The Counterfeit Calling — When Your Gifts Are Used For The Wrong Kingdom
Author: Tanner Reuss
Are your gifts being used for counterfeit?
We don’t always notice when it starts — I know I didn’t. The truth is, it begins as a slow drift, a gradual misalignment, one degree off course until what was once offered to God is now serving something far from holy.
Every gift God gives can be counterfeited.
The voice meant to speak truth can start to flatter just to be liked.
The empathy that once led to deep intercession can slip into people-pleasing.
Leadership, given to serve, begins to crave control.
Discernment turns into manipulation.
Creativity, designed to reflect heaven, starts pointing back at self.
And that’s where I found myself not long ago—sitting in front of a blank screen, realizing that my words were slowly starting to center me instead of Jesus. What began as obedience had quietly turned into striving. My gift of writing—meant to make Him known—had started becoming a vehicle for validation, a vehicle to fill my fleshly desires.
It happens when we stop checking in with the Holy Spirit. When we stop dying to ourselves daily. When we stop asking, “Lord, is this still about You?”
That’s when the drift begins.
And it’s rarely loud or dramatic.
Most of the time, it’s subtle. Almost unnoticeable.
Like when encouragement is offered not out of love, but a quiet hunger to be admired. When truth becomes a sword to prove a point instead of a balm to heal. When the platform becomes the goal—not the means.
That’s why 1 Peter 4:10 hits so deeply:
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
We’re not owners. We’re stewards. Every gift we’ve been given is borrowed breath—entrusted to us for a purpose far beyond our own reflection.
But when we forget that, the gift becomes vulnerable to distortion. And that’s exactly where the enemy would love for us to stay—distracted, confused, seeking applause instead of alignment and even stuck in sin that can be a direct result of living in this space. Stuck in chaos. Vision clouded. Eyes off Jesus.
But here’s the good news: The Holy Spirit always calls us back. He convicts, not to shame us—but to free us. To bring the gift back under His covering. To purify what got tangled. To remind us: You were never the point. But you were always part of the plan.
How to Recognize and Resist the Counterfeit
Sometimes the drift away from God's intention for our gifts isn’t dramatic—it’s quiet. Subtle. A degree off-course that doesn’t feel wrong until we look up and realize we’ve been walking in circles.
That’s why we have to come back to the Source often. That’s why we need to ask hard questions—with honesty and the help of the Holy Spirit.
Here are four ways I’ve been learning to check in with my heart and realign with the Lord:
1. Return to the Source
Ask yourself: Who gave me this gift?
James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.”
When I start drifting into performance or pressure, it’s usually because I’ve forgotten that my gift isn’t mine—it was entrusted to me. Gratitude keeps pride from growing roots. It reminds me: I’m not the source. I’m just the steward.
2. Test the Fruit
esus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:16)
Ask: What is this gift producing? In me? In others?
If what’s coming out of it is peace, humility, deeper love for Jesus—that’s a good sign I’m walking in the Spirit.
But if it’s producing anxiety, comparison, pride, or striving… I need to pause. Because even good things can bear the wrong fruit when they’re no longer rooted in Him.
3. Check Your Motives with the Holy Spirit
This one can sting a little, but it’s where real transformation happens.
Before I write, speak, post, or serve—I try to pause and ask:
Holy Spirit, is this for You… or is this for me?
Is this building Your kingdom—or feeding my ego?
Psalm 139:23–24 says:
“Search me, God, and know my heart… see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
God’s conviction isn’t harsh. It’s kind. It always comes with an invitation to come closer, not shame.
4. Surrender the Outcome
This might be the hardest one—especially for those of us who want to get it right.
But God never asked us to control the outcome. He asked us to be obedient.
When I cling too tightly to results, it usually means I’m trying to prove something—to myself, to others, or even to God.
But Romans 12:6 reminds us, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”
Grace isn’t earned. It’s received.
Here’s the truth I have to come back to again and again: The enemy doesn’t need to take your gift. He just needs to twist it.
But the Spirit is always faithful to untangle what’s been warped. He brings clarity where confusion has crept in. He reminds us: it’s not about applause—it’s about alignment. Not perfection—but purity.
So today, ask yourself:
Am I still offering this gift to You, Lord?
Is my heart postured in worship—or in striving?
Am I seeking to be known, or making You known?
Gifts are holy—but only when they’re surrendered. Let’s give them back to the One who gave them to us in the first place. He knows exactly what to do with them. Let’s pray together, friend.
Jesus,
We’re sorry. For the moments we made it about us. For the ways we’ve used what You gave to chase approval, control, or comfort. Show us where the counterfeit has crept in unnoticed. Where we’ve drifted. Where our motives got muddy. Holy Spirit, search us. Peel back the layers. Bring conviction that draws us closer, not shame that keeps us hiding. Align our hearts with Yours again. Make us faithful with what You’ve placed in our hands. Help us steward it with joy, with reverence, and with eyes fixed on eternity. We don’t want to be impressive. We want to be obedient. We don’t want to be known. We want to make You known.
In Your name, Jesus—Amen.