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Divinely Designed: How Your Strengths Align with God’s Calling

Writer's picture: Michele GunnMichele Gunn
How Your Strengths Align with God’s Calling
How Your Strengths Align with God’s Calling

A Biblical Foundation: Strengths as Divine Gifts

Our strengths are not random. They are intentionally given to us by God. Ephesians 2:10 reads, “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.” (usccb.org) This  scripture highlights that our strengths are meant to be used for His purpose. Knowing who God created you to be can help you on your life’s journey of finding and living your purpose.


Knowing that God has gifted you to be uniquely you, helps you to embrace your individuality, flaws and all! It also reminds us to align our life to what is truly important, what God created us for.  It is all too easy to chase the things of this world, losing our soul in the process. Embrace what God has given to you.

Aligning CliftonStrengths® Themes with Biblical Principles

There are 34 Talent Themes that are categorized into four Strengths Domains. The Domains are Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building and Strategic Thinking. Each one aligns well with Biblical principles. Let’s review each one and determine how you can connect with your strengths within each Domain to relate to purpose.

Executing Domain – Strength to Make things happen

The Executing Domain supports how to make things happen. Each Talent Theme provides a different lens of thinking and behaving. Themes included in this Domain are: Achiever, Arranger, Belief, Consistency,Deliberative,Discipline,Focus, Responsibility, and Restorative.


An example of this is Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem Nehemiah 6:15-16, “The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul; the work had taken fifty-two days. When all our enemies had heard of this, and all the neighboring Gentiles round about had taken note of it, they were very discouraged, for they knew that it was with our God’s help that this work had been completed. (usccb.org) The work was focused, diligent, and driven by responsibility.


If you lead with the Executing Domain or any of the Talent Themes included, you will find a God-Given purpose in reflecting God’s call to diligence and perseverance, ensuring that His work is accomplished.





Influencing Domain – Strength to Inspire and Lead

The Influencing Domain provides talents to speak up, take charge and make sure people are heard. Themes included in this Domain are Activator, Command, Communication, Competition, Maximizer, Self-Assurance, Significance and Woo; each one provides a different lens for thinking and behaving.


Read Acts 17:22-34, “Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said: “You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious. For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’


 What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything. He made from one* the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’* as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’


Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent 

because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world with justice’ through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.” 


When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We should like to hear you on this some other time.” And so Paul left them. But some did join him, and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” (usccb.org)


 Paul the Apostle is a persuasive speaker and influencer in spreading the Gospel.


Leading with this Domain or having these Themes as Strengths can support a God-Given purpose to lead, evangelize, and uplift others;  fulfilling the Great Commission.


Relationship Building Domain – Strength to Connect and Unify

The Relationship Building Domain includes Talents to build relationships and bring people together for a cause. Talent Themes included in this Domain are Adaptability,  Connectedness, Developer, Empathy, Harmony, Includer, Individualization, Positivity and Relator. Each theme provides a different lens to think and take action.


In Ruth 1:16-17 we see a woman of loyalty and deep emotional intelligence. Read on,  “See now,” she said, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her god. Go back after your sister-in-law!” But Ruth said, “Do not press me to go back and abandon you!  Wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God.” (usccb.org)  a woman of loyalty and deep emotional intelligence.


If you lead with this Domain or these Talent themes, you have strengths to build unity and compassion, demonstrating God’s love through relationships.


Strategic Thinking Domain – Strength to Envision and Solve Problems

The Strategic Thinking Domain allows consideration of what could be, absorbing and analyzing information for better decision making. Themes in this Domain that provide lenses for thinking and acting are Analytical, Context, Futuristic, Ideation, Input, Intellection, Learner, and Strategic.


This Biblical example of Joseph demonstrates how he is gifted with wisdom and foresight to interpret dreams and guide Egypt through famine, Genesis 41:39-40, “So Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are. You shall be in charge of my household, and all my people will obey your command. Only in respect to the throne will I outrank you.”(usccb.org)


These Strengths help discern, innovate, and apply wisdom for greater impact. You can do so for your God-Given purpose.


Connecting Strengths to Calling and Purpose

Know that your unique strengths profile is a reflection of your divine calling. It does take time to develop and refine your talents into strengths that you can fruitfully aim to live your purpose. I encourage you to reflect about how your top strengths reveal how God wants to use you.


Remember that you were uniquely created for a purpose. As 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 states, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” (usccb.org)  No strength is better than another. Each one and each person has a role in God’s plan.


Embrace your strengths by uncovering what they are and learning how to best use them to build the Kingdom as God intended. Trust that your natural talents align with God’s purpose for you.


Trusting God’s Design

Your strengths are not accidental but part of a purposeful plan for good. Embrace your unique gifts. Develop them. Use them to serve God and others just as Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.” (usccb.org)


Reach out to discover how we can work together to uncover how you are uniquely and beautifully made!


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