LOVE  TABERNACLE MINISTRIES  INTERNATIONAL
SCHOOL: Foundation
Motivational Gifts

Introduction

God the Father gives to a believer at the time of re-birth (i.e., receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior) one or more of the seven motivation gifts.
Rom 12:3-8
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
While a believer may operate or work at some level any or all of these seven areas, at least one or more of these gifts will bring great satisfaction when it is done.  By being satisfied or happy or feeling fulfilled, the believer will return again and again to be active in that area.  That is, the satisfaction motives the believer to be involved in the work of the Kingdom.  

This is why it is very important to teach believers about the motivational gifts, have them take a survey to identify their gifting(s), and make room for them to work their gifting(s) in the church and Kingdom... so that they will be happy, fulfilled and productive.  Otherwise, they will be bored, unhappy, frustrated and much less fruitful in the Kingdom. 


Additionally

In example, a believer may be strongly motivated to teach or share godly principles with people, but may not be very strongly motivated to serve.  The believer could work in the kitchen, or cutting the grass, and would probably do so if asked, but would not find strong satisfaction from doing those activities directly.  The believer would be found talking the word as he did the work, because that is his motivation.

A young christian may find they have low scores on the attached survey.  This is simply because they are young in their love walk (still focused on "me" and "mine").  But as they get older in the Lord, their scores will usually increase.  However, there should always be one gift that stands out from the rest in the scores, showing their gifting. 

Sometimes there are clusters of strong and/or weak scores.  If there is a strong cluster, it shows that the person has more than one motivational gifting.  If there are several gifts cluster on the low scores, it is not an area of concern, and my be offset by a very high score on a single strong motivational score.  These different clusters help give uniqueness to us as individuals, mixed with our other giftings and experience.

It is not only important to know our strong motivations, but also our weak areas.  We must continue to develop ourselves (working with the Holy Spirit and the Word) into the fullness of Jesus Christ.  That means we need to understand the weak as well as the strong motivational areas.  I am not saying to over emphasize the weak, or be over attentive to the weak motivations, but rather not to use the strong motivations as an excuse not to do something because I am not "motivated" in that area. 


Note: The following motivation gifts definitions and survey are the material of (or based upon material of), and used with permission of, Apostle Dorothy Washington, Good News Full Gospel Church, Houston, TX. 

Prophecy

DEFINITION:
  1. "Insight" or intuitive sense about people and situations as they really are before God.
  2. Encourages, exhorts, and comforts people.
MANIFESTATIONS of the gift (1 Cor 14:24-25):
  1. Brings people to accountability.
  2. Reveals inner motivations.
  3. Brings inner heart conviction.
  4. Brings awareness of God's presence.
  5. Makes people fall to their knees in repentance and humility.
CHARACTERISTICS:
  1. Need to express message verbally.
  2. Have ability to discern character and motives of people.
  3. Capacity to experience brokenness to prompt brokenness.
  4. Capacity to identify, define and hate evil.
  5. Dependence on scriptural truth to validate authority.
  6. Desire for outward evidences to demonstrate inward convictions.
  7. Direct, frank persuasive talk.
  8. Concern for reputation and program of God.
  9. Inward weeping and personal identification with sins of those he talks with.
  10. Eagerness to have others point out his own blind spots so that they can help others.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS:
  1. Frankness may be viewed as harshness.
  2. Interest in groups may be interpreted as disinterest in singles.
  3. Efforts to gain results may be seen as gimmicks.
  4. Focus on right and wrong may be judged as intolerance for partial good.
  5. Emphasis on decisions may appear as neglecting spiritual growth.
  6. Public boldness and strict standards may hinder intimate personal relationships.
  7. The strong desire to convey truth may be interpreted as little interest in listening to another's point of view.
EXAMPLE:
John the Baptist illustrates the gift of prophecy in the Bible (Luke 3:3-20)
  1. Aware of his unworthiness and wanted others to point out his blind spots.
  2. Know he was the voice of God and depended on scriptural truth to validate his authority - Luke 3:4-6
  3. Directness and frankness in speaking - Luke 3:7-14
  4. He looked for repentance - Luke 3:4-6
  5. Placed great emphasis on right and wrong and identifies evil - Luke 3:19
  6. Courage to openly reprove evil - Luke 3:19
  7. Able to discern people's motives - Luke 3:7

