Marks of the Spiritual Christian

Marks of the Spiritual Man: Gasping for the Glory of God (A.W. Tozer)

True spirituality manifests itself in certain dominant desires. These are ever-present, deep-settled wants sufficiently powerful to motivate and control the life. For convenience let me number them, though I make no effort to decide the order of their importance.

(A.W. Tozer)

Galatians 5:17: For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. We are sanctified by faith and God is always sanctifying us every minute. 1 Thessalonians 4:3: It is God's will that you should be sanctified.

God does not desire to destroy our wills, but to sanctify them. During the sanctification process, Christians need spiritual training which is forming spiritual fruits that we need to arm themselves spiritually to wrestle against the world, the devil and the flesh. (Jim B)

1. First is the desire to be holy rather than happy. The yearning after happiness found so widely among Christians professing a superior degree of sanctity is sufficient proof that such sanctity is not indeed present. The truly spiritual man knows that God will give abundance of joy after we have become able to receive it without injury to our souls, but he does not demand it at once. John Wesley said of the members of one of the earliest Methodist societies that he doubted that they had been made perfect in love because they came to church to enjoy religion instead of to learn how they could become holy. (A.W. Tozer)

My thoughts and Comments
"Therefore as, we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians 6:10). I have learned that “happiness” is from the flesh (temporal) point of view that I need to learn that I should look from the spiritual point of view. That example taught me that the needs of the world and my ability to minister to those needs. God is not primarily an emotion, but an act of the will that true Christian love is the love of willing, not the love of feeling. He has a purpose in every pain in my life for the purpose for His Glory. I can be sure that in some way He intends it for my profit and His glory (together). Over the years, I have learned to focus on my faith based on obedience to God’s holiness, adding to my faith and fruit of the spirit through grace. To be Spirit-filled, means I am to rely on the Holy Spirit to produce the fruits because I know I can't produce anything without the Holy Spirit. Biblically, the emphasis is not about happiness but about holiness. God is more concerned about holiness in my heart more than about my emotional being (i.e. happiness). God commanded is to be holy (actually blameless) because He is holy (1 Peter1:16 & Lev. 11:44-45). Only God can provide happiness when I have Jesus Christ in my heart and only Jesus Christ can give me true happiness. Happy are those who joyfully endure problems and trials because knowing God is teaching and leading me to where He wants me to go. Enduring trials are part of a Christian's life. (Jim Beaton)

My personality often seeks a system for living in my faith, or conservatism or any authority that has defined rules and principles for living. I have a “passive behavior” which means often I allow other’s rights and needs take precedence over my own but at the same time, when necessary, I will express that the other person and I both have rights and needs equally. I am basically dependable, realistic, and practical. I am very thorough, systematic, hard working, and careful with particulars and rules. Often when I see something that needs done, I will volunteer. I have strong DESIRES but often do not enter into any activities impulsively, but once committed, I will be involved. I make practical judgment and respect for rules. Often I assemble facts to support my views and communicate the facts in an objective way.

My other personality characteristics are (starting from primary to secondary and lower):
1. Introversion (opposite: Extraversion): I am mildly reserved, low-key and often seen “hard to know” person. I do seek one-to-one friendship and small group of friends. I consider myself an “onlooker” which means I observe before I decide. I am known by my family that I enjoy solitude quiet moments. I consider social obligations unimportant and often leave them to others (my wife or others). I would rather related to a few significant others than be in a large group. I draw sharp distinctions between friends and acquaintances. I have very few friends but many acquaintances. I would rather related to a few significant others than be in a large group. I usually prefer in-dept discussion about important issues rather than small talk. I am aware that I have been seen by others as quiet and shy. I find telephone calls to be unwelcome interruptions and don’t like talking over the telephone. I enjoy emails and computer inter-action. When sharing myself with others, I only reveal personal information only AFTER deciding if I am comfortable with those much about me. Someone I can trust. I will discuss my personal thoughts and feelings with those you know well and trust that will respect my individuality and will do the same respect in turn. I learn and retain material better by reading. I can concentrate better on written material than on someone talking and feel more secure writing down my ideas than giving an oral presentation.

2. Sensing (opposite: Intuition): I am very concrete. I am known by others that I am grounded in reality and trust facts more than theories. I often interpret things literally however I have learned to know WHEN to interpret literally. In situations, I am cautious about making inferences. I may have been “seen” by others as “resistant to change” when in fact, I do accept changes. I am realistic by facts and practicality. Often I been known by others as “impatient” listening to ideas if a practical use if not the end result. I prefer “direct”, hands-on situations to guide me in my life. I am the matter of fact person which means I concentrate on what is happening NOW rather than thinking about the meanings and theories. In a way, I am very traditional that I identify strongly with what is familiar, comfortable and reliable.

3. Thinking (opposite: Feeling): I am more into in thoughts than I am into feelings. I tend to make decisions based on logical analysis and reasoning. Often I ask questions to clarify thoughts and ideas. I welcome all kinds of ideas and approaches that I will accept all equality. I prefer group decision because when all is in agreement, things get done better.

4. Decisiveness (opposite: Spontaneity): I always prefer to “Be Prepared” and plan for worst-case scenario with many contingencies in place. I do enjoy sense of adventure of the unexpected as a challenge however; I like to take advantage of chances without failing. I prefer old fashioned amount of routine in my life to feel the predictability without any drama. I prefer routine as my driven source of my daily activity. I will go with the flow when necessary.

The bottom line: I usually follow my thinking preference and readily make decisions based on logical analysis of date I trust. I may recognize the impact of my decisions on people and relationship but often as secondary. I focus on accuracy to achieve a good decision. I am seen as precise, detailed and objective. I have been seen as “inflexible” that I am not. I have a lot to learn.