God gives gifts or talents to each of His children. Are you putting what God has given you to good use for Him? Are you making gain for God’s Kingdom and bringing forth fruit unto Him, or are your gifts or talents lying idle and doing nothing?

The Lord gives every one of His servants something to work with just as the nobleman did in the parable found in Luke 19. The nobleman was about to take a long trip to further his kingdom; and before he left, he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come (Luke 19:13). Each man received one pound, and they were to go forth and increase that pound for the nobleman. Each man was responsible for what he did with his pound, and the Lord keeps track of what we do with our gifts and talents as well.

And it came to pass, that when he [the nobleman] was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin (Luke 19:15-20).

Unfortunately, the last servant did nothing with what the nobleman had given him. He had all he needed to go forth and make gain, and he could have done that just as the others did; but he chose not to, and all he could give the nobleman were fear and excuses. That is why the nobleman said, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant (Luke 19:22).

People can give God any excuse they want to, but He knows their heart. For the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (I Samuel 16:7).

Divine Love Has No Fear

Fear is one thing that causes people to hide their God-given talents, but perfect love casts out all fear. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love (I John 4:18).

The Holy Ghost is the one who will shed abroad the love of God in your heart. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:5). With that perfect love in your heart, you will use your talents or gifts for the Lord without any complaints, distrust or accusations against God.

Jesus asked Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep (John 21:16). Jesus asked Peter that same question three times because Jesus knew that later, Peter would deny Him three times on the night when Jesus would be tried and would need him so much.

When divine love operates through you, it will urge you on to make the necessary sacrifices to bring in the lost sheep. Anyone who wants to can have that love, and by that love is how men will know we are Christ’s disciples. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:35). God has given us such a great privilege in being able to serve Him, and we have His love to back us up.

When Jesus was on Earth, the divine love He had led Him to Calvary saying, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32). He was speaking of dying on the Cross; and when He submitted to that death, He opened the door so that all who want to can come to Him. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).

Through love, Jesus looked beyond the price He would have to pay; and He saw the souls that needed a savior. He said, For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28). Jesus poured out His very life for us; and now, we must please the Lord by using what God has given us and pouring out our souls to a lost and dying world.

The Lord gave us the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us in our work. Behold, I [Jesus] send the promise [the Holy Ghost] of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). God never asks too much of anyone. He freely gives us what we need to finish the work His Son started, and we have all the power we will ever need in the name of Jesus and in the Holy Ghost.

Use What God Gives You

Jesus came to Earth to give gifts unto men and to show us how to use them. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men (Ephesians 4:8).

Before Jesus ascended back to Heaven, He told the disciples to use what He had given them to go forth and increase the Kingdom. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:19,20).

Are you using your talent or gift for the Lord, or do you have it laid up in a napkin or hidden under a bushel? No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light (Luke 11:33). Keeping what God has given you hidden makes it worthless to Him, and He receives no gain from it.

Nothing God gives you is too small to be used. All His gifts are more valuable than all the silver and gold in the whole world, so you must use what God has given you no matter how small it may seem. The Bible says, For who hath despised the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10)?

How many times has a simple Jesus smile, an anointed phrase or an anointed touch encouraged you and lifted you up? Do you take time to give those things to others? If you neglect using the small things, you will miss many blessings from God.

The nobleman didn’t tell his servants to make gain without first giving them something to use, and our sensible God gives us what we need to use, too. He sent His only Son to die on the Cross so we could have His divine blood and His name to use. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:17,18).

The Divine Anointing Makes the Difference

To be chosen and anointed by God to do His work is the greatest honor. You must know the value of the Lord’s anointing and know that it will go with you. You must also know how much that anointing can affect others.

Elisha carried the Lord’s anointing in his body to the grave. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land [of Israel] at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they [the Israelites] were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet (II Kings 13:20,21). When the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came back to life.

The Bible tells us that the Lord’s anointing will break all of our bondages. And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing (Isaiah 10:27). When you don’t know what the divine anointing will do, you will miss receiving God’s best.

The divine anointing will enable you to bring forth fruit for the Lord. Jesus said, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained [anointed] you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain (John 15:16).

The Lord wants us to bring forth more and more fruit for Him. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples (John 15:8). That is why God purges us. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15:2). You must go forth no matter what to bear fruit for the Lord.

You Must Separate

Don’t neglect the talents or gifts God has given you. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery (I Timothy 4:14).

You must never want these things to be said of you: For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them (Nehemiah 9:35). I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down (Proverbs 24:30,31).

You can’t allow family and so-called friends to intimidate you and cause you to neglect God’s work no matter what they say or do. You have to get away from those who say the wrong things. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you [accept you completely] (II Corinthians 6:17). You have to leave family and friends behind who do not want to follow God. You can’t continue to socialize with them thinking that you have to help them.