Ministry (Serving)

DEFINITION:
  1. Meeting practical needs of others in love.
  2. Demonstration of love in deeds and not in words.
  3. Sees what needs to be done.
CHARACTERISTICS:
  1. Ability to recall likes and dislikes of people.
  2. Alertness to detect and meet practical needs.
  3. Meets needs as quickly as possible.
  4. Physical stamina without regard to weariness.
  5. Will use personal funds in order to avoid delay in meeting a need.
  6. Needed to have sincere appreciation and can spot insincerity.
  7. Wants to see a job done and will do extra work to accomplish it.
  8. Involved in a lot of activities because can't say "no".
  9. Enjoys short-range goals more than long-range goals.
  10. Frustration with time limits on jobs.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS:
  1. When he is trying to meet needs may appear to be "pushy".
  2. Will do jobs himself to avoid "red tape".
  3. Eagerness to serve can be misconstrued as wanting to advance self.
  4. Difficult to accept service from others.
  5. May get upset with others when they do not have the same motives.
  6. Desire for appreciation may result in hurt feelings.
  7. Desire to help others may interfere with God's dealing with them.
  8. Meeting practical needs may be judged as lack of interest in spiritual needs.
  9. Their stamina may be misinterpreted as insensitivity to others desires to serve, too.
  10. Enjoyment with short-range goals may lead to frustration and disorganization with long-range goals.
  11. May get side-tracked with the needs of others instead of following the pastor's directions.
EXAMPLE:
Martha illustrates the gift of serving in the Bible (Luke 10:38-42; John 12:2)
  1. Was doing the work herself.
  2. Tried to get Mary to do what she did.
  3. Had too many things to do because she couldn't say "no".
  4. Seemed to concentrate more on task than on the person being served.
  5. Saw the short-range goal rather than the long-range goal.  (Short - cooking meal; long - death of Jesus).
NEEDS:
  1. Servers need sincere appreciation.
  2. They are workers and not "feelers".
  3. They try to work to receive other's love.

Teaching

DEFINITION:
While anyone can "teach" something, such as a parent teaches a child how to tye their shoes, that does not make them a "teacher" in the biblical sense.  A "teacher" has giftings from God that supernaturally / spiritually equips them and reveals to them insight and understanding of the Word of God.

CHARACTERISTICS:
  1. Belief that the teaching gift is foundational to the other gifts.
  2. Emphasis on accuracy of words.
  3. Testing of the knowledge level of those who teach them.
  4. Delight in research in order to validate truth.
  5. Validating new information by established systems of truth.
  6. Present truth in systematic sequence.
  7. Avoidance of illustrations from non-Biblical sources.
  8. Resistance to scriptural illustrations out of context.
  9. Greater joy in researching than in presenting lesson.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS:
  1. Emphasis on accuracy or scriptural interpretations may appear to neglect practical application.
  2. Research of others may appear to be dependent on intellect instead of the Holy Spirit.
  3. Use of knowledge in testing others may appear to be pride of learning.
  4. Details of research may appear to be unnecessary to listeners.
  5. Objectivity in research may appear to lack warmth and feeling when speaking.
EXAMPLES:
Paul is an example of the motivational gift of teaching in the Bible.
  1. Felt teaching most important gift.
  2. Tested knowledge.
  3. Ties Old Testament and the New Testament together in teaching.
  4. Researched while in Arabia for 3 years and while in prison.
  5. Did research so that he could write so much of the Bible.
  6. Did a systematic study of giving.
  7. Had a burden to give the truth.

