h Yes h Maybe h No Discernment: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by recognizing truth or error within a message, person, or event. People with this gift . . . • Find it easy to “read” others, and are most often right. • Recognize the spiritual source of a message — whether it is from God, Satan, or man. • Recognize inconsistencies in others. • Easily identify people’s true motives and agendas. • Perceive when the truth is twisted or communicated with error. h Yes h Maybe h No Encouragement: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by helping others live God-centered lives through inspiration, encouragement, counseling, and empowerment. People with this gift . . . • Are driven to inspire others and impact their lives positively for Christ. • Rejoice with those whose reliance on Christ has helped them overcome difficult life situations. • Seek out opportunities to help others reach their full potential in Christ. • Are natural encouragers, whether in words or through actions. • Rejoice at others’ success. h Yes h Maybe h No Evangelism: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by sharing the love of Christ with others in a way that draws them to respond by accepting God’s free gift of eternal life. People with this gift . . . 39 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. When God created animals, he gave each of them a specific area of expertise. Some animals run, some hop, some swim, some burrow, and some fly. Each animal has a particular role to play based on the way they were shaped by God. The same is true with humans. Each of us was uniquely designed, or shaped, by God to do certain things.Trap #2: Projection The second trap is projection. When we expect others to be good at the same things we excel at, we’re “projecting” our gifts onto them. Projection is especially common in relationships at work, or even at home. For example, I have the gift of administration. If I project that gift onto others and automatically expect them to be organized and punctual at all times, feelings of frustration and resentment can set in and cause the relationship to become strained. That is exactly what Satan wants. On the other hand, I can choose to celebrate the unique gifts God gives to others and encourage each person to be who God created them to be — which is exactly what God wants. My main problems with this book are that, while his intentions are noble, the author bases some assumptions and teaches some ideas from questionable sources. Quite frequently, Rees quotes from The Message paraphrase and the New Living Translation of the Bible. These versions often misinterpret or distort the meaning of Scripture. He also quotes passages out of context, making it sound like they are saying something they do not (e.g.--Romans 12:6a, as used on pp. 67 & 69). He quotes from Wilferd Peterson, a proponent of "New Thought," a belief system that purports that we are all part of a "universal mind" and that humans have the potential of becoming one with the impersonal life force at work in the cosmos (p. 81). In chapter 5, he talks about personality theories that originated in ancient astrology. our day-to-day lives. In fact, he is smiling right now, rejoicing as you seek to discover the masterpiece you are to him. The Bible says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10, NLT). This verse helps us understand that if we want to discover our mission or purpose in life, we first need to look at the masterpiece God has made us to be. While self-help books tell you to look within, I’m saying the key to living the life you were meant to live is to look to God and ask him to help you discover your uniqueness. Once you discover who you are, then you can start figuring out what God has planned for you, the specific way he designed you to make a difference in the world for him. Another translation of Ephesians 2:10 uses the word workmanship to describe our uniqueness. It’s from the Greek word poiema, which literally means “work of art,” and is the root of our English word poem. You are a work of God — and nothing but the highest and best comes from his hand. Like the artist who takes scrap metal and turns it into an amazing sculpture, God takes our lives and fashions them into a masterpiece. Another translation of Ephesians 2:10 uses the word workmanship to describe our uniqueness. It’s from the Greek word poiema, which literally means work of art, and is the root of our English word poem. You are a work of God—and nothing but the highest and best comes from his hand. Like the artist who takes scrap metal and turns it into an amazing sculpture, God takes our lives and fashions them into a masterpiece. One of a Kind The next year, John launched a new ministry called Celebrate Recovery, a biblical process to help people find freedom from addictions through the love and grace of Jesus Christ. For the next ten years, God used John to deliver hundreds of people from the grip of destructive lifestyles. In 2004, President George W. Bush publicly recognized John for bringing hope to hurting people. Today, Celebrate Recovery is an international ministry helping millions of people overcome painful pasts and harmful addictions through the merciful, powerful love of Jesus.
