Spiritual Gifts
Ephesians 4:7–16
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Ephesians 4:7

How can you discover what your gifts are?

First, study what the Bible has to say about spiritual gifts. Without a knowledge of what God’s Word teaches in this area, we can easily be led to desire experiences that are not his will for us or begin to think of spiritual gifts in secular terms. As we study the Bible’s teaching, we must be careful to discern God’s purpose in giving spiritual gifts. It is for the growth of the body and not merely personal growth or satisfaction.

Second, you must pray. This is not a matter to be taken lightly or one in which we may feel free to trust our own judgment. We may find ourselves wanting a gift that exalts our sense of self-importance but that God does not have in mind for us. We may find ourselves resisting the gift he has for us. Thus, we must lay the matter before the Lord in serious, soul-searching prayer and ask him, as he speaks through his Word, to show us his gift for us.

Third, make a sober assessment of your spiritual strengths and abilities. If we do not do this on the basis of a careful study of the Word of God and through prayer, we will be misled. But if we have first sought the wisdom and mind of God, we can then go back and look at ourselves through spiritual eyes.

We can ask, What do I like to do? This is not a sure guide to what our gifts are, but it is one indication, since God’s leading is always toward that for which he has prepared us and which we therefore naturally find enjoyable and satisfying.

We can ask, What am I good at? If you are asking to fulfill a certain ministry in the church but are constantly failing and feel frustrated, it is likely that you are working in the wrong area and have assessed your gifts wrongly. If you are seeing spiritual fruit from your efforts, you are probably on the right track.

Finally, seek the wisdom of other Christians where your gifts are concerned. Where the church functions properly, one of the things that should happen is that others with the gift of insight or wisdom should be able to sense what your gifts are and point them out in terms of the needs of the particular congregation. Others are almost always more objective about ourselves than we are. We must cultivate the ability to listen to these other members of the family of God and follow their guidance as far as we are able. If others tell us of our gifts, we are at least freed from the presumption of assuming we have gifts that actually we do not have.

Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865

Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.