Gifts of the Spirit

Grace, meaning the Enabling Power of the Atonement, is the power by which we can overcome weakness, magnify our own abilities, gain strength and bless the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters. One of the ways Christ's Grace can bless our lives is through the Gifts of the Spirit. Simply put, the Gifts of the Spirit are attributes of God, given to man to help perfect him and assist in the work of salvation of souls. Every worthy person who has received the Gift of the Holy Ghost has received some gift of the Spirit, though sometimes it is hard to recognize them in ourselves. A good exercise is to pray to know what gifts you have.

Moroni taught us that we can and should also seek and pray for additional gifts for the purpose of being perfected through Christ (Moroni 7:48, 10:30,33). Since they are truly attributes of God and Christ, as we receive them we are literally changed through Christ and perfected in Him (Moroni 10:30-33).

​President George Q. Cannon exhorted the saints: “If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that would make us perfect. If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. So with all the gifts of the Gospel, they are intended for this purpose.” (in Ashton, Measure of our Hearts, 24-25) This is what the Lord meant when, in Ether 12:26-27, he tells us he can make weak things become strong through His Grace.

I have compiled a list of many different gifts found in the scriptures and words of living prophets. Elder McConkie said there are innumerable gifts, so this list is just a small sampling. A good exercise might be to study this list prayerfully, and seek what gifts you now have, and which ones you need to help overcome one of your weaknesses. Then as Moroni puts it, pray with all the energy of your soul that you will be given that gift (Moroni 7:48). I testify that your sincere, righteous desires will be answered. In many ways God is more willing to bless us than we are to be blessed.

1. Wisdom
2. Knowledge
3. Diversity of Operations (know good from evil)
4. Administration
5. Discernment
6. Tongues
7. Interpretation of tongues
8.  Miracles
9. Faith to Heal
10. Faith To be healed
11. Prophecy
12. To know Jesus is the Christ
13. To believe on other's testimony
14. Empathy
15. tolerance
    
16. patience
    
17. vision
    
18. ability to recognize how the spirit works through you
    
19. faith
    
20. hope
    
21. problem solving (or counseling)
22. wisdom
23. to comfort
24. to be comforted
25. a forgiving heart
26. peacemaker
27. humility
28. a selfless heart
29. charity
30. compassion
31. an understanding heart
32. the gift of listening
33. seeing others' true worth
34. speaking
35. writing
36. translating
37. languages
38. teaching
39. expounding the scriptures
40. bearing testimony
41. service
42. teaching
43. Encouragement (encouraging others to do right)
44. generosity
45. leadership
46. merciful heart
47. cheerful countenance
48. Gift of love
49. Gift to love
50. shunning evil
51. deeply desiring to be involved with good
52. kindness
53. leading by a good example and honor
54. skilled in business
55. hard worker
56. spirituality
57. enjoying church and service in it
58. hope and confidence which comes from living the gospel
59. being in constant communication with God
60. sharing
61. being hospitable (welcoming)
62. Pure motives (intentions
    

He is Merciful unto our Weakness

Weakness. Sin. Habit. Laziness. We've all got them. We try to hide them. When really, we need to bring them to Jesus.
Jesus Christ understands our weakness. He's felt them, suffered through them, suffered for them, and overcome them. Only He can succor and strengthen us (D&C62:1) with His Grace, so that our weaknesses become strengths.
Some of our weaknesses were given to us by Him (Ether 12:27). Others come from our choices and lifestyle. If we are brought to an awareness of our weaknesses, then instead of giving up because of the perceived distance we must still go, we should rejoice, knowing that Christ is showing us our weaknesses to help us change (Jacob 4:7, Ether 12:27, D&C 66:3)
All we need do is to come to Him in humility (Ether 12:27), with broken heart and contrite spirit. We have to recognize that we can't do it alone, and plead for His grace to sustain and empower us and Change us.
And through His promise of His Grace, we can stand strong and fear not (D&C 38:14-15), knowing that we can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us. (Philippians 4:13)
We are told that through the grace of Christ, our weak things may become strengths (Ether 12:27). And that we are blessed with the power of God as we recognize our strengths and humble ourselves. So what can these weaknesses become? What strengths can result from humbling yourself and turning your weaknesses over to the Savior? What gifts of the Spirit might aid you in change?

President George Q. Cannon exhorted the saints: “If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that would make us perfect. If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. So with all the gifts of the Gospel, they are intended for this purpose.” (in Ashton, Measure of our Hearts, 24-25)

Examples of those with weaknesses:
•(2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Paul prays for a thorn to be removed three times, saying Satan gave him the thorn. But Christ teaches him that through his weakness the power of Christ can be manifest and rest upon him.
•Moses was slow of speech
•Enoch was slow of speech
•Joseph Smith was an unlearned man:

Like all people, Joseph Smith faced the challenges of mortality. Because of his weaknesses, he questioned his personal worthiness before the Lord. Other prophets expressed similar concerns about their personal worthiness and their weaknesses (for example, see 2 Nephi 4:17–19; Moses 6:31). Elder Neal A. Maxwell, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained: “Just as God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance (D&C 1:31), as we become more like Him, neither can we. The best people have a heightened awareness of what little of the worst is still in them!” (Notwithstanding My Weakness, 16–17). (The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual, Joseph Smith–History)
“Perhaps there are some who have reconciled themselves to a speckled life, who have found it easier to accept a spiritual status quo than exert the required effort to make the whole of their lives bright. No doubt there are some who believe they possess irrevocable weaknesses and shortcomings—spiritual defects that are incurable, tempers that are insurmountable, ill feelings that are irrepressible, or a lack of faith that is unconquerable. Many such good souls may have plateaued out spiritually. “It is my nature,” they say. But cannot God, creator of all, fashion, shape, add to, modify and help overcome any weakness of any faithful, humble person?” (Elder Callister, Infinite Atonement, 272
I guess the bottom line is, we all have weaknesses and faults. But we should rejoice in them, for through humbling ourselves and turning to Christ, we can transform our lives till we become like He is, so that when He appears we shall be like Him (Moroni 7:48).