Introduction

3 main parts of living a life for God and His kingdom are covered in this document short_guide.pdf:

  • Relationship with God

  • Who You Are

  • God’s Kingdom

Each section’s goal is to provide information that will be helpful for equipping and training followers of Jesus to live a life dedicated to God.

Relationship with God

A person’s relationship with God is the most important focus in following Him (Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35). Knowing that God is always with people who are in His family and wants to be friends with people are truths that are helpful to know. Spending time with Him in His presence and getting to know who He is, what He thinks of you grows the relationship. Spending time with God can happen anytime and anywhere, but cannot be while doing things God does not want. There are 3 main ways to spend time with God: talking and listening to Him (prayer), reading the Bible, and worshiping Him honestly with obeying Him. You can only have a relationship with God by having faith. You do not become more accepted by God from doing good. You are accepted simply because you believe in Jesus! 

Who is God?

The Father, Son (Jesus Christ), & Holy Spirit are One being (God), with different states. An analogy of describing God’s being would be water. Water is at its fundamental H2O. However, the H2O can exist in 3 states, solid, liquid & gas. God is the supreme ruler of the whole universe and everything in it. He is the most loving, kind, and patient being that exists. He is also the most powerful and just being in existence. He never began and will never end. He loves people so much that He willingly died to take the punishment for our wrongdoings. When thinking about God’s attributes it is good to remember that the words are describing who He is. For example, we should not have an idea of what love is then say God should be that way. People may have an idea of what love might be and apply it to the Lord which is not true. Rather He is the definition of love. All of His attributes are not contradictory, His hate towards wickedness will not nullify His love. Keeping this in mind, the following is a list of His attributes:

  • Self-Existence:  He has no origin, “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14, John 5:26). 

  • Self-Sufficiency: He has no need from anyone or anything, rather everything else has dependency on Him (Acts 17:25, Romans 11:34-36).

  • Eternal: He will always exist (Psalm 102:12, 2 Peter 3:8).

  • Infinitude: He is limitless (Psalm 147:5, John 3:34).

  • Immutability: He is unchanging (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8).

  • All knowing: He has information about everyone and everything (Hebrews 4:13, 1 John 3:20).

  • Wisdom: He understands and has good judgement about everything (Job 12:13, Jeremiah 10:12).

  • All powerful: He has the ability to do anything (except sin) (Genesis 17:1, Revelation 1:8). 

  • Transcendence: He is beyond time, space and everything else (2 Chronicles 2:6, Isaiah 55:8-9).

  • All present: He is everywhere (Proverbs 15:3, Psalm 139:7-10).

  • Faithfulness: He does what He says (Numbers 23:19, 2 Timothy 2:13). 

  • Goodness: He is gentle, considerate and friendly (John 15:15, Acts 10:38).

  • Justice: His actions and ways are righteous (Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 9:7-8). 

  • Grace (undeserved favour): He shows us favour even when He could not (Psalm 145:9, Luke 6:36). 

  • Mercy: He does not punish us as He ought to (John 1:14, Ephesians 2:8-9).

  • Love: He has affection for His creation without condition (Psalm 136:26, John 3:16).

  • Holiness: He is set apart and blameless (Isaiah 43:15, Revelation 15:4).

  • Sovereignty: He is the supreme power and authority (2 Samuel 7:22, Lamentations 5:19, Romans 14:11).

  • Creative: He has original ideas and many unique ways He does things (Genesis 1-2, Romans 1:20, Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 9:27-30, Mark 8:22-25)

  • Wrath: He has anger towards wickedness, evil, and those who practice it, but not towards His family (Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 3:6, John 3:36, 2 Peter 2:9, Romans 5:9, Luke 15:11-32)

  • Humble: He puts others before Himself (Matthew 11:29, John 13:1-17, Philippians 2:7-8)

  • Light: there is no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5, John 8:12)

God is loving, He has nothing but love when He looks at you. His desire is to be with you, He is not angry or disappointed with you! He accepts you all the time! Believe it! 

