Spiritual Gifts

If you remember from the message Sunday, I talked about your spiritual gift as a sort of divine sweet spot.  When you hit a golfball or a tennis ball just right, you know it.  When you are doing something naturally and on behalf of others and it just feels right, you are probably honing in on an area of spiritual gifting. One of the main questions that I always get about spiritual gifts is, “How do I know what my spiritual gift(s) are?”  
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As Jesus was the full embodiment of all spiritual gifts lived out to perfection, rather than focus on a certain “way” or “gift”, we can simply focus on being like Him.  However, there are abilities that come more naturally to us that others.  We are all wired differently.  
I want us all to begin to think more deeply about how God wants to use us in the way that he has uniquely crafted us because I know that our our service to others will build our faith in powerful ways. Here are some practical questions to prayerfully ask yourself.  

1. What am naturally good at?
2. What kinds of acts of service make me feel alive when I am engaged in them?  
3. What are the acts of service that feel like a burden?  (Probably not your gift)
4. What kind of service would my friends say comes naturally to me?  

​A scripture to help you think more deeply about this is 1 Corinthians 12:4-7: 
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 

Often in life we can hit spiritual plateaus.  The important thing is not to stay there.  One of the best ways out of these lulls in our faith is to “serve” and “love” our way out.  When you give to, love, and serve others as motivated by your love for Christ, the gratifying feeling you receive is God at work in and through you.  When our service seems effortless, it is because it is the God of the universe enabling you to be far more than you could ever be as working from your our own.  If your service seems like a burden, then you may be out of your sweet spot or you could be serving for selfish reasons like having an internal motivation to receive the praise of others.  God sees our hearts and will not empower selfish service.  

If you would like to take an online spiritual gifts inventory I have included a link to a good one.  I have taken the test myself and it only takes about 10-15 minutes.  I have also read about the group providing the test and I am confident by their Confession of Faith and description of spiritual gifts that their mission and doctrine are consistent with who we are at The Well. If you do decide to take the test, just bear in mind that it's less about self-assessment tests and more about becoming who God already created you to be.  SpiritualGiftsTest.com 

Please feel free to share with us your results or use this opportunity to ask any further questions you may have about spiritual gifts.

​Josh Kesler, Senior Pastor