Unpacking Our Spiritual Gifts
THRIVE: Spiritual Gifts & Examples
Dave Buehring Made For More Sermon Notes
Spiritual gifts are grace-empowered abilities given by God for the strengthening of others and the advancement of His Kingdom (see Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12).
They are not titles. They are not positions. They are not earned. They are entrusted.
Teaching & Wisdom - Ability to understand and clearly explain biblical truth. Example: Helping others apply Scripture to real life.
Encouragement / Exhortation - Strengthening, motivating, and calling others forward. Example: Speaking hope and direction into someone’s difficult season.
Mercy / Compassion - Deep empathy for those who are hurting.Example: Walking patiently with someone through grief or recovery.
Leadership / Administration - Organizing people and resources toward a clear vision. Example: Turning ideas into structured plans that produce results.
Giving - Joyful and strategic financial support of Kingdom work.Example: Intentionally planning generosity to meet needs.
Faith - Steady confidence in God during uncertainty or crisis.Example: Remaining calm and confident when others feel fear.
Discernment - Spiritual sensitivity to truth, motives, and atmosphere.Example: Recognizing spiritual misalignment or hidden issues.
Service / Helps - Faithful, practical support behind the scenes.Example: Doing what needs to be done so ministry can function smoothly.
Prophetic Insight - Spirit-prompted clarity that strengthens and realigns.Example: Sharing timely truth that brings conviction and encouragement.
Apostolic / Visionary - Pioneering, building, and expanding new works.Example: Launching new initiatives that extend Kingdom impact.
Determining Your Spiritual Gifts
1. Start With Surrender, Not Self-Analysis
I CAN’T – “Lord, I can’t even see myself clearly without You.”
GOD CAN – “You know how You’ve wired me and what You’ve called me to.”
LET GOD – “I’m willing to be used however You choose, not just how I prefer.”
“Holy Spirit, show me how You’ve gifted me, and where You want me to serve. I lay down my need to be impressive or important. I just want to be faithful.”
2. Pay Attention to Where Love Flows Easily
Thrive emphasizes that love is the root of all the fruit of the Spirit. Often, your gifts show up where:
· you naturally feel compassion,
· you feel energized instead of drained,
· you notice needs others seem to miss.
Ask:
· Where do I most naturally want to help?
· What kind of serving feels “right” and life-giving, even when it’s hard?
Examples:
· You love listening deeply → likely gifts around encouragement, mercy, or mentoring.
· You love organizing and making things run smoothly → likely gifts of administration or helps.
· You love explaining Scripture clearly → likely teaching.
· You feel a strong pull to pray for others → likely intercession/faith.
3. Listen to the Body of Christ
Thrive strongly values community and wise counsel. Others often see our gifts before we do.
Ask trusted believers (mentors, group leaders, friends):
“Where do you see God using me?”
“When have you seen me most ‘come alive’ in serving?”
“If you had to name one or two ways God seems to work through me, what would they be?”
Look for patterns in what multiple people say.
4. Notice Where God Has Used Your Pain
This is where the Genesis 50:20 model comes in:
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Thrive teaches that God doesn’t just heal your wounds; He redeems and repurposes them. Your deepest hurts often become the place of your deepest ministry.
Ask:
· What have I walked through (addiction, grief, trauma, shame, family brokenness, etc.)?
· Who do I feel a special tenderness or understanding for because of my story?
· Where do I find myself saying, “I get what you’re going through”?
Very often your testimony + your spiritual gifts = your ministry lane.
5. Complete the Thrive Spiritual Gifts Assessment (Below)
The 96 questions will help you to discover your spiritual gifting. There is also a file below to show you what your scores mean and a complete paper on how this assessment was developed.
Seeing Your Struggle As a Gift
Genesis 50:20 reveals that what was meant for harm can be repurposed for the saving of many lives.
Your spiritual gifts show how you serve. Your redeemed struggle often reveals where you serve. We all fail. We all suffer. None of us escape hardship. When we see struggle only as a curse, we stay trapped in pain. When we begin to see that God can repurpose what hurt us, healing begins. Your struggle may have produced:
• Compassion you would not otherwise carry
• Discernment others do not have
• Endurance that cannot be taught
• Authority rooted in lived experience
The wound becomes a window. The pain becomes perspective. The survival becomes strength. Everything that has been designed has a “best use.” You were designed by God with a “best use” as well. Often we discover that our “best use” comes alive when we embrace those who share our struggles. Once we walk in our “best use,” it is even very common to hear people say, “it was worth it.” The payoff was worth the price.
When Abuse or Trauma Has Occurred
If you have been the victim of abuse or major trauma, remember: You were not designed for abuse or injustice. But you may have been designed to survive it and even rise through it. Abuse is sin. Trauma is real. God does not author evil. If you have suffered abuse, it was not your fault. God’s sovereignty does not mean He caused harm. It means He was not absent and He can redeem what others misused. If you survived trauma, that survival reveals resilience placed within you. You were not designed to be abused. You were designed to endure, heal, and find purpose beyond it.
One common effect of major trauma is becoming single-event focused. The trauma can begin to define identity. But none of us are single-issue people. You are a whole person with multiple gifts, layers, capacities, and callings. But, like all others you too have failures not related to the abuse or trauma you experienced Trauma may shape part of your story. It is not the entirety of your story or your identity. You are more than what happened to you.
Thrive Spiritual Gifts Assessment
What Your Scores Mean
Read more about the Spiritual Gifts Assessment
Pastor Dave Beuhring's notes on Spiritual Gifts