Discovering My Spiritual Gifts

FOUR PREREQUISITES:


1. You have to be a Christian.

1 Peter 4:10

Spiritual Gifts - carisma charisma {khar'-is-mah} - grace or gifts denoting extraordinary powers, distinguishing certain Christians and enabling them to serve the church of Christ, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating on their souls by the Holy Spirit.



2. You have to believe in spiritual gifts.

Hebrews 11:6

If you don’t believe that God will gift you with His supernatural ability, you will not be able to receive.


3. You have to be willing to work.

Discovering your SPIRITUAL GIFTS is a spiritual exercise, and God’s help is needed toa ccomplish it. He has a ministry assignment that He wants you to accomplish in the Body of Christ, a specific job for which He has personally equipped you.

God knows whether you are serious about working for Him. If He sees that you just want to discover your gift for the fun of it or because it is the ‘in thing’ to do or because if will give you some new status, you cannot expect Him to help you do it.

1 Corinthians 14:12 reminds us of the purpose of the gifts.

These gifts are worth working for, patiently believing that God will reveal what He has planned for you.


4. You have to pray.

James 1:5-6

Let’s do it.


STEPPING INTO KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S GIFTS:

Step One: Explore the possibilities

• Study the Bible
Read the major passages concerning spiritual gifts.
1 Corinthians 12-14
Romans 12
Ephesians 4
Read them in different translations
Study the definitions of spiritual gifts and scriptures that accompany them

• Read Extensively
Never before in Christian history has so much been written concerning spiritual gifts as now. We are richly blessed. Read a variety of authors. I did a search on Amazon.com for ‘spiritual gifts’ and it returned with 662 results.

Here’s a few that I’d suggest:

Books By C. Peter Wagner:

Finding Your Spiritual Gifts: Wagner-Modified Houts Questionaire (Gospel Light)

Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow (Regal Books)

Discover Your Spiritual Gifts (Regal Books)

The Beginner's Guide to Spiritual Gifts – Sam Storm (Vine Books)

Smith Wigglesworth on Spiritual Gifts – Smith Wigglesworth (Whittaker House)

19 Gifts of the Spirit: Which Do You Have? Are You Using Them - Leslie B. Flynn (Chariot Victor)

What's So Spiritual About Your Gifts? by Henry Blackaby, Mel Blackaby (Multnomah Books)

• Get to know gifted people
Seek out and talk to Christian people who have discovered, developed and are using their spiritual gifts to God’s glory.

• Talk about spiritual gifts.
Make your journey into discovering spiritual gifts a part of your conversation, serving to stimulate others to do the same, as well as gaining valuable insight from others in the journey.


Step Two: Experiment with as many gifts as you can

• Look for needs.
Look around – what needs are there? Be available for any job around the church family you might be asked to do. Shock everyone and volunteer.

When you get a job, undertake it in prayer. Ask the Lord to confirm whether this is your gift or not.

• Use the gift inventory.
Take the Wagner-Houts Modified SPIRITUAL GIFTS Inventory.

Step Three: Examine your feelings

Psalms 37:4

God is able to match your spiritual gifts with your temperament. If you find yourself genuinely enjoying some act of service, it is highly likely that it fits into your gift mix – and vice versa.

Step Four: Evaluate your effectiveness

Since spiritual gifts are task oriented toward doing ministry, it isn’t unreasonable to expect them to be effective. Is God accomplishing spiritual fruit through your spiritual gifts?

Warning: Fruit takes time to develop. Don’t judge prematurely or harshly.

Step Five: Expect confirmation from the Body

The spiritual gifts are for use within the context of the Body of Christ. While we are ultimately accountable to God, we are also accountable to one another. Listen to others who are spiritually mature. Seek guidance from other Christians, and then seek confirmation from the Lord.