Author Archives: Caitlin Hale

About Using Your Talents for God

You’ve probably heard the parable of the talents many times. In Matthew 25, we read that a master gave talents to his three servants. One servant had five talents, one had two, and one had one. Mr. Five Talents put them to good use and became Mr. Ten Talents. Mr. Two Talents did the same and became Mr. Four Talents. Mr. One Talent was fearful and lazy, hid his talent, and his master had his talent taken from him, and the unprofitable servant was cast into outer darkness.

Yikes. But no matter how we may perceive what abilities God has given to us, we ought to use it for His glory.

Did you know you can steal glory from God? Okay, no you can’t actually diminish from His glory, but you can try to put all the attention on you instead of God, trying to attract glory for yourself rather than give it all to Him.

When you’re serving in ministry, it’s not about you – it’s about God and others. It’s about the Kingdom. But when you’re in the middle of doing something in the Kingdom, something you may be very good at, and someone gives you a compliment, it can be hard for your flesh to resist letting that go to your head. If you’re not careful, you’ll start chasing after compliments.

Your talents are not your own. They are God’s gift to you, and they belong to God.

There are three types of approaches you can have when it comes to using your talents in the Kingdom, but many often lean toward one extreme or another.

Approach 1: Look at me.

This is the narcissistic, self-serving approach. When you feel yourself taking pride in “your” accomplishments and talents, and when you start chasing after glory for yourself, you’ve just made an idol of attention, fame, and popularity.

Glory-chasers care more about being seen than serving. Attention-seekers care more about open doors and new opportunities than simply working in their local church. When all you care about is being elevated, you develop a prideful and arrogant spirit.

Solomon warned about pride many times in Proverbs. Proverbs 16:18 states that pride goes before destruction, and Proverbs 27:2 tells us to “let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth.”

One of the things God hates is a prideful spirit, and He cannot bless something that is contrary to His Spirit.

Having an eagerness to serve and be used is good. Wanting the spotlight on yourself to gain praise and attention is not. The opposite of this extreme is similar to the issue of the one-talent servant – not putting your talent to good use.

Approach 2: Look at them.

Ugh. They’re so much better than me. What’s the point? I’m no good.

This is also self-serving because it still puts your attention on yourself as you hide your talents because you convince yourself you’re not as good as so-and-so. This approach involves our obsession over everyone else’s apparent success in comparison to our weaknesses.

Maybe you’ve got the one talent only, and you think, ugh, so-and-so has five talents. I’ll never have that many. Might as well just sit on the pew. What good am I?

Or maybe you think you have no talent. Well, believe it or not, it’s not about what you think about yourself. It’s about being willing to serve in the Kingdom.

Perhaps you’re feeling down about not being as talented as someone else. Perhaps you’re struggling just to do what you can. But then someone comes up to you and tells you how your ministry and willingness to serve has blessed them. And then it hits you: this is why. This is how you can be used in the Kingdom even if you think you’re not that talented or useful. You might think you’ve got these limitations, but when you’re moving and operating under the anointing of the Holy Ghost, God can move and touch people through your willingness to serve.

You don’t have to be the best, but you have to be anointed. And then God can use you for His glory to reach and minister to others. And that brings us to the third approach.

Approach 3: Look at God

This is the correct approach, putting all the attention on God rather than trying to get it for yourself or hide your God-given abilities. This is the approach that says, “God, I just want YOU to be glorified. I just want YOUR will to be done in me. I just want to do whatever YOU want me to do.” The person who operates with this approach is willing to serve no matter what.

Maybe you can cook. Serve in the kitchen ministry. Maybe you’re good at gardening. Help with the upkeep of the church lawn. Maybe you can take pictures. Do photography for the church. Maybe you’re good at media or graphic design. Help with the slides on the media team for services or create logos and graphics for your church’s social media page.

