Four Ways to Use Your Spiritual Gifts
By Rick Warren
“Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” Romans 6:13 (NLT)
The moment you become a follower of Jesus, God gives you spiritual gifts. But how do you start using the spiritual gifts God has put inside of you? Here are four ways to get started:
1. Discover your gifts.
Before you can use your gifts, you need to know what they are. Many Christians have dormant spiritual gifts inside of them. They neglect their gifts, not using them and not even knowing what they are. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:14, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift that is in you” (GNT).
How do you discover your spiritual gifts? There are three steps: examine, evaluate, and experiment. First, you examine by studying each spiritual gift. Then, evaluate what you’re good at. You can start by asking friends what gifts they see in you. Finally, experiment by trying different things. Volunteering for different ministries at your church will help you discover your gifts. For instance, you may be better at organizing than at teaching.
2. Dedicate your gifts to God.
The Bible says in Romans 6:13, “Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (NLT).
Maybe you already know your spiritual gifts, but you’re just not using them for the Lord. You’re using them for yourself. You need to humble yourself and dedicate to the Lord every gift you have. Push all of your excuses out of the way, and say, “God, I dedicate back to you the gifts that you gave to me.”
3. Develop your gifts.
Gifts are like muscles: The more you use them, the bigger they get. You can and should strengthen, develop, and grow any gift God has given you. You get better at using a gift by practice, studying, and learning from other people who have the same gift.
The Bible says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT).
When God gives you something, he will give you even more of it if you use it well—more talent, money, influence, relationships, or responsibility. He says, “I can trust that person. I’m going to give that person more and more and more.”
4. Deploy your spiritual gifts.
“Deploy” means to put into service. You get out on the field and start doing something. Romans 12:6 says this: “We are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God’s message, we should do it according to the faith that we have” (GNT).
What’s the best place to discover, dedicate, develop, and deploy your spiritual gifts? In a small group of other Christians; it’s like a testing ground. That could be a small group at your church, a Sunday school class, or any small gathering of believers that meet together regularly. If you are not in a small group, I encourage you to get connected to one this week so that you can test and develop your spiritual gifts in the safe and supportive environment of friends who will encourage you.
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