What is your spiritual gift and how do you use it?

[inthepink]

My spiritual gift is teaching. I have not yet determined how to use this gift.

What is your spiritual gift? How do you use it?

 

[Highly Favored8]

My gift is discernment.

I really need to start using it more and more. I am getting better though!

 

[BeautifulFlower]

My spiritual gift is between prophecy and exhortation. They are very similar. I am suppose to have one settled in my heart but I choose to live it open because I want my mind to be free to operate as the Holy Spirit leads.

I am taking a class on all the gifts now.
I try to spend truth with love as much as possible. When I can't find the love, I pray for humbleness. I am just starting so I am growing in more prophecy then anything.

 

[inthepink]

My spiritual gift is between prophecy and exhortation. They are very similar. I am suppose to have one settled in my heart but I choose to live it open because I want my mind to be free to operate as the Holy Spirit leads.

I am taking a class on all the gifts now.
I try to spend truth with love as much as possible. When I can't find the love, I pray for humbleness. I am just starting so I am growing in more prophecy then anything.

Can you explain what those two bolded phrases mean? I don't think I understand.

 

[BeautifulFlower]

Can you explain what those two bolded phrases mean? I don't think I understand.

Well, for the first statement is more personal to me than anything. I have and always will be a multi-facted person. I dont like categories very much. I dont want to focus in completely on one gift. I see alot of people do this and they get retarded in the other. If God calls me to give, I want to do it well. If God calls me to teach, I want to do it well. Likewise serve, mercy, etc... I know I dont have the gift of tongues but who knows...I may have it one day.


As for the other bolded. I meant spread the truth in love. People with the gift of prophesy are known for being mean and brutally honest. But the bible says that if anything is done without love than it means nothing. So I take find a way to say it in love or without appearing condescending, I often refrain from saying it. I dont always succeed though.

 

[topsyturvy86]

My spritual gift is teaching as well. so far ... I just started Christian blogging ... I really should use my gift more for the Kingdom. I use it a lot in 0ther area's 0f my life.

 

[Aggie]

I speak in tongues but I do not interpret. I have understood a few times as I prayed in tongue what I was saying and most times, it was a very deep sorrowful feeling, mourning, wailing for the lost. It was as if the Holy Spirit was in deep despair over the lost souls in the world and He made me feel His pain. It is like no other sorrow anyone can experience.

My ultimate gift is in the prophetic but I have not come into the fullness of it as yet. I don't know what to do to come into it so I will continue to wait on the Lord's timing. I only know about this gift because of 4 different prophetic words spoken over my life about this gift. It brought peace to my spirit because I have always been intrigued with prophecy even long before I was saved - it's almost as if I have an affinity/attraction for it, I can't really explain it.

 

[inthepink]

Well, for the first statement is more personal to me than anything. I have and always will be a multi-facted person. I dont like categories very much. I dont want to focus in completely on one gift. I see alot of people do this and they get retarded in the other. If God calls me to give, I want to do it well. If God calls me to teach, I want to do it well. Likewise serve, mercy, etc... I know I dont have the gift of tongues but who knows...I may have it one day.


As for the other bolded. I meant spread the truth in love. People with the gift of prophesy are known for being mean and brutally honest. But the bible says that if anything is done without love than it means nothing. So I take find a way to say it in love or without appearing condescending, I often refrain from saying it. I dont always succeed though.

Thanks for explaining pretty! That makes sense.

I did a spiritual gifts test that gives me my top categories so I agree with you, it's good to not ignore all except the top one!

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I have several. Administration, Teaching, Leadership, Discernment and Wisdom

I work as an administrative assistant and am being trained to run the office at work. I am getting my BA in Leadership and Ethics. I am a teacher by nature and love to teach people about anything, and especially enjoy studying and explaining the Word to anyone who needs help. I use my discernment often to uncover the truth behind motives of people both in the natural and spiritual. And through Wisdom God gives me such insight to things and situations and allows me to understand and comprehend and apply his Word practically.

Side note. I am working on a book about this subject matter. helping people find ways to use their spiritual gifts both in ministry in the church and in their ministry in life. We all have ministries that we can be blessing the Kingdom with and it doesn't always have to be within the walls of the church.

 

[Aggie]

My spritual gift is teaching as well. so far ... I just started Christian blogging ... I really should use my gift more for the Kingdom. I use it a lot in 0ther area's 0f my life.

Topsy, please don't sleep on this. If you feel a desire to do so then do it. It is how the Lord compel us in different ways to do His will/work. If and when HE leads, follow HIM as HE guides you.

 

[Aggie]

I have several. Administration, Teaching, Leadership, Discernment and Wisdom

I work as an administrative assistant and am being trained to run the office at work. I am getting my BA in Leadership and Ethics. I am a teacher by nature and love to teach people about anything, and especially enjoy studying and explaining the Word to anyone who needs help. I use my discernment often to uncover the truth behind motives of people both in the natural and spiritual. And through Wisdom God gives me such insight to things and situations and allows me to understand and comprehend and apply his Word practically.

Side note. I am working on a book about this subject matter. helping people find ways to use their spiritual gifts both in ministry in the church and in their ministry in life. We all have ministries that we can be blessing the Kingdom with and it doesn't always have to be within the walls of the church.

AMEN to that SuperNova!

 

[Renewed1]

My gifts are discernment, administration, helps, tongues and I was told evangelicalism (sp) and I know prophecy.