Maybe you’re just really great with people and always have a smile on your face. Become a church greeter. Maybe you don’t really know yet what you’re great at, but you just want to help out. God can use your desire to serve in whatever capacity is needed in the Kingdom. Whether you’re cleaning, cooking, teaching, singing, playing an instrument, greeting guests at the door, serving as an usher, helping with church planning, decorating for special services, or taking pictures every service, you can become a vital part of the Kingdom by just being willing to help out wherever help is needed.

We ALL have at least ONE thing we can do for God and for others. And here’s the thing about using that one thing for God: when you’re faithful with that one thing, God will bless your faithfulness. You may go from just helping clean the church to working in the kitchen, too. Then, you might find yourself saying, “You know, I can help decorate for the Easter program.” Then, someone might ask for your help with teaching Sunday school as a backup. And before you know it, you’re doing multiple things in the Kingdom all because you were willing to serve with just that one talent.

Be a faithful steward of the abilities God has given you. Be eager and willing to serve. Find ways to serve more. Put effort into improving the abilities God has given you. And remember that it isn’t about you. If you pair prayer with commitment and sacrifice in your ministry, then God will reward and bless and strengthen you even if it’s just through personal growth rather than through open doors to serving in a larger capacity.

Want to grow in using your abilities for God? Be faithful. Be willing. Be humble. Be a servant.

About Time

Use your time wisely.

Time. We wonder why we don’t have much, but then we don’t do much with what we have.

Waiting. Wasting. Watching. Playing. Games. Shopping. Hobbies. YouTube. Sports. Movies. Music. Twitter. Books. IG. FB. Tik Tok.

Tick tock.

Time’s up.

Look around. Now what? Night falls. Day’s gone. Sink’s still full. Washer’s loaded. Work’s not done. God’s still waiting.

And waiting. And waiting.

You need more time? You had all day. But the things you value you put first. Did you put first God or self? Did you put first God or world? Did you put first God or work? Did you put first God or fill in the blank?

What you worship you make time for. What you love most, you live for. For job, for country, for family, for friends, for fun, for money, for fame, for success. It’s not all bad just when it matters more than Him.

Don’t let your fill in the blank tank your future.

Sixteen hours in a day to spend well or to waste. Seek Him first and all else will be in His hands for eternity. Your job, your family, your health, your abilities, your work, your hobbies, your free time, your money—it all works out and works for good when you put God above it all.

So, love and serve Him with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your soul, and all your time. What you serve you’ll prioritize.

So, love Him first and love Him most for all time.

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Ephesians 5:16 KJV

Why You Should Show Mercy

You did it. You did the thing. You did the thing you knew was wrong. You did the thing you knew was wrong, and yet you did it anyway.

Why? Why’d you do it? Why’d you do it when you knew it was wrong?

Because it made you feel good? Lashing out, getting revenge, making the person who hurt you hurt more than they hurt you.

Yeah, it felt good, didn’t it? The first second the words left your mouth, and the smile left their face, and their mouth gaped open, and you knew you’d stunned them. Cut straight to their soul with an insult, a truth so crushing. Your words dripped with vitriol so full of spite that they wobbled a bit when you said it.

And why shouldn’t you say it? They had it coming. What goes around comes around, so they say.

So they say a lot of things. They say fear is a powerful tool. They say get back at your enemies. They say take what’s owed you, show no mercy, leave no survivors. Eye for an eye. Tooth for tooth. But there’s a lot they don’t say.

And as the second second hit after you said what you said, after the smile of that person – your so-called enemy – faded, after their mouth gaped open, after they seemed to shrink in fear, after your shoulders bared back, fists clenching with the strength of newfound power, tears welled up in their eyes, and they crumpled to the ground and stayed there, shoulders shaking, and then saying what you said didn’t feel so good after all.

They don’t say, “Show mercy.” They don’t say, “Be a peacemaker.” They don’t say, “Admit when you’re wrong.” No, society doesn’t say those things.

But Jesus did. He said, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). His Word says that whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will receive mercy (see Proverbs 28:13).

That same mercy God gives us when we make mistakes is there for everyone.

And so, you unclenched your fists, bent down to the person who had hurt you before, touched their shoulder, and said the words society doesn’t tell you to say:

“I’m sorry.”

