Decode God’s Call Through Your Spiritual DNA
- Jul 30
- 7 min read
My entire life, I have searched for God’s calling for my life. I often asked him, “What is my life mission?” After he revealed it to me piece by piece, he eventually exposed that I had two types of DNA – My physical DNA and my spiritual DNA. Through the steps below, it’s easy to decode God’s call through your spiritual DNA.
I cannot say that God will be specific about exactly what he is calling you to do, but through this process, you can pinpoint your strengths, personality type, spiritual gifts, your passions, and your testimony, just like I did. Once I had the information, God only then verified what he had already shown me years before. I was thrilled to have verification of His DNA in my life.
To discover my life mission, or calling, I put the effort into each step with honesty, sincerity, time, and money. Just like uncovering your physical DNA, tests to determine your spiritual DNA require some time and money. But, are you serious about discovering your life mission by using your very own spiritual DNA? If so, you must put time and money into each step with honesty and sincerity.
How much money, you ask? Good question. Not much. Some of the websites you will visit and tests you will take require a few dollars to get the complete answers you need to work toward the outcome: knowing how God built you for His Kingdom work here on earth. It’s a fantastic discovery of God’s hand in your life – deep into the tissues of your spiritual DNA
Strengths
Starting with your strengths is such an encouragement. It’s almost like having someone stand in front of you telling you all the good things they see in you, only it goes much deeper than that. Discovering your strengths using the Gallup StrengthsFinder Test helps you to recognize how your personality shines through your strengths. Once you hit the “Buy Now” button, you’ll have the opportunity to choose which outcome you want to receive. Honestly, the cheapest one will give you the results you desire. But, you can go all-out and get the full report if you wish.
I discovered that my strengths are communication, connectedness, woo, input, and strategic. What this combination means for me is that I love to communicate, especially using stories (hence my story-filled blogs), and that I win others over (woo) easily by using important input. I use strategy in groups to get work accomplished well. What great strengths, right? Well, for me, I can see each of these strengths in essential aspects of my life. Completing this test instantly encouraged me about how God created me.
Start with strengths – you’ll begin the discovery of your spiritual DNA on the right foot.
Personality
Another exciting aspect of discovering your spiritual DNA is finding your personality type according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment. If you’ve never understood why you act the way you do, this analysis helps to break down certain aspects of your personality. You’ll see yourself in each of the four parts explained after you’ve completed the assessment. The MBTI is a psychological test used in the secular world to help psychiatrists treat patients; however, in my search for the MBTI in 2016, I uncovered the types used to reveal godly personalities. So, once you’ve completed the MBTI assessment, visit the Godly Personalities – Spiritual Type Summaries page for the spiritual aspect of your personality.
I discovered that my personality type has changed in the past 20 years. I was shocked to learn it went from an ENTJ to an ENFP! Now, if you’ve never heard of those types, let alone the entire MBTI assessment, you’ll be confused. But, once you take the free test yourself, you can read all about my personality and, possibly, understand me better too. But, most of all, you’ll understand yourself better and how God created your personality and strengths to bring Him the glory He deserves.
Spiritual Gifts
The third aspect of your spiritual DNA is your spiritual gifts. This phase was my favorite test to invest my time and energy in. Discovering your spiritual gifts is like opening a whole new world to your walk with the One who gave you the gifts. Once you can physically see how God knitted you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:19) through the value He placed on the gifts He knew you would use, together with your strengths and personality type, you begin to gain a new confidence built on the foundation of God.
There are a million spiritual gifts tests out there. It’s hard to know which ones to trust. So, because of my personality type (ha ha), I decided to take four tests. Yes, four. Once I completed the tests, I wrote down the top 5 gifts from each test. Then from there, I took the top 4 gifts out of those tests and claimed them as my spiritual gifts. My gifts from God, in order from strongest to weakest, are exhortation, faith, giving, and shepherding.
I’m adding the links to the online tests that I took. You can also find here (LINK) a hard copy test which you will need to print off and do by hand (does anybody do that anymore?)
Online:
Once you’ve completed however many you choose, you will find definitions at the end of each survey to help you understand what your gift means, along with ways to use it. You can also search the internet for more information on your specific gifts.