 

[hurricane]

My spritual gift is teaching as well. so far ... I just started Christian blogging ... I really should use my gift more for the Kingdom. I use it a lot in 0ther area's 0f my life.

___________________________________________________________

Praise God!!! You are laboring in the fields ( the world ).

Mathew 9:37

Then he said to his disciples,
The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Therefore pray the Lord of the4 harvest to send out laborers
into his harvest.

This is Evangelism!!!!

 

[inthepink]

I can't wait to find a church home so that I can utilize my gifts outside of my home.

I have used the book Living your strengths to help discover my spiritual gifts. I think to me, it's a more comprehensive questionnaire.

If anyone is interested, you would need to purchase the book in order to get the code to take the quiz. The book is called Living Your Strengths by Albert L. Winsemin, Donald O. Clifton, and Curt Liesveld.

You take a questionnaire that takes about 30 minutes and then it gives you a list of 5 top strengths or God-given talents.

This book is very similar to another non-Christian book called Disocver Your Strengths so you may get the same results as your top strengths.

The difference in this book is that it then relates those talents to what you can do in ministry to utilize your "gifts" for God.

My top 5 are Intellection, Learner, Input, Connectedness, and Responsibility.

Intellection
You like to think. You like mental activity. You like exercising the “muscles” of your brain, stretching them in multiple directions. This need for mental activity may be focused; for example, you may be trying to solve a problem or develop an idea or understand another person’s feelings. The exact focus will depend on your other strengths. On the other hand, this mental activity may very well lack focus. The theme of Intellection does not dictate what you are thinking about; it simply describes that you like to think. You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection. You are introspective. In a sense you are your own best companion, as you pose yourself questions and try out answers on yourself to see how they sound. This introspection may lead you to a slight sense of discontent as you compare what you are actually doing with all the thoughts and ideas that your mind conceives. Or this introspection may tend toward more pragmatic matters such as the events of the day or a conversation that you plan to have later. Wherever it leads you, this mental hum is one of the constants of your life.

Learner
You love to learn. The subject matter that interests you most will be determined by your other themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. The thrill of the first few facts, the early efforts to recite or practice what you have learned, the growing confidence of a skill mastered—this is the process that entices you. Your excitement leads you to engage in adult learning experiences—yoga or piano lessons or graduate classes. It enables you to thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked to take on short project assignments and are expected to learn a lot about the new subject matter in a short period of time and then move on to the next one. This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential. The outcome of the learning is less significant than the “getting there.”

Input
You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information—words, facts, books, and quotations—or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away. Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don’t feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It’s interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.

Connectedness
Things happen for a reason. You are sure of it. You are sure of it because in your soul you know that we are all connected. Yes, we are individuals, responsible for our own judgments and in possession of our own free will, but nonetheless we are part of something larger. Some may call it the collective unconscious. Others may label it spirit or life force. But whatever your word of choice, you gain confidence from knowing that we are not isolated from one another or from the earth and the life on it. This feeling of Connectedness implies certain responsibilities. If we are all part of a larger picture, then we must not harm others because we will be harming ourselves. We must not exploit because we will be exploiting ourselves. Your awareness of these responsibilities creates your value system. You are considerate, caring, and accepting. Certain of the unity of humankind, you are a bridge builder for people of different cultures. Sensitive to the invisible hand, you can give others comfort that there is a purpose beyond our humdrum lives. The exact articles of your faith will depend on your upbringing and your culture, but your faith is strong. It sustains you and your close friends in the face of life’s mysteries.

Responsibility
Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. Your good name depends on it. If for some reason you cannot deliver, you automatically start to look for ways to make it up to the other person. Apologies are not enough. Excuses and rationalizations are totally unacceptable. You will not quite be able to live with yourself until you have made restitution. This conscientiousness, this near obsession for doing things right, and your impeccable ethics, combine to create your reputation: utterly dependable. When assigning new responsibilities, people will look to you first because they know it will get done. When people come to you for help—and they soon will—you must be selective. Your willingness to volunteer may sometimes lead you to take on more than you should.

The book then gives some information on how you can use those gifts. Here are some examples for my top 5:


*Volunteer to review or recommend articles and books that can help your congregation.
*Offer your thinking to primary teachers in your congregation. You will help them anticipate questions and achieve greater depth in their teaching.
*Participate in a Sunday school or Bible study class. Become and expert in your own religious beliefs and knowledgeable in the history and belief of other religions.
*Start a book club with a religious premise Center your group on educational and informative books about faith and spirituality.
*Refine how you learn. For example, you might learn best by teaching. If so, seek opportunities in your congregation to teach a class or lead a small group.
*If your church has a library, you might enjoy volunteering there. If it doesn't you might be a key person in getting one started.
*Contribute to the church's newsletter or WEb site since you like to collect and gather information.
*Join or start a prayer chain.
*Communicate with members of the church who are away (i.e. military, students) by telephone, email, or mail.
*Join or start an accountability group.
*Make a commitment to perform acts of neighborly love (i.e. delivering meals at a homeless shelter.)

These are just a few examples! I just wanted to give everyone an idea of what information they could receive upon buying the book and taking the test.

It's helped me much more than the typical spiritual gifts tests b/c those seem to already assume that you are working within the church in some way. When I first became a Christian, they seemed so irrelevant to me and it was hard to answer the questions honestly when I didn't know.

Anyways, I just wanted to share.