How to Figure out What My Spiritual Gifts Are?

[Evangeline (Eve)]

This is something I usually avoid talking about, for many reasons. The biggest reason is that I prefer to use any gifts God gave me after I was saved instead of talking/thinking about them. I know for sure that after I was saved I was given gifts that I never had before, I just don't know the names of them or if I should know the names of them.
Also, I think I have at least 2 gifts, probably more which makes it more difficult to figure out exactly what they are.
I have tried taking spiritual gift tests, which have given me different results each time, and I really don't like them. It isn't enjoyable to take them either, because the whole time I think, "how do I know this is even correct?" "no, that's wrong, the Bible says [insert verse here]," "this is true, it lines up with the Bible," "yeah, but all Christians are supposed to be like that," etc, etc, etc.

Is there a way to figure out what my gifts are without taking a test? Or do I really need to know what they are? But then I don't know how I'd use them the right way if I don't even know what they are.

Also, PLEASE don't start any debates on this thread. And if you can, I'd appreciate it if anyone that answers uses Scripture in their answers.

 

[2X4]

This is something I usually avoid talking about, for many reasons. The biggest reason is that I prefer to use any gifts God gave me after I was saved instead of talking/thinking about them. I know for sure that after I was saved I was given gifts that I never had before, I just don't know the names of them or if I should know the names of them.
Also, I think I have at least 2 gifts, probably more which makes it more difficult to figure out exactly what they are.
I have tried taking spiritual gift tests, which have given me different results each time, and I really don't like them. It isn't enjoyable to take them either, because the whole time I think, "how do I know this is even correct?" "no, that's wrong, the Bible says [insert verse here]," "this is true, it lines up with the Bible," "yeah, but all Christians are supposed to be like that," etc, etc, etc.

Is there a way to figure out what my gifts are without taking a test? Or do I really need to know what they are? But then I don't know how I'd use them the right way if I don't even know what they are.

Also, PLEASE don't start any debates on this thread. And if you can, I'd appreciate it if anyone that answers uses Scripture in their answers.

You are a gift to me. I remember when I was struggling with what I should be doing for the Lord. It's amazing what happens when you're chosen to do something for the Lord that is way beyond anything you can ever imagine.

 

[bcbsr]

This is something I usually avoid talking about, for many reasons. The biggest reason is that I prefer to use any gifts God gave me after I was saved instead of talking/thinking about them. I know for sure that after I was saved I was given gifts that I never had before, I just don't know the names of them or if I should know the names of them.
Also, I think I have at least 2 gifts, probably more which makes it more difficult to figure out exactly what they are.
I have tried taking spiritual gift tests, which have given me different results each time, and I really don't like them. It isn't enjoyable to take them either, because the whole time I think, "how do I know this is even correct?" "no, that's wrong, the Bible says [insert verse here]," "this is true, it lines up with the Bible," "yeah, but all Christians are supposed to be like that," etc, etc, etc.

Is there a way to figure out what my gifts are without taking a test? Or do I really need to know what they are? But then I don't know how I'd use them the right way if I don't even know what they are.

Also, PLEASE don't start any debates on this thread. And if you can, I'd appreciate it if anyone that answers uses Scripture in their answers.

Apply yourself and eventually your giftedness with reveal itself.

 

[Ken Behrens]

You only need to know you have one gift. The ability to choose to follow Jesus. Use that one, forget about the names, and it will all work out.

 

[2X4]

You only need to know you have one gift. The ability to choose to follow Jesus. Use that one, forget about the names, and it will all work out.

John 15
16: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

 

[Evangeline (Eve)]

Thank you all for the advice. I think it would be better to just use any gifts God has given/gives me instead of thinking about it. Thinking about it only causes me to focus on myself, which is wrong. Plus I think if I just focus on serving God in a single area, I'd start to not be open to other opportunities that go along with His will, if that makes sense.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Any of the gifts mentioned in the bible may become yours. The bible just tells us to "seek the greater gifts". We may have one gift already, two, three or none. It does not matter where we are now. We need to be seeking God for the gifts. He will be unlikely to give us those gifts until he has tested our character. As all gifts are given for the edification of the church, for its growth, and alignment to the scriptures. We must know the bible well, so we can teach, we must be humble and kind, so we don't hurt others. There are many things to work on:

a) Our character
b) Our knowledge of God
c) Love for others

All of these things come as a direct result of spending time, and a lot of time, in God's word the bible, and in prayer.