Abraham obeyed God and came out from among his kindred. Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:1,3). We must separate, too, so God can use us to bless others.

God blessed Abraham and made a great nation of him, but those blessings were to be passed on. God said, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). The more you are blessed by God, the more you can pass on to others.

Use the Word

The Lord gave us the Word, and Jesus showed us how to use it. When the devil came to torment Jesus in the wilderness, He gave the devil the Word. Jesus said, “It is written” with great authority three times; and the devil had to go. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him (Matthew 4:10,11).

Do you use the Word like that? You must know the value of the Word, the power of the Word and the authority it holds. Go beyond just hearing the Word and use it like Jesus did. You must become a doer of the Word. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (James 1:23-25).

You may say that you don’t get anything out of the Word of God, but you can if you will study it rather than just breezing through it. The Bible says, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15).

When you study the Word, let the Holy Ghost take over your mind so He can teach you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26).

Paul Held Nothing Back

God does not give you gifts or talents just so you can say you have them; you must use them to draw others into the Kingdom of God. Paul knew that; and he said, For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel (I Corinthians 9:16)! Paul knew that judgment would be upon him if he didn’t preach the Gospel.

Paul was called and given a talent to preach; and although your calling may be different, you can still have the same urgency of heart Paul had. He knew he had to follow through on his calling, and you need to feel the same way; but you must follow through willingly, or God will not reward you. For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more (I Corinthians 9:17-19).

Paul gave up all his wants and desires to be a servant of the Lord. Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you (I Corinthians 9:20-23).

Paul willingly gave his all for the sake of the Gospel; and he wanted Timothy to do the same thing when he wrote, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (II Timothy 1:8,9). Paul used every talent God gave him to further God’s Kingdom, and you can do the same thing if you want to.

Be Profitable to the Kingdom

Jesus will never ask you to do something you can’t do. He will give you what you need and anoint you to do His work if you are willing to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Matthew 16:24).

If you are willing to take up your cross and make gain for Jesus, you will be all right. None of us want the Lord to say to us what the nobleman said to the wicked, slothful servant: Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds…For I say unto you, That unto everyone which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him (Luke 19:24,26). If you don’t do what the Lord wants you to do and help to increase His Kingdom, He will take from you what He has given you.

You may say you can’t use your talent or gift because you think you have a personality that hinders you from doing that, so you hide it in fear; but God does not make mistakes in those He chooses. If you will yield to Him, you will be able to do things you never thought you could; but if you let fear rule you, you will continue to keep your talent hidden. You may feel honored to have received it, but you won’t go forth in love to make gain with it; so it becomes useless, and Heaven frowns on you.

God wants to use you, and you have to be ready for Him to do that at any time. God has marked certain souls for you to win. They don’t know it, but the Lord will see to it that those people cross your path at sometime or another. You may have only a few minutes to bring some of them to the Lord; but thus saith the Lord, they will cross your path, and they will be ready to surrender. You will meet souls under all kinds of circumstances, and you must be ready for them.

Don’t Turn Away

You must know the value of the things God has given you and be proud to use them for His sake. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we have the divine blood; but if you don’t know the value of that blood, you will not use it in its fullness. God wants His people to know the great power that is in the blood so they will use it for themselves and for others. The devil and all his demons cannot stand before the divine blood.

You won’t be excited about sharing Jesus with the world if you don’t know the value of Him and consider Him to be your Pearl of Great Price. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it (Matthew 13:45,46). “To buy” here means to take Jesus into your heart and keep Him forever.

The rich, young ruler sought out Jesus and asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life (Luke 18:18)? Yet he would not surrender all he had to buy the Pearl of Great Price. Jesus answered him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich (Luke 18:22,23). That young ruler walked away from the most valuable thing he could have ever owned.

Jesus said, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works (Matthew 16:25-27).

Work Now or Never

We have to work like never before because the Lord is coming real soon, but some of you are too willing to give your duties to others. You won’t get still with God and ask Him to anoint you to make the effort before you hand your duty over to someone else.

Letting people know how important it is to accept Jesus and winning souls is hard work, but you will be glad you did what God wanted you to when the Lord returns and gives out His rewards. Only the things you do for the Lord will pass the Lord’s test on the Day of Rewards. All the other things you wasted your time doing will be burned up because they will not stand up to the Pentecostal fire from Heaven.

The Bible says, Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire (I Corinthians 3:12-15).

We must finish the Lord’s work and win every soul that can be won before Rapture Day comes, and the Holy Spirit is being poured out like never before to help us do that. We are in the Latter Rain, and this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh (Acts 2:16,17).

