Light and shadow in the use of the gifts
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: Every gift and strength we possess can also have a negative aspect to it. For example, an evangelistic gift can lead to promising more than we can deliver or having a flat spirituality. A pastor's stable character can sometimes lead to lack of vision and creativity. A great preacher can become too dependent on their oratory and forget to cultivate the filling of the Holy Spirit. We must be aware of these shadow sides and guard against them with vigilance and honesty.
An interesting aspect of the human personality is that, many times, our strengths can also constitute our weaknesses. Every believer, leader or not, must be aware of this curious law of human nature. Every gift has a bright side, but it also has a dark aspect.
The person with an evangelistic gift, for example — brimming with enthusiasm, charisma, adrenaline, and creative ideas — has to guard against the dark side of his giftedness. That same energy that allows you to organize evangelistic campaigns, speak sympathetically and confidently to individuals or crowds, and undertake one exhausting journey after another, can lead you to promise more than you can deliver, to develop a flat and superficial spirituality, or to sustain lacking interpersonal relationships. deep.
On the other hand, the pastor whose sobriety and stable and conservative character are ideal to care for souls in the long term and safeguard the institutional health of his church, can sometimes become so cautious and prudent in the face of every decision that he fails to exercise the vision and creativity necessary to take your congregation to a new level of growth.
The great preacher can become so dependent on his oratory and word that he forgets to continually cultivate the filling and anointing of the Holy Spirit through sober spiritual disciplines.
The super anointed individual can become so enamored with the anointing that he fails to cultivate the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, or a mature and complex knowledge of God's word.
The person whom God has blessed with great successes and spiritual victories over the years must guard against the overconfidence and possible spiritual pride that this unbroken chain of blessings can generate.
In short, every gift casts its shadow. Every anointing has its danger. Every endowment of God, if we don't take care of ourselves, can become an Achilles heel. It requires constant vigilance, as well as a healthy dose of honesty with ourselves and with God, so that our gifts - and the triumphs they have brought us - do not become subtle enemies of our lives of service to the Lord and us. predispose for long-term failure.