A Helpful Hint for Remembering Your Gifts—So You Can USE Them!!
The most common issue when doing a study of spiritual gifts is doing it as a one-time thing (instead of a life-long journey of discovery and application), putting the workbook on the shelf, and forgetting what your list of gifts is. Three months down the road, if you are not actively asking the Lord how He wants to develop and use them in and through you, you are pretty likely to have a hard time coming up with the three to five gifts He has given you. If everyone using their gifts to God’s glory and for the good of the Body—the Church—IS God’s intended design, it would behoove us to make a greater effort to recall and live into our Spirit-empowered supernatural abilities.
Take a moment now to think of your top gifts. [If you are unsure, take this quick, free online assessment: Spiritual Gifts Assessment]
How might you remember those top gifts?
What about taking a few minutes to create a mnemonic or acronym with the first one or two letters of each gift?
Some examples to get your creative juices flowing:
· TWEAK—teaching, wisdom-discernment, exhortation, administration, knowledge
· CASE—craftsmanship, apostleship, shepherding, evangelism
· MAIL—mercy, artistic expression, intercession, leadership
· PEG—prophecy, exhortation, giving
Perhaps it doesn’t even have to be a real word—but something memorable. For example:
· WHEG—wisdom, helps, exhortation, giving
· MPG—miraculous powers, giving
Embrace your uniqueness…your fearfully and wonderfully made-ness…
Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see where He is at work around you…
And ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and give you the courage to join Him.
Remember and USE your God-given gifts—to His glory and to build others up.
Additional Resources:
• Downloadable Resources--See Sample List of Interest Areas; Your Spiritual Gifts—A Study Guide; Knowing Your Unique Calling and Purpose Study Guide; Whole-Life Ministry: A Form of Worship, Grace-Giving, and Living into Your Calling.
Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been Equipping Ministries Director at her church since 1999.
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© Photo by Shirley Giles Davis, all rights reserved.