*It’s important to note, again, that you must use honesty and sincerity when taking any of these tests, inventories, or assessments. Because, seriously, what’s the point if you’re not honest? You won’t get an honest, complete evaluation, and this whole process will be a bit of a waste of your time, energy, and money.
~ Spiritual Gifts Mix
Your unique spiritual gifts are not gifts to you, but gifts through you. In the Bible, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 (and a few other passages) list some spiritual gifts. One way to organize them is to understand the ways God uses them.
Each set of gifts, used together, creates a unique combination in three (or more) ways. Your set of gifts will generally fall into one of these three mixes.
Motivational Gifts Mix:
God gifts you with internal motivators for the tasks He wishes you to do. When asked “Why do you serve?” and you answer, “Because I am compelled (motivated, driven, captivated, fascinated, induced),” you are likely exercising a motivational gift. Motivational gifts yield transformation in others. They include teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, showing mercy, administering, or declaring (prophesying).
Situational gifts Mix:
God gifts His people in specific situations to address particular needs: healing, special insight (discernment), or miracles, for instance.
Equipping Gifts Mix:
God gifts certain people to equip others. These gifts – such as evangelism, pastoring, or teaching – are often expressed in spiritual leaders as they work with people to mature, become productive, and take on works of service.
Passions
Now that you’ve taken all these tests, assessments, surveys, and inventories, you can begin to focus on what makes you tick. All you need is a pen and a piece of paper for this next section, and some internal self-examination.
When I use the word passion, I’m talking about two types of things in your life that drive you. One is your spiritual fervor. Romans 12:11 gives a more accurate description of spiritual passion. It says, “Keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (NIV). Fervor is your zeal, your excitement, places where you feel enthusiasm when serving God. Start your list by writing down those areas of ministry where you have felt passion in serving, or where you’d like to serve. What is making your heart race, or pump harder, when you think of serving God in those areas? Write it down!
My spiritual passions are teaching the Bible – doing it in a practical way for personal application – helping Christians turn back to God, praying, spiritual formation, evangelizing, and singing. When I even think about my spiritual passions, my heart starts pumping harder. I can feel the passion begin to bubble like an active volcano about to erupt. That’s what I’m talking about here.
The second type of thing in your life that drives you is your passions. This passion does not mean lustful or sinful passion, but, again, those areas in your life where your heart gets excited. It may sound funny to you, but my passions are doing office work and paperwork, managing the finances, and cooking a large meal to feed my family. What makes you tick outside of the spiritual zeal? Write it down! Nothing is too silly, or too simple.
Your Story
Finally, the last part of discovering your life mission by using your spiritual DNA is your story. Your story is God’s story. He wrote it. He redeemed it. He wants to use it. If you’ve never written your testimony, it may seem like an arduous process. But, by following this simple outline “How to Write Your Testimony”, you can, and should write down how you were a sinner, lost without hope, and then tell how God found you, picked you up, and called you His child. It’s your story. It’s His story. Use it for His glory.
Conclusion
~ Putting it All Together
The process of discovering your life mission by using your spiritual DNA may seem overwhelming. Yet along the way, God speaks to reveal the unique person He has created in you from the beginning of time. As you pull together data from all four elements, you’ll uncover answers to these questions:
How will you serve? Understanding the combination of your strengths and personality reveals the way you will undertake God’s work through you.
Why should you serve? Discovering your spiritual gifts deepens your understanding of why God has endowed you with specific supernatural abilities that build the Kingdom in others. Your spiritual gifts are the “why” to understanding how to serve others.
Where will you serve? Your passions put in context where you can minister most powerfully. Those places where you feel passionately should be your focal point.
Who will you serve? Highs and lows in your testimony point to people you will serve. Combined with your passions, you may easily see a particular group where God will use your story.
So, what is your life mission? Have you followed this process to discover it using your spiritual DNA? Knowing your spiritual DNA assists you in determining God’s call on your life, although it may not pinpoint the exact work of your call. I’ve known for several years my calling as an evangelist, but it wasn’t until recently that God revealed, through prayer and Bible study, how that was going to take place. Even now, I don’t have all the pieces. God will reveal them to me in His time.
Continue in prayer, faithfully waiting on His timing to give you the rest of His story in your life.
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