Application

Set time aside every day for spending time with Jesus alone, make an appointment with Him! People we love we want to connect with everyday! This is true for God as well, He wants to connect with you everyday! The following are suggestions on how to spend time with Him:

  • Read the Bible (start with the book of Matthew & John), Pray to Him (talk & listen), Worship Him (sing or talk it out)

  • Be honest & open with Him, tell Him how you are feeling!

  • Ask Him to teach you about who He is and who you are!

Discerning when God is Speaking

There are three primary sources that could be speaking to us other than people: our imagination, the enemy, and God’s Holy Spirit. All these sources can speak to our inner being (everything not physical), which is shown in the image below. It is important to test and discern what we are receiving. God most of the time speaks to our spirit which means that it will often seem like you are speaking to yourself. This can be as thoughts, feelings, impressions, desires, pictures, and etc. (1 John 4:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, 1 Corinthians 2:16, Romans 8:16). The following are helpful suggestions to discerning:

  • Is it the complete truth (%100 truth, not %90 truth & %10 lie). Truth is tested against the scriptures, conscience, and if our spirit bears witness (John 8:44, Romans 2:15, 8:16, 9:1, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Job, Hebrews 11:16)

  • Do you have a deep conviction that it is what God wants or not, you know, that you know, that you know. Do you have faith/believe it is what God wants? (Hebrews 11, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:7)

  • Do other Christians think that it is from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:29, 2 Corinthians 13:1, Proverbs 11:14)

  • Does it go against who God is: His character (loving & gentle) and giving Him glory (Isaiah 42:8, 1 Corinthians 3:21, 13:4-8)

  • Do you have peace about what you are getting or do you have a lack of peace? This should not be confused with not wanting to do something (John 14:27, Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 4:7)

There is no pressure on you to get it right or your ability to act on what the Holy Spirit is saying, He will enable you and lead you! Trust Him! He will make your paths straight! (Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:9, 20:24, Romans 12:2, Philippians 2:13, Psalm 16:7). 

Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks

Listening to the Holy Spirit becomes easier when knowing that a Christian is a new creation, has the mind of Jesus, and that God wants to speak to people! It is also helpful to believe that the Lord can speak in all the ways that He does and to have a desire to hear Him! The following is a list of the ways the Holy Spirit speaks:

  • Scripture: The Lord spoke through prophets and apostles and had them record it so some of what He said would be written down. This serves as a base of truth, no other ways will contradict the Bible (Luke 4:17-21, 24:45, John 10:34-36, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

  • Through our spirit (intuition, conscience, mind, heart): A sense or impression, a deep desire or longing to do something. It also could be bringing something to our mind and/or repeated word or words (thoughts), peace or no peace about a decision (Mark 1:12, John 16:13, Acts 8:29, 10:19-20, 16:6, 1 Corinthians 2:16, Romans 8:16). 

  • Other Christians: The Lord will speak through other Christians, this should be treated with caution and testing (Matthew 10:20, Acts 4:8, 21:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21).

  • Visions: Seeing an image in our mind or an altered reality. Can also be a motion scene (Acts 10:10-16, Acts 16:9-10, Revelations 1:10). 

  • Dreams: Having an image or motion scene while sleeping (Matthew 2:12,2:22, Acts 2:17). 

  • Nature: When nature interacts with us in a way that guides us in the Lord’s will or confronts us (Numbers 22:28, 1 Kings 17:6, Jonah 1).

  • Angels: The Lord sends a heavenly being to speak on His behalf (Acts 8:26, 10:3-4).

  • Confirming Circumstances: This is often an affirmation to another way the Lord is speaking. Sometimes it will seem like an impossible reality and yet it will work out, other times a door is opened in front of you (Judges 6:37-40, Acts 10, Revelation 3:7-8). 

There is no pressure on you to hear the Holy Spirit, it is not based on your ability, He will do the communicating and He wants to! You need to trust and have faith in Him! It is often quite natural! (Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 10:20, John 10:27, Philippians 2:13). No need to try and force it and the Holy Spirit will not force you to do anything.

