go for it!

[Sondog]

one of the important things to remember regarding spiritual gifts is that you are not limited to those gifts that you are presently aware of. Paul says "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy." (1 cor 14:1-2) this infers that there may be more to what God has for you (gift-wise) than what you initially thought. that is why it is good to step out in faith in various situations and see what God might do through you.

 

[Tee_w]

one of the important things to remember regarding spiritual gifts is that you are not limited to those gifts that you are presently aware of. Paul says "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy." (1 cor 14:1-2) this infers that there may be more to what God has for you (gift-wise) than what you initially thought.

Good point, but how many are prepared to stick their neck out and take a chance

 

[Bob Carabbio]

"Good point, but how many are prepared to stick their neck out and take a chance?"

ANd how many if they did "Step out" would be only moving in "Presumption" because of what some "Teacher" told 'em what HE thought they SHOULD do.

 

[Tee_w]

[FONT=Palatino Linotype, serif]No one wins a war without taking a risk. It is as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the natural realm. Pioneers, people who break new ground are risk-takers; there are many such people in the Bible.[/FONT]
[FONT=Palatino Linotype, serif]Hebrews 11 gives brief account of some of them. [/FONT]

[FONT=Palatino Linotype, serif]The point I'm trying to make is there is always an element of risk in moving out in faith. I believe God love's risk-takers because they are the ones who advance the kingdom in great leaps and bounds. The late Smith Wigglesworth once said, “ the Acts of the Apostles was only written because they acted.” They were men of faith i.e. risk-takers!

Blessings,
Tee
[/FONT]

 

[hopeinGod]

We've talked about this many times. What is happening today, due to burn out, doctrinal onesidedness, extremism, kingdom building, lack of accountability, etc. that, even today, continues within the Charismatic world, is a rejection of understudied, poorly founded ministries and their traits. The wounded, today, prefer safe havens where they can rest from their miserable pasts.

To allow anyone in such an assembly to move in the gifts invites harm, likened to PTSD. Believers are better able to heal when they step away from the cause of their pain and are no longer challenged by the spiritually ambitious.

 

[TrulyFulfilled]

one of the important things to remember regarding spiritual gifts is that you are not limited to those gifts that you are presently aware of. Paul says "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy." (1 cor 14:1-2) this infers that there may be more to what God has for you (gift-wise) than what you initially thought. that is why it is good to step out in faith in various situations and see what God might do through you.

I agree that no matter who we are, there are gifts (or perhaps new depths of gifts) that we aren't yet aware of.

Very true, as other comments have said, is that we need to aptly distinguish between the environments to "practice" and the environments to "function." But I do think we all can receive encouragement to stretch our boundaries (as the Spirit leads) and exercise our gifts more than we have in the past and to grow...which is what I think your post was about, correct?

That said, obviously there is wisdom to recognize the need for discovery and a balance to learn when we should step out in a way that serves others and not just ourselves.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Yahu]

one of the important things to remember regarding spiritual gifts is that you are not limited to those gifts that you are presently aware of. Paul says "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy." (1 cor 14:1-2) this infers that there may be more to what God has for you (gift-wise) than what you initially thought. that is why it is good to step out in faith in various situations and see what God might do through you.

In my case, there were times when the Spirit fell on me and manifested a gift that was not common for me. Generally it happened under bizarre circumstances. For example the first time I ever gave a prophecy, I was speaking to a coven of witches. The gifts manifested at need. I didn't go trying to operate in them. It was kind of hard to step up to start. I certainly didn't want to call the coven, 'My precious daughters, ...' but once I gave in and let out the words, they just flowed. As a result many of them got saved. At first they denied the existence of the Christian pantheon but then acknowledged that I was 'channeling Jesus'. LOL.

 

[Tobias]

We've talked about this many times. What is happening today, due to burn out, doctrinal onesidedness, extremism, kingdom building, lack of accountability, etc. that, even today, continues within the Charismatic world, is a rejection of understudied, poorly founded ministries and their traits. The wounded, today, prefer safe havens where they can rest from their miserable pasts.

To allow anyone in such an assembly to move in the gifts invites harm, likened to PTSD. Believers are better able to heal when they step away from the cause of their pain and are no longer challenged by the spiritually ambitious.

Do you expect an entire nation to stop fighting a war simply because some of the soldiers have ptsd? Generally it is understood that the objectives of war are more important than the risk of soldiers' lives. To suggest that we stop all hostilities for their comfort is illogical.

Shielding those who are wounded from further pain is important though. I don't think those who are seriously wounded by the abuse of the Gifts should subject themselves to more abuse. But there are many who do not abuse the Gifts, and IMO God is glorified in every situation where we allow Him the freedom to move in our lives.