Forgiveness is there for you as it is and should be for those who hurt you. Never mind what society says. Mind what Jesus has called you to do. He has called you to be set apart from the world, not embrace its ways and lifestyle.

They say, “Take revenge.”

Jesus says, “Show mercy.”

And you should, too.

The Dangers of Gossip

What you say about others matters.

I never used to think gossip was a big deal until I realized the things I’d been gossiping about were wrong. There was a time once when I heard many rumors—none of them good—about people in my life, and I believed it at the time. It suited the narrative in my head about those people, and believing those false things shaped how I thought about them. Because of the gossip I’d participated in, I began to strongly dislike them.

I was wrong.

A couple years later, I realized all the rumors I heard were not true, and I felt convicted about not only believing them but allowing others to gossip around me and furthering that gossip myself. God began dealing with me about this, making me increasingly more aware of the words I say, how I speak about people, the motives behind my words, and the impact of my words as well as the gossip others would spread around me.

I found that when I had engaged in gossip, I believed more negative thoughts about others. The list of people I disliked grew longer and longer. And it became clear that I hadn’t learned to really love others with a genuine, Christ-like love.

Then, when I made a conscious effort to stop gossiping, listening to gossip, and thinking negatively about those people, I found that the love of Christ grew in me toward them. All of a sudden, that negativity and spitefulness in my spirit was gone.

When you hear gossip, it needs to stop with you. When you hear gossip, you need to change the subject and leave the room. Do not participate. Maybe someone did something wrong, sure, but let God handle it. Rest assured, He will deal with the situation if a wrong was truly committed. He will take care of the problem if there really is a serious issue. But if it doesn’t directly concern you, there is no reason to talk to others about it.

“He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: Therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.”

Proverbs‬ ‭20‬:‭19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Gossip serves only to divide. It is self-serving. It feeds your own preconceived ideas about others. It isn’t productive. It hinders growth. Gossip comes from insecurities, idleness, narcissism, and emotional immaturity.

As we know, our feelings follow our thoughts. If we think (and then say) negative things about others, we’ll feel that way toward them. A 2011 study published in the journal Sciencexpress found that negative gossip actually changes the way we see people visually (you can read more about this here). However, if we only think good, kind, loving thoughts about others, then we’ll love them no matter what. And that’s a hard thing to do with people in certain circumstances.

I learned something about a person I know some time ago, something about what this person did, and it changed how I thought about them. They weren’t the person I thought I knew, but I was challenged to love them even still. I was challenged not to say spiteful, judgmental things about them—even though they did wrong.

Am I their judge? No. I had to let go of my animosity toward them and look at them through the love of Christ. Broken, messed up people hurt others, it’s true.

Gossip influences perception, and when you perceive people to be bad based off things you cannot confirm to be true, then you are declaring people as automatically guilty. Even if what you’re talking about IS true, sitting around and stirring the pot, repeating the same stories about the same situation keeps your mind in a repetitive loop.

Gossip is also used to destroy reputations and react aggressively. It needs the validation of others and demands that those who hear it agree with it. Gossip acts like a virus that jumps from one member of the body of Christ to another until it finds something to stick to, and then it spreads.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As the above scripture says, death and life are in the power of the tongue. Gossip is destructive and antithetical to the lifestyle of a Christian.

Gossip loves company.

When you hear it, leave the room.

2 Priorities for 2023

2023 is a week away, and I’m already thinking about personal challenges and goals for next year.

At the beginning of every year, many people make what we call “resolutions” that usually involve getting healthier or making more time for important things like family time or projects around the house. Many make spiritual goals as well, such as reading the Bible or fasting more. Of course, all of these goals are great, but we often get distracted by mid-year and abandon those resolutions. The older I get, the more I simplify my life. I’ve got a few small things I’d like to work on in 2023, but the two largest priorities I have and that I believe are essential for us to make every year are 1) spiritual growth and 2) financial security.