 

[2X4]

Any of the gifts mentioned in the bible may become yours. The bible just tells us to "seek the greater gifts". We may have one gift already, two, three or none. It does not matter where we are now. We need to be seeking God for the gifts. He will be unlikely to give us those gifts until he has tested our character. As all gifts are given for the edification of the church, for its growth, and alignment to the scriptures. We must know the bible well, so we can teach, we must be humble and kind, so we don't hurt others. There are many things to work on:

a) Our character
b) Our knowledge of God
c) Love for others

All of these things come as a direct result of spending time, and a lot of time, in God's word the bible, and in prayer.

It's actually better if you listen to the VOICE of God and obey ALL His commandments. Then you don't have to guess at what the scriptures mean.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

It's actually better if you listen to the VOICE of God and obey ALL His commandments. Then you don't have to guess at what the scriptures mean.

True. But a person gets these things, a) by prayer, b) and by the study of the word.

It is no good listening for the voice of the LORD if one does not know the bible. Not every spirit comes from God, and must be tested through the word of God the bible. I know of many people who think they hear from God, but are really following demons.

All that said, I agree 100% with what you have said. Following the inner leading of the Holy Spirit will lead to the miraculous, and not sinning is mandatory to move in the gifts.

 

[2X4]

True. But a person gets these things, a) by prayer, b) and by the study of the word.

It is no good listening for the voice of the LORD if one does not know the bible. Not every spirit comes from God, and must be tested through the word of God the bible. I know of many people who think they hear from God, but are really following demons.

All that said, I agree 100% with what you have said. Following the inner leading of the Holy Spirit will lead to the miraculous, and not sinning is mandatory to move in the gifts.

You will never get to understand anything written in the Bible if you weren't chosen by God to listen to His Voice and obey ALL His commandments. Unspiritual man doesn't understand this fact.

Revelation 3:
20: Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

 

[tturt]

-Yeshua said look at the signs and wonders "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." John 10:37-38
Then the signs and wonders point to Him.

-"Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." I Cor 14:1

There's nothing wrong with investigating how Yeshua may want to use you.

-The manifestations of the gifts are from The Holy Spirit - "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit." I Cor 12:4

-Gifts are to serve "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." I Cor 12:7 (These Scriptures are addressed to believers - v 1).

-"... for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev 19:10

Each spiritual gift has a learning time - not that we ever learn everything. The original were with Yeshua for 3+ years - not saying it'll be 3 years either. Just a Biblical example of a time of learning as shown in Scripture such as Mark 1:17; 6:7, Luke 10:1.

 

[2X4]

There's nothing wrong with investigating how Yeshua may want to use you.
-Yeshua said if you don't believe me, look at the signs and wonders "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." John 10:37-38
Then the signs and wonders point to Him.

-"Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." I Cor 14:1

-The manifestations of the gifts are from The Holy Spirit - "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit." I Cor 12:4

-Gifts are to serve "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." I Cor 12:7 (These Scriptures are addressed to believers - v 1).

-"... for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev 19:10

Each spiritual gift has a learning time - not that we ever learn everything. The original were with Yeshua for 3+ years - not saying it'll be 3 years either. Just a Biblical example of a time of learning as shown in Scripture such as Mark 1:17; 6:7, Luke 10:1.

Satan and the Beast can easily show signs and wonders so don't be deceived by signs and wonders. Listen to the Voice of God that Jesus listened to and obey ALL His commandments like Jesus had to do, then you will learn where all those signs and wonders come from.

 

[tturt]

Yes, for there to be counterfeit, there has to be the authentic. I Cor 12 -14 are good places to start to get the basics because each believer has Godly spiritual gifts (I Cor 12:11).

 

[Evangeline (Eve)]

Any of the gifts mentioned in the bible may become yours. The bible just tells us to "seek the greater gifts". We may have one gift already, two, three or none. It does not matter where we are now. We need to be seeking God for the gifts. He will be unlikely to give us those gifts until he has tested our character. As all gifts are given for the edification of the church, for its growth, and alignment to the scriptures. We must know the bible well, so we can teach, we must be humble and kind, so we don't hurt others. There are many things to work on:

a) Our character
b) Our knowledge of God
c) Love for others

All of these things come as a direct result of spending time, and a lot of time, in God's word the bible, and in prayer.

