Aptitudes, Your Spiritual Gifts

Introduction
Grace Gifts
Spiritual Origin of Character
Unity with Diversity
Specialization
Implied Limitations
Gifts for Everyone
Whose Spirit, Whose Power?
Levels of Effectiveness
How Long Will You Have Your Gifts?
Developing Your Aptitudes
Format for the Aptitude Articles

Introduction

[Read time: 3 minutes] If someone were looking for a new job, he would expect to be tested or at least asked about his abilities, so he could find a job suited to his skills. We encourage people to look for jobs that require their skills and experience. In fact, someone who is not suitable for a job will be dissatisfied and their performance will suffer. We refer to those skills as aptitudes or inherent natural abilities. We also recognize that a person’s aptitudes are relevant to more than his career.

In First Corinthians 12, Paul described how individual Christians fulfill their roles in the Christian community. He wrote, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant” (1 Cor. 12:1). The Greek word translated “spiritual gifts” is pneumatica, which more specifically means “spiritual matters” or “spiritual things.” It is clear from this opening remark that the following subject matter relates to spiritual activity or something originating in the spirit realm.

Within this workbook, we will call those spiritual things aptitudes and recognize that they originate in the spirit realm. Specifically, I suggest that a person’s aptitudes originate with his own spirit, that his inherent natural abilities are spiritual qualities. I also suggest that God created each person with specific aptitudes to help him function effectively in life, independent of his spiritual condition.

In verses 8 through 10 of that chapter, Paul presents a partial list of abilities people can use to benefit others: wisdom, a message of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. He describes these as manifestations and the work of the Spirit.

A second list appears later in the same chapter (1 Cor. 12:28): apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, gifts of healing, ability to help others, administration, and speaking in tongues. This passage also uses the analogy of a body (1 Cor. 12:12-27) to show interaction and interdependency. The reference to different parts of the body indicates that each of us has a role, a different way in which to serve.

The New Testament provides other lists of personality types and their roles. For example, Romans 12:6-8 provides a list of aptitudes we call “motivational gifts:” prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing, leading, and showing mercy. These are gifts of grace and are to function within Christ’s body (Rom. 12:4-5). God gives us these expressions of grace so we can serve others effectively.

Ephesians 4:11 lists the so-called “ministry gifts:” apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The context uses the analogy of a body and says we received grace as Christ apportioned it (Eph. 4:7) and we’re to serve others with it. The word “apportion” is significant because it clearly means that not everyone receives the same kind of grace.

One premise of this study is that these are lists of personal aptitudes that enable people to perform specialized functions or fill specific roles. The book of Ephesians says, “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). Also, God wants His people prepared “for works of service” (Eph. 4:12). God has a plan for you, including specific works of service He has already prepared for you to do. In addition, He has given you the character–aptitudes, tendencies, and interests–that uniquely qualify you for your specific work. So we will examine each aptitude listed above plus others found in the Bible.

Grace Gifts

[Read time: 7 minutes] In First Corinthians 12:4 we read, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” The word “gifts” is a key to this study, so examining it in detail would help you understand the character God gave you and His intent for it.

In this verse, the word “gifts” is a translation of the Greek word charisma. The root word, chara, means joy, rejoicing, gladness, delight, or pleasure; just thinking about the word can make you feel good.

A related word is charis, which the New Testament normally translates as “grace” and always has the sense of producing chara in the giver and the recipient. It causes one person to view another with favor. It relates to a friendly disposition that produces acts of kindness, graciousness, or goodwill; the purpose of such acts is to produce joy, delight, or pleasure in the recipient. The word also can describe a sense of gratitude for having received such an act; charis sometimes means “thanks.” It includes being delighted by beauty, and the pleasure of good fortune. In the verb form, it means to show pleasure or to be pleasant, or even to be agreeable. Again, it is normally translated “grace” in the New Testament.

As an example, a gracious host or hostess is one who causes guests to enjoy their visit. Similarly, when God expresses His grace to you, it gives you joy and delight to receive it. We normally interpret God’s grace in high, lofty, spiritual terms, or think of it only as something God gives us to get through difficult situations. However, this makes us overlook the fact that God’s grace should always produce joy, gladness, and delight in us.

Consider the following verse, which uses charis-grace. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8). God’s grace enables you to perform whatever task He has called you to do because He provides whatever you need. This verse also shows there are different types of grace or aspects to grace. We can see that grace (charis) would produce joy (chara) in this context as well. As God’s grace fully supplies you with whatever you need and you are full of good works that serve others, you will experience great satisfaction, resulting in joy and delight. Using what God gives you is delightful.

This brings us to the word of greatest relevance to this study: charisma. Chara is joy, rejoicing, gladness, delight, or pleasure. Charis is that which produces chara; it is grace, or a gracious disposition. Charisma is proof of grace; it is a benefit, or a gracious gift. Unlike other Greek words for “gift,” charisma emphasizes the act of charis that motivated the gift and the chara it produces in the giver and recipient. You might say that charisma is a grace-gift.

Salvation is a charisma (Rom. 5:15-16). God’s gracious disposition motivated Him to provide salvation. His joy and delight prompted the gift, and the gift produces joy and delight in you because of its great value and benefit for you. Every charisma-gift has the same effect.

Romans 12:6 states that we each have different charisma-gifts according to the charis-grace God gave us. Also, First Corinthians 12:4 shows there are different kinds of charisma-gifts. In this study we will use the word “aptitude” to represent the special abilities or charisma-gifts God gave us. We have seen from the Greek words the Bible uses–chara (joy), charis (grace), charisma (gift)–that God enjoyed giving you your aptitudes, that He expects you to enjoy using them, and that others should enjoy receiving their results.

This is such an important point, it merits being repeated. God was delighted to give you your character aptitudes. He anticipates your delight as you use your aptitudes. He also anticipates others being delighted as they receive the benefits of your aptitudes. The way God set it up, everybody wins!

As with everything else in creation, however, sin warped God’s intent and perverted your charisma-gift by causing you to use it for your own benefit and pleasure. This motivates you to use your aptitudes primarily because they bring you pleasure, even to the detriment of others. Since your aptitudes are the strongest features of your character, they became your biggest problems when motivated by self-centeredness. God’s plan is for you to use your aptitudes to serve others, which will produce joy and gladness in everyone involved. Sin has perverted your thinking so you use your aptitudes to serve yourself, no matter what it does to others. Through the redemption process, however, you can cause your aptitudes to operate the way God intends. That is why letting God redeem your character is essential. God’s plan of redemption is as comprehensive as the effects of sin; whatever sin has perverted, God can restore to His original intent.

God created you with specific aptitudes that uniquely qualify you for specific types of service. He also designed you to enjoy using your aptitudes, which means you will feel anything from satisfaction to outrageous delight when you do what comes naturally. Feeling good is appropriate when using your skills. God designed you that way and it’s one aspect of being like Him.

