Questions I'm Asking

Lately I've been wrestling with a question that pertains to the natural giftings a believer possesses and the role these gifts play in missional living. I am NOT talking about spiritual gifts. I am talking about the things we were born with or were developed naturally. Some examples would be the ability to speak well to large crowds or the ability to make people laugh or even to paint a beautiful portrait.

First, some verses that may or may not have something to do with the answer:

(Phil 3:3-8) For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reasons for such confidence. [...] But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

(Psalm 87:7) Singers and dancers alike say, "All my springs are in you."

My question is: How much should Christians be relying on their natural giftings to live missionally?

Related Questions:
Are our natural abilities a part of our fallen flesh that needs to be denied or are they powerful tools created in us to be utilized in our interactions with people?

Can we go too far in our reliance on our natural abilities or were they inserted in us to be used to their maximum potential?

Is it worship when we know we can do something ourselves, but we believe God to do it without involving human effort? ...or is it squandering our natural abilities?

How much did Jesus rely on his natural abilities for ministry, and how much did he accomplish by Holy Spirit inspiration?

Is there even a distinction between natural gifts and spiritual gifts ?

I ask these questions because I frequently think of this message I once heard about the story of some of David's soldiers that risk everything to bring him a drink from a dangerously guarded well. It's found in 2 Samuel 23:13-17. Anyway, they risk life and limb to accomplish this mission of simply bringing David some water. When they bring him the drink, HE POURS IT OUT because he believes a mere man is not worthy of such sacrifice.

God is worthy of this type of sacrifice.

These men could have used their abilities in much more seemingly profitable ways, but they poured themselves out for something that would bring their king even a small amount of satisfaction.

Think of how they must have felt on their journey to get the water. They must have questioned their actions a million times, but because they were attentive to the longings of their leader, they would do anything to get it.

Amongst those other questions I am looking at...am I willing to misuse and potentially squander my natural abilities to bring God satisfaction? More importantly, is He even asking this of me right now, or is this a cover up for some fear of typical ministry?