Spiritual Gifts & How God Has Uniquely Equipped You For His Purpose
According to the Apostle Paul, there are many spiritual gifts that we each uniquely receive from God. As shared in 1 Corinthians 12, these include: Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Prophecy, Speaking in Tongues, Interpreting of Tongues, Healing and Miraculous Powers, in addition to several more. All these gifts, and others that are not mentioned here, come from the Holy Spirit and are meant for the good of all people!
If you would like to read more about this for yourself, please check out 1 Corinthians 12 before reading on, as we unpack it further.
What Are Spiritual Gifts?
Put simply, Spiritual Gifts are gifts that have been given to us by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building the church, glorifying God and equipping us to share the Gospel.
These gifts differ from natural talents and abilities as they are given by the Holy Spirit and were well-concerned when God designed and created us.
Why Does God Give Us Spiritual Gifts?
The purpose of our Spiritual Gifts is to share God’s love and message with those around us, equipping them to establish and maintain a relationship with God Himself. When we deny these gifts, we deny our potential to serve God in our greatest capacity. This is evidence in 1 Peter 4:10-11 as Peter discusses the importance of using our gifts, whatever they may be, to administer God’s grace.
When we work together, as friends, family members, community members and church members collectively, we are able to establish communal faith growth alongside our own personal faith growth.
Types of Spiritual Gifts in the Bible
Whilst we are unable to unpack every spiritual gift in this article, please see below a list of 5 common spiritual gifts unpack further:
Wisdom
This gift involves one’s ability to identify the works of the Holy Spirit, separating themselves from emotions alone, and apply biblical teachings to their everyday conversation and actions. Obviously, this doesn’t mean they’re perfect and will always get it right, but they will be known for their maturity and wisdom by those around them.
Prophecy
Have you ever met someone who is so incredibly bold in their ability to share the Word of God and proclaim without any hesitation their love for Christ? Well, if you have, you can probably say without an ounce of doubt that their spiritual gifting is ‘Prophecy’, as that’s exactly what it entails! Romans 12:6 calls all those with this gift to use it!
Hospitality
This one is a personal favourite, as I know for a fact that this is my own gifting. Just as you may have imagined, this spiritual gift involves making people feel loved, appreciated and wanted! It’s that person that invites you over for a delicious meal and, more often than not, has that beautifully presented home with the sweet smell of scented candles or freshly baked cookies wafting through the air when you visit…yep, I knew you’d think of someone quickly! Whilst for some it comes easy, it’s stated in 1 Peter 4:9 to be hospitable without grumbling.
Teaching
For some it comes easy, for others, it’s a bit harder. Yet we are all called to teach the Truth and doctrines of God’s Word. Although, some people are able to do this in such a greater capacity, with a deeper understanding of culture, history and even draw on their understanding of Greek and Hebrew words, which inform many aspects of the Bible.
Discernment
This involves the ability to recognise the Truth and ‘judge’ well. By ‘judge’ I don’t mean cast negative judgement on others or form opinions about others that act as a barrier for you to love and welcome them. Rather, you know when you get that gut feeling about a situation, whether affecting yourself or others, and you need to distinguish whether it is from the Lord or not, yeh, that’s what I mean when I say recognise Truth and ‘judge’ well. Philippians 1:9-10 does a great job at unpacking this further if you’d like some further reading.
To explore the types of gifts further, check out these 3 great YouTube resources: Speaking Gifts, Power Gifts and Revelation Gifts.
How to Discover Your Spiritual Gifts
Now that you know what the gifts are and have a clear picture of 5 key spiritual gifts, you may be wondering ‘but how can I know what my spiritual gifts are?’ and the answer is quite simple.
1) Sometimes, you just know. Often your spiritual gifts are your strengths, they come naturally to you and in different times and seasons, can and do change.
2) Self-reflection and prayer. When they may not be as obvious, it’s still okay, don’t give up! Spend some time thinking about your strengths, things you enjoy doing and common encouraging phrases you hear from others about yourself. These often reveal to us our spiritual gifts. Along with self-reflection, pray. The rewarding thing about our God is that He hears us and reveals things to us, and we seek him and earnestly pray. In Jeremiah 33:3 and Matthew 7:7-8, God speaks about revealing to us as we call on Him. Therefore, ask God to reveal your spiritual, God-given gifts, to you and He will in due time!
3) Seeking guidance from Scripture and church leaders. This links to the concept above slightly, in that what others often say about us reveals to us our spiritual strengths. If you can’t personally recall these, seek out the opinions of those you love and are loved by, those who will be gentle and want the best for you! Often, they speak life into us and our circumstance and therefore can shed light on who we are called to be in Christ!
Take a spiritual gifts assessment. Easily found online and often quite accessible, these short quizzes can help you identify your spiritual gifts, or help you triangulate the ‘data’ you have collected through the above 3 methods. A great assessment option is Spiritual Gifts Test – Discover your spiritual gifts, which using a 5 number scale to quickly assess your response to basic statements such as ‘I like organising services and events’ or ‘I pray for the lost daily’.
Using Your Spiritual Gifts for God’s Purpose
Applying your gifts in ministry, church, and everyday life is essential for fulfilling God’s purpose.
In the context of the 4-fold ministry (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers), each spiritual gift plays a vital role in equipping and building up the body of Christ. These gifts enable individuals to serve effectively within the church, and in their daily interactions, guiding others toward a deeper relationship with God.
Aligning your gifts with God’s calling means recognising how He has uniquely equipped you and stepping into those roles, trusting that He will use you to impact the world around you.
Common Myths About Spiritual Gifts
Three common misconceptions that people have around spiritual gifts include ‘only pastors have spiritual gifts’, ‘gifts don’t change over time’ and ‘you can only have one gift’. Although, all of these are just that, misconceptions. Indeed, everyone who has accepted the Holy Spirit and is in relationship with Jesus Christ has access to spiritual gifts. In addition to this, gifts do change over time, and you can have more than one gift at any given time. These gifts are often strengthened over time as we practice and lean into them more and more!
It’s Never Too Late (or too early) To Start Embracing Your Spiritual Gifts
Embracing and using your spiritual gifts is a powerful way to serve God and others, allowing His love to flow through you in unique and impactful ways. Take time to reflect on your gifts, whether by completing a spiritual gifts assessment or through prayer, seeking clarity from the Holy Spirit. Trust that as you step out in faith, God will guide you in using these gifts to build His kingdom and bless those around you. If you would like to learn more about the Spiritual Gifts God gave you and I, then you can check out these 3 great YouTube resources: Speaking Gifts, Power Gifts and Revelation Gifts, connect with us at C3 Powerhouse, Melbourne East by following the link, email us at melbourne@ourc3.com or follow us on Instagram.
Key Things to Remember:
- Every believer has the Holy Spirit living in our heart and He transforms us to be like Jesus
- He comes upon us through the baptism in the Holy Spirit for the sake of others
- There are 9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12
- The purpose of these gifts is to build up and strengthen others
- We can earnestly seek more gifts, especially prophecy
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you know what spiritual gifts God has given you?
You can know this through intuition, by identifying what comes more naturally to you or you’d classify as your strengths from the nine gift above, or seeking wise counsel and praying to God, asking and reflecting on what He says to you.
What are spiritual gifts and what is their purpose?
Put simply, Spiritual Gifts are gifts that have been given to us by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building the church, glorifying God and equipping us to share the Gospel. These gifts differ from natural talents and abilities as they are given by the Holy Spirit and were well-concerned when God designed and created us.
What are the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit?
The nine unique gifts of the Holy Spirit that God gave us are and are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
