Have you ever felt like your greatest strength was also your greatest weakness? Me too, sister! Today, I have invited Erin from Broken Not Broke Blog to share some insight on this very topic.
If you have felt this strange phenomenon of your greatest strength also being your greatest weakness, tune in, Erin has some encouraging words for you!
Broken Not Broke
Hey all! My name is Erin from Broken Not Broke Blog! I am so honored to be a guest on Move the Mountains! I have a huge heart for speaking truth, digging into Scripture, and having the mind of Christ.
But I do want to clear up a few things, I am a liar, gossiper, and slanderer. I have spoken about serious truths of the gospel to women of all ages, on stage and off. But, I have said some of the ugliest things to the people I love.
Maybe even worse, I have spoken about them behind their backs. I share scripture and encouragement with an audience of hundreds on a daily basis over my social media platforms. On those same platforms in private spaces, I have posted things that have deeply hurt others.
But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it, we bless the Lord and Father, and with it, we curse people made in God’s image. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. James 3:8-10
My mouth was given to me as a blessing to be used to make much of my King and bring Him glory. But, unbridled my tongue is wayward and dangerous. Have you ever noticed that our greatest strength can also be our greatest weakness?
Speaking truth and encouraging others to live lives of surrender to Jesus no matter their brokenness, no matter what this earth has thrown at them comes easy. Listening and being slow to speak isn’t always so easy.
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. James 1:19
Where I've Failed
I remember a time I was sitting in a coffee shop with a dear friend as she poured out her heart and frustrations she was feeling for an impossible situation. I remember distinctly that I just kept speaking.
I was making no sense and saying all the things she knew but not what she needed. What she needed was a quiet and compassionate friend. She needed me to just be with her, to just simply listen with empathy. Instead, I considered it my “duty” to speak the truth!
As I spoke the Lord gave me a vision of someone playing racketball. Just hitting that ball against the wall over and over again. I was instantly embarrassed. My pride had got the best of me and I felt it deeply. I failed to be what my friend needed because my greatest strength had become my greatest weakness at that moment.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17
Giftings are from God
James is a master at understanding this concept of gifting. He knew just where his gifting came from, from his Heavenly Father.
When I sat back and processed that situation with my friend I realized a truth I had forgotten. My gifting was not my own. It was a gift given, supplied, and powered by the Holy Spirit. Had I sat and just listened I believe God would have used me to speak the truth my friend did need, but instead my pride told me it was my duty to speak.
Pride is the root of so many sins. It is definitely the root of mine and something I need to constantly take to the Lord. Asking forgiveness from Him had been the easy part, asking forgiveness from those I have hurt with my unbridled tongue is awful and humbling.
What is your greatest strength? Satan is a master people watcher, he has been observing human behavior since the beginning of time. He sees the God-given gifting in you before you do, and therefore, it becomes his number one place of attack.
I remember listening to a Matt Chandler sermon and he said that he used to be such an aggressive person and literally beat people up. Pretty hard to imagine a clean-cut, skinny jeans wearing pastor beating up on people. He went on to say that he used to beg God to take away his aggression until God spoke to him and told him that that is how he made him to be.
He was created to be a passionately aggressive person, but how can he use that for God’s glory? He uses that passionate aggression to speak powerful truth from the pulpit every Sunday. Now we have to ask ourselves, how were we uniquely created? What gifting and strengths are to be used to bring King Jesus all the glory and honor He deserves?
You were uniquely created by a skilled Creator and He desires your strengths to be reined in and used for Him. In that, we must be on guard for the ways Satan will attack because he knows our greatest strengths can become our greatest weaknesses.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
We have been created by an intentional Creator. He has set out good works for each one of us to do with our gifting. We have the option to step into those good works by using our strengths to grow God’s kingdom. How will you walk in those good works as you consider your strengths today?
Join us live on Instagram
Also, we are doing a live together on Instagram Thursday, January 14th where we will discuss this topic more in depth. Please join us by either following Erin at @brokennotbroke or Amanda at @movethemountains.
We will be live at 8am Pacific/10am Central on 1/14/2021 on our Instagrams.
