Play Your Chords: Using the Gifts God Has Placed in You

If you’ve ever learned to play an instrument—especially the guitar—you know this: learning chords is everything. You can pluck a few simple notes and maybe squeak out “Happy Birthday,” but until you learn your chords, you can’t really play a full song.

And that same principle applies to your life.

Because here’s the truth…

God has placed a unique set of “chords” inside of you.

He’s given you gifts, talents, opportunities, and callings—specific combinations that, when strummed with faith, can create a masterpiece of worship and impact. But if you don’t learn what chords you’ve got and how to use them, you’ll never play the music you were created to make.

You’ve Got Chords—Even If You Can’t See Them Yet

Psalm 96:1 says, “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.”

God isn’t asking you to mimic someone else’s melody. He’s inviting you to sing your own song. That means using your own voice. Your own chords. Your own story.

And let me tell you something straight up:

You’ve got chords. You’ve got something valuable that the Kingdom of God is waiting for you to use.

Even if it’s small. Even if it feels unfinished. Even if no one else sees it yet.

Because God doesn’t start with the finished product—He starts with the seed.

Don’t Undervalue What God’s Given You

There’s a dangerous lie the enemy loves to whisper:

“You don’t have anything special.”

“Your talents aren’t good enough.”

“You’re too late. You’re not ready. You’re not enough.”

But Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…”

And Zechariah 4:10 tells us: “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

Let me say it this way: God won’t give you more if you’re not using what you’ve already got.

The business in your heart…

The idea that keeps stirring…

The skill you’ve been sitting on…

The ministry calling you’ve been pushing aside…

Those are your chords.

Don’t wait until you’ve got a full orchestra to start playing. Start with what’s in your hand. God can do miracles with a little.

Remember, Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish—not because it was enough, but because it was faithfully offered.

Gifts Come in Embryonic Form

Let’s get real. We want finished gifts. Fully developed, full-scale, turn-key plans. But God tends to give us gifts in seed form.

That dream in your heart? It’s probably not finished.

That ability you have? Still growing.

That calling you feel? Just getting started.

But that’s okay.

Because like a baby in the womb, your calling is meant to develop. It needs time. It needs stretching. It needs faithfulness. It needs you to nurture it, not neglect it.

When my wife and I had each of our kids, they didn’t just appear fully grown. They started small. Fragile. Forming. But oh, were they growing. Every day, unseen progress was happening.

The same is true for your gifts.

Just because they’re small doesn’t mean they’re not significant.

You Have a Unique Key and Calling

On a guitar, you can play in the key of A, B, C, D, E, and so on. Each key brings a different feel. A different vibe. A different color of sound. The same is true for us.

You have a specific “key” that your life was meant to play in.

Maybe it’s the key of leadership.

Maybe it’s the key of creativity.

Maybe it’s the key of compassion, of strategy, of service, or of joy.

Whatever your key is—own it. Embrace it. Play it boldly.

Don’t spend your life trying to transpose your song to someone else’s key. You weren’t meant to sound like them. You weren’t meant to play their chords. Your sound matters because it’s yours.

Faithfulness is the Soundcheck for Favor

Here’s the thing. We all want favor. We want doors to open, people to notice, influence to expand. But in God’s Kingdom, favor follows faithfulness.

You’ve got to be faithful with your chords before the spotlight comes.

Jesus said, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” (Matthew 25:23)

Too often, we want the “many things” before we’ve proven faithful with the “few.”

But real musicianship—spiritually speaking—starts in private. It starts when no one’s watching. It starts when you’re strumming those chords in your living room, in obscurity, just offering it all to Jesus.

And God sees it. He hears it. And He multiplies it.

So What’s Stopping You?

Some of you reading this know exactly what your chords are. You’ve just been afraid to play them. You’re waiting for the perfect moment. The perfect timing. The perfect conditions.

Let me say this with all the love I’ve got:

Stop waiting. Start playing.

God doesn’t call the perfect—He perfects the called.

And some of you might still be figuring it out. That’s okay. Keep asking God, “What chords have You placed in me?” And then start experimenting. Start trying. Start strumming.

Because clarity comes with movement. You can’t steer a parked car. Start moving and God will start showing.

Final Word: Strum Your Chords for the Kingdom

You’ve got a sound. A gifting. A combination of chords that no one else on this planet has.

And the Kingdom of God needs your song.

Your family needs your chords.

Your friends, your church, your generation—they’re all waiting for the music you’re carrying.

So stop hiding it.

Stop doubting it.

Stop minimizing it.

Get in tune. Get your chords. And start strumming your life for the glory of God.