Home » Dorms » Student Lounge

Discover Your Spiritual Gifts for Serving God

Word from the Bible

Spiritual gifts are abilities that the Holy Spirit gives to believers for serving the Lord in a spiritual way. The Bible offers guidance to help you discover your spiritual gifts and how to use them.

Spiritual gifts are discussed in several places in the New Testament:

• Romans 12:6-8
• 1 Corinthians 12-14
• Ephesians 4:11-13
• 1 Peter 4:10-11
• Hebrews 2:4 and 13:20-21

In Romans 12:6-8, the Apostle Paul explains, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

Paul also explains the purpose for our spiritual gifts: to build up the church, making it strong and mature.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:11-13, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Notice that Paul writes about building up the body of Christ. God calls believers to action as the body of Christ to reach out to others for His glory. By banding our spiritual gifts together, we can do more to benefit the spiritual growth of believers, and bring more disciples to the church than we ever could alone.

Discover the True You

The process of discovering your spiritual gifts can be truly enlightening. If you are not sure about your spiritual gifts, spend time praying. Ask God to show you your gifts and how He wants you to use them. You can also ask your Christian friends, family, or minister for help. The people who know you best will usually recognize your gifts in ways that you do not.

There are several good books available to help you, as well as spiritual gift assessments on the Web. For example, Focus on the Family, in partnership with leading career assessment provider Profiles International, offers The Call™. This online assessment tool helps people ages 16 and up identify their spiritual gifts, as well as occupational and ministry aptitudes.

You may also want to contact your church or local Christian book store for recommendations. As you begin to recognize your spiritual gifts, these resources can help you gain a deeper understanding of the impact they can have on your life, and your ministry in the church.

It's Who God Made You to Be

God calls us to become good stewards of our spiritual gifts — all for His present and future glory. By discovering your spiritual gifts, you’ll gain new insights into who God made you to be, and how your gifts can be a blessing to others with Jesus Christ as the foundation of your life.