Discovering and Operating in Your Spiritual Gifts

Side note: It has taken me FOREVER just to begin focusing and writing this blog. I was disobedient and not writing it when I first received it and also just starting focusing on other things. For that I am sorry. Let's get into it.

Serving others is not an ideal concept that society has pursued or displayed heavily because often times we are in a self absorbed state of mind. The average person is always told to think of self when it comes to success and boundaries. And though there are times when this should be implemented, we neglect when it is time to let our guard down and become selfless and humble in heart and spirit, in order to serve others. One way we can serve others is through our various spiritual gifts.

Anyone who is a child of God is blessed with spiritual gifts. These gifts are to help elevate the church and body of Christ. Once discovered, they can be used in a mighty way to bring more people to Christ and also to be of aid to those who are going through seasons of joy, seasons of afflictions, and seasons of transitions. While some may know at least one of their spiritual gifts, others may not have discovered it yet. Your spiritual gifts are not a resource to oppress or manipulate those around you, but to help encourage, teach, and inspire those that cross your path.

Our paths are all unique to the life God created for us and allowed us to have. As society continues to evolve and violence grows more and more rapidly, people are looking to God for signs of how to get through the next day. Sometimes, the next hour. But as we are all trying to figure out how to survive throughout this life, one thing that I noticed is apart of human nature is discovering parts of us that will further help us understand our identity in Christ. This identity gives us confidence and confirmation of how we are to be assigned to complete certain task throughout our paths. In order to do this, we have to begin to know and understand our spiritual gifts.

In order to understand your gifts, you have to know what they are. For some it is: teaching, prophesying, ministry, etc. For others it can be: evangelism, leadership, exhortation, praying, speaking in tongues, missionary, interpretation, etc. The point of having spiritual gifts is to help edify the church (the people within it) and folks who may have not met God yet. This is super beneficial as you will have new people joining the body of Christ everyday. Your gift is essential and God trusted you with it. It is important to discover what your gifts you carry.

Discovery of gifts is crafted based upon each individual and the time line of when you come upon who you are and what you value (learning our value in Christ). When that time comes, there are a few ways to find out what your spiritual gifts are:

1.) Church: Some churches will suggest you take a spiritual gift test that they will hand out to you, when you decide to join the church. This will help with narrowing down what your gifts are if you decide to join a ministry team.

2.) Prayer: You can always ask God to reveal to you what your gifts are. Paul definitely highlights alot of spiritual gifts in the Bible. The Holy Spirit is always there to give revelation to anything you may ask.

3.) Your personality: For some, it may take time to recognize how your personality can display some of your personal gifts. For example, when it comes to me, I am always teaching someone something. I have also been the friend that everyone comes to with their dilemmas, and I give encouraging, uplifting words to help them through their storms. I've been like this since I was a teenager. For you, it may be different. Take some time out to see if you can discover your spirituatl gifts within your personality.

After discovering your spiritual gifts, naturally people would want to know what to do with them. Remember, you are blessed to have these gifts but when utilizing them, it is to edify the church (the people) and always bring glory to God. The one thing I have noticed is that I don't feel any pressure when I am operating in my gifts. I am not doing anything that is outside of me and it is something that brings me joy as long as I am operating within God's will. The same will happen for you. You will just feel natural when it comes to operating in your spiritual gifts. You may need to: teach a bible study class, lead a prayer call, evangelize to people outside the church, lead a ministry, preach a word, become a missionary, etc. Anything that is given to us by the glory of God is never wasted. Your spiritual gifts are very special and it most directly helps you draw closer to God, when your heart is with Him!

Spiritual gifts are necessary and we are living in a time when they are needed and essential for survival and direction. Our obedience in operating in our spiritual gifts will not only have an affect on our lives but also other people's answered prayers. Remember, a lot of people can be tied to your obedience and it includes the ones who meet you on your journey when it comes to using your gifts.

As always, with Love!