Repentance–changing the way you think–is without question essential to being effective in God’s kingdom. Lack of repentance is probably the reason Jesus will reject many “Christians” at the end: “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt. 7:23). Those people were motivated by self-centeredness, by the pleasure or benefit they received from using their skills, rather than by agape-love. Many miracle-workers will state, “Lord, I performed miracles in your name.” Many teachers will say, “Lord, I taught classes in your name.” Prophets will declare, “Lord, I spoke your words to your people.” But if self-centeredness had been their motivation, Jesus will reject them. Repentance is essential to your salvation and eternal destiny. Unless you transform your mind, you can do all the right things for all the wrong reasons and fail to please God.

Each one should use whatever charisma-gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s charis-grace in its various forms (1 Pet. 4:10). God intends for you to use your aptitudes to serve others. The issue is not whether you enjoy doing what comes naturally, but whether (1) you use your skills to serve others as God intends and feeling good about it is a pleasant benefit, or (2) you use your skills because doing so makes you feel good, and you remain self-centered, serving yourself.

What is an aptitude? It is a spiritual ability, not a visible evidence. Someone can pray a lot but not have the gift of intercession. They may simply believe “an hour a day keeps the demons away.” Not all teachers have the gift of teaching, either. Most of us had teachers or professors who were incompetent in a classroom or even one-on-one; no gift of teaching there.

Consider the analogy of a racecar with a racing engine. The engine has a distinctive, throaty sound when it runs, but not every noisy engine is appropriate for racing. Many old engines make throaty noises, but have low compression in the cylinders, gummed-up fuel systems, cracked heads, or other problems. Noisy, yes; powerful, no. Also, if you took a legitimate racing engine and attached it to a 3-speed automatic transmission designed for a 4-cylinder economy car, you would not deliver much usable power to the wheels. A car can make plenty of noises that sound like power but have none to deliver.

Likewise, a person may seem to exhibit a particular aptitude but not actually have it. An aptitude is an ability that originates with the human spirit and is part of a person’s most basic nature. What a person does often is an expression of his aptitudes, but as stated earlier, teaching is not proof of a teaching aptitude, nor are long prayers proof of intercession. Conversely, absence of teaching experience is not proof the person does not have a teaching aptitude; they may never have had the opportunity to discover or develop it. Or they may have tried to imitate someone who had different abilities, or tried to do what someone else wanted them to do. All along, their own aptitudes may be underdeveloped or even dormant.

External evidence is nothing more than that. It suggests an internal condition, but is not proof. Aptitudes are the abilities themselves, which normally exhibit themselves in ways we can see and interpret.

Spiritual Origin of Character

[Read time: 4 minutes] Every human being has a spirit, whatever his spiritual condition, a psyche (mind and emotions), and physical body. The Bible uses an analogy of spiritual death to describe separation from God, the source of life. If we take the analogy of death too far, however, we might conclude that someone who is spiritually dead either has no spirit at all or has a totally nonfunctional spirit. We come to such conclusions because of our understanding of physical death. When someone dies physically, they cease functioning physically and their body eventually decomposes and ceases to exist.

The same is not true of the human spirit, however. Your spirit is part of your eternal nature, existing for the remainder of eternity whether you are a Christian or not. To be spiritually dead means your spirit is not receiving life from God. The human spirit is the source of human life (see John 6:63 and 19:30) and it seems likely that your human parents gave birth to your human spirit, as they did your mind and body (see John 3:6).

Your human spirit is the source of your basic character, the real you, including your natural aptitudes or spiritual gifts. In contrast, your mind is very dynamic, processing thoughts, emotions, new information, and sensory inputs to decide on a course of action. While we define your spirit as the source of your character, which is constant, we acknowledge you can choose to express yourself differently based on your current circumstances.

Through appropriate mental and physical training, you also can learn to use your character and skills with greater effectiveness and even develop limited abilities that are not part of your nature. But your character does not reside in your mind. If it did, training and experience would enable you to develop any kind of character, but experience shows that is not possible. Mental development definitely affects what you do with your character, but cannot change it. For example, two musicians can have the same training and practice the same techniques for the same number of hours, yet the one with the aptitude for music abilities will outperform the other. No amount of mental development in the form of training and practice can make a person perform well if he doesn’t have a musical ability, a spiritual aptitude.

Distinguishing between your spirit, mind, and body is important. Failure to do so could literally prevent you from maturing and becoming like Jesus. Your spirit experienced a major transition at the moment of your salvation; you were “born again” spiritually. Prior to salvation, your spirit received energy from itself or the demonic, but not from God, the true source of life. After salvation, the Holy Spirit pours life into your spirit, which in turn pours spiritual life into the rest of you. Spiritual salvation is the first phase of your redemption.

The second and current phase of your redemption is the transformation of your mind through repentance. It is your responsibility as a Christian to change the way you think, to change your attitudes, values, standards, and priorities. God will help you with this, especially through the Bible and the Holy Spirit within you, but it is primarily your responsibility.

The third and final stage of your redemption is the replacement of your physical body when the Lord returns. As long as you have your current physical body and its accompanying sinful instincts (your flesh or sarx), it will demand gratification. As you mature spiritually and renew your mind, the temptations originating with your flesh will have a decreasing influence on you. However, it will never give up, which may be why God will replace it rather than “upgrade” it to make it compatible with heaven.

We identify believers who let their physical bodies and ungodly attitudes and emotions control them as carnal Christians, although the words, “carnal” and “Christian,” are virtually contradictory. “Carnal” refers to someone who thinks and acts like the sinful world we live in, while “Christian” describes someone who is like Christ. Yet most who call themselves Christians in reality are carnal, coming close to violating the concept of Christlikeness. The only virtue of the term “carnal Christian” may be that God knows it takes time for us to renew our minds, become less carnal, and more Christlike. This does not mean you should condone ungodly behavior in yourself or others, or even consider it acceptable. It means only that you allow time for maturity. You cannot expect totally righteous attitudes and behavior from a new believer any more than you would insist that a newborn infant get a job to support himself. Just like the physical realm, you should expect continued spiritual development of every believer, beginning with yourself.

Unity With Diversity — God’s Perfect Plan

[Read time: 10 minutes] Unity relates to being one, being in accord, or harmony with others. It has nothing to do with being identical in qualities or characteristics. Unity relates to purpose, and people unite when they have the same goal and work together to achieve that goal.

Diversity means differing from one another, having distinct characteristics or qualities. Diversity has nothing to do with relative value. To say that two people are different does not mean one is superior to the other; they are simply different.

It is possible and even common for a group of people to be in unity while maintaining their diversity. Each member can accept the group’s goals, work in cooperation with other members of the group, and apply his own unique abilities to help the other members and advance the cause of the group. This is such a simple idea that it seems almost unnecessary to explain it. Unfortunately, however, this is a universal principle most people apply only to specific situations. Americans, especially, recognize the value of unity with diversity when they are part of a committee, but ignore the principle in virtually every other part of their lives. Self-centeredness, with its focus our own ideas and goals, is always in conflict with unity.

