Psalm 139:1-3
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. [2] Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. [3] Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

We each come into this world with our own set of inherited traits. It has been confirmed that our personalities are caused by the combination of our genes. The Lord, in ways beyond our comprehension, takes genes from each parent, mixes them together, and produces a one-of-a-kind creation called YOU! Even though each individual is unique, there are personality traits that are commonly grouped into four basic types. How many of you are familiar with what those four categories are?

POPULAR (sanguine)
Strengths:
Boisterous, fun-loving, outgoing, optimistic, humorous and fascinating, loves the spotlight, initiates conversations and can instantly become best friends with everyone in a group, enjoys motivating others, draws people to them because they always seem to be having such a good time.
Weaknesses:
Disorganized, can’t remember details or names, exaggerates, not serious about anything, trust others to do the work, too gullible and naïve.

PERFECT (melancholy)
Strengths:
Deep, thoughtful, introspective, serious, perfectionist, analytical, soft-spoken, careful, organized. They require space and silence in which to think before they speak, write, or act. Folks often say, “She is so together!”
Weaknesses:
Easily depressed, spend too much time on preparation, too focused on details, remembers negatives, suspicious of
others.

POWERFUL (choleric)
Strengths:
This group doesn’t think they are right, they know they are! Outspoken and optimistic. Even if everyone in the room opposes their ideas, they will still forge ahead to get their way. Opposition only fortifies their determination. In groups, they become presidents, get the work done, and don’t waste time on foolish talk. They have the ability to take charge of anything instantly and to make quick, correct judgments. Their motto: “Just do it!”
Weaknesses:
Too bossy, domineering, insensitive, impatient, unwilling to delegate or give credit to others.

PEACEFUL (phlegmatic)
Strengths:
Easy going and diplomatic, agreeable, loyal, helpful, reserved but enjoy people, witty, don’t move real fast, avoids stressful situations, requires time to adapt to changes, works well under pressure, steady and stable, likes to create safety, security oriented, seek peace and quiet – often act as negotiators instead of fighters. “Such a nice person.”
Weaknesses:
Lack of discipline, motivation, decisiveness, enthusiasm, and energy. Not goal oriented. In absence of a strong leader, they procrastinate. Contain a hidden will of iron…

Don't worry, ladies, I'm not slipping into the world's psychology; I'm simply leading up to what I want to show you today... Though it is fun to read these descriptions of the common behavior of people, we must be careful of making self-discovery an end in itself! No doubt, as did I, you determined which category you would most likely fall into as you read the brief descriptions I included above. However, I want today's study to take a different twist than most do in light of this subject... As you reflect upon the strengths of your own personality, let me ask you these questions:

WHAT ROLE DO YOUR STRENGTHS PLAY IN YOUR SERVICE TO THE LORD?

HOW MUCH OF WHAT YOU DO FOR GOD IS BASED UPON THE STRENGTHS OF YOUR PERSONALITY?

IF YOU HAVE NOT YIELDED YOUR WEAKNESSES TO THE LORD, THEN YOUR STRENGTHS ARE YOUR GOD!

You see ladies, rather than investing time in the discovery of ourselves, it is more profitable for us to put all our efforts into discovering the strength of the Lord and apply it to our own personalities through our weaknesses.

Psalm 8:1&2, “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. [2] Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.”

Here youthful David is praising the Lord for the great victory that God gave him and marveling over what had just taken place in his life as he fought and killed a giant. When is the last time you had opportunity to do the same thing?? David was but a babe and a suckling compared to Goliath, yet God used the babe to silence the enemy! David took on a task he knew he was not equipped for and experienced the strength of the Lord.

