How Can I Know My Spiritual Gift?

We have seen over the last few articles the Bible’s teaching on serving God. To summarize what we have learned so far; you are to serve Him, in His church, by the power of His Spirit, through the gift He has given you, because you love your fellow christians as yourself and love Him more than anything else. In this article we will look at the question of “How do I know what my spiritual gift is?”.

This can be something that gets misconstrued in the church. Many go around thinking they shouldn’t serve unless they know exactly what it is. But it is not an exact science. Do we all have spiritual gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit? Yes. Is there some magic  formula to figure out what it is? No. Should I not serve if I don’t know what my gift is? NO! And that can oftentimes be the hang up. Don’t just sit in the pew not doing anything because you don’t know your spiritual gift. Just start serving, start helping.  “But where Clint?” Wherever there is a need! Are there needs in the church? Yes! Always! Find out where the needs are in your church and jump in! “But what if I am not meant to serve there?” That’s fine. You’ll realize that eventually. But you live under His grace now, not under the law. Do you honestly think it is detrimental to your soul to serve in His church? Even if it is not the right fit for you? You're not going to go to hell over it! Just start serving! The bigger problem in the church today is not that people are serving in the wrong spot. It’s that His children are not serving at all!

“But Clint, I still don’t know how to find my spiritual gift.” There are a few things you can do. First start with, what do you like to do? Start there. Do you like to teach? Be a teacher. Do you like to be hospitable? Have a bible study or prayer group at your house. Or serve in the hospitality team. Do you like to administer? Then work in the church office. Do you like to lead? Maybe look at being a deacon or an elder. Do you like to serve others? Help them out? Do you like to evangelize? Look at missions. You like music? Signing? Join the worship team. “Well Clint, the thing I like to do, there is no ministry in the church for it.” Great! Then maybe God is calling you to start a ministry! “Oh no! I couldn’t!” Why not? God raises up people to do His work, not programs and teams. You may be the answer to the prayers of the church! 
“But how will this help me find out my spiritual gift?” When we pursue the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). He will give the desire for the gift that He has blessed you with. There are spiritual gift tests you can take, but they are man made and not always accurate. Just start serving.

The next thing you can do is ask a fellow believer or your pastor. A lot of times we are blind to our own gifts and talents. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for guidance and help. But make sure you humbly take to heart their counsel. I remember very vividly the first time someone told me they thought I was called to be a pastor. I laughed! I shook it off. I had other plans. I never thought that would be for me. Boy was I wrong! He transformed the desires of my heart and now I would not want to do anything else!

The last thing you should do is pray. Pray for guidance. Pray for discernment. Pray that He will reveal to you His spiritual gift He gave you. “You do not have because you do not ask God.” (James 4:2) Now I want to be clear on something about this point. What I am not saying is pray to God and then sit and wait. Don’t seek God and then wait for Him to talk to you from the clouds above. Don’t wait around for a burning bush or a donkey to give you your answer. He is not going to reveal it to you audibly. It’s not coming from some spine tingly feeling. What I am getting at is don’t use God’s silence as an excuse to not serve. Don’t use prayer and waiting for an answer as a reason to be disobedient to serving Him.

Now that we have come to the end of this series of articles, where are you in your service to God and His body? Are you sitting down doing nothing? Then get serving! Are you serving but are often apathetic? Look at the reasons for why you are serving. Remember the reasons should be because of your great love for Him. Are you discouraged that your work goes unnoticed? Or if it is noticed, it's because you did something wrong? Remember that this service is for God and for His people. Not for your own praise and acknowledgement. Do you serve as much as possible because you want to impress and please God? You want Him to be pleased with you? Remember that He is already pleased with you. Christ earned God’s favor for you. Don’t serve to earn, but serve because you love. We are called to serve Him, in His church, by the power of His Spirit, through the gift He has given you, because you love your fellow christians as yourself and love Him more than anything else.