Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts
By Drenda Keesee
You. Are. Special.
Maybe you already “get” that you are a unique creation, BUT maybe you don’t know how you are unique or how important it is that you find out.
As Christians, we talk a lot about how God made us unique, but here is an important question:
Why did He make us each so different?
Answer: God gave YOU special talents and unique gifts for serving others and serving the church body.
Someone in the world is waiting for YOU to learn your spiritual gifts and walk them out. (Imagine me yelling that at you, well, saying it loudly. That’s how important it is!)
Maybe it’s your voice, maybe it’s your passion for ministering to little ones, whatever gifts you have been given, God has given them to you expecting you to use them to serve His Kingdom—and part of that means serving others.
If you feel like you don’t have a gifting, I want to give you a few simple steps that will help you discover your spiritual gifts and put them to good use!
It Takes Time to Develop Them
Sometimes, Christians fall into the belief that spiritual gifts are presents that come ready to use.
They just drop into your lap and come fully developed.
Wrong!
Any gifting requires work to bring it into maturity.
The more you learn about your gifts, the better you will be able to use them.
Examples of Spiritual Gifts:
Exhortation Discernment
Giving Leadership
Mercy Prophecy
Service Teaching
Miracles Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues
Remember the saying, If you don’t use it, you lose it? If you ignore your spiritual giftings, you are ignoring the Holy Spirit, who is calling you to step out on God’s behalf and minister to others.
Not a good idea!
First Corinthians 12:11 (NIV) tells us, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
Don’t ever stifle the Holy Spirit; instead, pray that He will speak into your heart and reveal your gifts and exactly how to walk them out.
What You Give Returns
First Corinthians 12:27-28 tell us, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 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.”
What if I told you that people are waiting for YOU to use your gifts and make a difference in their lives?
My friend Terri Savelle Foy often says, “Someone is waiting on the other side of your obedience.”
When we put the needs of others before our own needs, we are truly walking out God’s love and sharing His light with others; and, as we give, we are reminded of how much has been given to us! Let that sink in a little. Read it again:
When we give to others, we are reminded of how much has been given to us. Amen?!
Luke 6:38 (NIV) tells us “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Know that I am praying for you and praying that the Holy Spirit will help you discover your spiritual gifts, help you learn more about them, and reveal how God wants you to use them.
To learn more about how to truly live an authentic, happy life, go HERE. I developed this amazing resource to help people like you discover and embrace your identity in Christ, and discover His amazing purpose for your life.
~Drenda
ps…You can pre-order Drenda’s new book, “Shark Proof” here!
Listen in Now to Faith Life Church!
Drenda Keesee’s contagious zeal and humorous personal experiences help make her ministry of spiritual, emotional and relational wholeness one that will bless your life and spark a new fire in your spirit.
A wife of over 30 years and a mother of five children, Drenda has ministered at churches, seminars, and conferences, and through the mediums of television and radio, for more than 20 years.
Her books, The New Vintage Family, Better Than You Think, and She Gets It are available wherever books are sold. In these heartfelt books, Drenda shares her personal journey and the life lessons that have brought her to where she is today, as well as practical answers that all people need to live a joyful life.
Drenda and her husband Gary founded Faith Life Now, a ministry designed to spread the message of freedom in the areas of finances, faith, marriage, and family. Tune in for their weekly messages here. Faith Life Now hosts conferences worldwide, and sponsors both Fixing the Money Thing, which Drenda co-hosts with her husband Gary, and Drenda.
Through their own life experiences, the Keesees have found the principles from God’s Word to be powerful and effective. At one point, Drenda was a young, suicidal feminist with no hope of ever being “good enough” for her own standards of perfection. She never wanted the “inconvenience” of a husband or children, and she was on her own path to success. But the stress of trying to achieve perfection and perform for love left her broken and used. She had success, but it was nothing compared to the pain and loneliness it had also brought.
That’s when God got a hold of her heart. It was there—at her lowest point—that she found the One who accepted and loved her, faults and all. Since that transformation, Drenda has had a passion to reach women who find themselves where she once was.
She married Gary after attending college, and there she found herself in a personal boot camp of sorts. She says, “I cried and told God, ‘I can do anything but be a wife and mother.’” She committed to learning how to do it God’s way. Through the many years of raising their children and struggling to make ends meet, Drenda learned from their mistakes. “I didn’t know how to be a wife and mother, but God saved our marriage, taught us how to parent our children for success, showed us how to have financial success, and then irony of all ironies, He called us to ministry.” It’s truly because of these life experiences that Drenda can now share so many insightful principles for people who are now going through the same struggles.
