Personality's Role in Influencing our Spiritual Health

Intro: “Whatever is right, whatever is pure…think about such things”

This chapter predominantly uses secular approaches in addressing matters related to our inner makeup. However the secular principles shared are so crucial in helping each of us understand ourselves and our place in this life.

These principles are from the secular academic field of psychology. There is nothing wrong or sinful about the secular academic world in its non-infiltrated context. It's matters that contradict or undermine the bible that are no, no for us.

If disciplines from the secular academic world were evil then all of us Christians need to go back to the Stone Age type of living. No school, no reading, no technology and tools invented by the secular academic world.

The only thing worth returning to in the Stone Age era is our diet and eating habits. Their diet consisted of whole natural foods, free from genetic modifications, commercial production chemicals, unhealthy preservatives, you name it.

It disturbs me to see fellow believers criticize anything that does not have a bible verse to it. To them anything worth teaching must have a bible verse with it. With such a narrow minded approach they end up depriving believers from a lot of beneficial and useful principles that do not contain bible verses. The principles may be beneficial to the body of Christ spiritually, socially, materially, or physically.

The first benchmark for allowing matters that the bible does not specifically cover is on whether or not the matters contradict or undermine the bible. If they don't contradict or undermine the bible they pass the first test.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things,” Philippians 4:8.

The second benchmark for allowing matters that the bible does not specifically cover is on their level of reward or benefit they bring to our Christian lives –spiritually, socially, materially, and physically. If they are very beneficial they pass the second test.

“Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive,” 1 Corinthians 10:23.

In relation to healing the wounded spirit and maintaining spiritual health some principles from the field of psychology pass the two tests. It is such that I'll be focusing on in this chapter. First it's worth looking at our unique makeup from a biblical perspective.

Understanding our unique makeup from a biblical perspective

Before we were born God already had a purpose for each of us. He predestined each of us to come on this earth.Scripture says we have been “predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11).

So he made us in a particular way to suit the purpose he had for each of us. The parents we were born to was his design, our sex, physical and personality attributes, and so on, are not an accident.

Each one of us is therefore in God's design.Inside that design God has all the details about his plans for us - the right career (ministry), workmates, the right spouse (or singleness), friends, areas of residence per period, number of children and so on. He works out his agenda in his unseen ways.

He does it to even a greater extent for us Christians since we're specifically his children. A wise parent is committed to nurturing his children in the best possible way. God as our heavenly father has the best plans for us his children.

Sometimes we can be anxious or restless about what's ahead of us. This happens when our focus turns away from him and we start focusing on ourselves as determinants of our destiny. The best way to determine our destiny is to entrust our lives into his hands and continue doing our best in areas that we're responsible for. He's responsible for more than our share.

God says to every one of us, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, and plans to give you hope and a future,” (Jeremiah 29:11).

There's therefore, only one reason for every individual's existence – to fulfill God's plan for his life.Outside that, life is meaningless, a mere struggle and wilderness of trials and temptations. No amount of fame, social status, money and power can bring a sense of fulfillment outside God's plans.

In that design God gives us certain abilities or talents.Each one of us is therefore gifted in one area or another whether we know it or not.There's something we find easy to excel in.We also enjoy committing ourselves in that area.We can even volunteer to assist without any reward or work for endless hours without any stress.

Our uniqueness using secular principles: The Four Temperament Theory

Florence Littauer is gifted in this area of helping people to understand their inborn and learnt personality attributes. She has written extensively on this subject. Her most popular book is, Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself .

She uses the four temperament personality theory. It is an ancient personality analysis that categorizes people into four types. Some Christian authors like Tim Lahaye have claimed to trace the theory from the Bible in the book of Proverbs. However, this only served to put Lahaye in a lot of criticism from many in the body of Christ.

Tim Lahaye was actually the earliest Christian advocate to resurrect the ancient four temperament personality theory. His book, Why You Act the Way You Do , became a popular reference in Christian counseling circles. I've read it and find it very informative. It's fun to read too.

It is only where the bible is used as backing the theory that there is a problem. It's fitting to categorize bible personalities into personality types. This is not unscriptural. Where it's not fitting is to claim that the theory is from the bible. However this is not a major error compared to many false teachings circulating in the body of Christ. Lahaye received too much criticism on a matter that was blown out of proportion.