Unity with diversity is part of God’s nature and part of His perfect plan for creation. Consider the Trinity–three diverse beings in such unity they seem to be one. The Old Testament acknowledges the Trinity but usually refers only to “God,” without identifying which member of the Trinity is involved. Yet even the Hebrew words the Old Testament uses reveal a diversity in God’s nature. The root Hebrew word for God is el and its plural is elohim. It is interesting that Old Testament writers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, frequently used the plural noun with singular verbs and adjectives as if referring to a single being. For example, the very first verse of the Bible states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” where “God” is the plural form in Hebrew yet the verse refers to Him as a single individual.

Another classic Old Testament example of the singular/plural nature of God is Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The phrase, “the Lord our God,” uses the plural form of the word, while the Hebrew word translated “one” describes a collective unit, such as a single family consisting of several people.

The New Testament, however, is much clearer about the distinct roles and natures of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each has equal value but unique responsibilities (John 5:18). The Father clearly has the greater authority because Jesus stated the Father is greater (John 14:28). Jesus stated clearly that the kingdom belongs to the Father (Matt. 26:29), the Father sent Him to earth (John 5:26), the Father commanded Him (John 10:18, 15:10) and He came in the Father’s name (John 5:43) to do the Father’s work for the Father’s glory (John 8:50, 17:4). Jesus stated several times that He spoke the Father’s words and did only what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19, 7:17, 8:28, 14:10).

Many Jews hated Jesus because He called God His own Father, making Himself equal with God (John 5:18). One day He was teaching in the temple courts and the religious leaders challenged His authority (Mark 11:28). As part of His reply, He told the parable of the tenants, in which a father sent his son to conduct business for him, as Jesus was doing on earth under His Father’s authority (Mark 12:1-12). Jesus not only stated the source of His authority, He again stated indirectly that He was the Son of God.

Later a teacher asked which commandment was the greatest. Jesus quoted the first of the Ten Commandments, including the preface which we examined earlier: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:29-30). While stating the importance of total dedication to God, He re-emphasized God’s triune nature because the real issue was whether He was God’s Son. Although He never called Himself the Son of God, He always made it clear that He was God’s Son and equal with the Father (“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father,” John 14:9).

The Father and Son are one, according to the Son’s testimony. They are equal and united in purpose. Yet the Son submits to the Father and works in the Father’s behalf.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, equal with the Father and Son, united with them in purpose, yet performs a supporting role. The Father sent the Holy Spirit in the Son’s name to remind believers of Jesus’ teachings (John 14:26) and testify about Him (John 15:26). As Jesus did, the Holy Spirit speaks only what He hears, rather than speaking on His own (John 16:13). He is fully God and is the Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30). He enables us to do the work of God (see Acts 1:8) and God works in us through Him (Rom. 5:5). So the Spirit works in behalf of the Father and Son, doing nothing of His own.

Complete unity with diversity is God’s nature. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three unique individuals, different representations of God’s nature. They have equal value and importance, and each has a specialized role or function. Yet there is such unity among these three diverse individuals that we refer to them collectively as “God.”

God introduced diversity and specialization into creation by making distinctions among its various parts: light and darkness, water and air, water and dry ground, distinct lights in the sky, distinct plants and animals. Then He created humanity with its own diversity and specialization: created in God’s image, superior to all other creatures, having a spirit (unique in physical creation), and having authority to rule over creation.

After creating Adam, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:18). God brought all the animals to Adam, but no suitable helper was found (Gen. 2:20), which didn’t surprise God. The parade was for Adam’s benefit, so he would know none of the animal kingdom was suitable for him. God had made Adam unique. He was the only physical creature with God’s image and a spirit, and no other living creature had his cognitive abilities.

So God removed part of Adam to form a suitable helper. It is possible and even likely that Adam originally was complete in every respect until God took part of him to form Eve. Did God segregate Adam’s original character traits to form two distinct character types, male and female? If God could take part of Adam’s physical body to form another, why couldn’t He take part of his character to form another? The Hebrew wording suggests that is what God did. This also suggests that no other human being (except Jesus) is complete in himself.

The phrase, “suitable helper,” is very important and relevant; Eve was to be a suitable helper for Adam. The Hebrew and English words for “helper” identify someone who provides aid or help, who assists another in his responsibilities. The Hebrew word translated “suitable” is very interesting. It means that if Eve were suitable for Adam, she was like him, yet opposite. She corresponded to him, yet had different qualities. She had the same basic nature, yet contrasted with his. As a suitable helper, Eve was Adam’s complement and was essential to his perfection, just as she was incomplete and imperfect without him. Together, man and woman were complete; separated, they were not.

Immediately after presenting Eve to Adam, God showed it is not His intent for them to remain separate. He said, “a man will . . . be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). The Hebrew word for “one” in this verse is the same as used in Deuteronomy 6:4, “the Lord is one,” a collective unity. Man and woman–two individuals with their own traits, strengths, and abilities–became united, contrasting and complementing each other and becoming complete as a combined unit. They would have differing roles, abilities, and responsibilities, yet equal worth.

God’s intent is for husband and wife to live in unity while honoring their diversity. That is a vital aspect of the two becoming one flesh (Gen. 2:24).

The New Testament provides confirmation for this, quoting the Genesis statement in several places (Mark 10:8; 1 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 5:31). The Greek word translated “one” in these verses is used for the oneness of Jesus with the Father and of believers with each other (John 17:11, 21, 22). This oneness among believers demands interdependence and cooperation, as portrayed in the analogy of the body of Christ, with each believer having a unique role. Jesus’ prayer was for all believers to enter complete unity as evidence of God’s love (John 17:23).

Our differences are not what separate us or cause conflicts among us; these are the results of self-centeredness. Our differences do not make one of us superior to the other; we are equal before God and merely have different abilities and responsibilities. No single personality type is superior or more godly than the others.

Godliness is unique to each of us because we each will exhibit it in a way that is unique to our character. Yes, we all must develop humility, agape-love, and so on, but our motivations, abilities, and interests will influence how we use and express those traits. Only God can be all things to all people; as mere humans, we need to stick to who we are.

Your salvation experience will have its unique qualities. How you worship God may be slightly different from the way others do, but how you serve Him will be vastly different. Your nature affects how you perceive God and the relationship you have with Him. While some of this may look like “making God in your own image,” it relates more to the way your character affects everything you do.

Ten people can look at the same picture, listen to the same song, see the same movie, or read the same scripture, and each person will get something different out of it. Because of our different blends of aptitudes, tendencies, and interests, we each have a different outlook on life and come to different conclusions. When you add such factors as childhood experiences, gender, social environment, and parental influence, then it is amazing that we can agree on anything.

All Christians have some things in common: (1) we once were enslaved by our sinful natures; (2) Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and replace our sinful natures with godly ones; (3) we are now free to serve God and have a personal relationship with Him; and (4) with His help it is now our responsibility to repent, transform our minds, and overcome the sinful ways we learned as sinners. We all have these in common, but virtually everything else is unique to who we are.

Who you are determines your perspective of others, including God, and affects your relationships. It governs the responses you have to what others say and do. None of this changes God, but simply demonstrates the uniqueness of your relationship with Him. This acknowledges that God meets each of us where we are, that He loves each of us individually, and that each of us must have a personal relationship with Him.