Exhortation

DEFINITION:
  1. Very positive - encourages people to abundant life.
  2. Loves people.
  3. Paraclete - strengthener or comforter.
  4. Wants word to become flesh in others.
CHARACTERISTICS:
  1. Desire to visualize specific achievement and give steps or act on.
  2. Tendency to avoid systems of information that lack practical application.
  3. Ability to see how tribulation can produce new levels of maturity.
  4. Dependence upon individual acceptance when speaking to people.
  5. Insights in human behavior which can be applied to the Bible.
  6. Enjoyment in seeing people taking steps of action to meet needs.
  7. Grief when teaching doesn't have practical application.
  8. Delight in personal conferences that result in new insights.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS:
  1. Emphasis on steps of action may seem to oversimplify the problem.
  2. Urgency in giving steps of action may appear as having more confidence in them.
  3. Desire to win non-Christians by living examples may appear to take out of context.
  4. Use of scripture for practical application may appear to take out of context.
  5. Emphasis in steps of action may appear not to have awareness of other's feelings.
EXAMPLES:
  1. How one ought to live - 1 Thes 4:1
  2. How to please God - 1 Thes 4:1
  3. How to live a life worthy of God - 1 Thes 2:11
  4. How to progress in love - 1 Thes 4:9-10
  5. How to live so there is no respect among people - 1 Thes 4:11-12
  6. How to face trials - Acts 14:22
  7. How to understand chastening - Heb 12:3

Giving

DEFINITION:
  1. Spiritual need to give.
  2. Sharing with others - spend one's live for others.
CHARACTERISTICS:
  1. Ability to make wise purchases and investments.
  2. Desire to give quietly to effective ministries and projects.
  3. Attempt to use his giving to motivate others to give.
  4. Alertness to valid needs he fears others may overlook.
  5. Enjoyment in meeting needs without pressure of appeals.
  6. Joy when his gift is answer to other's prayer.
  7. Dependency on partner's counsel to confirm the amount of gift.
  8. Concern that his gift be of high quality.
  9. Desire to feel a apart of the work of the person to whom he gives.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS:
  1. Need to deal with large sums of money may appear to focus on temporal values.
  2. Desire to give to a ministry may appear as an attempt to control.
  3. Attempt to encourage others to give may appear as lack of generosity and unnecessary pressure.
  4. Lack of response to pressure appeals may appear to be lack of generosity.
  5. Living personally frugal may appear to others as selfishness in not meeting friend's or relative's need.
EXAMPLES:
  1. Sharing material things - Luke 3:11
  2. Sharing spiritual gifts - Rom 1:11
  3. Sharing one's self - 1 Thes 2:8
  4. Sharing finances from one's own wages - Eph 4:8
  5. Sharing the gospel - 1 Thes 2:8
  6. Abraham is an example of a giver (contributor)
  • By being called the friend of God in James 2:23, it shows there was a giving relationship.
  • God gave him assets - Gen 13:2
  • Dealt generously with others - Gen 13:9-10
  • Would help others when they had a need.
  • Had no trouble tithing - Gen 14:20
  • Wanted God to get the glory for giving.
  • Would sacrifice all (Isaac) if he knew God required it.
  • Wanted his assets to be used for the best result.
  • Concerned about the price of things and knew their value - Gen 23
  • In his servant, he rejoiced when his giving was related to answered prayer.

Rule (Administration / Organization / Government)

