Finding Your Spiritual Gifts

As I mentioned yesterday, God has given each of us talents to be used for His purposes, but that we don't always use them. Today my goal is to help you recognize these gifts so that you may use them for the Lord, whether at home, in your community or at your local church.

Now I speak to those who are Christians here rather than those who believe there is no God. They serve self rather than God.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit gives the gifts as He sees fit to give. He is God Himself, not some magical genie in the sky who randomly decides on what our talent will be at birth. He, as God, knows the mind of the Father and His purposes for each of us who truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Instead, God calls us to obediently serve Him in all things. He will willingly supply us with whatever gift or gifts we require to accomplish the task(s) He has called us to perform on His behalf.

Praying to God and asking Him to show us our gifts is the best approach to knowing what our spiritual gift(s) are.

Other ways of knowing our gift(s) come from other people who see what we we do best. Oftentimes, we do not see these gifts for what they are.

Spiritual gift tests

These can also be helpful but ONLY if one is totally honest when answering the questions. For example, I scored a 58% on hospitality and that was off considerably. I receive visitors and neighbors with kindness, though I can be aloof because of my writing work and seminary studies.

Please take note that while these can definitely be beneficial, they are not the end all. However, even if we know our spiritual gift(s), it does not excuse us from serving God in other areas outside of our gifting. For example, we might be called on to clean the church flooring or call on an ailing person in the hospital or at their home.

Anyway, there is a free test you can take today. It may take you 30 minutes or even quite less, all dependent on your reading skill and critical honesty. It will give you some insights into what your spiritual gifts are. Try it. There's no registration or anything. If I remember correctly, there re about 100 short questions.

At any rate, the link is here:

https://www.biblesprout.com/articles/god/holy-spirit/spiritual-gifts-test/#spiritual-gifts-test

Biblical gift lists

There are three specific lists of gits in the Bible. One would do well to read the over and consider them. The three main passages describing the spiritual gifts are found in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; and 1 Corinthians 12:28. 

But be careful. Some of these gifts were for the early church. For example, speaking in tongues is not a normative practice today. It was a way for early church leaders to speak in other languages so others could hear the gospel message.

Today we find charismatic churches supposedly speaking in tongues. This is ecstatic utterance, mere gibberish meant to impress others. If you should attend one of these churches, as I have, you will find that there is nobody to interpret what the person has said, which is unbiblical. But at times, someone will stand up and proclaim what has been said. I wouldn't count on the veracity of this.

Final words

As believers, we are called to use our spiritual gifts to serve God's purposes. Nevertheless, we should be entirely willing to do whatever is asked of us in the church if we are capable of doing so, and in a humble way and with a thankful attitude. May God bless and guide you today as you determine your spiritual gifts. I love you all in Christ Jesus.