Learning our spiritual gift(s) is a fun subject because we get to discover something about ourselves that we may not have known before.

A spiritual gift is something God has chosen specifically for you so that you can help with the advancement of the church on earth by serving and using your special ability.

This excerpt from the New Believer’s Bible explains it all: 

What are spiritual gifts?

God has chosen people to do his work. He chose this course of action for reasons only he knows and understands. From a human perspective, we may wonder if this was the best decision. After all, the sky’s the limit concerning what God could have done. He could have chosen angels to speak to lost humanity. He certainly used them on many significant occasions throughout Scripture. Or God could have created a special category of messengers that would never fail him—a “sin-proof” instrument that would faithfully proclaim his Word. For that matter, God himself could have simply poked his face through the heavens and said, “Hello, world! I’m God, and you’re not!” But God has chosen men and women to do his work among humankind.

As we seek to follow and be used by Jesus Christ, we need to utilize all that he has made available to us. One of the great blessings Jesus has given to his church and to us as individuals is the gifts of the Spirit. Why has he given these gifts? The Bible has this to say about the vital role they play in the lives of believers:

1. Spiritual Gifts Enable Us to Grow in the Knowledge of Christ.

Some people get sidetracked with spiritual gifts and become more obsessed with the gifts than with Jesus. Believers begin to follow signs and wonders, instead of signs and wonders following believers. This is a sign of spiritual immaturity. The Christian writer/preacher A. B. Simpson wrote these insightful words:

Once it was the blessing, now it is the Lord.
Once it was the feeling, now it is His Word.
Once his gifts I wanted, now the Giver own.
Once I sought for healing, now himself alone.

Attaining spiritual gifts is not the goal—they are the gateway. They are not a hobby to play with—they are tools to build with, weapons to fight with. We will be more effective as we put them to use for God’s glory and not our own.

2. Spiritual Gifts Are to Be Used.

It is possible to let a gift go unused. In doing this, however, you disobey God and cheat the church of a blessing. For this reason, we must use those gifts he has given us. In fact, it must be insulting to God for us to demean some gift his Holy Spirit has instilled in our life by saying that it just isn’t important enough to use.

3. Each Spiritual Gift Has a Special Place in the Body of Christ.

Every gift that God has placed in the body of Christ, the church, is important. Some gifts such as preaching, teaching, and prophesying may seem more important than others such as hospitality or service. But God has given all of these gifts to build up his church. None of these gifts should be looked down upon or treated lightly.

So, what are the spiritual gifts that God has given to his people? Here is a list:

1. Administration
2. Being an apostle
3. Discernment
4. Evangelism
5. Exhortation
6. Faith
7. Giving
8. Healing
9. Helps
10. Hospitality
11. Knowledge
12. Leadership
13. Mercy
14. Prophecy
15. Serving
16. Speaking in tongues
17. Teaching (sometimes known as shepherding)
18. Wisdom

How do we determine which gifts God has given us?

• You can ask your Christian friends which gifts they identify in you—very often they can see what you cannot and can observe which skills God has divinely assigned to you.
• You can pray about it; if we ask God to lead us toward whatever gifts He has given us, he can make it clearer to us.
• Some churches offer spiritual gifts classes to help you discover yours. Ask a leader at your church if this is something they offer.
• You can also take an online spiritual gifts test—simply search online and you’ll find one. But a word of caution here: These tests may not be reliable, so take the results with a pinch of salt and be sure to keep pursuing the answer in prayer.

It’s very easy to lose sight of Jesus while we’re in pursuit of our spiritual gifts. Sometimes they can become idols to us, so don’t allow this to take your eye off the only one who matters.

Additionally, once we determine which gift or gifts we have, we can become a little pigeonholed within them. Just because you have the gift of teaching doesn’t mean you should be a pastor! There are multiple uses for each gift, and your mentors, friends, and church leaders can help you decide how best to use those amazing God-given skills of yours.

And you may find that your gifts change over time. For example, you might find that as you grow in your faith, you receive the gift of faith. This just happily means that you’re becoming a stronger person in Jesus and are increasingly able to talk about your faith in a confident way. But as we age, gain wisdom, have new experiences, and journey further with the Lord, we all inherently change, and therefore, so may your spiritual gifts. Think of it as God giving you a software update!

So, what are we to do when we know what our spiritual gifts are?

Once you determine which gift or gifts you have, start using them to glorify God. By using your spiritual gifts to volunteer in a ministry or around your church, you are moving the Kingdom of God forward. And that applies no matter how small the job may seem.

Find a place to serve (sometimes volunteering is referred to as “serving”) that utilizes at least one of your gifts, and you’ll be amazed at how blessed your time will be. You may notice how easy you find it; God has given you a divine gift that you are inherently good at, and it just comes naturally! You may be surprised at how much you enjoy flexing that new gift muscle too.

Remember that your gifts can be used in many different ways, so don’t feel like you have to do something just because it looks, on the surface, as if it’s perfect for your gifts. If an assignment isn’t filling you with joy, find an opportunity that does. Joy is a great indicator of what your gift may be; if a task makes you happy, that’s a good sign you’ve found your skill and fit.

Now go and discover what gifts God has given you, and make sure to use those gifts in the Kingdom!

For more resources about spiritual gifts, click here.

This article is adapted from the original post on Unfolding Faith.