Discover Your Spiritual Gifts: Here Are the Tools
To discover your spiritual gifts isn’t all that complicated. It’s, in fact, an enjoyable process and likely to significantly improve the quality of your life. Still, so many of us have never taken the time to properly consider how God has equipped us, specifically, for Kingdom work.
I’m in that club, too. It wasn’t until a decade into my relationship with Jesus that the dots connected; namely, when I began reflecting on the list of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 12.
Today, I can say with certainty that I’m gifted in the areas of teaching, leading, and exhortation (also called “encouraging”). Additionally, I have the gift of discernment and the gift of faith (found on a separate spiritual gifts list in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10).
When I first came upon the list in Romans, it struck me that teaching, leading, and encouraging people are things I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember, even since I was a child. Not because someone asked me to do it. And definitely not because I saw other kids my age doing it. No, it was just “in” me: I always had a leaning toward those activities.
God has created us, His children, to carry out specific Kingdom purposes (Ephesians 2:10). God has also, to a large degree, already equipped us for these purposes and given us a natural pull toward them.
How about you, friend? Do you know what your gifts are? You have at least one, and it’s likely that you have several.
It appears most Christians have a dominant gift and that many possess additional ones. So, when we turn to the spiritual gifts list in Romans 12, chances are we’ll find some of our own gifts listed there.
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit on this list, which are all motivational and intended to be used to build up the body of believers, are prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and showing mercy. The passage reads:
“Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (verses 6-8).
Whether or not you immediately recognize any of your gifts in the verses above, I recommend completing a spiritual gifts inventory that you’ll find online.
I took one some years back, and it turned out to be surprisingly beneficial, even though I was already very active in ministry by that time. More than anything, it helped validate that I was in the right place, doing what God had called me to.
The inventory can help you nail down your area or areas of giftedness so that you can determine how to best serve the Lord in your local church. It can even help you determine your life’s calling or callings! If the test is comprehensive, as it should be, it will require a small time investment. But it’s so worth it, because of what you’ll learn about yourself in the process! It’s fun, too!
I’ve posted the links for a couple of different inventories below that can help you discover your spiritual gifts for free. The one I took is the S.H.A.P.E. test. Pick whichever you prefer, and click your way through it, answering the prompts.
Next, if you haven’t already, be sure to download and fill in the “How to Find Your Calling brainstorming log,” available on my homepage. This is another fun and helpful exercise!
If you’ve been spinning your wheels trying to figure out your life’s purpose, struggle no more! You’ll come out on the other end of the survey and brainstorming log knowing 1) how, specifically, God has gifted you and 2) how you can use your gifts to glorify God and bless others.
When you discover your spiritual gifts, it will allow you to experience maximum fulfillment with minimum frustration in your home life, work life, and ministry.
You’ll stop spreading yourself too thin as you come to understand your specific role in God’s plan for your family, your community, your local church, and the world. No longer will you feel like you have to do it all and be it all. You’ll be able to focus on the things you enjoy, and that while having confidence that you’re doing precisely what you were put here to do!
L.B.
If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out my related post on how to find your calling from God.
Have you ever taken a “discover your spiritual gifts” test? If you’ve ever completed a spiritual gifts inventory in the past, what did you learn about yourself and how have you taken action? Please share in the comments section below!
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Links to inventories mentioned in this post:
Spiritual Gifts Test Inventory, Online Assessment of Gifting (mintools.com)
s.h.a.p.e. Test – Helping You Discover God's Purpose in Life (freeshapetest.com)
