WHAT SPIRIT DO YOU HAVE?
What causes a person’s personality? Is it genetics, upbringing or practice? Perhaps a little bit of each of these. However, the Bible indicates that there is another important determinant of personality and that is the spirit that resides within us. God is spirit and there is also a key spiritual element that comprises a human. This spirit can be influenced by beings in the spiritual realm, which in turn determines the spirit controlling a human personality. Consequently, as Paul points out, different personalities can be manifest in us.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
The spirit of timidity makes a person shrink back in response to fear of things and of people. This nature is perhaps the most prevalent and is also true of those who claim to be without fear. Fear comes into play when there is uncertainty and the greatest uncertainty is that of death. Nobody wants to go through adversity and death and so fear can paralyze a person for much of his life. Ultimately, fear and timidity can be overcome only by a triumph over death, which Christ alone accomplished for man by his vicarious death on the cross. When death has been overcome, what is there to fear? The righteous (those made righteous by the faith in the living God) are as bold as a lion and timidity does not mark their ways. Much like a David rushing forward to meet the 9-feet tall Goliath in battle, those who believe in Christ can march forward in the face of adversity to triumph through life.
Not only is timidity removed, but in its place are seen the spirit of power, love and self-discipline. Power is the ability to have authority to control events in this life. This power is often understood in terms of hierarchy, position and money, but true power is that which is wielded in the spiritual realm, flowing from a live connection with the living God. Love is the very nature of God and coexists with power because in a connection with God, love becomes evident. Love is real only when it is characterized by sacrifice and a willingness to lose that which is worldly for the one you love. Self-discipline is the ability to overcome the temptations of the sinful nature from within and the sinful patterns the world throws at us all the time and succeed in carving out a distinct pattern for our lives.
Is it possible to change our natures? Yes, and lasting change comes when the spirit within us changes. This change begins at our core when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The indwelling spirit of God then works from within to change us as we persist in the relationship with Christ and take efforts to grow in Him through studying the word of God, obedience and fellowship. And no change is as dramatic as the one seen in the life of a person who has decided to follow Christ and honor him.
