So in a PREVIOUS POST and Instagram live, I spoke about spiritual gifts. I personally think that the topic of spiritual gifts is not discussed enough and according to the bible we all have them. 1 Peter 4:10-11 is clear on that:

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

So if this is true then, it’s important for us to know what we are gifted with. As believers, we are called to use our gifts to encourage and serve one another to bring glory to God. How important it is to know this?! Why then do so many people feel like they have no purpose? Why are so many people left wondering where do they fit in? Could it be that a lot of people don’t know what their spiritual gift is in order to walk in it? Could it be that a lot of people are walking in someone else’s gifts and not their God given gifts? Think about it…do you know what your spiritual gifts are?

Well, I asked myself this question and in my earlier post I dive into what I thought my gifts were. Later on, I took an online spiritual gifts test through ARC (https://www.arcchurches.com/disc/) and to be quite honest, it was in line with what I already thought. It was insightful because it gave scriptures as well and I used them to study out my gifts more. Another thing that came from my results was areas of improvement. So here are my results in a nutshell:

WAYS I CAN BETTER MYSELF:

~Consider how change is healthy. Try to change more willingly

~Be more direct in your interactions

~Focus on overall goals of your family or group rather than specific procedures.

~Deal with confrontation constructively.

~Develop more flexibility.

~Try to show more initiative.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS:

~Administration—ability to organize multiple tasks and groups of people to accomplish these tasks; problem solver, innovator, leadership; I am the organizer in my home. I know what is going on for everyone in my family. Outside of my home, I am a stickler for order and effectiveness. I am Type A and regimented. Part of this comes from growing up in with military parents.

~Exhortation—ability to encourage others through the written or spoken word and Biblical truth; this is the also known as the gift of encouragement, to strengthen particularly those wavering in faith; uplift and motivate as well as challenge and rebuke. The goal is to see everyone in the church continually building up the body of Christ and glorifying God; emphatically urging, pressure. Years ago, I set a goal for myself to improve in biblical counseling. I mean how can you counsel someone biblically if you don’t know the Word of God yourself?! I took my bible and committed to reading it in its entirety. Since then, I have read through the Bible multiple times and have gained a broader perspective every time. My aim is to speak to people through scripture. It takes out my opinion and inserts God’s truth and that my friends is THE goal…not me but Him!

~Mercy—ability to feel empathy and to care for those who are hurting in any way. I am always looking for the little man, the underdog. I truly feel that if God loves and accepts all of us, I must love and accept everyone as well. As stated in my previous post about spiritual gifts, I am a feeler of people and can read people’s non-verbal cues well. I normally can tell after speaking with someone what they really are like. I can tell if someone is hurting.

~Giving—ability to produce wealth and to give by tithes/offerings for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God on earth. Now this is a gift that gets overlooked. I think it has to do with how money is viewed by many Christians but seriously how can we advance the gospel practically if no one has money? Who’s going to fund these missionaries? Who’s going to give to the poor? I mean these are real questions that need answers. Melvin and I both share this gift. We actually are so aligned that we don’t normally have to discuss giving to others. Both of us have careers that we can work in many different capacities and environments and we are both extremely hard workers. Saying that we are generous is an understatement. If we got it, you got it. I think we both understand the scripture:

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21

Point blank: It ain’t mine to keep!

~Knowledge—ability to bring clarity and to understand situations and circumstances often accompanied by a word from God. You will hear me say this over and over again…I love God’s Word! I can’t live without it…I’m confused without it. Pair that with being a person who is a student at heart and what a combination. I love learning, always have. I was the kid that loved school and would get excited about school supplies LOL! And yes, I was a nerd…but a cool one though!

So, that’s all I got! I hope you enjoyed reading about my spiritual gifts. I would love to hear what your spiritual gifts are or if you are searching to understand yours better! Let’s keep the conversation going!