Well, I was going to say that what you said about some Christians not having any gifts was wrong, but when I looked for something in the Bible to prove it wrong I couldn't find anything. So I guess I'll have to figure out what I think about that. But thanks for saying that, it gave me something more to think about.

I do like and agree with what you said about the Bible, it is true. I think I remember saying before, "I'd rather go a month without food than a day without the Bible," because it's like breathing for me.
Your post made me think and I might be wrong about some things that I didn't think I was wrong about, so thanks for writing it.

 

[Evangeline (Eve)]

You will never get to understand anything written in the Bible if you weren't chosen by God to listen to His Voice and obey ALL His commandments. Unspiritual man doesn't understand this fact.

Revelation 3:
20: Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

If you mean that God is the one that lets you understand His words, I agree completely. I couldn't understand them (or keep all of God's commandments) before I was saved, but now I do.

Satan and the Beast can easily show signs and wonders so don't be deceived by signs and wonders. Listen to the Voice of God that Jesus listened to and obey ALL His commandments like Jesus had to do, then you will learn where all those signs and wonders come from.

Yes, if someone shows signs and wonders, the best way to tell if they're with God is if they speak the truth and keep God's commandments. Although I think there are some things they just can't do unless God lets them, but I'd still test the person just to be safe.

 

[Evangeline (Eve)]

-Yeshua said look at the signs and wonders "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." John 10:37-38
Then the signs and wonders point to Him.

-"Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." I Cor 14:1

There's nothing wrong with investigating how Yeshua may want to use you.

-The manifestations of the gifts are from The Holy Spirit - "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit." I Cor 12:4

-Gifts are to serve "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." I Cor 12:7 (These Scriptures are addressed to believers - v 1).

-"... for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev 19:10

Each spiritual gift has a learning time - not that we ever learn everything. The original were with Yeshua for 3+ years - not saying it'll be 3 years either. Just a Biblical example of a time of learning as shown in Scripture such as Mark 1:17; 6:7, Luke 10:1.

I don't think spiritual gifts are learned, they come from the Holy Spirit. Although I could be misunderstanding what you said. I'm still trying to figure out what prophecy truly is to figure out if I already have that gift (because Christians always seem to give me different answers), but I'd like to be able to prophecy if I'm not already doing that

 

[tturt]

Sorry since what I posted wasn't clear. Let me try - Yes, definitely the manifestations of the spiritual gifts are from The Holy Spirit. All those listed in I Cor 12:7-10 have to come directly from Him.

Here's a learning example, Yeshua modeled various aspects of prayer before the disciples such as praying before day and in a solitary place (Mark 1:35) and again alone in prayer to Yahweh (Matt 14:23). Another Scripture states how long He prayed at that particular time and place - all night. (Luke 6:12). In Luke the disciples asks for specifics: asking Yeshua to teach them to pray.

We know we have The Holy Spirit, Scripture, and not isolated but in junction with the body of believers, we can learn. Part of the function of the church, the body of believers, includes "...to equip the saints for the work of ministry,..." (Eph 4:11-16).

As far as prophesying, we can benefit from other believers' information fully realizing that it's not Scripture. Then - as you stated above, we can test- because we have The Holy Spirit to guide us. We're told to prove all things including prophesy (I Thess 5:20-21).

Please let me know if more explanation is needed, I'll be glad to try again.

 

[Evangeline (Eve)]

Sorry since what I posted wasn't clear. Let me try - Yes, definitely the manifestations of the spiritual gifts are from The Holy Spirit. All those listed in I Cor 12:7-10 have to come directly from Him.

Here's a learning example, Yeshua modeled various aspects of prayer before the disciples such as praying before day and in a solitary place (Mark 1:35) and again alone in prayer to Yahweh (Matt 14:23). Another Scripture states how long He prayed at that particular time and place - all night. (Luke 6:12). In Luke the disciples asks for specifics: asking Yeshua to teach them to pray.

