The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Living in Kingdom Anointing

The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit empower everyday Christians to accomplish extraordinary things for God's Kingdom. These divine abilities — from prophecy to healing, from wisdom to discernment of spirits — enable everyday Christians to join with the Holy Spirit in transforming lives and advancing God's purposes.

Through real-life examples and biblical insights, you'll discover how to partner with the Holy Spirit in manifesting His gifts effectively. Whether you're new to spiritual gifts or seeking to deepen your understanding, this practical guide will help you recognize, activate, and confidently use these supernatural abilities in your daily walk life and ministry.

Real-Life Testimony: The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Action

Part 1 of 9 by Don Bell | ⏱️ 9 minute read

Conceptual Image for The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit"Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts" (1 Corinthians 14:1)
Source: ©panaramka/Depositphotos.com

Before delving into the biblical understanding of spiritual gifts, let me share a personal experience that vividly demonstrates how the Holy Spirit works through ordinary believers. This testimony illustrates several gifts working in harmony to accomplish God's purpose on an ordinary night that became extraordinary through His intervention.

Don Bell

It had been a busy day. I had finally gotten to bed and was starting to drift off to sleep. Suddenly the telephone rang. A distraught member of the local church we attended was on the line.

There had been a flare up, and a family member had abruptly left the home without any means of contact. Prayer was requested as there was some concern that the person might cause harm to themselves.

Immediately, I began to speak in tongues and within moments, the Holy Spirit prompted me with a strong word of wisdom: "This situation requires more than prayer; it requires your involvement."

Pushing aside the tiredness, I quickly dressed and then drove into the city not knowing where the person was but after sensing the gift of faith, I grew confident that God did.

The Holy Spirit began prompting me with words of knowledge as I reached the city center. "Keep driving straight ahead." I drove a couple of blocks and the thought came, "Turn left." After driving several more blocks: "Turn right and then left at the next corner." Then, "Keep driving," and so on.

Soon, I stopped at a red light and glancing to my right I saw the person standing nearby on the corner, waiting for the Walk signal.

I opened the power window on the car's passenger side and beckoned the surprised person into the car.

The realization that I could not have driven to the person on a more direct route sank in, and I gripped the steering wheel to steady my hands in the excitement, while thanking God.

Whether we got a coffee or not, I cannot remember, but we drove around talking for an hour, and we prayed, and when I dropped the person off, they knew that they were special to God.

The crisis had passed, and the Lord had gotten the glory.

The event described above demonstrated several spiritual gifts in action: speaking in tongues, a word of wisdom, a gift of faith, and words of knowledge.

Under normal circumstances, I would have simply prayed about the situation from my home. Driving into the city late at night to find someone without knowing their location would never have crossed my mind.

Finding one specific person in a city of 60,000 residents without knowing their whereabouts would have been impossible through natural means. However, the gifts of the Holy Spirit operate beyond our natural limitations — they are truly supernatural. And what's more…

What the Holy Spirit empowered me to, you could also have done through His enabling power.

Beginning Your Spirit-Led Journey

Let me share with you the exciting journey ahead. You'll discover what the Holy Spirit's gifts are, how you can activate them, and how to use them effectively — whether you're at home, in your workplace, or gathering with fellow believers. These gifts are meant to bless others and advance God's Kingdom in practical, powerful ways.

From Genesis to Revelations, the Bible is filled with examples of the gifts of the Spirit in action. As we examine these gifts in the light of God's Word, His Truth shall set you free from unsound religious thinking and doubt. You will find yourself eager to flow in God's anointing and experience all nine gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Throughout our journey, I'll share some personal experiences and practical examples to encourage and guide you. Think of me as a fellow traveler who's walked this path and wants to help make your journey smoother.

The information we'll explore might challenge some traditional viewpoints, so please keep an open mind and follow along as we take one topic at a time, allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate these truths in your heart. Like a puzzle coming together, piece by piece, all will become clear.

Are you ready to begin this adventure into the Kingdom realm that God has prepared for you? Let's begin…

Biblical Foundation: The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit Explained

Paul the Apostle taught on the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit to ensure that believers not only used them, but used them properly (1 Corinthians 12).

The Church in Corinth had been misusing the gifts, and since their leadership was unclear on how the Holy Spirit operates through believers, many had been forbidden to exercise the gifts in public meetings. This historical example offers valuable lessons for us today.

It's essential that we receive instruction on the gifts and their operation. While this topic may be new to many believers, understanding these gifts can greatly enrich our spiritual lives and effectiveness in ministry. We'll explore this topic more deeply in upcoming articles.

The Evolution of Spiritual Gifts: Old and New Testament

The gifts of the Holy Spirit can be found throughout the Bible in both The Old and New Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible contains many examples of the gifts being used by His people.

