How to Find Out What Your Spiritual Gifts Are

Spiritual gifts are spoken of in the Bible, yet I have not yet been to a church which has expanded or taught extensively on this subject. There may be a sermon here or there that mentions a spiritual gift, but there has been very little emphasis on this subject. This confuses me, because I think in order to have a church that is functioning at it's very best, the church body needs to be in proper placement and using the gifts they were given. Gifts were given for a reason, for the edification of the church body, and they should be used to do just that.

This article is not intended to analyze the different spiritual gifts. More information on the individual gifts can be found in the (Bible). The Bible says we should study to show ourselves approved, thus it would be appropriate for believers to study these verses and pray for the Holy Spirit to give them wisdom concerning this subject. My intention is to give you ideas on how you can figure out what your gifts are, and to give you ideas on how to use them. When you know what your gifts are and then begin to use them, you will be doing your church and the body a great service.

First we should understand that any and all Christians can have the ability to possess any of the gifts. The Bible says we should ask for those better gifts. This tells me that we can actually pray for certain gifts. God gives us certain gifts, but we are certainly within our rights as believers to ask God for even more gifts. It is my belief that all Christians should have some of the basic gifts.

The gift of discernment is one that which I believe every Christian should have. The gift of discerment allows the Christian to differentiate between that which is right and wrong, that which is truth and that which is a lie. It helps us to differentiate between that which is of God, Satan, or man. When a Christian goes to a new church or hears a sermon they should have the ability to differentiate between that which is divine and that which is of the flesh. There should be an uncomfortable feeling when you hear someone preaching in err.

Faith is also a fundamental gift. To become a Christian you must have faith, and the Bible tells us that we can faith as small as a mustard seed. However, there are some people who the Lord has gifted with a greater level of faith. These people absolutely, positively believe and know that God can and will do what He said he would do. They have less wavering than many other Christians.

Some gifts are harder to possess for Christians yet even if this is not your spiritual gift you can still operate under it at times, under the leading of the Holy Spirit. In other words, although you may not have the gift of healing, there may be times when the Holy Spirit may prompt you to lay hands on someone. If this is not your primary spiritual gift you will find these times to be isolated events that happen infrequently, whereas a person who has the gift of healing will use this gift much more often. It will be the primary thing they do.

Prophecy is also a lesser seen gift. Sure, there are people proclaiming to be prophets on just about every corner. These so-called prophets prophecy about material wealth and things of that nature. In reality, and if we are in tune with the Word of God, we will know that the Prophets in God's time were usually prophesying about doom, and impending disaster, or coming to give a people correction from the Lord. In my opinion, a true prophet is pretty easy to identify. If someone only always has a feel-good word for you, then it is likely this person is not truly walking in their calling. That being said, as with the gift of healing, there may be times when God instructs you to give a specific person a word. Again, these will be isolated incidents.

So how do you find out what your gift is? Well, the first and most basic way is to pray. Yup, it's that simple. Without prayer we cannot get revelation. We cannot hear from God or communicate with Him. If you have been praying for some time and still seem to be coming up against a wall you may want to consider fasting, as the Lord leads. Once you have prayed for the Lord to reveal your gifts, you must be open to finding the answer. Many of us are waiting for the audible voice of God. We want to hear His actual voice leading us, however, there are very few who have audibly heard the physical voice of God.

Waiting only for God's audible voice may keep us from hearing the answer He is trying to present to us. Being open to receiving our answer means that we are attune with the many ways the Lord speaks. Breifly, some of these ways are via dreams, visions, the Holy Spirit speaking to us, and using others to give us a word of confirmation. Dismissing a word of prophecy or a vivid dream can hold us back from getting to where we need to be with our gifts. On the flip side, you have to use godly wisdom when someone is giving you a word. Relying on humans all the time to get a word of prophecy is for those who are spiritually immature.

Oftentimes, other people can give us insight into what some of our talents and gifts might be. What do people compliment you on? What do others say you are good at? That is a very simple way to get to the heart of your gifts and to begin using them to impact your church and others. When I was very young I would take a microphone and dance around my living room singing at the top of my lungs. I would tell my mom I wanted to be a singer. As I got older, singing was not a priority, but when I entered church and started singing, I got many compliments. The desire was already inside of me since I was very young, but it took me many years to understand this was one of my gifts. Do people run to you when they have problems and are they helped by the words you say? Perhaps you have the gift of exhortation. Do you have an uncanny ability to sympathize with others? Do you feel a stirring in your soul when you hear someone preaching something that is not in line with the word of God? Perhaps you have the gift of discernment.

Some of us have heard about children as young as five years old preaching. These precious children are probably walking in their calling already. For the average Christian, discovering what our spiritual gifts are is not as easy. The Bible tells us to be anxious for nothing, but in all things to make our requests known unto God. Thus, while it is important to know what our gifts are so that we may use them in the Kingdom, we should not be anxious or hurried to find out what they are. Instead, we should continue to pray that God will give us wisdom and understanding to see what our gifts are and how to use them. There is no better way to get your answer than to stay in a close relationship with God. When we spend time with God it becomes easier to hear His voice and follow His direction, and this should be the aim of every believer.