Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you…
—1 Peter 4:11a NLT


You might have a speaking gift if you were born talking and you haven’t shut up yet. Consider my hand raised!

Speaking gifts are more than “the gift of gab,” which all good extroverts, hospitality divas/divos, preachers, and toddlers have. (Watch those toddlers as they grow! They’ll show us how it’s done.)

As a spiritual gift, “speaking” is not really a gift in and of itself. Instead, speaking is considered more of a description of a type of gift (where the other type of gift would be serving). Some “gifts of speech” from the Bible include:

  • Romans 12
  • prophecy
  • teaching
  • encouraging
  • speaking in tongues
  • interpretation of tongues
  • 1 Corinthians 12
  • Word of wisdom
  • Word of knowledge
  • prophecy
  • speaking in tongues
  • interpretation of tongues
  • Ephesians 4
  • prophet
  • evangelist
  • teacher*
  • speaking in tongues
  • interpretation of tongues

*or pastor/teacher, as some interpretations offer

No matter what speaking gifts you have (or don’t have), there is POWER in our words.  

“People die because of something said.”

A powerful article on the power of words by Jon Bloom of Desiring God says that the power of the tongue or speech includes not only what we say with words, but the words we write and type and messages we communicate through painting, drawing, and signing. As speakers, with a gift or not, we must be mindful of how our words influence those around us, for better and for worse.

“Our words have impact on death, but words also bring life.”  Bloom has a great point here!  

  • Teaching something they didn’t know already can make the difference in their life.
  • Prophesying by speaking God’s word over someone might inspire them to move forward rather than pulling away from where God is calling them.
  • Sharing the gospel through evangelism can change the course of someone’s eternity.
  • Words of wisdom and knowledge can pull back a veil of confusion in a person’s life and let in the light and power of God in a mighty way.

In my book, The G.O.D.A.S.S.E.T.S., I pose some coaching questions at the end of each chapter. There are a few good questions from Chapter 10 on Spiritual Gifts to consider if you think your primary gift may be a speaking gift.

  • Do you know what your [speaking] gift is [if you have one]?
  • Are you using your [speaking gift] regularly?  How?
  • Are you using your [speaking gift] effectively?  How do you know?
  • What is one step you can take today to begin learning more about your speaking gift?

Speak up! Let me know how God is revealing more of your gifts to you.  Send me a Tweet, share your thoughts on our Facebook Page, or message me.