Unity with diversity is God’s nature and His intent for His creation. As a husband and wife bring their strengths and abilities into their union and use them to serve each other, they complement each other and achieve completeness. Likewise, as each believer offers himself in service to God’s kingdom, he also achieves a unity and completeness among other believers.

Specialization

[Read time: 4 minutes] God has given you a character that uniquely qualifies you for certain types of service. He usually works through you in ways that are compatible with the character He gave you. That means you will be good at what He asks you to do, that you will enjoy doing it and that it will be fulfilling. He has designed you to be a specialist, like a specialized tool particularly suitable for specific tasks.

The first half of Ephesians chapter 4 discusses unity in the body of Christ and five types of people God placed in the body to promote unity. It very clearly states, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). It was God who gave these individuals to the community of believers. The phrase, “gave some,” suggests that these people are among various gifts God gave us.

Each of the five types of people listed has a unique aptitude and role. Yet they all contribute to the same end: “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12-13). The five ministry types work together for the same purpose: (1) preparing believers for works of service, (2) building up the collective group, and (3) developing individuals in faith, knowledge, maturity, and Christlikeness. Each has the same goal, but a different role.

Then the text makes a subtle but significant change of direction. “From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph. 4:16). The “whole body” is the collection of believers. To say that it is “held together by every supporting ligament” means that some believers serve as supporting ligaments. Notice that the body “grows and builds itself up,” meaning the believers do this among themselves; that is, believers are to build up other believers. The closing phrase, “as each part does its work,” is particularly significant. Each believer is to do his part motivated by love, fulfilling his own role in his own way, and giving himself for the benefit of others.

This is an excellent example of unity with diversity. Five types of specialists unite in a common purpose, each contributing in his own way. Then others respond by building each other up in their unique ways.

First Corinthians chapter 12 also describes unity with diversity, using the analogy of the body of Christ. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12). Each of us has a place in the body of Christ. “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many” (1 Cor. 12:14). Each has different features and abilities, very different from other parts of the body. “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” (1 Cor. 12:18). You do not have an arbitrary selection of spiritual gifts. God gave you specific aptitudes, the ones He wanted you to have (see 1 Cor. 12:11; Heb. 2:4). In particular, He gave you the abilities and motivations you would need to do His will and fulfill His plan for your life.

God has made you uniquely qualified for specific kinds of service. He has given you a role in life that is compatible with the aptitudes, tendencies, and interests He gave you. You are a specialist, like a specialized tool or instrument. God placed you in the body of believers just as He wanted you to be, and you are most effective when you use your specific abilities to serve others. It is extremely significant that right after using the “body” analogy to show the unique role each believer has, Scripture defines love as the proper motivation for each person regardless of his function.

God intends for you to use your abilities to serve others, not yourself. Self-centeredness makes you want to do everything to take care of yourself, so it is essential that you repent–transform your mind so you think the way God wants you to. Jesus redeemed your character, buying it back from sin and setting it free from sin’s effects. Now you must cooperate with God to restore your character to His original plan and learn to use it as He intends.

Part of redeeming your character is identifying the aptitudes, tendencies, and interests God gave you and learning to use them effectively. Recognizing your potential is critically important because it allows you to find yourself, discover your abilities, and become the real you. It is equally important, however, to recognize your limitations.

Implied Limitations

[Read time: 4 minutes] Emulating someone you admire is natural, copying what they do so you can be as successful as they are. Children emulate their parents and learn acceptable behavior; at least we hope that is what they copy. Parents are the most important role models in a child’s life. Copying someone else helps you set direction for yourself by duplicating their success.

However, you have definite limitations that are unique to your personality. In spite of your expectations and hopes, you cannot do some things by yourself. Even training and practice cannot give you abilities if you do not have the “seeds” of those abilities. If you are a strong introvert, for example, you will never be as effective interacting with people as an extrovert would be. You may become less of an introvert, but expecting to become an extrovert is unreasonable because doing so would violate your basic spiritual nature.

You are a unique creation of God, which means you have fantastic potential when you operate in your strengths and abilities. This also means you do not have what it takes to succeed at everything. How should you respond to this? By accepting the fact that you cannot do everything. Accept your limitations, rather than let them frustrate you. Rely on others to do what you cannot.

Some limitations are results of your own attitudes, based on experiences, what others said to you, or your own perception of yourself. Those limitations you can overcome as you redeem your mind, transforming the way you think. If your limitation is a result of your character, however–your spiritual gifts or innate abilities–you must accept it. You can learn to compensate for your inabilities, such as by learning needed skills, but you are unlikely to excel in that area.

Consider an analogy. If you had a friend with a brain tumor, no amount of positive thinking or hopeful expectations will enable you to remove that brain tumor successfully without killing your friend. You simply do not have what it takes. Even those people with natural surgical skills and extensive training and experience in surgery may not successfully remove a brain tumor. So what should you do? Realize that you are not a brain surgeon and be content.

This example might seem silly to you. Of course you’re not a brain surgeon! You wouldn’t even think of performing surgery on your friend. Yet how often do you belittle yourself because you cannot do something you admire in someone else? Are you frustrated or confused about your inabilities? You do not need to be, and in fact should not be because you cannot do effectively what God did not design you to do.

If you do not have evangelistic motivation, do not be intimidated by someone who seems to win everyone they meet to the Lord. Always be ready to talk to people about the Lord, and expect to help some to give their lives to Him. But don’t feel bad for failing to lead hundreds to the Lord or convert everything that breathes.

Always rely on God to work through you, to do what doesn’t come naturally to you. Recognize that God created you as a specialist and He normally uses the natural abilities He gave you.

Even when using your God-given abilities, you have limitations. For one, you are still a human being, not God, so you need God’s help to be ultimately successful. In addition, you still have sinful motivations that cause you to resist doing God’s will. So you have limitations even doing what God created you to do.

Facing your limitations can be difficult. Young people, especially, are full of idealism and confidence, believing they can become the best in their field, that they can succeed where others fail. Most people begin realizing at mid-life they will probably never achieve the greatness they once dreamed of. Then many become either desperate or discouraged, depending on their personality. Part of the problem is failure to recognize and accept personal limitations. Identifying your God-given natural abilities and accepting the implied limitations will help you avoid the emotional roller coaster ride many people experience. In addition, it will enable you to use your abilities to become productive, useful, and satisfied, while others struggle trying to become someone they are not.

Recognize your limitations. A hammer does not make a good can opener, a screwdriver does not brush hair well, and a spoon will not unlock a door. Accepting yourself as you are includes acknowledging what you are not. Expecting yourself to do everything is an expression of pride. Humility allows you to use your abilities to serve others without focusing attention on yourself and to honor your limitations without guilt or condemnation.

Gifts for Everyone

[Read time: 7 minutes] The New Testament acknowledges spiritual traits as gifts from God and addresses how we are to use them as Christians. This does not preclude the possibility of nonbelievers having spiritual gifts.