The Bible says that the Latter Rain of the Spirit will be greater than the early rain. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil (Joel 2:23,24).

Be a Blessing

God has blessed His children with so much. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Now, it is time for you to be a blessing to God and to others, so cast all your burdens on the Lord and go forth to share your blessings with people all over the world. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14).

You can be a blessing by edifying one another. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do (I Thessalonians 5:11). You can help others to bear their burdens. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ [the law of love that He brought] (Galatians 6:2).

You can take time to be kind. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32). You can share your happiness. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God (Psalm 146:5). God gives us happiness through Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, so God’s children should be the happiest people on Earth.

Jesus was the very Son of God, but He willingly came to Earth to be a servant and to bless others. He told the disciples, But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man [Jesus] came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:26-28).

Let Your Light Shine

We all like receiving blessings, but it shouldn’t stop there. Jesus said, Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them (Matthew 7:12). If you have traveled through a deep valley and learned a valuable lesson from the Lord, bless others by sharing what God has done for you. Let them know that if they will draw closer to God and never give up, He will be with them and deliver them. Jesus said, I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you (John 14:18).

Don’t hide the beautiful light God has given you. Let it shine for the glory of God and bless others. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

To let your light shine the way God wants it to, you have to be blameless before Him. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons [or daughters] of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life (Philippians 2:15,16).

Most people, and even many so-called Christians, in the world today only seek blessings for themselves. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's (Philippians 2:21). But the Bible plainly tells us, Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others (Philippians 2:4). Don’t just seek your own blessings; use what God has given you to encourage others and to help them receive a blessing as well.

God Always Gives Back

All the talents and gifts we have received from the Lord were given to us for free; and Jesus said, Freely ye have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8). We all have received plenty from the Lord, so now we must freely serve those things to others. The Bible tells us, Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

If you don’t serve others, God will stop serving you. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully (II Corinthians 9:6). The Bible gives us the same message in Proverbs. There is that scattered [that gives away], and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty (Proverbs 11:24).

Why should God continue to give you blessings, talents or gifts when you won’t serve them? You let people do the best they can without ever encouraging them or offering to help. Proverbs goes on to say, The liberal soul shall be made fat [in the Lord]: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself (Proverbs 11:25).

When you share your time, talents or anything else God has given you, He will give back to you. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again (Luke 6:38).

God will give you all you need to abound in good works for Him. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work (II Corinthians 9:8).

Become a New Creature

Sinner, Backslider, are you going to put the talents and gifts God has given you to use for Him, or will you continue to waste them? If you choose to waste them, you will never be blessed or be able to be a blessing to others. In fact, you won’t even make it to Heaven.

If you are unsaved or have anything in your life that would keep you out of Heaven, you have to get it out of the way. Say this prayer right now: Oh, God, I am lost and on the road to hell, but I don’t want to go there. You said if I would confess my sins, you would forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I am so sorry I have sinned against you, but I have come home; and I will serve you the rest of my life. I won’t hinder you anymore, Lord. I will live holy, and I will be your child. I believe you died for me because you love me, and I know that blood love will wash away all the guilt and shame of my sins. I believe the blood of Jesus saves me right now. I surrender all. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come on in!

If you meant that prayer, Jesus has accepted your invitation and come into your heart. Now, you can say, Hallelujah! Jesus is mine. You have nothing to fear. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7).

Claim God’s Healing Power

Now, you are ready to receive a miracle, and God can heal you today. I am not the healer; Jesus is the Healer, and I am just His witness. Lord, here they are. You told me when I began this great worldwide outreach that I must tell people you would heal them. Since then, millions have been blessed throughout the Earth. You have healed all kinds of sicknesses and diseases and even raised the dead, and you will do that for the people today. Heal them from all their diseases. Heal! in the holy name of the Lord.

Now, watch yourself and your loved ones get well. If you have AIDS, take your miracle and send in your documentation with your testimony. We want the world to know what Jesus is doing.

If you meant business today, I’m sure you felt the Lord’s presence. Now, start praising God for your salvation and your miracle. Then go on and receive the good Holy Ghost, the tongue of fire the disciples received on the Day of Pentecost. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with othertongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). The Holy Ghost is power todo the Lord’s work, and He will help you on life’s journey like no person or thinghas ever helped you before.

There are many evidences of the Holy Ghost baptism, but the first evidence is the speaking in another tongue. He will take over your tongue and speak in another language, and it won’t be you speaking. Get off to yourself and begin praising the Lord with the word “glory.” That word gives the Lord all the praise. Then keep praising Him, and that “glory” will begin to fade out. That is the Holy Ghost seeking to take over and give you a tongue of holy fire. If I never get to see you on Earth, I want to meet you in Heaven. Heaven is a wonderful place, and you must decide you are going there and never turn back.