Let’s face it – the Christmas season is stressful mostly because many of us have maxed out credit cards or overspent our paychecks trying to buy presents for friends and family. And there are often other expenses that come due this time of year that add to the stress. Money seems to be on the brain more than the reason why we celebrate Christmas. Stressing over our finances takes the joy of Christmas away when instead of seeing the joy on your loved one’s face when they open their gift, all you see are dollar signs.

And it’s also true that when we’re busy with life, we can often neglect our spiritual health and relationship with God.

I made one major goal for myself in 2022 and that was to study the Word more in-depth and get closer to God, and having done so throughout this year has reminded me of the importance of properly ordering your priorities. It all comes down to stewardship. How well am I managing what God has given me? Am I saving money? Am I investing in the Kingdom both financially and spiritually? We should be able to look back over our life at the end of each year and see how God has drawn us closer to Him over the past several months. And we should be able to look to our future every year knowing that the present choices we’re making are to ensure future financial security.

Yes, God will always provide for our needs, but He wants us to be wise with our money – it all belongs to Him, after all. We have the responsibility to invest financially in our future for our own sakes and for our family’s.

“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

1 Timothy 5:8 KJV

In order for us to be able to provide for our families and be able to give to the Kingdom, we have to start making wise financial decisions now. If you’re young, that might look like going to trade school or college and pursuing a stable career. If you’re a bit older, it might look like investing in your kids’ future needs over yours or their present wants. For all of us, making wise financial decisions involves having a good work ethic so we can earn raises and promotions, saying “no” to our flesh when we want to buy something completely unnecessary and ridiculously expensive, saving money consistently, avoiding charging everything to credit cards, and cutting out little unnecessary expenses that add up over the year (like weekly Starbucks runs or fast food for lunch every day). Regardless of where you’re at in life, it is never too late or early to start saving, spending wisely, investing in your future, and investing in the Kingdom.

If you take care of your relationship with God each year and make wise financial decisions, He will take care of you. Rest assured, your future will be secure, and everything else (where you’ll live, who you’ll marry, when you’ll get married, where you’ll be in five years, etc.) will fall into place according to God’s timing and perfect will.

In 2023, let’s focus on God and wise investments and see how He continues to pour out His blessings upon His people as we pursue Him more and spread this Gospel to the people around us. May the Light of Jesus shine so bright in us that it snuffs out the darkness and ignites our communities and families with the Holy Ghost!

*****

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my Breathe Pray Repeat readers! I pray these posts have blessed and encouraged you this year. This will be the last BPR post until February as I’ll be taking a break in January to focus on some themes and direction for this blog in 2023.

See y’all in the new year! God Bless!

~Caitlin

Waiting for a Greater Miracle

The waiting room is an anxious place to be.

You’re wondering when something might come, if it even will, or what that something may turn out to be. And it isn’t easy to be there for a long time. Most of us know at least a little of what that’s like, and the longer you’re in the waiting room, the more it seems that the something you’re waiting for will never happen. You watch the clock, your mind on the deadline, but your miracle and answered prayer doesn’t appear to be any closer to becoming reality.

But our God is the God of the eleventh hour. He is the God of the midnight hour.

I know a little bit about waiting.

I waited and waited and waited for a full-time job for over a year. I desperately applied at countless places. When I finally snagged an interview for my dream job, I believed the deal was sealed, and my miracle was in the bag. After all, it was what I’d been praying for and what I was hoping would happen for months.

I didn’t get the job.

When it seemed like I had no other options and all hope was lost, God granted me a midnight-hour miracle. And it was greater than what I had expected all because if I had gotten the other job, I may have thought that it was partly because of my “qualifications,” my “experience,” my “perfect” interview. God blessed me with a job I desperately needed, and He did so in a way that proved that it was only because of Him, not me.

Sometimes, we need to hang on to hope for a greater, midnight-hour miracle.

Lazarus was sick and dying, and Jesus could have healed him when he was just sick, but Jesus waited. And it was after Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days that Jesus arrived and raised Lazarus up (see John 11). Jesus performed an ever greater miracle.

When your miracle seems dead, He can resurrect the promise. He can bring back hope when it seems lost.