God perfectly equipped every plant, animal, and human to fulfill its role successfully. He included everything in His creation that it would need to function as He intended, including natural laws that explain how God designed His creation to operate. The laws of nature apply to every human being, whatever his spiritual condition may be, and even many nonbelievers have learned to use God’s principles and laws very effectively. Many so-called secrets of success are principles people discovered by trial and error, but God created those principles and published them in the Bible.

He created an environment for humans in which seeds sprout and produce plants regardless of the gardener’s spiritual condition. He created humanity and set standards for its culture–morality, ethics, and justice. He created the system by which people join in marriage, produce children in their own image, and raise them to maturity. And as part of His long-term program for humanity, He guaranteed there would be a wide assortment of skills, abilities, interests, and motivations, so every task would have someone to do it. Even a pagan society needs leaders, administrators, helpers, mercy-givers, and so on. This is all part of God’s plan, not a fortunate random event, and not a result of sin.

God’s grace and mercy extend to everyone. He “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45). “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor” (Ps. 112:9; 2 Cor. 9:9). He “supplies seed to the sower and bread for food” (2 Cor. 9:10). “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17). God does these things for everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike.

How much clearer can it possibly be? God has given everyone everything they will ever need to be successful in life. While you were still a sinner, you benefited from God’s creation and used the character and skills He gave you to make your own way in life. After you became a child of God, you began learning how to use those same aptitudes for His glory instead of your own.

Some people distinguish between natural abilities and spiritual gifts, explaining that anyone can have natural abilities but only Christians receive spiritual gifts. I, on the other hand, believe that all good and perfect gifts come from God and that everyone benefits from them. A significant change occurs in how a person uses his aptitudes when he submits to God’s will, of course. That is the essence of redeeming your character.

The issue is not receiving a new spiritual gift when you accept Jesus as Savior, but redeeming the spiritual gift He gave you when you were conceived. Your physical features did not change when you became a Christian–the shape of your nose, the natural color of your hair, the shape of your hands. You did not lose the skills and abilities you had as a sinner. So there is no justification for expecting your basic personality traits to change when you say the sinner’s prayer.

Being born again is about accepting God’s provision and conforming to His expectation. It’s about life after birth, not life after death. God didn’t destroy you when you became a Christian and replace you with someone better. The real issue is redemption, redeeming God’s image already in you that had been corrupted by sin. A fundamental change occurs as you stop living for yourself and begin living for God and others. To that extent, you experience a change of character, but your other basic aptitudes, interests, and tendencies remain the same. So why should we think God only gives spiritual abilities to Christians? He doesn’t. We just normally call them aptitudes.

If every human has a spirit, complete with spiritual gifts, then the issue is one of stewardship. Using a God-given resource for personal gratification is an abuse of God’s grace. God gave the earth to man to rule and use, so the earth’s resources are available to all humans, but He will destroy those who destroy the earth (Rev. 11:18). God gave every human what he needs to be functional and productive in life, including a physical body and a mind, yet those who live to gratify their natural desires will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21). So why should it seem strange that God would give spiritual gifts (aptitudes) to everyone?

Many believe that God only gives spiritual gifts to believers and only for use within the church and His kingdom. We can reach this conclusion by considering such scripture passages as First Corinthians 12, which describes spiritual gifts and their use within the body of Christ. Other scriptural teachings about what we are calling motivational gifts, spiritual gifts, or aptitudes apply specifically to believers. We could easily conclude, therefore, that God gives these gifts only to Christians for “church” work. Not only is it possible to reach another conclusion, however, there is good reason to do so.

The Bible’s emphasis on the Christian’s use of spiritual gifts is appropriate because it is a covenant book. It explains our covenant relationship with God and shows how we cooperate with Him to advance His kingdom. This does not mean that only believers are recipients of God’s grace in the form of spiritual gifts, however. Let us consider some scriptures that demonstrate the universality of God’s gifts of grace.

“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:22-24). Notice it says, “all . . . are justified freely by his grace.” The Bible teaches very clearly that Jesus died for the sins of the entire world, that salvation is available to everyone, and that God does not want a single person to go to hell. Through Jesus, justification now “brings life for all men” (Rom. 5:18). Also, “the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). God has given the grace-gift of salvation to every human being and it is each person’s responsibility to take advantage of the gift. Not everyone does, but the choice is theirs.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus portrays Himself as asking each believer, “How have you used what I entrusted to you?” In the parable of the sheep and the goats, He essentially asks, “What did you do with the opportunities I gave you?” It is clear from Jesus’ teaching that those who honored the Master’s intent will receive reward and eternal life. Those who overlooked His intent or considered their own interests more important will receive eternal punishment and separation from God. Each person is accountable for his response to God’s grace, including his use of God’s grace-gifts.

The diversity of “natural abilities” is part of God’s plan for everyone, not just believers. Consider a person who is a skilled musician, a natural teacher, or a born leader. Did sin produce their special abilities? No more than sin caused the differences between grass and trees. God created diversity, and only He has creative ability. Satan only copies or perverts. He creates nothing.

Humanist theory would have us believe that diversity is the result of random evolution. But if that were true, we would see people born with three or more arms; or with flippers, or dorsal fins, or opposable thumbs on their feet. No, the same humanist thinking views a baby or fetus without the correct assortment of features as deformed and incapable of a quality life. Never will you hear of a deformed baby declared an exciting evolutionary improvement. So humanists are inconsistent with their own theories.

God created diversity within limits. It was He who enabled people to have different color eyes, for example, by creating an ingenious chromosome system; yet each person has only two eyes, both of the same color except in extremely rare cases. How can we be so certain that God did not create parallel mental/emotional and spiritual systems that determine a baby’s disposition and skills? We cannot dissect a human psyche or spirit because they do not exist in our physical dimensions, so we cannot prove that such systems do not exist.

God gave gifts to men without regard for their spiritual condition. He causes the laws and principles of creation to apply equally to the just and the unjust. This is part of His plan for His creation, to provide whatever it needs to operate successfully.

Whose Spirit, Whose Power?

[Read time: 7 minutes] Most Christians overlook the existence of their own spirits. Many spiritual leaders have stated that the human spirit is actually the Holy Spirit within man, the divine part of man. However, there is strong evidence in Scripture that every human has his own spirit, including non-Christians.

The Greek text of the New Testament only capitalizes the first word of a paragraph and any proper names. This means that whenever the translators capitalize the word “spirit” in English, it is because they assume the text refers to God’s Holy Spirit. However, that is not always the case. Several New Testament verses clearly distinguish between human spirit and Holy Spirit. Many other verses could as easily apply to the human spirit as to the Holy Spirit. When a person does not submit to the Holy Spirit, he is operating in the power of his own spirit. When that person submits to the Holy Spirit, however, he draws from the Holy Spirit’s power to strengthen his own spirit. Also, the Holy Spirit is then at liberty to release His power in and through the person.

One can exercise a spiritual gift, for example, yet be out of touch with God. Paul writes that he could speak with tongues of men and angels but not be operating in love (1 Cor. 13:1). The result is what you would expect: ineffectiveness. Paul also lists prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, faith, miracles, generosity, and even martyrdom, stating they are useless without love, though he lists most of them in the previous chapter as spiritual gifts. This shows it is possible to operate spiritual gifts in the absence of God’s power, which usually means in the power of the human spirit.

