Do you know your spiritual gifts?

The church functions best when all of the members of the body are using their spiritual gifts for the strengthening of the church.  Here are ways that you can identify your spiritual gift.

• Understand what the gifts are.  (For a description of the gifts, obtain a copy of the sermons from January 24, and February 7 & 14.)
• Pray that God will reveal your gift to you.  When you pray for discernment in identifying your gift, the Holy Spirit dwelling within you speaks to your spirit and reveals the nature of the gifts He has given you.  God gave you your gift with you in mind.  He knows you enough to know what you need, what the church needs and trusts that you will use the gift He gave you. 
• Listen to the burden of your heart.  Is there a tug on your heart or an unsettledness in your spirit because you believe that God is calling you to something, but you really don’t want to do what he is calling you to do?  The thing you have been trying to run from may be the very thing that God is calling you to.  In obeying the call, don’t be surprised if you discover your gift.
• Just try something.  Exploration is the key to discovery.  Most of the gifts are related to things that God expects of us anyway.  So even if you try something that you are not gifted at, you still pleased God in the process because you obeyed His commands. 
• Use your talents, skills, and natural abilities.  You may discover that God will use your natural ability in supernatural ways.  
• Once you believe that you have identified your gift, look for confirmation.  In Acts 4:36 and 11:22-23, we see that Joses had the gift of encouragement.  That gift was confirmed by the apostles. They noticed his ability to encourage others and named him Barnabas, son of Encouragement. 
• Once you identify your gifts, identify your population of influence.  Is there a group in the church and in the community that God is calling you to in order to utilize your gifts?  That doesn’t mean that you don’t minister outside of that group.  You are just aware of your primary mission and audience. 
• Examine how you utilize your gift in a ministry of the church and in reaching the lost.  There are enough opportunities for ministry within the church and the community for you to utilize your gifts.