We know we have The Holy Spirit, Scripture, and not isolated but in junction with the body of believers, we can learn. Part of the function of the church, the body of believers, includes "...to equip the saints for the work of ministry,..." (Eph 4:11-16).

As far as prophesying, we can benefit from other believers' information fully realizing that it's not Scripture. Then - as you stated above, we can test- because we have The Holy Spirit to guide us. We're told to prove all things including prophesy (I Thess 5:20-21).

Please let me know if more explanation is needed, I'll be glad to try again.

Alright, that makes sense, thanks. And if that's prophecy, I think I do that a lot already.
Also, thanks for using Scripture in your answers, it's very helpful.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Paul was quite clear about receiving spiritual gifts. He says in 1 Corinthians 14:1 to pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. Notice that he says pursue love. This means that love for God and for our brothers and sisters in Christ is the foundation for using any of the spiritual gifts. This is why the love chapter (1 Corinthians 13) is right in the middle of the description of the different gifts, and the practical operation of them. If we spend time in God's presence in prayer and study of the Scriptures, and pray fervently for a greater love for Him and our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we will be like Paul who longed to impart a spiritual gift to the Corinthians when he went to visit them. It is that love that God puts in our hearts for others that causes us to strong desire spiritual gifts so that we can enhance their experience in Christ. So it's not a matter of asking what gift we have or would like, but how we can enhance our brothers' and sisters' experience of God and to use the best spiritual gift to achieve it.

So if we encounter a brother or sister with a medical problem and we love them intensely, we would want to see them healed, so we would pray persistently and fervently for the healing gift to work through us so that the person's need would be met. The reason why there are sick people in our churches is that others around them do not love God or them enough to get before and pray fervently and persistently for their healing. John says that if we love others, we then know God for He is love. So, when you get the foundation of love right, the appropriate gifts will flow out of you.

 

[TurtleAnne]

I recently watched a really great sermon from John MacArthur on understanding God's will. He backs everything up with scripture references, and has a very calm but straightforward way of speaking which is easy to listen to and understand. It was really helpful for me in a sort of foundation way, like if you can grasp and practice this basic foundation, everything else falls into place, from choosing a spouse to using any spiritual gifts to making a career choice and beyond.

My basic notes from the sermon were (again he provides scripture references for all of this):

God's Will
1. That you be saved (delivered from sin, death and judgement via repenting) - That you embrace Christ and follow His teachings
2. That you be spirit-filled - Don't use substances - Don't wallow in negative or selfish energy - Be controlled by the Holy Spirit and nothing else (signs are feelings of reverence, gratitude, humility towards God and Christ)
3. That you be sanctified (separated from sin) - That you stay away from sexual sin - Don't take advantage of other people for any reason - etc
4. That you be submissive (humility) to God, then one another / to husband and to institutions/government (civil disobedience towards unGodly commands with acceptance of government punishment)
5. That you suffer when necessary in order to do what is right (God uses suffering and our weaknesses to perfect us)
6. That you be grateful in everything and give thanks in prayer

Conclusion from Psalm 37, "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." In essence first master following God's will, and then He will plant desires in your heart that are His will, and then you just do them (and automatically check all desires with God's will based on scripture, which you will have already mastered doing down to a default, so that it all just comes together).

Here is the sermon video:

As far as #3 being sanctified, I searched for a list of all sins mentioned in the scriptures and found this page: A Bible study on Sin (Part-6A)

From this page I composed a list of goals by inverting the described sins:

- Obey, respect, glorify and trust in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit - exclusively above all else
- Be baptized, Keep the Sabbath holy, take Communion
- Do not harm others directly, indirectly or by influence - spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, financially
- Be compassionate, patient and respectful towards other - spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, financially
- Embrace humility and modesty - spiritually, intellectually, aesthetically
- Let go of anger, fear, jealousy, shame, pride
- Endure hardship contently and without complaint; allow hardship to assist in spiritual growth
- Take only what is needed; say only what is important
- Uphold integrity, both actively and passively, both in action and in word

So for the "sanctification" part of the list for God's will, I use these goals on a card to read daily when focusing on what I am trying to work on.

So I figure if I dedicate my best effort to working on these things and improve over time, then over time it should become more of an automatic, smooth process of doing what God wants in my life without having to hurt my brain (lol) trying to 'figure out' what to do in every situation or with every topic.