CHAPTER SEVEN
GOD’S BLESSINGS ARE CONFINED IN YOUR TALENTS
“Now to him that is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)
There’s nothing God is going to do for you outside what He has put in you. You are already blessed; you only need to activate the blessing by maximizing your giftings. The verse above, God can do even more than we fantasize, but He’s only going to do that according to his power that is at work within us. That power within talks about your talent.
Let’s analyze Ephesians 3:20.
Based on the power within, God can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. What talent can produce is immeasurable. There are many super-rich athletes, inventors, musicians, artists, and so on.
Tiger Woods is said to be worth over $600 million, Michael Jordan; over $1 billion, Paul McCartney; $1.2 billion, and many more. These are people like every other. Anyone who would put his or her potential to work could achieve even more.
Many people pray for blessing and breakthrough, but it doesn’t seem forthcoming. Many expect God to pour money down from heaven. Everything required for you to be successful is already within you. You can accomplish mind-blowing, record setting and outstanding feats with your talents. God is not going to build a life for you except you maximize the potentials He’s placed in you. You can achieve through your potentials what you may never achieve through your bloodline.
The latter part of our text says “…according to his power that is at work within us.” The power has to be at work. It mustn’t remain dormant. You need to deploy your giftings before you can see any results. This talks about training. It is the gift you train that will make you reign in life.
In physics, power is related to work. In fact, power is the rate at which work is done. The Bible refers to your gifting as ‘power’; therefore, you must put it to work. Slothfulness births poverty. (Proverbs 10:4).
It’s Open Doors Galore
“A man’s gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16)
Some preachers use this verse out of context. A man’s gift refers to his talent; -it’s not talking about offering, as erroneously taught. It talks about your potential. It makes room for you once utilized.
Doors give you access to rooms. Similarly, a man’s gift maketh room for him. That also means your talents will open doors for you. They put you side by side with great mean. They usher you into places where blessings await. You can find yourself before presidents, and kings; and top leaders just by maximizing your potentials. Talents pitch you with important people.
Another version says “a man’s gift works wonders.” In the third chapter, I talked about an artist that sold two of his paintings for $200 million; and that’s not even the most expensive. Gifts work wonders!
Talents, when utilized, create connections. Stop looking for connections elsewhere, work on your potentials; they’ll create the connections. One time, a king named Saul was under the torture of evil spirits. One day he gave permission to his servants to go get him a man who is “a cunning player of the harp,” who is also filled with the Spirit of God. Then they found David, who had both the skill required and the spirit of the Lord; and he was taken from the bush to the palace (1 Samuel 16:14-23).
Proverbs 17:8 says: “A Gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: withersoever it turneth, it prospereth.” Talents are more valuable than precious stones. You can re-write history making the most of them. The gifts of God cannot be purchased with money, but they can produce money (Acts 8:20). Great men don’t give you talents; rather, talents bring you before great men.
According to Proverbs 22:29, if you are diligent in your business, you will stand before kings and not mean men. You’ve got to be committed. Maximized talents put you before people that matter.
Many young Africans have the “get rich quick syndrome.” A lot of people invest very little or no time at all in training themselves let alone developing skills. Lack of commitment produces negligence. Negligence leads to failure. Failure generates annoyance. Annoyance generates frustration. Frustration leads to hatred –of self and others. So, get committed!