How To Really Know Your Spiritual Gift – christinelind.com
“How to Really Know Your Spiritual Gift”
(Hint: It’s not what you think!)
Have you ever wondered what your spiritual gift is? Is it our natural abilities on steroids? Is it only the supernatural gifts as in prophesy or tongues? Has anyone ever told you that your gift is simply, “your passion in life?” These are common errors and myths regarding the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Martha served Jesus with hospitality bar none, but her sister Mary, wanted to sit at the Master’s feet. To know the doctrines of our faith, is to know God more fully, and the Spirit-proof way to know your gift.
An Ideal Life presents:
“How to Really Know Your Spiritual Gift” -A Guide to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36: 26,27 NKJV).
A preview of the contents covered in each chapter of the guide:
Chapter One -Your Reasonable Service
Chapter Two -Do Not Be Ignorant
Chapter Three -Holy Boldness
Chapter Four -What, Where, and When/The Sovereignty of God
Chapter Five -The Main Manifestations of the Gifts
Chapter Six -Just Do It/The List of Gifts
Chapter Seven -Verify and Test the Gifts
Chapter Eight -Identity Disorder/Our Gifting and Identity in Christ
Chapter Nine -Love’s Got Everything to Do with It
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An excerpt from Chapter One: “Your Reasonable Service”
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1 NKJV).
I never wondered or worried about my spiritual gifts. Not that God endowed me with spiritual wisdom concerning it—more like spiritual ignorance and the bliss it brings. Though I began my Christian walk as an adult—I was naïve and like a child. Born-again with a clean slate and a new heart, unfettered by any past experiences as a believer, especially the gifts of the Spirit. Little did I know it would soon get complicated.
My husband and I became Christians during the early seventies. We immediately joined a church family, their spirits bearing witness with our spirit. Amid these evangelical fellowships during our discipleship years, no one focused on any one gift. We mainly commenced serving—serving God out of love for him, no matter what church we attended. We just dove in with what seemed comfortable and served where needed. Something we excelled in, was bound to make its way into Kingdom service.
Along with witnessing to family and friends, I served in the nursery or taught VBS, natural choices since I was a stay-at-home mom with young children. I also joined the prayer chain along with other duties and committees under the umbrella of hospitality. Then as our children grew older, I taught women’s Bible studies, Sunday school and sang in the choir. I attended women’s retreats and luncheons with my sisters in Christ—we dressed up and brought our children and cakes with us, serving where needed for these functions, displaying and exercising our natural abilities and spiritual gifts. Today my serving and gifts have evolved as a trained Stephen Minister, mentor and women’s life coach in and out of church.
Even though I never consciously knew my spiritual gifts, it never stopped me from using them. It may sound like an oxymoron, but my spiritual gifts felt natural and second nature to me—to my new nature, that is. It’s not that I didn’t take them seriously, I only felt that it was my reasonable service. Maybe this is what Paul meant in 1 Corinthians 13:13 by “the greatest of these is love.” I loved God with all my heart, soul and mind—I naturally wanted to please him. Love transcends the use of the gifts and our time on earth, and lends the criteria for gifts to glorify God, a foundation for all we do as believers.
God taught me along the way, like any other scripture or doctrine of the Gospel. To increase knowledge and understanding, not only in God the Father and the Son, but the Holy Spirit, a lifelong endeavor that never ends.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, ad is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, or instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16,17
To help you understand your gift and to be “thoroughly equipped,” it is your reasonable service that you read the Bible. From “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” to “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Scripture has been reduced to affirmations and positive thinking, and even though this isn’t wrong—it is to never take the place of reading the Bible for yourself.
There are many resources if you need help, including OneYearBibleOnline.com, and my favorite: The Word of Promise/Audio Bible through Audible. If you plan to “hear” the Word of God in this manner, try not to multitask—hearing the Word of God is an atmosphere of worship. Try to read or listen through the Bible once a year, along with other spiritual disciplines as in your quiet time or your alone time with God along with prayer.
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-I hope you enjoyed this excerpt of “How to Really Know Your Spiritual Gift.”
The entire eBook is a gift to all subscribers this coming September 2018.