Many cults and self-help courses encourage us to summon the power within ourselves. Some even claim we have all the power we need within us if we will only learn to tap into it. These movements often are effective because we do, in fact, have great, undeveloped potential within us. Never underestimate the power of the human spirit.

Our emphasis as Christians is not on how to become better human beings. Instead, we crucify (destroy, put to death) our sinful mindset and ways of doing things, and repent (change the way we think). We are learning to use the gifts God gave us the way He intended, motivated by love instead of self-centeredness, serving others rather than ourselves. With His help, we develop our gifts through training and use. We strive to be good stewards of all He has entrusted to us.

God has given each of us a character or personality uniquely suited to the kingdom work He wants to perform through us with our cooperation. This has several implications.

You are skilled–that is, you have natural abilities–to do what God wants you to do. God has given you character traits and skills as part of your human nature; they are yours to use. This enables you to be functional as a human being, but His ultimate intent is for you to use them in His power to perform His work.
You are naturally motivated to use your abilities and you derive fulfillment from using them and seeing the results of your efforts. While self-centered attitudes make you resist doing God’s will, using your character the way He intends is very fulfilling.
You can use your natural abilities in the power of your own spirit with limited results, which is what most believers and virtually all nonbelievers do. Simple observation reveals that a person can become highly effective at the human level because there are many skilled nonbelievers in the world.
The ultimate and most fulfilling use of your abilities involves relying on God’s power working through you. Consider an analogy: a screwdriver is an ideal tool for driving screws, but is effective only when someone provides direction and power. Unlike an inanimate screwdriver, you are made in God’s image and therefore have innate power and direction. You can use your abilities at will, but with results limited to your human power and authority. Just imagine what can happen when you submit your character to God’s development and use it as He directs and as He provides the power and authority!

This in no way belittles God’s power and authority. Nor does it glorify your human nature. It simply describes the cooperative relationship God wants to have with His people. He is totally self-sufficient and needs no one to help Him rule His kingdom. Yet He created us to have relationship with Him, to work beside Him, and to enjoy the benefits and fulfillment of His kingdom. What we have here on earth is only a taste of that.

So whose power is behind your character and abilities? Originally, it is your power. As you develop and mature spiritually, you learn to rely on God’s power and your effectiveness makes a quantum leap. It can be like setting aside your battery-powered toy car to drive a turbo-charged sports car. What a difference!

Even when God works supernaturally through you, He does not seize control of you and manipulate you against your will. He gave you free will and He honors it. You can choose anytime not to cooperate with Him.

A word of caution might be appropriate here. People seem to think everything God does will be dramatic or spectacular, and everything originating with human ability and effort will be mundane by comparison. However, that may not be a valid assumption. Some gifts, such as deliverance and miracles, are awe-inspiring even when empowered by human spiritual energy. Other gifts, such as mercy or generosity or hospitality, will usually be low-key in appearance, even when clearly empowered by the Holy Spirit. Appearance and feeling usually will not help you identify the source of a spiritual work, which is precisely why discernment of spirits is important.

Certain dramatic spiritual gifts, such as miracles and healing, immediately raise a red flag for some people. They insist such gifts are supernatural in origin and have nothing whatsoever to do with human abilities. That’s true. And it’s not true.

Each believer is an ambassador of God’s kingdom, using His power and authority to conduct His business. Each is a kingdom specialist, uniquely qualified and motivated to perform certain functions in service of God’s kingdom. Also, the Holy Spirit within each believer strengthens and empowers them. Not only are we co-laborers with Christ, we work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and He does His work through us.

So when God asks a Holy Spirit-filled believer with a servant’s aptitude to perform their service for a person in need, whose power does the servant use? His own power. And God’s power if he is wise.

Let me offer my personal experience as an example. One of my primary motivations is teaching. As a Christian and Spirit-filled believer, I taught Sunday school classes for years and was very effective. I knew that was what I should be doing, I knew that God had equipped and trained me, and I knew that God worked through me as I taught. Others recognized this in me, too. At one point in my development, however, when I learned to rely on God working through me, my effectiveness as a teacher took a quantum leap. I still use my researching, learning, and presentation skills–my skills–and I continue to develop them, but I am learning to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit as well. If I don’t do my part in preparing, I will be a dud in class. I know this from experience, too.

Consider an analogy. Assume that you design a special light bulb to give off a specific color of light and assume you design it to use a 12-volt battery such as those found in automobiles. Some of your customers, however, preferred to save money and chose to use 9-volt batteries to power your light bulb. Their bulbs might work, but they wouldn’t give off the amount or color of light you intended. Those customers might even be happy with their results because they don’t know how the bulbs should work. When you convince some of those customers to use 12-volt batteries, they see the spectacular change in the bulb’s light, but other customers are content to keep using 9-volt batteries. As the designer, you had a particular power source in mind when you designed the bulbs and your customers who chose their own power sources got grossly inferior results.

I suggest this is the situation with human aptitudes. God designed them to operate a certain way (serving others) and use a certain power source (redeemed human spirit cooperating with the Holy Spirit), yet we continue to operate our own way. One result of redemption is that we empower our aptitudes and use them as God intended.

Levels of Effectiveness

[Read time: 4 minutes] Not everyone who uses a particular gift operates at the same level of effectiveness. Initially we might think this is due to lack of experience or training, but there are other, more significant reasons. Let’s consider them briefly.

God is not the author of chaos. He developed a system in which each produces after its own kind and specializes in certain functions, and He honors the system He created because it reflects His character. So He usually works through you in ways that are compatible with the character He gave you, though sometimes He might work sovereignly through you without consideration of your character. He can make the rocks praise Him (Luke 19:40) and He can use animals to speak to humans (Num. 22:30), so occasionally He might ask you to do something foreign to your character. First Corinthians states, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men” (1 Cor. 12:4-6). This affirms that God can use any believer for any gift as needed.

Sometimes He does something through you for which you are totally unqualified, because it needs to be done and you’re the best person available. All you need to supply is your faith and willingness to cooperate, and He does the rest. Your lack of the needed spiritual gift is irrelevant in such cases. Even if a more qualified person is available, He may choose to display His sovereignty and power by doing something through you that everyone knows you can’t do. He receives all the glory for what He did and your faith in His ability to work through you increases.

At the most basic level, you can perform certain spiritual functions without the corresponding spiritual gift. For example, the apostle Paul wrote, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself . . . . I would like every one of you to speak in tongues” (1 Cor. 14:4-5). This is not limited to those who have the gift of speaking in tongues, but is a spiritual discipline you can practice to build yourself up. All you need is faith.