Application

Individually: Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you and help you know when He is leading you! Have a posture of paying attention to how He could be speaking throughout your day. If you think He might have said something, write it down and test it. A quick exercise could be as follows:

  • Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind a bird (color works as well). Note: you may get the bird in the format of: a name or image or an impression or even the sound of one. If you don't feel like you got anything just pick one!

  • Then ask Him why He brought that bird to mind

If struggling with focus or know if you are generating something with your own mind try the following:

  • Picture a blank white piece of paper in your mind

  • Ask the Holy Spirit to put on the paper what He wants to say to you

Group: The above exercise also works well in a group with one person leading. Another option is to break up into groups (works best 2-5 people) and do the following:

  • One at a time share briefly about yourself (<2 min)

  • All other people in a group ask the Holy Spirit what He wants to say to that person and share it with them!

Who You Are

When you believed in Jesus you were made new! Your inner being is composed of your spirit and soul. Your outer being is the body and will one day be replaced. Your inner being is the being you will be for all eternity, you don’t get a new soul or spirit! You do not generate sin! Your 3 parts are described below: 

  • The body (the shell/container, temporary): is a person’s physical being and interacts with the physical world around it.  

  • The soul (the part that makes you unique, eternal): is composed of a person’s mind (reasoning, memory), heart (emotions, beliefs, & desires), will (choice).

  • The spirit (this is who you are, eternal): is a person’s intuition, conscience, and communion with God.

Identity in Jesus

Knowing, understanding, and believing who we are because Jesus paid for our wrong doing will lead to being able to live a life of freedom and filled with abundance. You are all the things below because that is who you are! You can’t change who you are by doing wrong or right actions! It is helpful to recognize that sometimes you can know about something but not believe it or truly know it. Understanding and believing your identity also helps prevent the enemy’s lies from taking root in our lives. The following is a list of truths of who we are in Jesus:

  • Born again/New Creation (1 Peter 1:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, 2 Timothy 1:7, Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:10)

  • Eternal (John 3:16,5:24)

  • Loved (John 3:16, Ephesians 3:14-19, Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:1)

  • Your old self died (Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:1-3, Romans 6:6-11)

  • Child of God (1 John 3:1,5:1, Ephesians 1:4,5:1, Isaiah 43:4, Romans 8:15-17,)

  • Chosen (Ephesians 1:4,1:11 Isaiah 43:7,49:1, Colossians 3:12, 1 Thessalonians 1:4, Zephaniah 3:17)

  • Holy (Ephesians 1:4, 2 Timothy 1:9, Colossians 1:12-13, 1 Corinthians 6:11,1:30, Romans 1:7, 1, Hebrews 10:14)

  • Forgiven, Redeemed, and Righteous (Ephesians 1:7, 1 John 4:10, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, Psalm 103:3,11-12, Colossians 1:13-14)

  • Accepted (John 6:37, Romans 5:17, 8:34)

  • Clean (Hebrews 10:22, John 15:3, 1 John 1:7)

  • Fully Known (Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 49:1)

  • A Saint (Colossians 1:26, Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:1, Jude 1:3)

  • Cared For (Psalm 27:10, Isaiah 66:13)

  • Always with the Lord (John 14:16-18, Deuteronomy 31:6)

  • One with Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:16, 6:17-19, Romans 8:11, Colossians 1:27, 2:9-11, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 1:13-14)

  • Sin has been removed by grace (Galatians 3:13, 5:1, Romans 6:2, 6:11, 8:1-2, Ephesians 2:4-10, 1 John 5:18, 1 Peter 2:24, Colossians 2:11-13, Acts 13:39)

  • Conquerors/Overcomers (Romans 8:37, 1 John 4:4, Revelation 12:11)

  • Members of the Kingdom of Heaven (Revelation 1:6, 1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 2:19, 1 John 5:4-5, Philippians 3:20) 

  • Seated in Heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3, 2:6-7, Colossians 3:1-3)

  • Light (Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:12-13)

  • Authority over the kingdom of darkness (Mark 16:17, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

  • Free (John 8:31-36, Galatians 5:1, 2 Corinthians 3:17)

You are not a sinner! You are a new creation, the old is gone and you are free! Your actions do not define you, Jesus does! You cannot be more loved then you are right now and you cannot be loved any less, no matter what! Believe it!

