What are some of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit?
"All of the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit. He gives them to each person, just as he decides" (1 Corinthians 12:11).
"There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given by the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve. But they all come from the same Lord. There are different ways to work. But the same God makes it possible for all of us to have all those different things. The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all."
(1 Corinthians 12:4–7).
Some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, mercy, and faith.The gifts of the Holy Spirit are special talents or abilities the Spirit gives us to bless others and point them to Jesus. There are three lists in the Bible of the gifts of the Spirit, also known as spiritual gifts. The three main passages describing the spiritual gifts are Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; and 1 Corinthians 12:28. Here are some of the gifts these passages list:
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Serving: Also called "ministering," this means service of any kind, especially helping those in need.
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Teaching: This gift is for studying and telling others about God's Word, the Bible. Someone with this gift is good at explaining what the Bible means and helping people apply it to their lives.
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Encouraging: People with this gift are always calling on others to follow God's truth, which may involve correcting them when they are not following Him. They also comfort people going through hard times.
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Giving: People with this gift happily share what they have with others, whether it is money, an item the person needs, or their own personal time and attention.
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Mercy: Those with the gift of mercy show compassion and sympathy toward others who are in distress. They also want to use what they have to ease the suffering of others in a kind and cheerful way.
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Faith: A person shows the spiritual gift of faith when he or she has a strong confidence in God, His Word, His promises, and the power of prayer.
God gives us all different gifts to serve Him and bring Him glory. Sometimes we can focus on ourselves too much and forget that God wants us to use our gifts to bless others. Ask God to help you discover the gifts He has given you, and then look for ways to use them!