The four temperament personality theory is part of personality theories in the secular academic field of psychology. It is among the many personality theories in the field of psychology. It is in the category of “Personality Type” theories of personality. The following is a list of the categories of personality the major theories in the field of psychology:

Personality Type theories
Personality Trait theories,
Behavioral Personality theories
Cognitive Personality theories
Psychoanalytic Personality theories
Humanistic Personality theories
Biopsychological Personality theories

Personality Type theories classify people into different types of behavioral characteristics. For example the four temperament personality theory classifies people into four different personality types.

Another among the Personality Type theories is one that puts people into two types. It is called like the Introversion and Extraversion theory. Other Personality Type theories like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) have more complex classifications and measures.

Advantages of the four temperament personality theory

The four temperament personality theory has many advantages.

It helps in understanding oneself. Understanding yourself is one of the most liberating experiences in your life. It brings an awareness about your individuality which helps you appreciate yourself. Instead of wishing to be like someone else who may have a personality you admire you realize you actually have admirable personality traits as well.

You realize that you're a set of admirable strengths while also having unpleasant weaknesses. You realize that it's the same for everyone else out there. There are no perfects. The only perfection is to strive to maximize the expression of your strengths while striving to minimize the expression your weaknesses.

As a Christian this is important. Knowing your strengths helps you to cooperate with God in effectively using the natural gifts he has entrusted you with. Knowing your weaknesses helps you to cooperate with God in effectively preventing your weaknesses from hindering you.

It helps in interpersonal relationships and behavior. The principles in the theory help to relate with others in personal, verbal, and emotional circumstances. It is a communication facilitator. By understanding the different makeup of people you're able to relate with others in a better way.

For example, if some are detailed oriented and you're not you'll be able to relate with them at their level or at least in a negotiating way than by being irritated by their “strange” detail needs.

This type of accommodation and understanding of others is helpful in intimate relationships and in other social relationships, like in work or school settings. It also helps in conflict resolution skills.

It helps in guiding career choices. Though not the only guide a personality self appraisal helps in pointing to some career preferences related to one's personality.

As Christians the Holy Spirit is our primary guide. It is not strange to find the Holy Spirit guiding a person in a career area related to one's personality.

For us Christians any career is a ministry. It is a profession through which God is able to use us in being vessels to show his nature through us. His nature through us in our various forms of ministry is expressed through our conduct, our diligence, our concern for others, and where there is an opportunity our witnessing to others.

In addition, it is through our primary areas of ministry (work) that our financial earnings come from. The way we use our financial earnings for the various needs, whether for personal or corporate interests, determines where our hearts are –to the interests of God and fellow humanity or to our own interests.

It helps in understanding oneself in dealing with your emotions. Emotional health is guided by understanding. Although emotions are separate from reason or the mind, they are guided by the mind.

Try screaming in a public square if you drop your cell phone. Your mind says it's not appropriate. When you drop it at home you may even yell at the phone – at least some personalities have this tendency.

Having an understanding of your unique self therefore helps in dealing with your emotions. Your mind takes an active role in controlling the various emotions going inside you. Your mind takes an active role by you purposely deciding or working on your emotions to go toward a desired direction. This is better than yielding to the sometimes irrational whims of emotions.

Understanding your unique self therefore helps in exercising your emotional strengths while minimizing your emotional weaknesses. It gives you a sense of direction rather than mere guesswork. More understanding of yourself helps you gain what some call emotional judgment, emotional intelligence, and emotional health.

Disadvantages of the four temperament personality theory

Its biggest disadvantage is that it's limited. This is what gives fuel to a lot of its critics. However most academic inquiry is limited. The field of medicine is both art and science (and big money business in our time). Should its limitation be the basis to abandon it? No.
It is very stereotypical. The theory places people into boxes of personality types. In real life we're all very unique in our combination of personality traits and behavior. The only consolation is that the theory states that we're all a unique combination of various levels from any of the four types. It is the support for the unique combination of traits each of us has that makes the theory more acceptable.

Next Part The four temperament personality theory

Back To Breaking Spiritual Strongholds