Application

Meditate on the Bible verses above. You meditate by thinking about the Bible verses more than once. Ask God to help you believe and accept the truth about who you are!

Individual: Read a bible identity passage by inserting your name into the passage. Ex: Romans 6:6-7 “I know my old self was crucified with Jesus in order that my body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that I would no longer be enslaved to sin. For I who have died have been set free from sin.”

Group: Get into groups of 3-4 people. One person at a time, get everyone in the group to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His thoughts on who the person is.  

Living in Freedom

You are Free!

You are now free from sin and able to choose what is good and right! You are a good person! (2 Corinthians 3:17, John 8:31-36, Galatians 5:1). So why do we not live out of that good person? We have issues that sometimes need to be addressed. Those can be lies, patterns we have or demons. The following sections are to help live that life of freedom. 

Dealing with the Root

When dealing with the root, it is good to think of one’s life as a garden (see image below). In that garden there can grow weeds (bad behavior) or plants of benefit (good behavior). When dealing with weeds you don’t just cut the top off or the leaves, otherwise it will just grow right back. Instead you take them out by the root! Often the root of a problem is a wrong belief or lack of knowledge of the truth that needs to be addressed. An example could be that someone has a tendency to be mean to others. Telling them to stop being mean or enacting punishment is like clipping the weed. The root there is probably some form of hurt or lie that needs to be addressed. The Holy Spirit knows the root of your problem! Ask Him to walk you through your garden and point out what needs to go! The amazing thing is He will remove it if you want it gone! (Mark 11:15-18, Matthew 7:17-20, Hebrews 12:15)

Walking with Jesus Through the Past

Past traumas, situations & hurts can linger on in our lives and influence how we respond in situations. Often these traumas & hurts hinder us from living life in freedom and hold us in bondage to lies, fears, or to suffering. Jesus wants to free us from them! The following is a process to help walk free from past traumas & hurts. You can also do this with other believers to support you and who can listen to the Holy Spirit with you!

  1. Recall a past trauma or hurt you experienced or ask the Holy Spirit to bring one to mind. Most of the lies we believe & patterns we develop are from experiences in our developing years (18 years of age or younger). (Proverbs 22:6)

  2. Tell God how you feel about the situation & specifically express how you feel you were wronged (Psalms)

  3. Ask Jesus to walk you through the trauma/hurt and speak to you about it and heal your wounds (Isaiah 53:5). Examples could be as follows:

    1. Identify lies you started to accept from the situation

    2. How Jesus was involved in the situation (He was crying with you, etc)

    3. What fears you started believing

    4. Misplaced promises or vows

    5. Forgiving the person who harmed you

    6. Simply crying about it & letting the Holy Spirit heal you

  4. Ask Jesus to tell you some truths that you can replace the lies or fears with. You can also ask for help to forgive people for their wrongdoings against you or forgiving yourself. A simple template for forgiving others is “I forgive __(name)__ for __(moral wrong)__, even though they don’t deserve it” (John 8:32, Galatians 5:24).

Deliverance

The following are a few suggestions (not a recipe or procedure) on how to partner with the Holy Spirit to remove demonic foothold from your own life. This guide can also work for getting freedom from other issues not associated with a demon as well. 