Likewise, Scripture instructs all believers to encourage one another (1 Thess. 5:11), serve one another (Gal. 5:13), teach one another (Col. 3:16), and offer hospitality (1 Pet. 4:9), even without the corresponding gift. Those who believe will drive out demons and heal the sick (Mark 16:17-18), which clearly means faith is the primary requisite, not necessarily the gifts of deliverance or healing. Believers can learn to discern both good and evil (Heb. 5:14), without the gift of discernment. If you do not have the corresponding spiritual gift, you will be less effective than someone who has it, but you can still do it. I clearly don’t have the gifts of healing, knowledge, evangelism, mercy, tongues or interpretation, but God has expressed those gifts through me and the experiences strengthened my faith. The keys are faith and a willingness for God to use you.

A primary topic of this study is the spiritual gifts you received from God. These cause you to be very effective at specific tasks and other people will acknowledge your proficiency. God has anointed you, authorized you to use those gifts to serve Him by serving others, and given you a specific destiny, a purpose in life related to your gifts. Developing your gifts through training and use will greatly improve your effectiveness. A musician with natural, inherent ability (the spiritual gift) will benefit greatly from training and practice. The same is true for every other gift.

The Lord has assigned you a task or place in life and has called you to it (see 1 Cor. 3:5; 7:17, 24), and He will reward your faithfulness to His calling, whatever that might be. Is it any less significant for God to call someone to be a helper than an apostle? No. We must change our perception about some roles being more important than others. No role in God’s kingdom is unimportant and we are all servants, whatever our roles may be.

Rarely, God assigns believers to spiritual offices corresponding to their spiritual gifts. For example, the book of Ephesians states, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). These people exhibit the highest level of skill and effectiveness in their area of giftedness and are widely renown for it. Other believers may have the same gifts and use them very effectively, yet not be nearly as effective as someone who holds the corresponding office.

As we have seen, not everyone who performs a specific spiritual function has the corresponding spiritual gift, yet they may produce limited good results. A believer who recognizes his gift but doesn’t develop it will be only moderately effective. Those who develop their spiritual gifts and allow God to work through them can become very effective. Yet God places a few in spiritual office and works through them in ways that are astounding to the rest of us. Though the gifts are the same, people will exhibit them differently and produce very different results.

How Long Will You Have Your Gifts?

[Read time: 6 minutes] Scripture tells us God’s charisma-gifts and his call are irrevocable (Rom. 11:29), which suggests He entrusts your character to you unconditionally and forever. He also holds you accountable for how you use your character. Stewardship and accountability clearly are strong principles in the New Testament. Your character is a gift from God, so it is yours to develop and use for as long as you live.

Will you have the same character type in eternity? Romans 6:23 says “the charisma-gift of God is eternal life,” which reveals the eternal nature of charisma-gifts. This strongly suggests that your aptitudes, which also are charisma-gifts, are eternal in nature. The aptitudes He gave us to use in life will be needed in His eternal kingdom, too.

You will only have one spirit–God will never replace it–and He redeemed it at the moment of your salvation. We might conclude that how much you develop your spirit, develop your God-given character, and transform your mind in this life will determine your responsibility and effectiveness in eternity. Jesus’ parables about stewardship and rewards support this idea. The point is this: you already have the character, spirit, and mind you will have in eternity.

You are currently in the preliminary phase of God’s kingdom on earth. After the Lord’s return, you will continue serving Him in His kingdom with the same character you have now. You are now in training, learning to use what He has given you to conduct kingdom business, so when He sets up His kingdom in its completed form, you will rule and govern in it with Him.

Another factor to consider is what we might call the Law of Use: use it or lose it. If you fail to use your abilities, they will deteriorate with time. We call this atrophy, and it affects your character. Notice the apostle Paul’s instructions to Timothy: “Do not neglect your charisma-gift” (1 Tim. 4:14); and, “I remind you to fan into flame the charisma-gift of God, which is in you” (2 Tim. 1:6). You can neglect your gift by failing to develop and use it, which would be a tragedy. Doing so means you would miss God’s will for your life and become a failure as a steward. The world needs the abilities God gave you, so if you choose not to use them, we all lose.

I saw a dramatic example of this in a church I attended years ago, although I didn’t understand it at the time. The senior pastor had been at the church so long he was almost an institution himself. He told the congregation God had supernaturally given him the ability to play the piano. He had no training; he simply sat down at the piano one day and played. We heard him play a few times, and he played like the old man he was. His playing style probably was popular when he was young. In fact, he did not play very well at all and I wondered why God didn’t enable him to play like a concert pianist; that would obviously be God! As it was, the pastor just sounded like an old man who hardly ever practiced playing the piano. The point is this: God gave him the ability to play, but the pastor never developed it. While we could celebrate the gift God gave him, we also could grieve over his failure to develop it and literally cringe every time he used it.

“Fan into flame the gift that is in you” (2 Tim. 1:6). God has given you skills and abilities, but you need to develop them and exercise them. God has chosen to work in cooperation with His people. He does not seize possession of you and force you to perform against your will. He has a loving relationship with you and He honors both your will and your efforts. Even those with healing ministries had to develop the gifts of healing God gave them. Some of them prayed for sick people for months or years before they saw their first healing. Fan your gift into flame.

Probably the most common reason people do not develop and use their character is their failure to recognize it as a gift from God. “Oh, that’s just me” is a typical attitude. Yes, it is you because that is how God made you. Your character is a gift God wants you to give the world. It defines God’s will for your life and helps you identify your role in His kingdom.

Even as a matter of personal effectiveness, you would be wise to identify your strengths and abilities, develop them, and learn to use them. Stop focusing on your limitations and problems. You can learn basic skills that don’t come naturally to you, but developing your natural skills is a lot more effective and a lot less frustrating.

“God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” The character aptitudes God gave you and His plan for your life are part of His kingdom plan and will not change. He created your character as He intended it to be and He called you for a particular role in His kingdom. He will not change either your character or His plan for your life. He created you as a perfectly integrated being, with each part of your nature supporting the others. He made you perfectly suited for your role in His kingdom. That does not mean, however, He will always have you doing the same thing because He typically sends His people through a variety of experiences and responsibilities to develop and enhance their abilities.

You almost certainly will experience a change in how you use or exhibit your gifts, including which gift seems dominant. The stage of life you find yourself in, including your work and family situations, may require more involvement from one of your less dominant gifts, for example. In time, the needs change and you don’t need to rely as heavily on that part of your character.

Also, one of your gifts may not be obvious until you reach a stage in life that allows you to use and develop it. That happened to me. It is almost ironic that I have the gift of teaching because when I was growing up, I didn’t like school. In fact, I wanted out of school so badly that I went straight through college in 36 consecutive months! It wasn’t until I finished college and someone asked if I could teach a youth Sunday school class temporarily that I discovered I could teach and even had any interest in doing so. Don’t be surprised if someday you discover an ability you didn’t know you had.

Developing Your Aptitudes

[Read time: 6 minutes] Following are some practical suggestions for developing your God-given aptitudes. Since God will hold you accountable for how you use the abilities He gave you, you would be wise to give these steps some careful and prayerful thought. Don’t be like the foolish servant in the parable of the talents, who carefully stored what was entrusted to him so he would not lose it. The faithful servants put theirs to use, developed them, and received great rewards for their efforts.

