DAY TWO: YOUR PERSONALITY AS A GIFT GOD WANTS TO USE

Review:

• Knowing what your spiritual gift(s) is(are) will enable you to discover your
  assignment, understand your place in the body of Christ, and focus your energies
  in the days to come.

Psalm 139:13-16

This is a familiar passage. However, most people think of this verse in
reference to their physical make-up. Notice verse 13. It talks about God’s
creating our inmost being. The passage doesn’t mention the physical until verse
15. Every part of you was designed by God, not just your body.

Ephesians 4:1-6

Your personality is one of God’s good gifts to you, and He intends for you
to use it for His purposes just as He intends for you to use your physical
strength and energy or your spiritual gifts. Although we all may have our
own ideas about what makes a personality “good” or “bad,” there are no good or
bad personalities. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and each is useful and
necessary for carrying out God’s purposes. Instead of wishing for a different
personality or scrutinizing the personality traits of others, we should be
focused on overcoming our own inherent weaknesses and maximizing our strengths,
bearing with one another in love. We have to work toward unity because we are so
different from each other.

In the Spiritual Growth Resources section of this CD, there is a Personality Synopsis. You may want to read this document to
see if you can identify your personality traits. This Personality Synopsis is
provided to give you an idea of how unique God makes each person.

Which personality type most fits you? Are you a combination of two or more
personality types? Go back through and list in your journal the strengths and
weaknesses that seem to describe you.

The personalities of the people that we read about in the Bible are as
diverse as we see in the church, today. Consider the following people, taking
time to look them up if necessary. Where do you think that each would fit in the
Personality Synopsis? Which ones do you identify most with?

• Abraham
• Moses
• Deborah
• Hannah
• David
• Solomon
• Job
• John the Baptist
• Mary and Martha
• Paul
• Barnabas
• Peter

While it is important to understand your personality and how God wired you,
it’s counterproductive to overanalyze your findings, use your personality as an
excuse, or to rely on your personality rather than on God. Simply see your
personality as a gift, take encouragement from those with your personality type
in the Bible, and ask God to show you what He had in mind when He created you.

Take a few moments and write your thoughts, concerns, and questions in your
journal. Allow the following thought suggestions to guide you.

What did you discover about yourself today?

Have you ever considered your personality to be a gift? Why or why not?

Were you encouraged or discouraged as you took a closer look at your
personality?

Why? What do you think that God wants you to know about your personality?

From the list above, which biblical person do you most closely resemble? How
does it feel to know that someone like you is in the Bible and that God is still
using their testimony to touch lives thousands of years later?

What is God teaching you?