I love the line from the Elevation Worship song “Welcome Resurrection” (linked here) that goes, “He’s still the resurrection even when the tomb is sealed!”

This is why we can’t give up in the waiting room or even in the eleventh hour. And even as midnight passes, we must keep believing for a greater miracle than before. With greater miracles comes greater testimonies, greater praise, and greater faith. We are in need of a revival of greater miracles, but the good news is that our God is the God of greater. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think according to His power that works in us!

While you’re waiting, keep praying, keep living for God, keep fasting, keep giving, keep going to church, and keep giving Him your all.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

Ephesians 3:20 KJV

How to Be Thankful in Seasons of Loss, Pain, and Waiting

Being thankful isn’t always easy.

Most of us have lost loved ones or lost relationships once very valuable to us. Many have suffered financial hardship or emotional or physical pain. And there are those who are in a season of waiting for an answered prayer or who may be going through a spiritual valley. It’s hard to feel thankful sometimes when everything seems to be falling apart. When our thoughts and feelings dwell on our circumstances and on what seems impossible, we can lose a spirit of thankfulness. So, how do we maintain it or get it back?

Praise.

What is thanksgiving, after all? It is the expression of gratitude and showing appreciation. And what is praise? Showing admiration or great approval. When we offer praise to God, we tend to move into a spirit of thanksgiving. We praise Him for what He’s done. We praise Him for who He is. Praise and worship are the keys to maintaining a spirit of thanksgiving.

Job lost everything but still declared, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15a KJV). Job’s children were killed, and yet he could still bless the name of the Lord (see Job 1). In his season of loss, Job recognized the sovereignty of God.

When you focus on who God is instead of your circumstances, you will find that praise comes naturally. How can we not praise God for all He’s done, for who He is? Because no matter what we may go through, nothing changes that He is worthy, that He is faithful, that He loves us, and that He is good.

Our circumstances change; He does not. He remains.

There have been moments in my life in which I lost so much. Perhaps like many of you, I’ve lost loved ones and relationships. And I’ve dealt with anger, hurt, sadness, loneliness, and all the various emotions that accompany seasons of grief, depression, and waiting. The words “just be thankful for what you have” are not easy to hear or adapt to your life when you can hardly get out of bed in the morning and when grief muddles your thoughts and leaves you feeling sicker by the day. But as someone who’s gone through some of those seasons, I promise you that turning your focus from what you’re going through to who God is will bring some joy back into your life. It will allow you to feel more thankful because you’re no longer putting your focus on the natural but on the supernatural. You’re no longer putting your focus on the impossible but on the one who makes things possible.

And God is always a good God, no matter how trying times become. He’s never left me, and He never will.

I recently came across a song (linked here) that speaks so much to experiences I’ve had, and it demonstrates the faithfulness of God. Just look at the verses below:

“I have seen a lot of things, and I’ve been a lot of places. I’ve seen people come and go. I’ve been through a lot of changes. One thing I can always say, You’ve been here every step of the way. I have heard a lot said and sometimes believed the wrong things. I’ve made choices I regret, and I’ve doubted Your mercy. One thing I can always say, You’ve been here every step of the way. After all these years, You’re still good to me.”

After everything I’ve been through, God is still with me. After the things we’ve all endured these past few years, God is still present with us. When we remind ourselves of how good He is every day, we can maintain a spirit of praise and thanksgiving even through hard times.

The circumstances in your life may seem to grow worse or more complicated year after year, but hold to the promises in His Word. He will never leave us, He will never fail, He works all things for our good, His promises are “yes” and “amen,” He will provide for all our needs, and His mercies are new every morning.

We have much to be thankful for.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generations.”

Psalms 100:4-5 KJV

A Tale of Four Teens: How Committed to Christ Are You?

The youth respond in an altar call at a youth rally at the Apostolic New Testament Church in Mount Vernon, MO. (Photo courtesy of the Apostolic New Testament Church Facebook page.)

How much do you want to live for the Lord, really?