DEFINITION:
  1. In the Greek "poistemi" means one  who stands in front of others - a leader.
  2. The RSV translation calls it "one who gives aid" - giving leadership to others.
  3. Facilitator or one who likes to help others develop themselves in their ministries.
  4. In Titus 3:14, it refers to the maintenance or ministries in the Body.
CHARACTERISTICS:
  1. Ability to see the overall picture and clarify long range goals.
  2. Motivation to organize what he is responsible for.
  3. Desire to complete tasks as quickly as possible.
  4. Awareness of resources available to complete a task.
  5. Ability to know what can and cannot be delegated.
  6. Tendency to stand on sidelines until those in charge tell him to take over.
  7. Willingness to endure reactions from workers in order to accomplish the ultimate task.
  8. Tendency to assume responsibility if no structured leadership exists.
  9. Fulfillment in seeing others come together and enjoy completing a task.
  10. Desire to move to a new challenge when a previous task is completed.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS:
  1. The ability to delegate responsibility may appear as laziness.
  2. Willingness to endure reaction may appear as callousness.
  3. Neglect in explaining why tasks must be done may prompt men to think that they are being misused.
  4. Viewing people as resources may appear to be insensitive to the schedules, weariness or priorities of workers.
EXAMPLE:
Nehemiah is the Bible example of an organizer or facilitator.
  1. Special zeal for cause of God's people - Neh 1:4
  2. Sense the overall problems and surveys the needs - Neh 2:12-15
  3. Knew others had to do work - Neh 2:16-18
  4. Had a sense of time - Neh 2:6
  5. Organized human and material resources - Neh 3
  6. He could measure and proceed under opposition - Neh 4 & 6
  7. He was "tough" enough to face disorder from workers - Neh 5:1-3; 5:14-19; 7:3-4
  8. He made things "easy" for others and was not a personal burden - Neh 5:14-19
  9. He knew how to delegate authority and could sense who could best do the job - Neh 7:1-2

Mercy

DEFINITION:
  1. Should be happy to show mercy.
  2. Outward manifestations of pity.
  3. Had to do with helping in times of trouble.
CHARACTERISTICS:
  1. Ability to feel atmosphere of joy or distress individuals or group.
  2. Attraction to and understanding of people in distress.
  3. Desire to remove hurts from other's lives.
  4. Greater concern for mental distress than physical distress.
  5. Avoidance of being firm unless can see how it brings benefits.
  6. Sensitivity to words and actions to can hurt others.
  7. Ability to discern true motives of people.
  8. Enjoys unity with others who are sensitive to people's needs.
  9. Closing of spirit to those insincere or insensitive.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS:
  1. Avoidance of firmness may appear to be weakness.
  2. Sensitivity to spirit and feelings may cause others to believe they are led by emotions and not by reason.
  3. Attraction to those upset may be misinterpreted as attraction to the opposite sex.
  4. Sensitivity to words and actions that cause hurt may be misinterpreted as taking another's offense.
  5. Ability to detect insincere motives may cause this person to be hard to get to know.
EXAMPLE:
Good Samaritan is an example of the mercy gift in the Bible.
  1. Wanted to do something for him.
  2. Spent himself to help - is active.
  3. Insight to know the inn keeper would help him take care of the man.
  4. Stimulates others to have mercy, too.

Motivation Gifts Survey

Please read the each statement in the below table, then mark the numeric valve in the Answer column that best describes your normal response level to the statement. 
Always       5
Often         3
Seldom      1
Never        0
That is, if you "often" would react in the way the statement describes, then you would place a "3" in the Answer column.

At the end of the survey, you will be instructed what to do with these values.
Statement
Number
Statement
Answer
1
 I am more comfortable demonstrating love in deeds than in words.
2
 I am drawn to help people in times of trouble.
3
 I have a great desire to see the Word become flesh in others.
4
 I am alert to valid needs that I fear others will overlook.

5
 I have a strong desire to see others repent.  

6
 I have experienced great pleasure in carrying out the details of a long range assignment. 

7
 The idea of studying just for the sake of doing it is very appealing to me. 

8
 I become concerned when others seem not to want to help do practical work in a concrete way.
9
 I am often able to discern the true motives of people.
10
 I encourage others to "go through" so that Christ can be fully formed in them.
11
 I have real joy when my gift is an answer to prayer for a person. 

12
 I am able to use frank, direct, persuasive talk in dealing with people.

13
 I have an awareness of the resources which are available to complete a task.  

14
 I believe a person should put great emphasis on the accuracy of words.

15
 I am disturbed when my work is not sincerely appreciated and can spot insincerity.

16
 I avoid being firm unless I can see how it brings benefits.  

17
 I am grieved when teaching is high and lofty without practical application.

18
 I like to encourage others to give by my generous gifts.

19
 I can experience tears in order to bring others to repentance.  

20
 I am strongly motivated to organize whatever I am responsible for.   
21
 I find teaching which is in a systematic manner appeals to me.

