David Diga Hernandez - Finding Your Spiritual Gifts

Well, I hope that you enjoyed that worship with our good friend Steven Mock. By the way, please keep this in prayer for us. We are going to be releasing a worship album very soon from this ministry. What I’m going to do is gather some of the best musicians I’ve ever worked with, who have traveled with me all over the world, and we’ll have Steven even do a couple of the songs. So please keep that in prayer; we are working on that project and hope to get it to you by December, just in time for Christmas—so it will be like a Christmas gift from the ministry to you.

But today, as promised, we’re going to discuss spiritual gifts. I want to delve into the Word here, and before I can really talk to you about how you, as an individual, can specifically find out which gifts God has placed on your life, I’ll give you three practical keys that you can assess and apply immediately into your life once you’re done watching this video. I’ll go over those keys toward the end of this teaching, because first, I want to establish a more solid foundation of the doctrines of the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us.

So, I’m going to give you a quick overview of the gifts, discuss the role of the gifts, and touch on unity in the body. As I said, this is foundational teaching, and I want to take my time with it. I want to first build that foundation, and once we’ve grasped a full understanding—or at least a sufficient understanding—of what the Bible teaches about spiritual gifts, I’ll elaborate and provide you with keys for discovering what your spiritual gifts are, the gifts that God has given you.

First, I want to talk to you about God’s criteria for the people He will use. You know, many times, I think people, when considering the call of God on their own lives, are quick to dismiss themselves because of the disqualifications they perceive within themselves. They look at their flaws and their character traits that are not necessarily up to par with what they think they should be. They consider aspects of their lives that are not in perfect order or perhaps they’re not in the most ideal situation. It may not feel comfortable or convenient to pursue the call of God on their lives quite yet. But I want to reassure you and encourage you to know that no matter who you are, as long as you carry a love for Jesus in your heart, you possess the power of God in your life.

God’s criteria for being used is not as strict as our own. We often talk about faithfulness, and I believe in faithfulness, but the scripture gives us encouraging truths, such as, «He is faithful even when I am not.» When you consider the faithfulness of God, you’ll find relief knowing that God’s call on your life depends more on His faithfulness than on yours. So, we will discuss this specifically.

Now, as I said, we’ll go over the gifts shortly, but I want you to understand a couple of things first. Let’s go to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and we will read verses 26-29. This is what the Bible says: «Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God has chosen the base things of the world and the despised, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.»

I will never forget when I first began to pursue the Lord. I was thrilled to find the depths of His presence at a very young age. I remember being in prayer, and everything within me burned with a desire to be used by God. I had this passion, this yearning to step into the call of God. I sensed there was some greater purpose in life; I knew that by faith, I could step into an entirely different dimension of living. As I prayed and sought the Lord, I felt as though I was standing on the very edge of something grand, and I knew it only took one step of faith to enter in.

But at the same time, while I was encouraged by what lay before me, I felt a bit discouraged when I looked at myself. I went down a checklist and thought, «God, I don’t have much influence; I’m not a very good speaker; I’m not the brightest among my friends.» I looked at myself through the lens of worldly qualifications. Now, as many of you know, if you’ve read any of my books, I’m not that big of a sports fan, and one of the reasons…