FWC & the dangers of having one talent

Thanks for taking out time again click on the link I shared or just plain old visiting my blog. I know you didn’t need to but I’m glad you did all the same. As is my M.O when I experience a life changing sermon at the ever wonderful Family Worship Centre Abuja, I am always quick to share it with folks I consider friends since we all are striving to become better people.

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Msg: The danger of having one talent (Day 13)
Pst. Wale Afelumo

Let’s start by defining a Talent: a natural ability or aptitude; a capacity for achievement or success, Gifts, aptitude, congenital blessings, and life changing abilities. Also, culled from a parable in the bible in Matt 25:14-30, a power of mind or body considered as given to a person for use and improvement.

The five talent person is born with natural intelligence (innate), and most times born with a silver spoon. They seem to have everything going on for them and outlined below are some of the obvious characteristics of this kind of person.
They are:

• Awake to opportunities (they see opportunities on every situation, because they have exposure working for them)
• Generate ideas, and have a mind-set that can create something out of nothing
• They are adventurers and risk takers
• Profit minded,
• business minded, growth, increase
• They are workers
• Traders (they see the profit side of buying and selling easily)
• Always trying to enhances whatever they get

The one talent person is that one not born with a proud pedigree, no good head start in life, no natural intelligence and not gifted in many things – perhaps even went to school late.

Outlined below are some of the characteristics of the one talent person.

• they are unimaginative
• Plays it safe always and never takes risks, even a calculated one.
• They are idlers
• Possess the ‘Consumer Mentality’

How to know a one talent or five talent person or nation is not by where they are coming from, but rather in how they think; their capacity to think big and actualize their dreams plays a defining. Your story could have started out with ‘One Talent’ taking the preface but you can turn it into a 100 talents regardless.

Don’t allow where you’re coming from to stop you; God has chosen the foolish things of the world to conform the wise.

We’re going to be outlining the ‘Dangers of having one talent’

#1
The temptation to despise what you have (1 Tim 4:12)

There is always the tendency to despise the days of your humble beginning. You’re a quick to rubbish the life you were born into forgetting that those experiences just might have been the building blocks for the great man you are to become tomorrow.

It is also very important not to let anybody look down on you and don’t look down on yourself either; you are as far as your mind can see and personally I don’t entertain belittling thoughts or aspersions by anyone. In your mind’s eye, you should see in you the greatest man that ever walked the face of the earth.

Some of us are street smart but are too busy despising the situations and experiences that led us to that, that we fail to see the opportunities that lie in disguise. Some rich folks, those born with the proverbial silver spoon most times are not privy to the level of articulation you take for granted; your IQ is an accumulation your personal experiences and it’s a known fact that the best experience is that from sense perception.

#2
The comparison and envy (2 Corinthians 10:12)

If you are in the business of comparing yourself to others, you are unarguably a one talent person and need to change that mindset. You think because someone is in a better job, dresses better and seems to have everything going on for them that they are better than you are?

Things are not always what they seem and just in case that doesn’t help in buttressing this, know that every man was created different and we are unique in our diversity. Be more inclined to embarking on the path less traveled, than walking in other people’s footsteps because the only thing you would achieve is being second best at most, and seeing as different strokes for different folks, you just might fail woefully where others or someone else succeeds.

#3

The temptation of bitterness

You are likely to interpret your one talent to mean that God loves you less, hence secretly complaining about God and forming bad opinions of him. We get bitter at our parents for the live we are subjected to and are envious of people who are making it; this only shows you are a one talent person.

#4

Temptations of idleness and mediocrity

Many one talent people easily give up on life and end up not giving their best shot at whatever they do.

With a looming lack of purpose, it is easy to waste meaningful time that could have been otherwise channeled into something else.

#5

The temptations of lack of productivity

If you can write and you don’t, it would not benefit anybody and you won’t gain anything from it. One of the dangers of having one talent is that it blinds our eyes to opportunities and we end up being unproductive. Instead, look at where you are as your starting point and not your final bus stop, this would help in making you more productive.

All is not lost, you can physically have one talent but have a five talent mind-set and this has the tendency to grow beyond your imaginations.

Whatever God has blessed you with has the capacity to grow.

Your history has no final say on your destiny. Where you are should not stop you from going where you want to.

It’s all in your mind-set and perception.

Don’t give up on your gifts. Never despise your natural flair.

If you believe in it, out of your belly shall flow rivers of life. Put to use what God has given you.

Don’t bury your talents.

It would be your key to something great this year 2015.

Here are a few questions I would like to leave us all here with:

• What talents have I been given?
• Why are talents given?
• Have u developed them?
• Which or how many have I developed?
• Which of them have I buried in the ground?
• Which of them can make me known?
• Which of them can impact lives and increase God’s
  Kingdom?
• Which of them can generate income?
• What am I doing to hone them or cook them?
• What am I doing to improve them?
• Am I in a place where I can deploy them?
• Am I with the people who would be glad to pay for
  what I have?

It’s time to introspect and answer these questions.

Wishing you all a productive 2015

– Creativity increases by using what you have –