What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?

We are all a part of the body of Christ, if Christ is in you. 

Have you ever thought about what part of the body you are?  Have you ever wondered what your spiritual gifts are?  Most people have more than one.  What are yours? :)

It may sound like an odd question, but Paul references this in 1 Cor. 12 when he says:

"Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body."

I believe I am the mouth, or A mouth of God's body the church, because I love to write, obviously, and I generally like to talk, depending on the situation and if I feel comfortable and accepted.

I believe my mom and my best friend are the ears, because they are both great listeners!  They are both VERY comforting when I need someone to talk to. 

I have also been the feet at times when I have gone on missions trips in high school when I was very active in sharing my faith with my class mates in school.  I suppose I can kind of be the feet also in writting these blogs.  I hope it is getting to many people.  lol but I have no idea.  :)  May God be using what I write. :)

Some people are the eyes, meaning they have a vision.  I would also say my best friend is the eyes, because she can see into the spiritual realm.  She sees spiritual creatures ALL the time.  In the movie the Exorcism of Emily Rose a lady says that some people are born as "sensitives" or seers, that can see the spiritual realm that the rest of us cannot.  Sometimes I wish I could see what she sees, but most of the time I am glad I cannot lol. 

Others are the heart; they are full of passion and excitement!  This could also be part of my part.  Most people I know say I have a lot of energy. lol

However there is also an element to the heart that I do not naturally have; compassion and knowing exactly what to do when other people are in pain.  In the past I have felt a bit awkward about others' pain and not known how to empathize with them.  Perahps I will be better in this in the future though.  :)

It is possible to ask God to develop us into people to be other parts of the body.  Paul says to "eagerly desire the greater gifts."  Meaning I believe we can pray to receive them and BE different parts of the body.  We are not stuck just being one part.  We can develop ourselves and become other parts at different times in our lives.   

He says, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work."

All of our gifts are from God.  They are different gifts, but this means we all have been given something BY GOD.  One is not more needed than another.  They are all needed to make up the body of the church.  :)

Paul also says, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit." 

I feel this would then be the person that is the mind in the body.  Some people are smarter and can see more than others can.  Wisdom is practical advice and application for life, where as knowledge is more like a knowledge of facts and the ability to recal several verses and biblical data.  Wisdom knows how to apply those verses and concepts to life. 

I believe my late husband had the gift of wisdom more then anyone I have ever known or seen.  He KNEW God through and through it seemed.  He understood completely what it means that God loves us.  Not just the idea that God loves us, but he fully understood what that meant, and he shared this wisdom with me on several occassions, which was very good. 

I have prayed on countless occasions that God would give me wisdom, and I think He has.  Perhaps that request came with a cost though, because I know He has used all the hard times in my life to make me more wise.  We do not become more wise when things are easy, but when things are very, very hard.  So if you pray for wisdom, watch out, God may make you hit rock bottom before He can give you what you ask for.  He may have to bring you to the end of yourself first, as He has done with me on several occasions.

"To another faith by the same Spirit."  I believe this person could be said to be the soul in the body.  They know deep inside of them that everything is going to be ok.  They do not question God.  They have faith that He is always good, no matter what!  And they never give up, on themselves, God, or others. 

 I thought I had this gift, but there have been many times when I have given up.  When things got hard, I didn't have faith that they would turn out better, so I would just quit and give up.  But may God help me to have more faith in myself and others in the future. 

"To another gifts of healing by that one Spirit."  This is the one that the church is most skeptical of these days, but I have seen people with this gift.  Go to River Church in Costa Mesa Wed.'s from 8-9.  People have been healed there; from cancer, from a bad back etc.  God still uses people in the church today to heal other people.  But you have to believe it is possible in order to be healed.  :)  "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can move mountains" right? 

The person with the gift of healing could be said to be the hands in the body, because they use their hands to heal and help others. 

 ^"To another miraculous powers."  People CAN still perform miracles.  We do not see it much today because we are very skeptical and try to explain everything away by science.  But I believe it is still possible to do miracles as the apostles in the early church and Jesus did.  These people would be the spirit in the body, for it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that they would be able to perform miracles.   

"To another prophecy."  This gift would be to the people that are the eyes in the body.  Some people can still prophesy and see the future.  Sometimes this is through dreams.  I have heard of a few people who have had dreams prophesying what could be the future of America.  Time will tell of these prophecies will come true though.   

"To another distinguishing between spirits."  This may sound odd but I believe this person would be the nose in the body.  They can smell if something is fishy lol.  Or if the spirit inside someone else or in a room is evil or good.   

My late husband had this ability.  He could look at someone and tell if they had evil inside of them.  I knew a lady at my old church who said she would look at some people in our church and just see black, meaning their hearts were black.  God manifests this gift in different ways I believe.  My brother sees auras, which I am not sure if that is from God or not, but it's possible. 

 "To another speaking in different kinds of tongues."  I believe this is strictly speaking say in French when you had not formally learned French.  That is what happened at the day of Pentecost.  The disciples were speaking in languages they had never learned.  This is used to spread the gospel further.  This person would be the mouth in the body, in that they can share the gospel with people ALL over the world in every language possible with this gift.  Now that would be exciting! lol :)

"And to still another the interpretation of tongues."  This would mean that God supernaturally gave someone in the church the ability to interpret the French spoken even if they were never taught French etc. 

^"All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."

It is up to the Spirit to give these gifts.  We can pray for different gifts, but it is ultimately His decision on who gets what.  But they are all needed, and they are all necessary.

May God reveal to you what your gift is!  May he speak to you what part in the body you are.  You have an important role to play!  So figure out what that is and go do it! lol :)

God bless!