Tap into the secrets of what makes you who you are--passions, talents, experiences, temperament, and spiritual gifts--and you'll discover the path to a life of unimagined purpose, impact, and fulfillment. God is continually looking for ordinary people such as John who are willing to let him use them to make a difference for his kingdom. From business executives to bus drivers, from teachers to techies, from stay-at-home moms to traveling musicians, from dentists to deli owners, God longs to use ordinary people in extraordinary ways. That includes you! God doesn’t create anything without value. He is the ultimate craftsman. And he designed you specifically to fulfill a unique role in his ultimate plan to establish his kingdom on earth. Even though each of us has made mistakes that make it more difficult for him to perfect, we still are a special work of the Creator’s hands. He even takes time to know about our day-to-day lives. In fact, he is smiling right now, rejoicing as you seek to discover the masterpiece you are to him. Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. Interpretation: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by understanding, at a specific time, God’s message when spoken by another using a special language unknown to the others in attendance. People with this gift tend to . . . • Have a clear idea of what God is saying, even though the language used by the speaker is unknown to them at the specific time. • Be able to translate words and messages of God in a way that edifies, comforts, and exhorts believers. • Convey the meaning of sounds, words, and utterances that glorify God, made by others. h Yes h Maybe h No Knowledge: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by communicating God’s truth to others in a way that promotes justice, honesty, and understanding. People with this gift . . . • Devote much of their time to reading Scripture. • Love to share biblical insight. • Enjoy helping others increase their understanding of God’s Word. • Benefit from time spent in studying and researching Scripture. • Take delight in answering difficult questions about God’s Word. h Yes h Maybe h No Leadership: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by casting vision, stimulating spiritual growth, applying strategies, and achieving success where God’s purposes are concerned. People with this gift . . . • Exhibit a tendency toward huge visions for God and the ability to inspire others to work toward accomplishing those visions for his glory, and to bless others. • Are naturally drawn into leadership roles. • Find it easy to motivate people — both individually and in teams — to work together in achieving goals for God’s kingdom. • Naturally grasp the “big picture.” 42 Filled with Scripture and real-life stories, S.H.A.P.E. presents a series of challenges that will guide you through the process of discovering your personal blend of:•If you don’t understand your shape, you end up doing things that God never intended or designed you to do. When your gifts don’t meet the role you play in life, you feel like a square peg in a round hole. This is frustrating, both to you and to others. Not only does it produce limited results, it is also an enormous waste of your talents, time, and energy. ⁵ Ever wondered, ‘Who am I?’ Ever thought, ‘What is my purpose of life?’ I have great news: the mystery is over. Erik Rees gives you the tools to answer those questions so you can live the life you were created to live. Embrace S.H.A.P.E. with everything you have so you can discover not only how special you are but your specific purpose for life.” Dr. Gary Smalley Author of I Promise During my freshman year of college, I took an art class—not because it was my major, but purely for the fun of it. (Well, to be honest, I took the class because of a cute girl who also had signed up for it!) One of our assignments was to study works on display at area art museums and galleries. So one day a classmate and I drove to an art show. S.H.A.P.E.: Finding & Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life helps the reader pinpoint his or her own life direction. As this book is written from a Christian perspective, the life purposes center around how individuals can use their unique gifts and experiences to serve God's purpose while on earth. Nonetheless, I believe that the framework of the S.H.A.P.E. model would be equally useful for Non-Christian individuals in identifying and seeking their life purpose or even those of the general public looking for career advice.
Filled with Scripture and real-life stories, S.H.A.P.E. presents a series of challenges that will guide you through the process of discovering your personal blend of: I used to think that God’s gifts were on shelves — one above another — and the taller we grow, the easier we can reach them. Now I find that God’s gifts are on shelves — and the lower we stoop, the more we get. F. B. Meyer
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From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: He made you marvelously unique for a reason. In this eye-opening, empowering, and liberating book, Rees shows you how to uncover God's most powerful and effective means of advancing his kingdom on earth: your own irreplaceable, richly detailed personal design. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) Allowing someone else’s opinion to stop you from seizing and sharing your gifts will create nothing but disappointment and sorrow in your heart. Give yourself permission to be who God gifted you to be, regardless of what others have said. This is a book that requires work - at times it can be rather daunting, presenting multiple questions at a time, which could each take half an hour to really answer thoroughly.
Or consider what Max Lucado says about uniqueness in his book, Cure for the Common Life: Da Vinci painted one Mona Lisa, Beethoven created one Fifth Symphony, and God made one version of you. You’re it! You’re the only you there is. And if we don’t get you, we don’t get you. You’re the only shot we have at you. You can do something no one else can do in a fashion no one else can do it. You are more than a coincidence of chromosomes and heredity, more than just an assemblage of somebody else’s lineage. You are uniquely made. . . . But can you be anything you want to be? If you are uniquely made — now stop and think about this — if you’re uniquely made, can you really be anything you want to be? If you don’t have the sense that takes care of numbers, can you be an accountant? If you don’t have a love for the dirt, can you be a farmer? If you don’t have an appreciation and a devotion to kids, can you really be a teacher? Well, you can be an unhappy one, an unsatisfied one. You can be one of the 87 percent of the workforce that doesn’t like their work — one of the 80 percent of the people that says “I don’t use my talents on a daily basis.” You can be a statistic. The core problem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enough about good things. Larry Crabb, Finding God Respond in faith. Identify two action steps you can take in the next month to unwrap your gifts and start using them with others. (Hint: Start by serving those closest to you!) 1. What Drives You? Because God is driving her life, Kay Warren is hoping to slow the pandemic of HIV/AIDS in the world. God is the ultimate driver of your life too — and you can experience the thrill of seeing him accomplish his best through you! The key is to discover the cravings the Creator has put in you; often they lie deep within your spirit and you’ve never before taken the time or effort to identify them. Listen for the whispers of secret prayers and desires, the deep yearnings in your life. Sadly, for many people, those passions go unexpressed, at least in terms of serving in the unique role God has for them. Ask yourself: • What do my dreams and desires drift toward? • What do I really want to do for God? • What motivates me to take action? • What do I crave? One passion that drives my life is helping people discover who God has created them to be. I live for that. This drive keeps me focused on fulfilling my specific Kingdom Purpose for God. Or consider Kimberly. Because she had always been a good listener, friends and family often remarked that she’d make a great counselor, and so she had seriously considered becoming a therapist. But after she became a Christian, she wondered what God wanted her to do. That’s when a woman at her church encouraged her to consider serving God through counseling. Kimberly now uses her passion to reach out to — and care for — the peopG r a b b i n g H o l d Reflect on what you have learned. What did this chapter show you about spiritual gifts? Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. Chapter 1: Masterpiece. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Chapter 2: Spiritual Gifts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Chapter 3: Heart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Chapter 4: Abilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Chapter 5: Personality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Chapter 6: Experiences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Experiences: Those parts of your past, both positive and painful, which God intends to use in great ways. Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’ In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary” (1 Corinthians 12:21 – 22, NLT). None of us should delude ourselves into thinking that the other members of the body of Christ exist to serve us, or that others are important and we are not.
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