The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity

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Christian with the gift of evangelism. Is it any wonder that he will feel discouraged and frustrated
and conclude that he is inferior spiritually? This is false guilt. For though we are all to be witnesses,
we all do not have the gift of evangelism. And as a result, we are not as fruitful in our evangelistic
efforts as those gifted in that area. Our lack of giftedness is nothing to feel guilty about since it is
God who decides how we are to be gifted anyway.
This doesn’t mean that we are fruitless. It merely means that we are not as fruitful in certain
areas (where we are not gifted) as in others (where we are gifted). To become knowledgeable of
this is freeing. No longer do we need to feel guilty about our lack of fruitfulness or effectiveness
where God has not gifted us.
This, however, does not mean that we have no responsibility in the areas of Christian service
where God has not gifted us in a special, supernatural way. As Christians we have all been called to
be His witnesses, just as we all have supernatural gifts given to certain members of the body of
Christ. The gifts God has given to us are to be the area(s) of ministry in which we are to function to
a greater extent.
Knowing and understanding our giftedness, then, helps us to set priorities so that our gifts can
be used productively. This frees us from discouragement, frustration, insecurity, inferiority and false
guilt as we realize that we are contributing to the overall effort of the body of Christ in the way we
were meant to be contributing.
When we discover, understand, develop and use our spiritual gifts our spiritual life takes on a
new and freeing dimension. We begin to see in a practical way what the Bible has been saying all
along: YOU are important! Important to God, important to God’s people—the church—and
important to God’s work—His plan and program.
Understanding your spiritual gifts will go a long way in better understanding God’s will in
your life. Elizabeth O’Connor, a member of the Church of the Savior in Washington, D.C., a
church known for its effective use of spiritual gifts, put it:
“We ask to know the will of God without guessing that His will is written into
our very beings. We perceive that will happen when we discern our gifts.” 2
Knowing our gifts helps us plug into God’s work. As we discover, develop and use our
spiritual gifts we are released into meaningful service in the Kingdom of God.