Self Discovery

We are all infused with a unique personality that in combination with our experiences and choices make each of us malleable in God’s hands. He formed us with gifts, personalities, values, talents, and skills. These are all important parts of who we are and how we fit into God’s plans.

Spiritual Gifts are not directly defined in the Bible, but it does tell us of their nature and function. The Greek word that we translate into “gifts” means “gifts of grace” and refers to the gifts that believers receive through the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual Gifts are for service. They are either supernatural or natural abilities. Although non-believers may have the same abilities, they do not function under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

We function within His purpose only through the direction of the Holy Spirit. The distinctive work of the Holy Spirit is to guide and empower people for the life and work to which God leads them.

The Bible says that God gives people gifts for accomplishing the work he wants them to do.

Both Romans 12 and 1 Corinthian 12 refer to the use of the gifts of the Spirit within the church itself. But the people, not the building make up the church. And the Bible says that all work done by Christians is for the Lord (Colossians 3:23). The workplace, or anywhere we walk, is our mission field. Thus, it stands to reason that the gifts of the Spirit are also given for use in the workplace.

Romans 29:11 For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable

We all receive different combinations of gifts. We receive our gifts at the moment of our salvation. Our gifts are to help the church and help others. Included in those gifts are our motivational gifts.

Motivational gifts are God-given spiritual gifts which shape our personality, provides inner motivation, and direct our thought, attitudes, and actions. There are 10 motivational gifts listed in the Bible, most can be found in Romans 12: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leadership, and Mercy. Administration is sometimes combined with Leadership, but I and many others see them as two separate gifts. And there are two more in the Old Testament. Many consider the book of Psalms to be the source of the gift of Creative Communication and Craftsmanship can be found in Exodus 31:3 and 35:31.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10

Another piece to discovering God’s plan is to explore the personality with which we were born. There are hundreds of personality profile available online right now.

Personality profiling is not new. They first came on the scene with Hippocrates around 400 B.C. Personality profiling is only the half of it. They show you who you are, but there is also how you move. While these two profiles usually mirror each other, it is possible for them to be opposite of each other.

Our personalities and/or our movement can be affected by our life, our trials, our stupid.  It may have even been stifled by abuse, both physical and emotional or unintentional “training.” Have you ever heard the words “use your inside voice” when you were outside? Or how about “sit still” or “be quiet”?

If you have let these dampen who you are, you may have to dig into your past to find that true personality and movement.

Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live. They determine your priorities, and, deep down, they’re probably the measures you use to tell if your life is turning out the way you want it.

You want to use your values as a personal compass to light your way; you need to spend the time to discover them.

Your work values are the subset of your beliefs and ideas that are related to your occupation or job. There are two types of work values: intrinsic values have to do with the actual tasks involved in practicing a particular occupation or doing a job. Extrinsic values are concerned with the by-products of occupation or job. In other words, they refer to what you get out of your work, rather than what you put into it.

When people tune into their God-given skills, personality, strengths, and spiritual gifts, they make more satisfying decisions and have fewer regrets about life, school, college, and career.