FINDING YOUR PURPOSE THROUGH SPIRITUAL GIFTS! (Part One)
Do you feel lost and without purpose. If so, I urge you to read on, because God has incredible purpose for your life (Jeremiah 29:11) and in this blog post, I am going to give you suggestions on how to find YOUR true life's purpose, as set forth by God!!!
When you become a follower of Jesus Christ you are given spiritual gifts or “manifestations” through the holy spirit to specially fit your abilities for the PURPOSE of building up the body of Christ and serving each other.
God tells us this through Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 7-11:
7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”;
and
Ephesians 4:12:
“to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up.”;
and
1 Peter 4:10:
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace”.
So you see, you DO have an amazing purpose! To build the Body of Christ and to serve one another!
If you don't know, the Body of Christ (also known as the church), is made up of Christ followers, each belonging to a different part of the body, such as the heart, the tongue, the hand, and so on. Each part has a function in relation to the whole body. Think of your own body. Each part of your body has a function that serves and builds the whole body. We see this analogy in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31:
12 “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[b]? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.”
WHAT ARE THESE GIFTS?
Now you know what your purpose is, AND you know that your were given specific gifts to use to accomplish this purpose! But what are they??
Well, the bible speaks of different gifts and here are some of them along with a brief description:
Administration - planning, organization, supervision
Apostle/Missionary/Pioneer
Discernment - recognizing truth from untruth
Evangelism - to communicate the Gospel
Exhortation - offering support, encouragement, cheerleader
Faith - standing strong in belief not shaken
Giving - share resources with pleasure
Healing - physical, mentally, emotionally and spiritually
Helps - assisting in helping others to minister
Hospitality - making others feel comfortable in their home or in the Church
Knowledge - pursuing knowledge - analyzing scripture
Leadership - to direct with care and attention to motivate
Mercy - great sensitivity for those who are suffering
Prophecy - speaking the message of God to others through insight or visions
Serving - identifying needs of the body of Christ and getting it done
Speaking in tongues - speaking in a language that has not been learned
Teaching - to teach from scripture for the growth of others
Wisdom - the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
Here is a link to a website that goes more in depth as to the description of each gift:
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT WHAT MY GIFTS ARE?
If you are not sure what your spiritual gifts are then you will need some help to identify them. Here is a website where you can take a test that may help you to determine what your spiritual gift or gifts are.
(There are many other websites that offer tests as well, but I liked this one best out of the ones I tried.)
Just remember any spiritual gift test you take can give you insight as to what your spiritual gift or gifts may be, but first and foremost YOU MUST BE PRAYERFUL about it!! No one knows you better than God, and he will guide you as to what gifts he has given to you and how he wants you to use them, for HIS purpose!
Finally, whether you were given the gift of evangelism or not, we are always commanded to share and spread the Gospel! So, be vigilant in sharing God’s Word!
In Part Two - we will explore HOW to use your spiritual gifts! Very exciting stuff!!!
May God bless you and keep you close!!
Joellen
PS: HERE IS A FREE DOWNLOAD AS A COMPANION TO THIS POST - it lists the scriptures, the gifts and brief summary of this post for your quick reference (should you want or need it)