  1. Ask the Holy Spirit outloud to bring to mind why the enemy has a foothold. Some possible areas you ask the Holy Spirit are:

    • Unrepented sins: when we know that we are not in God’s will in our thoughts or actions and we do not acknowledge it as wrong or do not want to change (1 John 1:9, Acts 17:30)

    • Unforgiveness: when we willing choose to not to cancel a debt or choose to be angry/bitter with someone (Matthew 5:22, 6:15)

    • Unidentified lies: when we do not believe a certain truth with our whole being (John 8:31-32, Colossians 2:8)

    • Unbroken sins/curses: Curses spoken over you or that you speak over yourself (you are ___, where ____ is something that Jesus does not think of you). Could also be generational sins/curses which get passed down via family lines (Exodus 20:5–6, 34:6–7)

    • Unhealed hurts: when a past wrong or damage has harmed our being and has not been healed. This can include trauma or rejection (Matthew 13:15, Psalm 147:3)

    • Unsurrendered areas: when we try to retain control over sections of our lives (Matthew 7:21, 16:24)

  2. Renounce and break the agreement/contract in that particular area outloud (2 Corinthians 4:2). The blood of Jesusis sufficient to nullify it! (1 John 1:7-9).

    • Unrepented sins: “I repent of “ the sin “, thank you for forgiving me, I want to do what is right” (this include things like following occult/cult practices or false religions)

    • Unforgiveness: “I choose to forgive “  person  ” for “  what they did wrong ”

    • Unidentified lies: “I renounce believing “  the lie  ” and choose to believe “  the truth ” 

    • Unbroken sins/curses: “I break the power of “ the curse ” in the name of Jesus 

    • Unhealed hurts: “I renounce and break the power that “ the hurt ” has over me, thank you Jesus for healing me 

    • Unsurrendered areas: “I renounce control over “ area of life ”, Jesus I surrender “ area of life ” to you

If there is a particular evil spirit that is revealed, renounce out loud coming into agreement with the evil spirit associated with the specific area (spirit of lust, pride, anger, lying, rejection, orphan, a Delilah spirit, Jezebel spirit & etc). If unsure of what spirit has the foothold ask the Holy Spirit to know which one or command the leading spirit to reveal itself.

3. Command the evil spirit to leave in the name Jesus! After you think it leaves, ask the Holy Spirit to give you peace. Otherwise keep going! (Luke 4:33-36,8:26–40, Mark 16:17)

4. Get filled with the Holy Spirit, by asking Him to fill you. Ask him to bring to mind something specific to the area highlighted and then act on it. (Acts 3:19, Matthew 6:14)

5. Check in on how you are doing over the next few days or weeks. Are you experiencing freedom? The enemy is likely going to try and feed you lies the next day, don’t buy into them! (James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8)

Additional Suggestions:

  • It is recommended if you are having trouble discerning if the Holy Spirit is speaking or hearing voices there may be lying spirits. If this is the case, tell any lying spirits to be silent in the authority of Jesus.  (Ephesians 6:12, Romans 8:16). 

  • If at any point in the process you are unable to do something out loud or notice parts of your body not under your control you may have an agreement with an evil spirit. If this is the case, renounce any agreements/contracts with any evil spirits. Also, ask the Holy Spirit to give you a deep understanding of your authority over the kingdom of darkness in Jesus (Mark 16:17-18). 

  • Praying & fasting (building intimacy with Jesus) is also recommended if struggling (Matthew 17:21).

Continuing to Live in Freedom

To continue walking in freedom, Jesus works in us to help us follow the Holy Spirit’s direction! (Philippians 1:6,2:13). This prevents us from being influenced by Satan, the World’s Desires, and the Flesh (James 4:7, 1 John 2:16-17, Galatians 5:16,5:24). You can also go through the above sections again! There is no shame!

God’s Kingdom

God’s Kingdom is living in community with other followers of Jesus (Church) and telling people about Jesus and His kingdom (Outreach). 