1. Identify your aptitudes

A simple way to identify your character type is to consider what you enjoy doing and what comes naturally to you. Usually, these are related because your natural skills make you most effective and everyone enjoys being effective. God does, and the fact that He made you like Himself shows He intends for you to experience fulfillment and satisfaction when you do what He created you to do. Feeling good is not always sinful!

Another important step is to think about how effective you have been in a variety of circumstances. If you were effective in a given situation, you probably were using your natural abilities. If you were not effective, you might have been trying to do something unnatural for you. Trying a variety of tasks often is helpful because this can quickly reveal your strengths and weaknesses. When you use your abilities, you get good results.

A spiritual gift survey can help you relate your feelings and effectiveness to specific gifts, even if the results seem confusing at first. I’ve seen people question the results of a survey, then realize it was accurate after they read the description of the gift in question. In general, taking a survey can be very helpful. This workbook includes a survey to help you identify possible aptitudes, tendencies, and compelling interests.

Ask someone who knows you what they think your gift or character type is. We are usually very poor judges of ourselves, so an objective opinion can help you. Even if the person is not familiar with the concept of character types or spiritual gifts, they can identify your strengths and abilities, which is a crucial step.

Pray about it. God gave you your character and He wants you to use it effectively, so He will respond if you ask for help identifying it.

You might also consider your desires. In First Corinthians 12, Paul described spiritual gifts and their function within the body of Christ, stating we should “eagerly desire the greater gifts” (1 Cor. 12:31). Instead of speculating about which gifts might be greater than others, consider the relationship between your desires and aptitudes, including those you may not have yet realized. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). If you delight yourself in the Lord, what desires are you likely to have? You will want to serve Him more faithfully and effectively. The New Testament says, “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13).

Based on these scriptures, we can reasonably conclude that God can plant a desire in you to do what conforms to His plan. If it is His intent for you to have a teaching aptitude and be an effective teacher in His kingdom, for example, He can give you the desire to teach. Maybe you have never taught before, but because you have a desire to teach you should begin to pray about teaching. When God gives you an opportunity to teach, you likely will enjoy doing it. Also, as you become skilled, others are more likely to enjoy having you teach. This shows the trickle-down effect of joy in God’s kingdom. What a great system!

2. Experiment

If you suspect you have a particular aptitude or a spiritual gift survey suggests you do, try using it. Experimenting can be a vital part of your development. Keep in mind, however, that having an aptitude does not guarantee you will always be successful using it. Human nature is very complex, so many factors will affect your performance.

By its very nature, experimentation frequently ends in failure. You will fail, so count on it. Failure is not only acceptable, it’s valuable because you learn from your failed attempts. For example, failure can reveal a need for changes, additional training, or experience in a different environment.

Begin experimenting at levels where failure will not be disastrous. The business world, for example, has “entry level” positions with lesser responsibilities that allow a new worker to discover and prove himself. Scripture contains clear instruction about proving yourself in small matters before taking on greater ones; common sense dictates the same.
So try your wings close to the ground first. Great leaps of faith on untested wings can be painful.

3. Submit to training

Natural talent is wonderful, but it will only take you so far. Your aptitude is raw material that you must develop and refine. Once you have identified your potential aptitudes, take relevant classes, read relevant books, and become a disciple of someone you admire who has the same ability.

Only pride suggests that your natural ability is sufficient, that you don’t need anyone’s help. Training not only improves your skills, it helps you develop healthy priorities and perspective. Relying on natural ability is easy and fun, but achieving better results requires discipline and training.

4. Strive for excellence

Excellence is a characteristic of God’s nature and, since He made you in His image, it should be yours, too. Excellence is the goal of training and it requires persistence and determination.

The vast majority of people ultimately fail in life because they settle for mediocrity. God considers mediocrity repulsive (see Rev. 3:16) and so should you. Strive for excellence. Set higher goals for yourself and work toward them with patience and persistence. You cannot achieve real success and true quality with only sudden bursts of effort, by superhuman breakthroughs, or single giant leaps of faith. The system God developed works very differently. Plant the seed, cultivate the soil, feed and water the plant, and eventually reap the harvest.

Striving for excellence always requires stretching and getting out of your comfort zone. Most people are content to use their natural abilities within their comfort zone and, therefore, most people fail to accomplish anything really worthwhile in life. You remain in your comfort zone by choice, and you step out of it by choice.

Excellence, by definition, is performance exceeding what everyone else does. So we can conclude that doing what everyone else does–relying only on natural abilities and staying within your comfort zone–results in the same mediocre results everyone else gets. Strive for excellence, instead.

5. Rely on God

You have the aptitudes you do because God gave them to you so you can fulfill His plan for your life. Your life is about serving God, which includes trusting Him to show you what to do and how to do it. It also includes relying on Him to work out the details, especially those that are beyond your control, and to produce the desired result.

You are God’s coworker, a specialized instrument He created to perform a specific type of service. And as you do your part, you can rely on Him to make it all work.

Format for the Aptitude Articles

[Read time: 2 minutes]

Description

Each aptitude article describes the aptitude and its typical characteristics, how a person with that aptitude operates, how they perceive the world, and what some of their strengths and weaknesses might be. Included is a list of traits that seem typical of that aptitude. Listing all the traits of a given aptitude is not possible or even necessary. Besides, each of your aptitudes is only a part of you, so a particular article cannot describe you completely. You are a blend of several aptitudes, so you can expect to see different parts of your character described in various articles. The descriptions are intentionally general in nature.

As we will see in the next chapter, many aptitudes have certain tendencies that cause them to operate more effectively. Someone with the aptitude of helping, for example, is likely to consider people extremely important, in which case their priorities will include people. The article identifies tendencies that are important to and typical of each aptitude.

For each aptitude we consider how others may misunderstand such a person. Because of our differences, we usually do not understand other people’s motives and perspectives, which leads to false accusations and bad judgments. These things happen, so we need to know how others may see us.

The list of vocations and roles shows a few ways such a person may operate most naturally, on the job or off. This helps explain why some people are so effective at certain types of jobs, or why they consistently fill certain roles in life. Their aptitudes make them naturals at what they do.

Perversions

As stated in the previous chapter, sin has perverted God’s creation, causing every part of it to deviate from His intent. The problems you have with people are not the result of personality differences, but the ways sin has corrupted those differences. The problems you have with yourself are the result of sin twisting your gifts, which suggests that your biggest problems are the flip sides of your greatest strengths.

Each aptitude article describes typical sinful perversions.

Redemption

Because the topic of sin is relevant to your character, so is redemption. In the previous chapter, we examined several analogies and statements the New Testament uses to describe the redemption process. Your response to each of these will depend on who you are, which is why we must consider how these apply to each aptitude.

My goal is for these articles to make the scriptures intensely practical and relevant to you as a unique individual. Knowing which spiritual gifts God gave you and how they function is very important. You also must realize that sin caused you to be self-centered and use your gifts to satisfy yourself. Likewise, it is very important to understand how God’s plan of redemption applies to you. I earnestly pray this workbook will help you in all these areas.