You Have Spiritual Gifts – How To Discover Them

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Have you ever wondered what your spiritual gifts are? Have you wondered if you have them? How should you use them? This is a mystery to many but it need not be a mystery to you!

You have at least one spiritual gift if you are a follower of Jesus. You can discover that gift and use that gift. I have been amazed at how this has worked in my life and will share with you how it will work in your life. There is a seven step process that is simple to follow that will help you discover your gifts.

Revelation!

It was a normal Sunday morning worship service when I felt prompted to pray for people and give them a blessing. I asked whoever needed special prayer to come forward and I would pray for their personal needs individually. Among those who came forward were two women who were visiting our church for the first time. I didn’t even know their names.

As I began to pray and bless the people, I was furiously praying for God to reveal how I should pray for each one. I knew some of the needs, since I knew most of those who had asked for prayer. When I came to the two unknown women I prayed for them specific prayers for needs and gave them specific blessings to apply to their lives and circumstances. I was fairly confident but not completely sure that God had led me into those prayers and blessings.

This confidence was present because I was sure he was leading and had gifted me to discern and pray as I ought. I had spent time discovering my spiritual gifts – and continue to spend time discovering my spiritual gifts. Here is the process I use.

Seven Steps You Should Use

Don’t do a survey. I did a few surveys and they told me what I already knew. They revealed to me what I enjoyed or was good at. It’s easy to do a survey but, in my experience, they are frequently inaccurate since they indicate your history and what you have done comfortably and naturally.

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Read the scriptures. Spiritual gifts are mentioned in many places in scripture. You can find a list and application of gifts in Ephesians 4 and Romans 12. Perhaps the most comprehensive teaching on spiritual gifts is 1 Corinthians 12-14. In these three chapters you will discover the answers you seek for the next few steps.

Discover what gifts are. The Spirit of God gives these gifts to people as he determines. They are not natural talents but supernatural manifestations of the work of God. Your spiritual gift may not be in accordance with your natural talents!

Understand why gifts are given. Read these scriptures. You will use your spiritual gifts to build up the church. They are not for personal glory but for God’s glory.

Now the Most Important Steps:

Pray. Now that you know a little about gifts, you can talk to God about them. Ask him what gift he has for you. Ask him for the gift of prophecy! That’s right – 1 Corinthians 14:1 gives us encouragement in that direction, doesn’t it?

Serve. Our gifts are revealed as we serve. Some service is formal – teaching and preaching, for example. Some service is informal. We serve God as we listen to the prompting of the Spirit and are obedient. It may mean speaking to someone in a hospital waiting room or praying with someone at work or school. When we are obedient to his leadership, he works through us supernaturally – this is the working of the Spirit manifested as a gift of the Spirit!

Examine the fruit. What is the fruit of your service, your prayer, your obedience and your life? Do people tell you that they are encouraged? Are people being healed? What is happening that can only be explained by the power of God working through your life. This will reveal the spiritual gift God has given you.

It is far more important for you to use your spiritual gifts than to identify them! Gifts are not given to us so we can label them or join a fellowship of like-gifted individuals. They are given to make a difference in the world.

The Rest of the Story

Later in the week following the prayer and blessing another woman approached me. She was the one who had invited the two women I did not know. After the service they asked her: “Did you tell your pastor about us? He prayed and blessed us as if he knew exactly what was going on in our lives!” She assured them that she had told me nothing about them – and she had not!

I don’t remember how I prayed for them or the words I used to bless them and that’s really not important. What is important is that I listened to the Spirit and imparted the words that God needed them to hear. This is how spiritual gifts work! I am just a follower of Jesus. If you are a follower of Jesus, he wants to work in your life in miraculous ways.

Spend some time over the next few days and weeks to discover how God wants to work in and through your life by way of the spiritual gifts he has for you! I would love to hear your story, so don’t hesitate to contact me.