Church

The local church has 3 primary functions: to worship & honor Jesus, to build up its people into Christ likeness & to reach out to those who are not a part of it. These 3 components of healthy Church operation can be described as follows:

  • Up: This is the Church's relationship towards God

  • In: This is the Church's relationship towards its members

  • Out: This is the Church's relationship towards those who are not part of the Church

Up: Relationship Towards the Lord Almighty

The Church is to have the following relationship towards the Lord:

  • To worship & love Him (John 4:23-24, Matthew 22:37)

  • To sit at His feet and listen (Luke 10:39)

  • To ask Him for His kingdom and will to be done on earth (Matthew 6:9-13)

In: Relationship Towards the Church

The Church is to have the following relationship towards its people:

  • Making sure no person in the church is in need (Acts 4:34)

  • Providing ways for followers of Jesus to grow & mature (Ephesians 4:12)

  • To look after the spiritual health of people a part of it (Ephesians 4:11–13, Acts 20:28 )

  • Be a place of prayer & fellowship in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17, Philippians 2:1–2, Matthew 21:13)

  • Encourage those in unrepentant sin to repent. If they are unwilling expel them to protect the church with the hope of the transgressor’s restoration (Matthew 18:14-22, 1 Corinthians 5:5-13, 2 Corinthians 2:1-11, Romans 16:17, 2 Thessalonians 3:6)

Out: Relationship Towards those Outside the Church

The Church is to have the following relationship towards those not in the Church

  • Tell people about Jesus (Romans 10:14-15)

  • Look after orphans & widows (James 1:27)

  • Remember & help the poor (Galatians 2:10)

  • Proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 10:7)

  • Share with people about repentance and that sins are gone/forgiven because Jesus took the punishment for them (Acts 3:19, 1 Corinthians 2:2)

  • Promote & live out justice & mercy (Isaiah 58:6-7, Micah 6:8)

  • Love & serve those around them (Matthew 22:39, Luke 10:25-37)

  • Make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)

Outreach

Making disciples is the act of bringing people into a relationship with Jesus. This is always done out of a place of love & peace. The goal is for people to encounter Jesus. The following is a basic suggestion for making disciples:

  1. Pray: Church growth is always preceded by prayer & unity, interceding & listening (The New Testament, any major revival).

    • Ask for boldness to speak about Jesus (Acts 4:29)

    • Ask God for healing, sign and wonder (miracles) to happen in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:30)

    • Pray that demonic forces and strongholds will be punished and torn down (Exodus 12:12, 2 Corinthians 10:1-6)

  2. Go: Involves interacting with people in a particular area. This should be guided by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 10:14-15). It could contain the following elements:

    • Interacting with a person of peace (Matthew 10:11-12)

    • Meeting a need in the community (Galatians 2:10, Luke 10:30-37)

    • Sharing about salvation through Jesus in public spaces (Matthew 10:7, Acts 3:19, 1 Corinthians 2:2)

    • Partnering with a local Church (Acts 16:11-19) 

  3. Disciple: Teaching & guiding people who want to follow Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). It should involve but is not limited to:

    • Studying the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16)

    • Time of Prayer (Acts 1:14, 2:42)

    • Active serving (Matthew 25:36)

    • Communion (Luke 22:17-19)

    • Baptizing followers (Matthew 28:19)

    • Worship (Ephsesians 5:19)

    • Train people to pray, go, and disciple (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Gifts of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit distributes gifts for the purpose of building up the Church and drawing people closer to Jesus by displaying God’s power. The gifts are mostly for the benefit of others and as such must be operated in love. A portion of the gifts can be exercised by a person to some extent. To receive spiritual gifts, belief that the Lord still distributes them and a willingness to serve and walk closely with Him is helpful. Ultimately it is His decision, but we still are to eagerly desire getting spiritual gifts! (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 14:1) The following is a list of spiritual gifts:

  • Administration: Guidance in a sense of tasks or goals and organization (1 Corinthians 12:28)

  • Apostleship: Planting churches and preaching the gospel in areas it has not been preached (Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 9:1, 12:28, Acts 1:21-22).

  • Craftsmanship: The skills to design and carry out artistic hands on work (Exodus 35:30–33, Acts 16:14).

  • Discernment: To clearly recognize who is doing something in a situation: God, Satan, human will (Acts 5:3-6; 16:16-18; 1 John 4:1).

