It’s Christmas time and I am eagerly anticipating a scarcity of Christmas gifts. However, this lack of material gifts is overshadowed by an overflowing, outpouring of spiritual gifts. At the beginning of the World Race, I left behind a job and career in therapy and counseling, surrendering my identity as a professional and as a therapist. In the first couple months, I purposefully set aside that part of me and focused on understanding and grasping all that God calls me: beloved, chosen, blessed, given, redeemed. Incidentally, in surrendering that part of me, I also left a part of my heart and my gifting. Recently, I encountered a situation that reactivated my gifting as a life-giver, counselor, and encourager. God spoke very clearly throughout the situation that after 4 months, He was giving back this part of me. Although I am still in the process of understanding what exactly this means for me, I am simultaneously learning to step by faith out of the boundaries of a defined role or identity as a counselor and to walk into developing my spiritual gift. Instead of letting my gifts of encouragement, compassion, and exhortation lay dormant, God has opened my eyes to the needs of my World Race family, my squad, and the people we’re serving here in Istanbul and I cannot ignore it.
Additionally, the activation of my spiritual gift of intercession was recently spoken over me. Prior to the World Race, I did not receive or accept my gift of intercession. What is an intercessor anyway? Someone who prays all the time? That’s not me. However, I have come to a new understanding of who an intercessor is: someone who feels the weight and temporarily takes on the burden of those around in order to release it to God, someone who fights spiritual battles in prayer for those who cannot fight for themselves, someone who stands in the gap. That is me. That has been me. I receive this gift and I am stepping out in faith and in prayer to stand in the gap for my brothers and sisters, bringing their burdens to the Lord. As I’ve written in previous blogs, the power of prayer is increasingly evident as we battle for each other daily on the field. Even more encouraging to me is the power of intercession for my family and friends at home. While I wish I could be home to hug you, have Meinl with you, to bake chocolate chip cookies for you, I know that the most important thing I can do is to intercede in prayer for you. I know and trust that God is taking care of you and in the meantime, I am standing in the gap for you.
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… but eagerly desire the greater gifts.” 1 Cor. 12:7, 31. I eagerly desire the spiritual gift of healing; healing emotionally, spiritually, and physically. We live in a broken world with people hurting all around us. Yet God calls us to be “children of God… in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Phil. 2:15). God is a life-giver and desires for us to live fully. He loves us so much He sent His son, Jesus, who said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). God is Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals. As I am striving to manifest the presence of the glory of God, I am also stepping into the character of Christ, and eagerly desiring the spiritual gift of healing. This year, my Christmas wish list has only one thing: the spiritual gift of healing. Please pray with me as I seek the Lord as He reveals more of the spiritual gifts He has for me.
