Writing (Spiritual Gift)

Today, I read that writing can be a spiritual gift. That is exciting and encouraging to me. Writing is something I love to do to help me meditate, ponder, and wrestle with what I am reading/learning in the Bible. I never thought about the possibility of it as a spiritual gift. What makes writing a spiritual gift rather than a talent? A good friend was given a piece of advice about spiritual gifts versus talents, and she was kind enough to share it with me. A spiritual gift is something that is consecrated before the Lord, whereas a talent can be used for anything. Is the talent used for God and His purposes alone? That is what sets writing apart as a spiritual gift, because it is used for God alone.

 Writing, as a spiritual gift, is a form of speaking the truth in written form and also building up the body of Christ! It is about using the gift primarily for God and the work He would have us to do. A couple things set writing apart as a spiritual gift:

1. The writing is to build up the body of Christ and/or speak God’s Word. This may be in the form of a poem, devotional, book, Bible study, sermon, prayers, songs, blogs, etc.
2. The writings are inspired by the Holy Spirit who gives the writer the words to be written.
3. The writer expresses more effectively through writing rather than verbally.

These three characteristics are what distinguish writing as a spiritual gift instead of a talent. For those with the spiritual gift of writing—they’ll write and it has the effect of building up the body of Christ and speaking His truth to help others grow in Christ. It can be a devotional, book, blog, or other methods of writing. Writing can take many forms.

This spiritual gift is very influential. For Luke, he could be classified as having the spiritual gift of writing---as he wrote two books in the New Testament that spoke the Gospel, shared the absolute truth, and built up the church. (Luke 1:1-3) Without the spiritual gift of writing, we would not have any of the Bible written in a God inspired manner where we know each word came from God.

The important characteristic in writings is that it is God inspired. The Holy Spirit gives the writer the words that are to be written. Since the Holy Spirit is heavily involved in the writing process for those with the spiritual gift, the writings can be used for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. God can use our writings (blogs, devotionals, books, poems, etc) for His glory! He can use us to encourage other believers, teach them, correct them in certain areas of their lives that need to be corrected, and train them in godly living.

The spiritual gift of writing also enables believers to express more effectively through writing rather than verbally. This is true of me. I am much more efficient as a writer than I am as a speaker. My words are not eloquently spoken verbally and expressed rather poorly, but God has given me the gift of being able to sit here, write, and reflect in a more expressive manner.

Writing is a powerful tool that God can use as a spiritual gift to bless others in mighty ways, and lead them closer to the Lord. This is the whole purpose of writing for those who have writing as a spiritual gift. It is for the Lord and His glory! 

For me, there are many blessings of writing as a spiritual gift. I love the intimacy that comes with writing and feeling God’s strong presence while I write whatever He lays on my heart. I haven’t treated this gift as honorably as I should. I have gotten out of the habit of writing, and let it slip away from me. I am excited to be able to re-experience the joys of writing for my Father and hope it encourages others and draws them closer to Him. The writing experience is about building up the body of Christ—encouraging, rebuking, training in righteousness, and teaching. 

All three characteristics can be clearly displayed in my own life. The main reason for my blog is to help me think as I continue to write. I am able to understand and learn more as I write rather than merely think. What sets it apart as a spiritual gift for me is being able to write about God's Word and hopefully put it out there, so others in the body of Christ may be built up as a result of sharing it. The writings are also inspired by the Holy Spirit. I get the opportunity to be truly blessed when I take the time to sit and write whatever the Lord is speaking to me about at the given time.