Unwrapping your spiritual gifts

Go shawty! It's ya birthday! We're gonna party like it's ya birthday! *in my best 50 Cent voice*

The fourth quarter of 2020 has finally appeared on our calendars. It’s unofficially, one of the best months of the year. When I say unofficially, I mean it’s official, OFFICIAL by my standards because October is my birthday month and we're celebrating for the next 31 days.

When it comes to birthdays, I think it's safe to say we all enjoy receiving birthday gifts. No matter, how big, small, tangible or intangible, everyone loves feeling cherished, adored and celebrated as they bring in another year. But, what if I told you didn’t need a birthday to unlock some of the most precious gifts that God has already given to you?

Throughout the month of October, we’re studying our “spiritual gifts," who gives the gifts; why we have them; why it’s important to use them and how to cultivate them. These giftings are so necessary to build the body of Christ, encourage and comfort the church. We’ll also discover how to use the gifts properly and how they can be misused and misinterpreted.

I encourage you to connect with a spiritual leader you trust to help you walk through some of these giftings and how to operate with them through the Holy Spirit. More often than not, these gifts are inner strengths you already have, but knowing that God places them inside of you is just another motivator to develop what lies within.

Continue to pray and ask the Lord to reveal to you what spiritual gifts you might have. If you feel like you can’t pray or don’t know how to hear from God as of yet, simply grab a journal, find a quiet space and just talk to God like you are calling one of your homeboys or your girlfriends. It’s THAT easy. Seriously! (I’ll do another blog post on prayer and prayer life soon.) #StayTuned.

As you ask God to show you some of your strengths, you may discover that you’re already operating in your area of giftedness but didn’t even know it.

If you’re curious about some of your spiritual giftings, this free assessment, or this one, can help you identify and unlock some of your Godly giftings. Once you’ve taken this test, you can conduct further research, on what this gift means and how to cultivate it.

The spiritual gifts are clearly defined in six key passages of the Bible:

• Romans 12

• 1 Corinthians 12, 13, 14

• Ephesians 4:7-16

• 1 Peter 4:10-11

Here’s a list of the gifts:

• Administration

• Apostles

• Discerning of Spirits

• Evangelists

• Exhortation

• Faith

• Giving

• Gifts of Healings

• Interpretation of Tongues

• Word of Knowledge

• Leadership

• Mercy

• Working of Miracles

• Pastor/Shepherd

• Prophecy

• Service

• Teaching

• Different Kinds of Tongues

• Word of Wisdom

Throughout this month’s #BibleJournalingChallenge, we’ll learn that “there are different spiritual gifts, but the same spirit is the source of them all.” (1 Corinthians 12:4). Whether it’s teaching and preaching, faith or healing, God has endowed us with a variety of spiritual gifts that we can use throughout our spheres of influence to minister Christ to others.

For some, this can be new information that can be overwhelming. Take a deep breath and go at your own pace, but know these gifts come from God and display God’s character through us as we bear His image in the earth.

If this information is refresher for you, great! Retake the test, study these verses and commit to seeking out additional resources to grow throughout this journaling challenge.

Grab your journals, your pens and let’s get to it!