Do you struggle to pinpoint your spiritual gift? I put together some brief definitions of specific spiritual gifts. Obviously this is not all encompassing of all the gifts God gives, but it can be a good start. I took most of these definitions from a Spiritual Gifts Bible Study we took part in in our Church. There was no author listed, so I don’t know where to give credit! The descriptions in the book are much more in-depth than these short snippets!
I found an online place to take a spiritual gifts test if you are interested. At the end they do make you sign up for an account just FYI (it’s free). But it is a good way to get started analyzing your gifts.
Here is a great article on Spiritual Gifts as well if you are interested in more information!
Prophesying: Greek means speaking forth. Having an ability to receive a message from God and deliver it to others. A divine enablement to publicly communicate God’s word in an inspired way that convicts unbelievers and challenges and comforts believers. It could be in the form of ministers, counselors, or even teaching our children a lesson that Jesus has taught us.
Serving/Helps: Helping those in need. Being able to recognize unmet needs in the church family. To take initiative to provide practical assistance quickly and cheerfully without the need to be recognized. Taking a meal to a new mother. Helping someone do corn for their freezer. Making baby blankets for the local hospital or pregnancy center. Raking leaves for the elderly neighbor. A plate of cookies for the widow. The needy is not just poor in money … but lonely, sad, overwhelmed, tired old. Serving our families.
Teaching: Instructing, communicating clearly, helping explain how to apply God’s Word. This person loves to learn and then tell people what they’ve learned. Teaching Sunday school class. Volunteering at VBS. Giving swimming lessons. This is huge as a parent; teaching both the physical things, how to mow a yard, keep our body clean, cook a meal–But also the spiritual things like God’s will for our life. Teaching can take on many many different forms. . . We can be using our gift of teaching something that doesn’t even seem spiritual and still show God’s great love. I had a teacher, teaching nursing and show God’s great love. This gift of teaching is precious. Children, students of any age can tell a lot about you as a person when you’re teaching.
Encouraging: The divine enablement to motivate God’s people to apply and act on biblical principles, especially when they are discouraged or wavering in their faith. Forms of encouragement could be sending a note. Shooting out a quick text. Sharing special verses. Remembering a special day, anniversary. LISTENING. Simply listening and saying me too.
Giving: Divine enablement to joyfully and generously contribute material resources and or money beyond the 10% tithe so that the body may grow and be strengthened. It is also the ability to earn and manage money so that it may be given to support the ministries of others.
Leadership. The divine enablement to clarify and communicate the purpose, direction, and vision of a ministry in a way that attracts others to get involved. A good leader isn’t afraid to get in and get dirty per say. The are approachable, they listen, and lead by example. They show people where to go by starting towards that direction.
Mercy: The divine enablement to detect hurt and empathize and have compassion with those who are suffering in the church family. Showing compassion especially when someone deserves punishment. The ability to provide compassionate and cheerful support to those experiencing distress, crisis, or pain so that hurting people can experience God in practical ways.
Pastoring/ Shepherding: The divine enablement to nurture, care for, and guide people (often groups of people) towards ongoing spiritual maturity and becoming more Christ-like. The Greek literally means to lead and to feed.
Missionary/Missions: The divine enablement to adapt to a different culture (overseas or in the US) in order to reach unbelievers and help other believers from that from that culture.
Evangelism: Divine enablement to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to unbelievers in a positive non threatening way. It is the ability to sense opportunities to share Christ and lead people to respond with faith. They are sensitive to the way an unbeliever feels and rarely overlook opportunities to share Christ.
Artistic Craftsmanship: The divine enablement to use your hands, thoughts, and minds to further the kingdom of God through artistic, creative means. This can be used in the areas of painting, writing, photography, interior decorations, and several art forms within media such as power points, slide shows, and producing videos.
Wisdom: The divine enablement to understand God’s perspective on life situations and share those insights in a simple, understandable way. The ability to explain what to do and how to do it.
Discernment: The divine enablement to distinguish right from wrong and truth from error, and to give an immediate evaluation based on God’s word. It is the ability to understand whether the source of an experience is self, the Holy Spirit, or Satan. The ability to say “that’s wrong” or “that’s right. People with this gift have a sixth sense and frequently can identify a person’s character based on first impressions.
Knowledge: The divine enablement to discover, collect, analyze, and organize information that is vital to individual believers or the entire church family. It is the ability to comprehend a large amount of information and to provide it when needed for effective decision making.
Manual Craftsmanship: The divine enablement to use your hands to further the kingdom of God through physical means. This gift may be used in the areas of maintenance, care, and upkeep for the benefit and beautification of God’s kingdom here on earth.
Hospitality: The divine enablement to make others, especially strangers, feel warmly welcomed, accepted, and comfortable in the church family. It is the ability to help promote fellowship.
Music-Vocal: This gift is the divine enablement to communicate God’s love through writing songs and singing praises. People with this gift neoy captivating people with their vocal abilities that will cause them to consider Christ’s message.
Prayer: The divine enablement to consistently pray on behalf of and for others, often seeing frequent and specific results. People with this git keep praying and praying until the answer shows up.
Faith: The divine enablement to trust God for what cannot be seen and to act on God’s promises regardless of circumstances. It is the willingness to risk failure in pursuit of a God-given vision expecting God to handle the obstacles.
Administration: Divine enablement to understand what makes an organization function along with the special ability to lan and execute procedures that accomplish the goals of the ministry.The people with this gift develop strategies or plans to reach identified goals.
Music-Instrumental: The divine enablement to communicate God’s truth through playing a musical instrument and or having the creative ability to write songs. People with this gift desire to be a part of a group that shares their instrumental ability to glorify God.
Healing: Divine enablement to be God’s means for restoring people to wholeness. People with this gift pray in faith specifically for people who need physical, emotional, or spiritual healing and they see God’s answer. They sense when God is prompting them to pray a prayer for healing.
Miracles: Another prayer gift. The divine enablement to authenticate the ministry and message of God through spiritual interventions with glorify Him. These people pray in faith especially for God’s supernatural intervention into an impossible situation and they see God answer.
If you missed out on the Free Spiritual gifts Bible study and would like to receive it and work through it with us, simply sign up for the newsletter! When you sign up for the newsletter you not only receive the Spiritual Gifts reading plan for free, you also will receive a free Ebook with a four day challenge to Rely on Jesus Alone. Get your Spiritual Gifts reading plan AND Relying on Jesus Alone Ebook Now!