  • Discernment of spirits: to distinguish types of spirits present in someone’s life or a situation (1 Corinthians 12:10)

  • Evangelism: To clearly and effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others (Ephesians 4:11, Acts 8:5-12, 26-40, 21:8, Matthew 28:18-20). 

  • Exhortation/Encouragement: To strengthen and encourage those who are wavering in their faith. Those with the gift of exhortation can uplift and motivate others (Romans 12:8, Acts 11:23-24, 14:21-22, 15:32).

  • Faith: Have a trust and confidence in God that allows them to live boldly for Him and manifest that faith in mighty ways (1 Corinthians 12:9, Hebrews 11:1-40).

  • Giving: Love to share with others the blessings God has given them and they are also good at taking care of things and the needy (Romans 12:8,12:13, 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 9:6-15, Acts 4:32-37, Galatians 4:15, Philippians 4:10-18).

  • Healing: Are compassionate toward the sick and pray over them regularly. They have great faith and trust that God can and will heal people (1 Corinthians 12:9, 12:28, 12:30, James 5:13-16).

  • Hospitality: Enjoy hosting events and welcoming people into their home. Often will do this with people in need (1 Peter 4:9–10). 

  • Intercession: Has a strong prayer life. Will often pray for any situation that anyone mentions and will pray in the will of God such that situations change (Romans 8:26–27, Colossians 4:12).

  • Interpretation of Dreams/Visions: The Spirit tells the meaning of dreams and visions to a believer that are not immediately clear (Daniel 1:17, Genesis 40-41).  

  • Interpretation of Tongues: is given by the Holy Spirit to certain individuals to reveal messages spoken in a heavenly tongue to God for the building up of the church. It can also be for human languages that the person does not know (1 Corinthians 12:10, 12:30, 14:1-28).

  • Knowledge: To bring about understanding and to inform the church or individual believers (1 Corinthians 12:8, Romans 15:14, 2 Corinthians 2:14).

  • Leadership: To care for God’s people and lead them into a deeper relationship with Christ and each other (Romans 12:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 3:12; 5:17).

  • Mercy: To love and help those who are suffering, and walk with them until the Lord allows their issue to be lifted (Romans 12:8, Matthew 5:7, Luke 10:30-37, James 3:17, Jude 22-23).

  • Miracles: Have an extra measure of faith and desire for God to show Himself in mighty ways and to see many people believe in His son Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:10, 12:28-29, Acts 1:8, Galatians 3:5).

  • Pastor/Shepherd: To humbly teach, guide, protect, and lead followers of Christ in the mission that God has for His church, which mainly is telling people about Jesus (Ephesians 4:11, Jeremiah 3:15, Acts 20:28, John 10:11-18).

  • Prophecy: To receive a Holy Spirit inspired message and deliver it to others in the church to draw people closer to God. It is usually about the future, but also can be knowledge about someone’s present state (Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 14:1-5, Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Peter 4:10-11).

  • Serving/Helps : To fill the many needs of ministry and meet the needs of the Church as it does it goal of telling people about Jesus (Romans 12:7, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 28, Acts 20:35, 2 Timothy 4:11, Revelation 2:19). 

  • Teaching: To teach, instruct, instill doctrine, explain, and expound. Those with the spiritual gift of teaching love to study the Scriptures for extended periods of time (Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:7, James 3:1). 

  • Tongues: To speak in a language that is unknown to the user. Either a heavenly language or earthly language (1 Corinthians 12:10, 30, 14:27-28, 33, 39-40, 39, Acts 2:4, 19:6).

  • Wisdom: To impart the truth, good judgement and understanding to believers. To invoke a response of holiness and worship lived out in the world and amongst God’s people (1 Corinthians 1:17-31, 2:1-16, 12:8, Colossians 1:9-10, 2:1-3, James 3:13-18).

Application

Individual: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what gifts He has given you. Ask Him for more so you can serve more!

Group: Ask God what gift He would like to give each person one at a time or in groups of 3-5. Then have everyone else lay hands on that person and pray for them to receive that gift.