We Believe: Spiritual Gifts

Article of Faith #7: We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

We believe in all of the gifts of the Spirit; or in other words, the gifts that come from the Holy Ghost in our lives. Because there are so many different spiritual gifts, it would take too long to write enough about each one.  So instead, I am going to focus on just a few of them.

We believe that healing is a gift from God.  The Savior went about doing good and healed many people.  Two of the gifts of the Spirit that go hand-in-hand are the gifts of having the faith to heal and the faith to be healed (see D&C 46:19-20).  Both gifts are necessary in order for a person to be healed of their afflictions.

Peter healing a crippled man

We believe in the gift of tongues and in the interpretation of tongues (see D&C 46:24-25).  Just as with the spiritual gifts for healing, these two gifts are intertwined.  The gift of tongues is given to men at times when it is necessary to speak the gospel in a language that is unfamiliar to us.  The Lord blesses us for a time to be able to express are thoughts in that language.  At times, it is also important to receive a message from God in a language we do not understand.  In those circumstances, we may receive the gift of interpretation of tongues so that we may know what God's will is.

We believe in the gift of discernment (see D&C 46:23).  This is a gift of the Spirit that allows men to discern whether something is of God or of the devil.  The Lord can also bless us to understand a situation and grant us the knowledge to know what His will is.

We believe in the gifts of knowledge and wisdom, along with the gift to be able to teach (see Moroni 10:9-10, 1st Corinthians 12:8).  These gifts of the Spirit help us understand people and circumstances as well as how to handle them.  The knowledge of God and His plan comes only through the Holy Ghost.  Paul wrote, "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (1st Corinthains 12:3)."

How grateful I am for the different gifts of the Spirit.  The gifts of the Spirit allow us to bless the lives of each other (see D&C 46: 16, 26).  I have been blessed in my life by many who exercise their spiritual gifts on my behalf.  I know that the gifts of the Spirit are given so that we may all learn and find peace in this life.  They truly are gifts from God to help prepare us to receive the greatest gift, that of eternal life (see D&C 14:7).