Personality plays a very important role in our approach to life, and most importantly, it is very important to our approach towards prayer. Personality is defined as a set of behaviors, emotional patterns, and characteristics that are formed from both biological and environmental factors. These are relatively distinct to each of us, and some believe our personalities are the drivers behind how we think, behave, and feel. Although we’d be hard pressed to find the same definition of personality from anyone, it is very safe to say that personality is the way we define ourselves. It’s what makes us all unique, and as we grow in self-awareness about what makes us unique, we gain an understanding that could open many doors in life.
In our modern world, many in society believe that success, leadership, popularity, and wealth are the way to go, and we think that all these are based on personality types. These are the go-getters in life, and many of us are brought up to believe that we must transform ourselves into a version of them in order to achieve success. We adapt. We change an aspect of our personality to accomplish what we desire out of life. In terms of our relationship with God and our eternal existence, it is extremely important that we do the same thing in our spiritual lives.
God instructs us in Romans 12:2(NLT), “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” This verse confirms that our old way of thinking is incorrect. It confirms that what we think is unique and what the world thinks is unique is completely different from what God says is unique. It is evident in the Word of God that people are programmed to the behaviors and customs of this world, and some of this must be confronted, released, and replaced with the wisdom and knowledge of God’s Word. We have grossly underestimated the degree to which the world’s patterns and customs have infiltrated our hearts and minds. Worldly programming keeps us from having faith in God, because in many instances, we will believe what the boss, banker, and bureaus tell us more than we believe what God says in His Word. We must get this turned around.
A wonderful change occurs in our lives when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts and begin to live for and live in him. By confessing him as the Lord of our lives and believing that God raised him from the dead, we are saved! Our human spirit is recreated, we become alive to God, and receive His gift of Holy Spirit. This, my friends, is what makes us unique. We are new creations in Christ! We have received God’s holiness through Christ, and we will never be the same again.
So, our human spirit is forever changed, but our minds and hearts are not. Knowing this gives more depth to God’s instruction in Romans 12:2. God gives us the distinct privilege and responsibility to change our minds and hearts so that we partner with the Holy Spirit as he works within us.
2Corinthians 5:17(ESV) tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This is referring to our new spiritual reality in Christ. Never in all of time has there been any creatures like us, God’s children. Through Jesus Christ, He’s given us the gift of eternal life. He wants us to live an eternity with Him, and He also wants us to be the brothers and sisters of Christ that He created us to be.
God didn’t create us to be robots. We’re His kids, and because we are His kids, holiness is our defining characteristic. Holiness is a quality like no other, and it contains the attributes and fruit of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23, 25(NLT) tells us, “22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” This new life we have is a life in the Spirit, whereby we consistently produce his fruit through our everyday actions. God doesn’t force us to do this. It’s a choice. It’s an act of our free-will to align our behaviors, attitudes, and actions to be aligned with God’s Holy Spirit.
We must come to God’s throne with a recognition and gratitude for His transformational power in our lives. When we surrender to Him and remain committed to walk by His Spirit, He changes us through His love. The knowledge of this should change how we pray, and it should fuel our expectations with faith.
When the other characteristics of our personality go against the grain of God’s love, we can and should change them so that we mirror Christ in
all that we do. The motivation, willingness, and commitment to represent Christ and to humble ourselves before him is proof that we have the Christ-like personality of prayer that God requires. Making the changes that align our personality with the unique spiritual personality of Christ will open doors in life. It opens doors to answered prayers, because we are allowing the Lordship of Christ to have dominion over our lives. Although we still have a long way to go, Christ is perfecting us daily, and we must be committed to partner with him through prayer and through the humility required to lay down our wills for the Will of God.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“The Christ-like Personality of Prayer”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.