On
LDS.org, gifts of the Spirit are defined as, “…blessings or abilities given by
God to His children through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Many of these
blessings and gifts are only received when they are called upon through prayer.
The gifts are also given to us for our time here in mortality and can only be
received in mortality. When we are given these gifts, we are also expected to
use these gifts to serve others as well as ourselves.
As previously mentioned, to be
blessed with a gift of the Spirit you much ask God through prayer to be blessed
with that gift you desire. In his talk, Spiritual
Gifts, President Oaks said, “Spiritual gifts do not come visibly,
automatically, and immediately to all who have received the gift of the Holy
Ghost.” Because of that, you must work for that gift and grow it “line upon
line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30). Slowly, the gift is administered
by the Holy Ghost.
Elder Orson Pratt taught that every
person is given at least one Gift of the Spirit in this mortal life (Student
Manual, p. 100). Some examples of Gifts of the Spirit are, teaching the word of
wisdom, teaching the word of knowledge by the Spirit, faith, healing, working
miracles, prophesy, beholding angels and ministering spirits, the gift of
tongues, and interpretation of tongues, to name a few (Moroni 10). “There’s
more Gifts of the Spirit than you can shake a stick at” (Brother Thomas
Chapman, 2018). That means these gifts can be customizable to each individual’s
needs and desires.
Faith is a gift of the Spirit. In
Alma 32, Alma taught that faith is like a seed, and we need to plant it and
nurture it. It is important that we continually pray for this gift. As we grow
our faith, we will be able to know of other gifts we would like to receive, and
act on those gifts.
The gift of faith to be healed is
another important gift. Christ healed many people because they had faith that
they could be healed by Him. Elder
Robert D. Hales has said, “There have been times when I have laid hands upon
one who was ill and felt their spirit and their faith so strongly that they
would be healed that I felt a surge of the power of their faith” (Hales, 2002).
Joseph Smith has also taught that the faith to be healed is one of the greatest
gifts.
Another gift is the gift of wisdom.
Many prophets, bishops and their counselors receive this gift to assist them in
their calling. In James 1:5 we are told we can “ask of God, that giveth to all
men, liberally.” Sometimes parents can be given the gift of wisdom when they
are counseling their children.
The gift of tongues and
interpretation of tongues are some of the more popular gifts people like to
talk about. Many missionaries are given this gift if they are learning a new
language. It is also used to “…give an unusual message or communicate with
those who speak a different language” (Student Manual p. 101). We are warned
not to use the gift of tongues or any gifts as they were not intended, or else
it could end up being a curse. We need to treat our gifts with the respect and
sanctity they deserve.
Another gift is the gift of
knowledge. This is one of the few gifts that we will take with us in eternity.
It “comes by study and obedience” (Student Manual P. 101). Not only does this
gift pertain to secular knowledge, but also spiritual knowledge. With this gift
we can be enlightened by how God thinks, and understand more fully what He
wants for us (McConkie chapter 40).
“The gift of discernment helps us
to recognize good and evil, truth and error” (LDS Church News, 1995). The ways
we can develop the gift of discernment are like the other gifts. We need to
pray for it, and pray to align ourselves with the Lord’s will. As well as
praying, we need to study the scriptures so we can know right from wrong, and
recognize the Spirit as we learn truth. If we listen to our feelings as well as
the Holy Ghost, we can tell if something is good or bad. Keeping the
commandments is essential to gaining the gift of discernment. When we are
obedient, the spirit can dwell with us. And lastly, but very importantly, we
need to act upon promptings we receive. If we do not act on the promptings, the
Holy Ghost will withdraw from us, and we will be less able to discern from
right or wrong.
These gifts, and an innumerable
amount more, are available to all of us who have received the Gift of the Holy
Ghost (Burton). Every member is given at least one of these gifts, and it is up
to them to cultivate them. They must pray to receive them and grow them line
upon line. They must study it and gain more revelation to understand how to use
their gifts to help themselves, but more importantly help others. “When ye are
in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God”
(Mosiah 2:10).
References used in this post:
Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual—Religion
324 and 325
Gifts of
the Spirit by Robert D. Hales—February 2002 Ensign
LDS.org—searched
with keywords: “Spiritual Gifts”
New Witness for the Articles of Faith by Bruce
R. McConkie
Spiritual Gifts by Elder
Dallin H, Oaks – excerpt from Heritage of
Faith: Talks Selected from the BYU Women’s Conferences
We Believe by Rulon T. Burton
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