Daily Devotional – 5/30/18 “Protect your gifts!”

Beloved, you need to be just as protective of your spiritual gifts as you are with your social security number, credit, bank account, children, wig and etc. See, whether you know this or not, there is folk who will pimp out your gift, pay you a little bit for it and then pat you on the head and say, “good job.” They will call you, at the last-minute but not while they were planning. They will not recommend you publicly but will pull on your knowledge privately. They take what you say from Facebook and repost it as their own on Twitter. Protect your gifts. This means you cannot accept every invitation, respond to every message, sit at everybody’s table and glean from just anybody. I get it, he or she looks to be anointed but what kinds of fruit are they bearing. You grew up with them but this doesn’t mean they’ve grown with you. Be protective of your gifts. Think about it. Would you put your life in just anybody’s hands? Would you go up to a complete stranger and give them the keys to your house or your bank card? Then why are you allowing somebody to handle your gift when they keep mishandling theirs? I don’t care how long they have been in the ministry, everybody is not capable of being a spiritual guide. In fact, some will keep you close simply because your gift is the only thing keeping them afloat. You have to protect your gifts because folk will use them and sometimes, not for your good.

The bible shares in 2 Peter 2:1-2, “But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.” You have a responsibility to protect your gifts. Be careful of the hands you allow to mold your gift when they don’t have the oil or the ability to. Be careful of the mouths you allow to speak over and on your gifts when their tongues don’t hold the anointing. Be mindful of those who only mention your gifts when it benefits them. If you don’t, you run the risk of being hurt, burned out and turned from God. In summation, protect your gifts. How? By praying for yourself, attaching to others who believe in you without a cost, having a stable home/marriage, developing valuable friendships, taking days off, laughing sometimes, allowing yourself to be fed, listening and taking constructive criticism.