There’s a group of 4 teens. We’ll call them Jane, Mary, Mark, and Joe.

Jane and Mary come into the church as young women. Jane goes all in. She studies the Word. She’s engaged in every church service, but Jane doesn’t just keep it to herself. She takes the Word with her and starts reaching her friends. She connects with the people at church, and the longer Jane attends, the more she seeks after God at home. Jane gives God her all, and she reaches her full potential in Christ, living for Him and making an impact on those around her to grow the Kingdom. Mary chooses to keep a door open to the influence of the world. She doesn’t close every door to her past. And because Mary keeps that door open, she doesn’t receive a full understanding of what it means to live for Jesus. After a few months, she leaves church altogether and goes back to the world.

Mark and Joe were both raised in church. As Mark grows up in church, he falls in love with the Word, developing a walk with God from a young age. He seeks after God every day. He dives deeper in Bible studying and fasting. He tells others about Christ. He gets involved in ministry. Because Mark stays connected to the body and grows closer to God as he grows older, he remains steadfast in the faith and in living for God. But Joe takes it all for granted. Sure, he goes to church every week, and sure, he seems to walk the walk and talk the talk, but he opens a door to worldly influences. It’s all in good fun, he thinks. Church becomes just a social club to Joe. He falls in love with the world rather than the Word. And soon, Joe leaves God and church behind, thinking he doesn’t need God anymore.

You might think this is a rather generic, simplified tale of four teens, but I’ve seen each of these scenarios play out with young people in the church. Too many young people or new people in Christ take living for God for granted. Too many take His mercy for granted.

Oh, God loves me anyway, they think, so I can just do whatever I want.

They seek instant gratification over self-sanctification. They seek worldliness over holiness.

But we must seek God while we can, especially when we are young, be it young in age or young in Christ. Don’t wait until you are older to take God seriously.

I wish I had read the Word more fervently when I was a teenager. I wish I had prayed more earnestly then.

Young person, study the Word every day. And I mean, study it. Don’t just read a few verses of Psalms at the beginning or end of the day, mark it off your Bible reading chart, and call it good. Invest your time in the Word. Read a chapter and then write down what it means. What is God saying to you through His Word? How can you apply it to your life? Likewise, don’t just say a few words of prayer and then be done with it for the day. Seek Him in the morning. Set time aside later in the day as well to spend more time with Him. Don’t rush through your prayer time. It takes time to develop a relationship with Him.

Get involved in your church. Use your social media page to promote church and living for God. Tell your friends about the Gospel. Vest yourself to the Kingdom of God. Make Jesus and the Kingdom your priority in life now while you are young.

I’ve seen too many teenagers come into church and leave the door open to past influences or get offended and return to the world. They go back to the world more devoted to sinful lifestyles than before. I’ve seen too many young people who were raised in church never really take it that seriously or become personally involved in a relationship with Christ and with the church, and at the first real struggle in life, they abandon God and the body of Christ. And they turn to the world, allowing drugs, bitterness, and impurity to consume them.

Don’t take living for God for granted. God didn’t put you on this planet to waste your life away on frivolous pursuits. God comes first. Reaching the lost should be your top priority. Getting closer to Him should be your daily focus.

Every so often, we all need to do a heart alignment check. What am I focusing on most? How often am I spending time with God? Have I been applying His Word to my life? Have I been invested in every service or distracted? Am I vested to the cause of Christ?

Being vested means to have a right of ownership that is not conditional. We must not be just invested in living for God and reaching the lost, but we must take ownership of our part in His Kingdom. We must fully commit to and take responsibility for the role we have, living wholeheartedly for Jesus and giving up ourselves to bring more souls to salvation.

There’s a song by Gas Street Music (linked here) that goes, “Every idol, hit the ground/Cause there’s only space for Jesus/When He clears the temple out/So turn the tables upside down/This is my surrender/Only one King to be crowned.” Make God the center of your daily life.

How much do you want to live for the Lord, really?

Jesus is calling you to a closer, deeper walk with Him. Will you answer?

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Revelation 3:20 KJV