Challenges to Knowing and Hearing from God Part 5

We are challenged to deal with our individual temperament’s strengths and weaknesses.

Remember that God gave you the temperament He wanted you to have—it ain’t broke, and He ain’t gonna fix it! One of our goals as we learn to move in the gifts is to be able to overcome the interference of our soul and recognize as truth what is going on in the spirit realm.

MIND (what we think/believe)

Over time, the strength or weakness of our mind will interfere less and less with the expression of our spiritual nature. A thinking person is no more able to move in the gifts than a less intellectual believer. In fact, it is often the child-like believer who is willing to let the Lord move without having to understand all that He is doing. God gives us understanding and wisdom despite our temperament, not because of it.

WILL (what we choose to do)

Some of us have no trouble acting swiftly on the direction we hear from God. This needs to be tempered, according to His training. Many families and ministries have been injured because no distinction was made between the desires of the spirit and the desires of the soul. God will often use those who are easiest to satisfy, those who are content, to accomplish great things. God calls us to act despite our temperament, not because of it.

EMOTIONS (what we feel)

The level of our emotions, and their expression to others, depends on our temperament. As with the mind and will, social expectations and personal history also play a role. We all need to learn to relate to God and to others based on God’s ways, not how we feel about Him or the person being ministered to, or doing the ministering. God motivates us with compassion and desire despite our temperament, not because of it.