With real-life stories, this inspiring and deeply insightful book guides you through a series of challenges that will help you uncover your God-given S.H.A.P.E.--your unique blend of Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences--and apply it in ways that bring confidence, freedom, clarity, and significance to your life. Instead of trying to reshape yourself to be like someone else, you should celebrate the shape God has given you.

Consider Journeying with Someone During my research for this book, I was reminded of the value of friendships. Over 90 percent of the ­people I interviewed pointed to some one — not just some principle — who played a vital role in helping them find and fulfill their specific purpose in life. I actually use a whole team of ­people to help keep me accountable to what God is calling me to do on his behalf. If someone comes to mind whom you could invite to begin this lifechanging journey with you, give them a call. If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. Interpretation: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by understanding, at a specific time, God’s message when spoken by another using a special language unknown to the others in attendance. ­People with this gift tend to . . . • Have a clear idea of what God is saying, even though the language used by the speaker is unknown to them at the specific time. • Be able to translate words and messages of God in a way that edifies, comforts, and exhorts believers. • Convey the meaning of sounds, words, and utterances that glorify God, made by others. h Yes h Maybe h No Knowledge: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by communicating God’s truth to others in a way that promotes justice, honesty, and understanding. ­People with this gift . . . • Devote much of their time to reading Scripture. • Love to share biblical insight. • Enjoy helping others increase their understanding of God’s Word. • Benefit from time spent in studying and researching Scripture. • Take delight in answering difficult questions about God’s Word. h Yes h Maybe h No Leadership: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by casting vision, stimulating spiritual growth, applying strategies, and achieving success where God’s purposes are concerned. ­People with this gift . . . • Exhibit a tendency toward huge visions for God and the ability to inspire others to work toward accomplishing those visions for his glory, and to bless others. • Are naturally drawn into leadership roles. • Find it easy to motivate ­people — both individually and in teams — to work together in achieving goals for God’s kingdom. • Naturally grasp the “big picture.” 42 But can you be anything you want to be? If you are uniquely made—now stop and think about this—if you’re uniquely made, can you really be anything you want to be? If you don’t have the sense that takes care of numbers, can you be an accountant? If you don’t have a love for the dirt, can you be a farmer? If you don’t have an appreciation and a devotion to kids, can you really be a teacher? Well, you can be an unhappy one, an unsatisfied one. You can be one of the 87 percent of the workforce that doesn’t like their work—one of the 80 percent of the people that says I don’t use my talents on a daily basis. You can be a statistic. ⁴For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) Tap into the secrets of what makes you who you are--passions, talents, experiences, temperament, and spiritual gifts--and you'll discover the path to a life of unimagined purpose, impact, and fulfillment.