However, The Old Testament only records seven gifts of the Spirit, the exceptions being the gift of speaking in tongues and its companion gift of interpretation of tongues, as they were only introduced on the Day of Pentecost.

In Old Testament times, God chose specific individuals and gave them supernatural abilities (gifts) for particular purposes. The Holy Spirit was WITH those anointed individuals, but His presence was not yet dwelling IN them.

However, before ascending to Heaven, Jesus announced to His followers that an amazing Heaven-sent transition would take place.

Jesus says, "'I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells WITH you and will be IN you'" (John 14:16–17, emphasis added).

The Holy Spirit was given to abide IN us forever. Paul writes, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells IN you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16, emphasis added).

Because God's Spirit now dwells IN us, we have the amazing privilege of receiving all nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues, giving us the ability to pray and fellowship with Our Heavenly Father using heavenly languages.

Kingdom Impact: Your Supernatural Toolbox

Paul explains, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:4).

Here, the Greek word χάρισμα (charisma, plural charismata) is translated as gifts, referring to an assortment of miraculous abilities, often called charismatic gifts.

Therefore, the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit can be defined as supernatural abilities that the Holy Spirit entrusts to believers, enabling them to do the same works that Jesus did.

Jesus says, "'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son'" (John 14:12–13).

If we're to do the works of Jesus, we will need to receive and exercise all nine abilities (gifts) that have been made available to us. Otherwise, how could we possibly do what He expects of us?

Like salvation, these abilities are gifts received by grace through faith, based solely on Christ's merit, not our own. Manifesting the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit doesn't make anyone more special or spiritually enlightened than believers who for whatever reason haven't received them.

Clarifying the Nine Gifts

Paul lists nine gifts of the Holy Spirit:

For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:8-11).

Are there more than nine gifts of the Holy Spirit? No, just the nine mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12.

Some people claim there are additional gifts of the Spirit to the nine that Paul listed. For instance, some have said that the interpretation of dreams is an additional gift when clearly it's not. The interpretation of a dream is a manifestation of the gift of a word of knowledge.

There are no scriptural references to other spiritual gifts having the same characteristic natures of the nine, and to claim otherwise leads to confusion, and attention being drawn away from the basic nine.

The Three Categories of Spiritual Gifts

The nine gifts can be grouped in three categories, each category containing three gifts having a similar purpose:

The Utterance Gifts

The following abilities are called Utterance Gifts because they are all spoken by the mouth under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

  • Different Kinds of Tongues
  • Interpretation of Tongues
  • Prophecy

The Revelation Gifts

The following abilities are called Revelation Gifts because they reveal to us needed information that's humanly impossible to know:

  • Word of Knowledge
  • Word of Wisdom
  • Discerning of Spirits

The Power Gifts

The following abilities are called Power Gifts because they enable us to manifest God's power to answer special needs in impossible situations:

  • Miracles
  • Gifts of Healing
  • Faith

Embracing the Holy Spirit's Gifts With Confidence

Paul's desire was for the believers in Corinth to be well informed about the gifts, and it's right that we should be too. He writes, "Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed" (1 Corinthians 12:1 NIV).

The Greek word ἀγνοέω (agnoeō) is translated as uninformed, meaning not to know through lack of information; by implication, to ignore through hesitancy, or reluctance. We are often fearful and reluctant to receive something when we don't fully understand what it is.

However, when knowledge is shared in love, it helps counter our fears, just as Scripture teaches (Proverbs 2: 10–11). As we grow in understanding of the Spirit's gifts, our confidence and desire to walk in them naturally increases.

Paul continues, "You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:2–3).

Paul was assuring the Corinthian believers that they will always glorify Jesus when using the gifts. While we may not worship dumb idols, it's important to ensure that our revered traditions and religious beliefs align with Scripture, keeping our hearts open to receive every good gift the Holy Spirit has given us.

Discover More in This 9-Part Series

Ready to dive deeper into the miraculous world of spiritual gifts? In the upcoming articles, we'll explore everything from their divine purpose to practical ways of activating and using these gifts in your daily walk with God.

Join me as we uncover how Jesus performed miracles, discover whether everyone has spiritual gifts, and learn how to unlock and effectively use the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ today.

Part 2: Questions About Spiritual Gifts

Part 3: Does Everyone Have Spiritual Gifts?

Part 4: The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

Part 5: How Did Jesus Perform Miracles?

Part 6: Spiritual Gifts in the Church

Part 7: How to Unlock Spiritual Gifts

Part 8: Activating Your Spiritual Gifts

Part 9: How to Use Spiritual Gifts


About the Author

Don Bell of Kingdom Anointing

Don Bell is the creator of the Kingdom Anointing website, and a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. He shares insights from his spiritual journey to encourage ordinary believers to seek God's Kingdom and lead extraordinary lives in the Holy Spirit.


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