22
 I find myself often involved in a lot of activities because saying no is hard for me.
23
 I am very sensitive to the words and actions of others who might cause injury.

24
 I like to give step by step directions to those whom I minister to.  

25
 I am very concerned that my gift be of high quality at all times. 

26
 I have a dependency on scriptural truth to validate authority. 

27
 I have the ability to know what can and cannot be delegated.  

28
 I have a greater joy in researching than in presenting lesson.   
29
 Whenever here is a job to do, I will do it and even volunteer to do extra work to see it completed. 

30
 I enjoy unity with others who are sensitive to people's needs.   
31
 I have a dependency upon individual acceptance when speaking to people.

32
 I desire to give without anybody knowing when I give to valid ministries and projects.
33
 I am able to make people fall to their knees in repentance and humility. 

34
 I like to help others develop themselves in their ministries.  

35
 I delight in research in order to validate truth.   
36
 I sometimes get sidetracked with the needs of others rather than following the pastor's directions.
37
 I have a greater concern for mental distress than physical distress. 

38
 I am sometimes accused of being more interested in the process or steps of action than in the person's feelings. 

39
 I enjoy meeting needs without pressure or appeals, especially physical needs.   
40
 I have had my intimate relationships hampered because of my public boldness in proclaiming what I think is truth.

41
 I will tend to assume responsibility for leadership if no designated leader is present.  

42
 I avoid using non-scriptural sources to illustrate my points.   
43
 Serving the needs of others is more important to me than having my needs met.

44
 I always feel compassion inside of myself when there is a need.

45
 I find myself wanting to be a strengthener or comforter to others when they are in need.

46
 The giving of myself to others is one of the exciting experiences of my life.
47
 I often have an "insight" or intuitive sense about people and situations as they really are before God.
48
 Delegates those things which are able to be delegated and does only that which is necessary.
49
 I have a need or desire to tie the Old Testament and the New Testament together in teaching.
50
 I remember the likes and dislikes of those whom I serve.  

51
 Finding help for persons who are in crisis situations is something I like doing. 

52
 Using relational skills in counseling has been an important part of my Christian experience.  

53
 Giving material possessions to others is something I enjoy doing.   
54
 The ability to see the results of something and communicate it is revelant to my life.

55
 Determining priorities and organizing resources to meet them is something I enjoy doing.
56
 I enjoy planning and preparing to lead others in a learning experience.  

57
 I enjoy helping sick people on a continuous basis.

58
 I enjoy looking for persons with needs and finding ways to help. 

59
 I frequently find myself counseling with people and trying to get them to do what the Word says.

60
 I like to share whatever resources I have and find joy in identifying whit those who are doing a work I support.  

61
 I find pleasure in publicly declaring what God is doing in and through His Word.  

62
 I am willing to endure reactions form workers in order to accomplish the ultimate tasks.   
63
 Sometimes I find myself going into too many details for my listeners when I am sharing.

In the table below, for each Statement number enter your Answer value.  That is, if for Statement 1 you answered 3 ("often"), then to the space to the right of Statement 1 below, enter 3. 

S
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R
1
2
3
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5
6
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8
9
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12
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14
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18
19
20
21
22
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49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63

Next total each column of Answer Values:















Each column represents a specific motivation gift, as indicated below.
Serve     
Mercy   
Exhort   
Give      
Prophesy
 Rule      
Teach  

You can rank your tendency to be motivated by each gift by ranking the gifts 1 thru 7, starting with the highest total being ranked 1, then the next highest being ranked 2... down to the lowest being ranked 7.







(Note: You can also divide the total of each gift by 9 (representing the nine statements in the column) to get a 5, 3, 1, 0 ranking in comparison to the answer numbers (that is, 3 is "often").)

One motivation gift should rank higher that than the rest.  This is your primary motivation gift.  You should evaluate your desire of what you want to do in the church in light of this.  It should help you explain "why" you desire to do something.  Also, understanding your primary motivation gift can help you and your pastor direct you to a type of HELPS work that would be satisfying to you. 

It is possible:

Other links with motivational gift surveys:
Other interesting surveys:
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