1 Samuel 17:45, “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.”
Are you in the habit of approaching people in the power of your name, or in the power of God's name? We have in this story a perfect example of how the power of God brings to pass great things in His church, by very weak and unlikely instruments, that the excellency of the power might clearly appear to be of God, and not of man! God does things this way because of His enemies, that He may put them to silence. Notice also that David himself was stilled - not just the enemy but also the avenger is greatly affected. Whenever a God ordains strength through our lives, both parties should be left standing in quiet awe of the Lord! What “ministry giants” have you dared take on? Forget your own strengths - you will only overcome them through the power of God, for the Lord recruits babes and sucklings to do a work for Him. Knowing this truth should make a big difference in your life as a Christian!!

1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; [28] And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: [29] That no flesh should glory in his presence.”

GOD’S INSTRUMENT CASE
1. Foolish
2. Weak
3. Base
4. Things which are not – qualities you don’t have! (weaknesses)

Purpose: to bring to nought things that are – qualities you do have! (strengths)

This marvelous formula for ministry balances us in the Lord, to the end that no flesh should glory in God's presence! Christians today are far too obsessed and impressed with themselves and have elevated flesh to a position of admiration, thereby diverting our attentions from the attributes of God.

Luke 9:2-3, “And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. [3] And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.”
As He was sending the apostles out on their own ministry, Jesus emphasized simplicity and He purposely sent them out with very little! Staves, scrip, bread, money and coats are all representative of things we provide ourselves with. Ladies, we are to “travel light” on our Christian journey and live by faith. We are to pull up our stakes (leave our comfort zone) and move to unfamiliar surroundings as did the apostles. Rather than packing your bags full of your own provisions, (your strengths) go as you are and trust Christ to enable you to perform what He has called you to do! Leave room for God to be seen in you… It is the only way to have a truly effective ministry and meet the demands you will encounter.

Let’s say you decide to "walk on water" and tackle a ministry you typically shy away from. What happens when you don’t know how to do something? You HUMBLE yourself and ask, submitting yourself to authority. What happens when you tackle a ministry based on your strengths? How likely are you to ask for instruction or guidance then?? Not very! You see ladies, we are more inclined to do things in an independent, unsubmissive manner when ministering in the flesh. Our pride will get in the way and get us in trouble! There is no glory for God in that, amen?

Jeremiah 10:23, “O Lord, I k now that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.”

Do you still believe the right way of doing things is within yourself and your own understanding? Humility prompts us to admit that we don’t know the best way to run our own lives – especially in matters of holiness! As representatives of the Lord, we often pray for those we minister to, but how about praying for yourself as one who ministers?? Proverbs 20:24 says, "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?" How can we form plans and conduct God’s business independently of Him?? Don’t expect to prosper unless you take the Lord with you on all your appointments!

John 15:4-5, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

In order to bear fruit we must abide in Christ, otherwise we are useless and ineffective. Resting in our own strengths is not abiding in Christ! Utilizing our weaknesses allows His strength to flow through us as we abide in Him. He supplies us with what we need to get the job done… There is a keen sense of the awareness of the presence of Christ in all that we do when this is the case. You just know it was Him and not you! In what way has God been removing "dead" or useless pieces from your character in order that His might clearly be seen in you? Carnal Christians can produce fruit but only the spiritual Christian produces lasting fruit!

Acts 3:12, “And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?”

Jesus is the vine; we are the branches… He is the source of all miracles that take place in and through us. As we grow in the Lord and produce fruit, how important it is that the Vine bear the weight and support the branches that hold the fruit! How well have you been holding up under your responsibilities as a Christian? In order for fruit to remain, it is GOD who must be our support system that sustains us in ministry and not our own strengths upholding us.

2 Cor. 3:5-6a, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; [6] Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament….”

In closing, as our dependency upon the Lord grows, so does the glory our lives bring Him! If you are only partly depending on God and partly depending on yourself, you are only partly glorifying Him. No one is sufficient of himself to minister to the hearts of people. Let us seek to emphasize the grace of God as we minister - not the strengths of our personality! Otherwise, we rob our churches of God’s power.

Psalm 39:5b, … “verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.”

God Bless,
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2002 Pamela A. Iannello

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