Let God Repurpose You

Personally I don’t like personality tests.  Mostly because I have a hard time answering the questions honestly. I mean I know how I “see” myself, but that may not really be how I am as much as how I want to be. It is hard to be honest with yourself about yourself. We lie to ourselves more than to anyone else.

I read a Facebook post recently were someone asked about a test they had taken to see what their spiritual gift was. The writer had been pegged as a prophet, which was not how they saw themselves. Some of the responses mentioned that as they had matured their own results had changed. And on any given day their results were one gift or another.

It made me think about Moses. God called him to a specific task.  Moses did not see himself in that role and argued with God. Maybe if Moses had had the internet back then and had taken that test, he would not have balked at doing what God was calling him to do.

I checked the spiritual gifts site and saw that they had 12 gifts listed that God can use you in. So apparently the thought process behind the site is, you take their test, find out what gift you have and then report for duty. (I am making an assumption here.)

I don’t see that scenario in the bible.

I would be willing to bet too, that most people who take the test come out with a result being one of the more “glamorous” gifts, like prophecy. And not the Christ-like gift of servant.

Yeshua was both the prophet like Moses and the suffering servant.

Don’t Limit God

I think when we take a test to see what our “gift” is, we limit God. He may come to you asking you to do some lowly but very necessary task. But you respond that you are a prophet. His response back is “I need a servant right now, perhaps I will use you later.” You take the test again and see that you are now the thing He needed yesterday. His response is that right now He needs a prophet, perhaps you will be used next time. When you take the test and rely on and put too much stock in the results, you are limiting God.

God: I need someone to mow the widow Jones’s yard today.
Me: Not me Lord, I’m a prophet.
God: Oh really?

Think about it, Moses thought he was not a good speaker – but he was God’s spokesman to His people. Yes, I know the story, he argued with God, and God relented and said bring your brother Aaron, I will tell you what to say and you tell Aaron. But as you read the story, we don’t really see Aaron talking very much at all.

Remember He is the potter, we are the clay. He will make us into what He needs us to be if we are willing and ready – study to show yourself an approved workman that does not need to be ashamed because he is not prepared.

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?

Romans 9:20-21 ESV

This is what we need to say when reporting for duty – Your humble servant reporting for duty, use me as you will, for I am Yours.

Rely on God

When we look to spiritual gift tests, personality tests like Myers-Briggs, or even Enneagram, we are relying on mere human knowledge to determine or “confirm” how we think or want Almighty God to use us. It is not up to us, we just need to be willing servants.

To find out more about the dangers of personality test and the enneagram, click the following links: Redeeming Enneagram?, Why Myers-Briggs is just as bad as the Enneagram (YouTube video).

Your Turn

Has the Heavenly Father used you in a role you never would have pegged yourself as? Have you ever tried to shoehorn yourself into a role you were not prepared for nor called to do? How did it turn out?

Learn and sing the song Have Thine own way, Lord:

Have Thine own way, Lord,
  Have Thine own way;
Thou art the Potter,
  I am the clay.
Mold me and make me
  After Thy will,
While I am waiting,
  Yielded and still.

Click the following link for the full lyrics and piano instrumental. Have a little personal, spiritual karaoke. Hymn: Have Thine own way, Lord (hymnal.net)

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Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to get out of the way and let You work through me to accomplish Your will. I know You know what needs to be done, and I trust You to use me as needed to accomplish it. Amen.

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Feature Image by Korhan Erdol from Pixabay.