Knowing your spiritual gifts

"All these are the work of...the same Spirit." 1Co 12:11 NIV


After listing various spiritual gifts, Paul writes: "All these are the work of...the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." You say, "How do I know what my spiritual gift is?" One Bible teacher answers: "If I walk, live, and am filled with the Spirit, it is not too important for me to understand the definition of my gift. It isn't an academic issue; it's a matter of getting down on your knees and asking the Spirit of God to dominate and control your life. As you yield to Him, the Spirit of God operates through you, and that will be your area of ministry. So the best way to know your gifted area is not to figure it out and then do it, but to walk in the Spirit and then look back and say, 'So that's what I do.' When I was in high school a lady wanted to paint my portrait. I remember that she had a palette in her hand. On the palette she had some primary colors which she squirted out of some tubes. Then she began to mix all those colors together. It was amazing to see the various combinations that came out of those primary colors. Finally she began to paint them on the canvas. This is exactly how spiritual gifts function. The Holy Spirit has a palette. On it are some primary gifts. They are the gifts listed in Scripture. But by the time they are squeezed around there is a mixture. Each one becomes a very unique portrait."