The core problem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enough about good things. Larry Crabb, Finding God Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. What Are Spiritual Gifts? Let’s start by clarifying what they are not. First, your spiritual gifts are not the same as your personality traits. A personality test is not an adequate indicator of what spiritual gifts you possess. Your personality traits, however, do provide natural vehicles for expressing your gifts. For example, if God wired you to be outgoing, then your gifts will work best as you actively engage other ­people. If you are more reserved by nature, your personality will complement your giftedness. Second, spiritual gifts are not the same as natural talents. You can be a very talented architect, salesperson, or manager, but those are not spiritual gifts. Leslie B. Flynn explains, “Talents have to do with techniques and methods; gifts have to do with spiritual abilities. Talents depend on natural power, gifts on spiritual endowment.” Third, spiritual gifts are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22 – 23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fruit of the Spirit reveal Christ’s contribution to our character, while our spiritual gifts reveal the contribution we make to God’s kingdom. So what are spiritual gifts? For this study, let’s define a spiritual gift as a God-given special ability, given to every believer at conversion by the Holy Spirit, to share his love and strengthen the body of Christ. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:10 that God is the gift giver: “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you” (NLT). I love how Os Guinness, in his book The Call, talks about the role of giftedness. Os says, “The purpose of giftedness is stewardship and ser­ vice, not selfishness.” God gives us these special abilities for specific reasons. Spiritual gifts only work in spiritual ways. Designed to bring great color and clarity to your life, they can only be used to their full potential when empowered by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the life of every believer. Only those who have entered into a personal relationship with Christ have these gifts. Will you accept the challenge to find and carry out your Kingdom Purpose? Remember, the Bible says, Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9). Are eager to be known as ambassadors for Christ in the world. • Willingly work hard to see churches reach their full potential for God. h Yes h Maybe h No Discernment: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by recognizing truth or error within a message, person, or event. ­People with this gift . . . • Find it easy to “read” others, and are most often right. • Recognize the spiritual source of a message — whether it is from God, Satan, or man. • Recognize inconsistencies in others. • Easily identify ­people’s true motives and agendas. • Perceive when the truth is twisted or communicated with error. h Yes h Maybe h No Encouragement: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by helping others live God-centered lives through inspiration, encouragement, counseling, and empowerment. ­People with this gift . . . • Are driven to inspire others and impact their lives positively for Christ. • Rejoice with those whose reliance on Christ has helped them overcome difficult life situations. • Seek out opportunities to help others reach their full potential in Christ. • Are natural encouragers, whether in words or through actions. • Rejoice at others’ success. h Yes h Maybe h No Evangelism: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by sharing the love of Christ with others in a way that draws them to respond by accepting God’s free gift of eternal life. ­People with this gift . . . 39Respond in faith. Identify two action steps you can take in the next month to unwrap your gifts and start using them with others. (Hint: Start by serving those closest to you!) 1. The Journey Ahead The path toward significance is an incredible journey with God. Though the effort is tough, it will bring your life joy like never before and peace like nothing else. Let God guide you up to your personal mountaintop. Rest in his arms and let him lift you high above the noise and stress of your life. Marvel at the amazing vista as he offers to help you discern who you are and how uniquely he has created you. During this time of exile from the world’s loud distractions, listen obediently as your Father asks you to empty the bag you gradually have been filling with worries and man-made longings. Let him relieve you of the pain and confusion that weighs you down and pulls you from him. Let his love hold your hand. Follow his lead as he prompts you to seek the support of others who will also walk this journey with you. Before you’ve begun your descent, you will be en route to grasping your ultimate purpose for life. When God’s desires align with your dreams, you discover the confidence to accept your specific kingdom assignment. He will show you the steps to take as you start fulfilling your purpose for life, inspiring you to pursue not a career, but a calling. As you reach the bottom of the mountain you might even begin to see the faces of those you love and are meant to lead. With God’s wisdom, you’ll invest into each of them so they too can discover their purpose for life. This journey with God leaves you energized and focused on finishing life faithful and fulfilled. In fact, this journey you are about to embark on already has helped thousands, if not millions, of ­people all around the world discover their God-given special design and the specific difference God desires for them to make on earth for his glory. Age, gender, occupation — it doesn’t matter. I have seen moms find freedom to make a difference right within the home. I have seen pastors embrace their uniqueness and commit to helping others do the same. I have seen collegians maximize their courses, once they understood God’s plan for them. I have seen CEOs and teachers gain a new passion for their gifts and an increased desire to show God’s love to those they influence. When God created animals, he gave each of them a specific area of expertise. Some animals run, some hop, some swim, some burrow, and some fly. Each animal has a particular role to play based on the way they were shaped by God. The same is true with humans. Each of us was uniquely designed, or shaped, by God to do certain things. Based on the purpose of ministry outlined in The Purpose Driven Life, this inspiring guidebook gives you the tools to: Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. helps you determine where you might best use gifts, where you wish to serve, and whom you wish to serve.

That very chapter of Scripture—Hebrews 11—lists many ordinary people who by faith accomplished extraordinary things for God, among them Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Rahab. Over the years, I have had the privilege of personally seeing thousands of ordinary people live out their Kingdom Purpose through their confident assurance in God. From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: Another assignment I remember from that college art class involved using a potter’s wheel to create something from clay. I spent three weeks trying to master the use of the wheel, with little success. My pitiful excuse for a bowl resembled nothing that could be called art. The cute girl in the class, however, could make beautiful pots. The clay seemed to come alive in her hands, as her skillful fingers molded it into any shape she desired. She was able to make the wheel spin at the perfect speed and apply just the right pressure to the clay. Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. Chapter 1: Masterpiece. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Chapter 2: Spiritual Gifts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Chapter 3: Heart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Chapter 4: Abilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Chapter 5: Personality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Chapter 6: Experiences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Praying the Names of God for 52 Weeks

God doesn’t create anything without value. He is the ultimate craftsman. And he designed you specifically to fulfill a unique role in his ultimate plan to establish his kingdom on earth. Even though each of us has made mistakes that make it more difficult for him to perfect, we still are a special work of the Creator’s hands. He even takes time to know about our day-to-day lives. In fact, he is smiling right now, rejoicing as you seek to discover the masterpiece you are to him. God created you as a unique masterpiece because he has a specific purpose for your life—a specific and unique contribution that only you can make. If you were to meet John Baker, you would see an average guy who took everything God had made him to be—the positive as well as the painful—and chose to use it for God’s glory. With God’s help and leading, John has made and continues to make a kingdom difference by fulfilling his unique Kingdom Purpose.