There is nothing quite like it. When Jesus ascended, he gave gifts to his people (Ephesians 4:8). Spiritual gifts are the dynamo of the community of Christ followers. When each person finds their role and gifts to match – Boom – people get better, stronger – everybody wins.

The best way to discover your spiritual gift is to get your life engaged in the lives of others. When we get moving, we'll find two things: 1. We begin to get pulled toward stuff we love to do, and that brings us joy. 2. We'll also have other people recognize and affirm those things we excel at doing.

Gift discovery is this 1-2 punch: self-discovery and affirmation. God can and will direct you into your sweet spot when you move into the community of Christ followers and witness God indeed using your life to lift others. And on this note of lifting others, that's exactly how your gift is confirmed. Gifts are to edify. They are given by God to build up the broader body of Christ. That's the ultimate test of hitting your unique design and role in the church. Gifts tests are a great place to begin, but they're not the end all. The best way I've seen people discover gifts is engaging in the life and lives of the body of Christ.

Here's a couple of quick additional thoughts. Explore and push the boundaries of conventional wisdom. Sometimes the gift you have is outside the box of what you might have imagined. Also, don't let people shift you or promote you out of your gifting. You can be crushing it in one area and slide into a role that is not your gift or your joy. Example: Some pastors are great teachers or mercy givers but get lulled into thinking, or urged to take the role of leader. Their joy dries up and in those, they now lead.

Resource link to Spiritual Gifts Survey and List.

Now find your gift and use it – we all need you!

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