The first motivational gift in Romans 12 is the gift of perceiving. The Greek word for this
gift is "propheteia". In scripture, we can see specific traits and behaviors of the
gift of perceiving. They are: 1) the ability to interpret scripture, 2) to reveal information
to others, and 3) an ability to speak the mind of God.
Perceivers have a keen sense of right and wrong. This is a form of discernment that we have
seen in Christians and non-Christians alike. It is because of this sense of right and wrong
that perceivers hold very high standards. They tend to be perfectionists because of their high
standards and often become their own worst critics. In some cases, perceivers do not realize
their gift and they can become very critical of other people or situations, which emerges as a
pessimistic attitude.
The primary function of this gift is to reveal information the perceiver has discerned in a
way that will help others. This information is not always positive and well received. As a
result, perceivers sometimes appear direct, blunt, or inconsiderate of the feelings of others
particularly when sharing this information with people possessing different motivational gifts.
This is a classic case of the gift being misunderstood because their real intention is to help
people.
In contrast, at times the primary function of the gift is not to reveal the information the
perceiver has discerned – in these cases, God has allowed the perceiver to discern such things
so they can pray about them. Often when people do not understand the purpose of this gift, they
can feel (and become) judgmental instead of prayerful. Make no mistake about it, this information
is purposefully shown to the perceiver for a reason!