Spiritual Gifts

• Following baptism, each of us had hands laid on our heads to receive thegift of the Holy Ghost. If we are faithful, we can have His influence continually with us. Through Him, each of us can be blessed with certain spiritual powers called gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are given to thosewho are faithful to Christ. “All these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God” (D&C 46:26).They help us know and teach the truths of the gospel. They will help us bless others. They will guide us back to our Heavenly Father. To use our gifts wisely, we need to know what they are, how we can develop them, and how to recognize Satan’s imitations of them.

The scriptures mention many gifts of the Spirit. These gifts have been given to members of the true Church whenever it has been on the earth (see Mark 16:16–18). The gifts of the Spirit include the following:

The Gift of Tongues (D&C 46:24)

The Gift of Interpretation of Tongues (D&;C 46:25)

The Gift of Translation (D&;C 5:4)

The Gift of Wisdom (D&;C 46:17)

The Gift of Knowledge (D&;C 46:18)

The Gift of Teaching Wisdom and Knowledge (Moroni 10:9–10)

The Gift of Knowing That Jesus Christ Is the Son of God (D&;C 46:13)

The Gift of Believing the Testimony of Others (D&;C 46:14)

The Gift of Prophecy (D&;C 46:22)

The Gift of Healing (D&;C 46:19–20)

The Gift of Working Miracles (D&;C 46:21)

The Gift of Faith (Moroni 10:11)

We Can Develop Our Gifts

The Lord has said: “For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby” (D&;C 46:11–12).

To develop our gifts, we must find out which gifts we have. We do this by praying and fasting. We should seek after the best gifts (see D&C 46:8). Sometimes patriarchal blessings will help us know which gifts we have been given.

We must be obedient and faithful to be given our gifts. We then should use these gifts to do the work of the Lord. They are not given to satisfy our curiosity or to prove anything to us because we lack faith. Of spiritual gifts, the Lord said, “They are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do” (D&C 46:9).

Satan Imitates the Gifts of the Spirit

Satan can imitate the gifts of tongues, prophecy, visions, healings, and other miracles. Moses had to compete with Satan’s imitations in Pharaoh’s court (see Exodus 7:8–22). Satan wants us to believe in his false prophets, false healers, and false miracle workers. They may appear to be so real to us that the only way to know is to ask God for the gift of discernment. 

We Must Be Careful with Our Gifts of the Spirit

The Lord said, “A commandment I give unto them, that they shall notboast themselves of these things, neither speak them before the world;for these things are given unto you for your profit and for salvation”(D&C 84:73). We must remember that spiritual gifts are sacred (see D&C 6:10).

In return for giving us these gifts, the Lord asks that we “give thanksunto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing [we] are blessed with”(D&C 46:32).

For further study, see:

"Quick to Observe", by Elder David A. Bednar, December 2006 Ensign

"There are Many Gifts", by Elder Marvin J. Ashton, November 1987 Ensign

"Spiritual Gifts", by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, September 1986 Ensign