Happy February, Superkids!
It’s already shaping up to be an exciting year.
Last month, we decided to take out any trash that 2017 may have left in its wake. I would love to know how that went for you! Did you think of things you needed to be free of? You pictured your Christmas tree, after all the gifts had been unwrapped and the paper and ribbons strewn about the floor. Just like that mess makes it difficult to play with your new toys and gadgets, junk that’s left in our lives can hinder our ability to see the good things Jesus brought to us and the extraordinary gifts He unwrapped in us in 2017.
I am so grateful that He helped us dump the garbage of 2017, aren’t you? If you missed last month’s article, or you feel like you didn’t totally clean out last year’s junk, it’s worth going back to read it, because 2018 is all about being free in Jesus! Woohoo!
When we look at what the Father has placed in us, instead of the distractions of unforgiveness, anger, hurt, mistakes, fear or other such negative factors, we will begin to see the fruit of what Jesus wants to do in our lives. He is constantly leading and guiding us out of the junk and into what God has planned. Read what Hebrews 13:20-21 (BRG Bible) says: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
What a great word! Look at what that says: The God who brings peace, brought JESUS all the way back from the dead to be what He called Him to be. That same God, OUR Father, will bring YOU into every good thing He has called you to! Remember what Jesus was called to do? He was called TO LEAD AND SHEPHERD YOU to be just like HIM! That is powerful. If God can raise Jesus from the dead, then He can surely raise you to be what He’s called you to be. Then Jesus just brings out the great gifts the Father puts in you! Psalm 139:13-16 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition) says that the Father put those gifts in you before you were ever born:
For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.
So, how do they show up? How do you recognize a gift of God?
Many times, the things we become passionate about have something to do with our calling. Have you become interested in a new hobby, subject or activity? I’ve always found myself drawn to kids. Even as a kid I wanted to help and be around younger kids. I loved to sing and to be in plays and musicals. Can you see how what was in me to be Commander Kellie was working in me before I was even grown up?
What about your talents?
Did you discover a new ability last year, like singing, acting or sports? Or, did you discover you excelled in a new subject at school? Many times, these are gifts that will become part of our calling that the Father knit inside us when we were “being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors]” (verse 15, AMPC).
Another way the Father gifts us is by bringing people into our lives who open new doors and understanding for us—who make us better or just encourage us to be like Jesus. Parents, friends, family, teachers and pastors are gifts from the Lord. What good, new things came to you through these gifts last year?
I could go on for pages about how the Lord brings to us and unwraps gifts in us, and what that looks like. The ways are as endless and as individual as His children! Take some time, Superkid, to think about it. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to the gifts He brought into your life last year. Then, take the time to express your gratitude to Him for each of those gifts. Perhaps it is a good time to express thanks to the people who helped you receive these gifts from the Lord.
Superkid, if you will decide today to make this thought process a way of life, taking out the trash and receiving the gifts, then you will walk boldly into your future—unhindered by anything. I’ll leave you with this thought from Romans 8:28, The Passion Translation: “So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.”
All this makes me wonder…What gifts will 2018 bring? Now I’m on the lookout, Superkid, aren’t you? ♥
Commander Kellie
Kellie Copeland
is an outreach minister at Kenneth Copeland Ministries and is the developer of the Superkid Academy curriculum. Through her ministry and as “Commander Kellie,” she fulfills the mission of drawing people of all ages into a personal, growing and powerful relationship with Jesus Christ.