Finding Your Spiritual Gifts: A Concise Self-Assessment
Discovering your spiritual gifts is a journey of self-discovery, leading to a deeper understanding of your purpose and how you can best serve God and others. While there's no single definitive test, this concise self-assessment will help you identify potential areas of strength. Remember, this is a guide, and further reflection and prayer are crucial for confirming your gifts. This isn't a scientifically validated assessment, but rather a tool for personal reflection.
Important Note: This self-assessment is for personal reflection and should not be considered a definitive measure of your spiritual gifts. Spiritual discernment and guidance from trusted spiritual leaders are encouraged for a complete understanding.
Instructions: Read each statement below. Circle the number that best reflects how often the statement applies to you:
1 = Rarely or Never; 2 = Sometimes; 3 = Often; 4 = Very Often
(Please note that this is a textual representation and cannot be a downloadable PDF. To create a PDF, copy this text into a word processor and then export as PDF.)
| Statement | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I enjoy teaching and explaining complex ideas. | ||||
| I find it easy to comfort and encourage others. | ||||
| I have a natural ability to organize and plan events. | ||||
| I feel drawn to serving others in practical ways. | ||||
| I am gifted at sharing the Gospel with others. | ||||
| I possess a strong ability to pray for others. | ||||
| I have a talent for creative expression (art, music, writing). | ||||
| I'm skilled at resolving conflicts and mediating disputes. | ||||
| I have a strong sense of discernment and intuition. | ||||
| I'm good at identifying and addressing people's needs. |
Scoring and Interpretation (a general guideline):
Add up your scores for each column. Higher scores indicate potential areas of spiritual gifting. However, this is just a starting point. Consider these broad categories:
Common Spiritual Gift Categories:
Teaching: High scores in statements 1.
- Description: A gift for effectively communicating biblical truths, theological concepts, and practical application.
- Examples: Teaching Sunday school, leading Bible studies, giving sermons, mentoring others.
Encouragement/Exhortation: High scores in statements 2.
- Description: A gift for building up and inspiring others. Providing comfort, hope, and motivation.
- Examples: Offering words of affirmation, pastoral care, providing emotional support.
Administration/Organization: High scores in statements 3.
- Description: A gift for managing resources, organizing events, and overseeing projects.
- Examples: Church leadership, event planning, budgeting, managing volunteers.
Service: High scores in statements 4.
- Description: A gift for practical service and meeting the physical needs of others.
- Examples: Serving meals, cleaning, visiting the sick, providing transportation.
Evangelism: High scores in statements 5.
- Description: A gift for sharing the Gospel and winning souls to Christ.
- Examples: Street evangelism, personal testimonies, missionary work.
Prayer: High scores in statements 6.
- Description: A gift for effective and powerful intercession for others.
- Examples: Leading prayer meetings, praying for the sick, personal prayer ministry.
Arts/Creative Ministry: High scores in statements 7.
- Description: A gift for expressing faith through creative means, such as music, art, writing, drama.
- Examples: Leading worship, creating artwork, writing Christian books or songs.
Reconciliation/Peacemaking: High scores in statements 8.
- Description: A gift for resolving conflicts, mediating disputes, and promoting harmony.
- Examples: Conflict resolution, marriage counseling, mediating disputes within a church.
Discernment/Prophecy: High scores in statements 9 & 10.
- Description: A gift for discerning truth from falsehood, and perceiving spiritual realities.
- Examples: Spiritual guidance, discerning the will of God, identifying false teachings.
Remember to pray and seek guidance from trusted spiritual leaders to understand your spiritual gifts fully and how you can best utilize them to serve God and others. This is a lifelong journey of discovery and growth.
